The Last Jedi

TLJVEH

BB-8 2-In-1 Mega Playset

Info and Stats
Year:  
2017
MSRP:  
$179.99
Grade:  
7/10 Bantha Skulls
 
Review by: Bret
Review date: 09/05/2017

Collectors have been asking Hasbro for years, “Where are the playsets?”  Hasbro has been answering collectors for years, “Not happening because ______,” while filling in the blank with a variety of reasons/excuses.  Unless my memory fails, which it is prone to do, the last thing we got that resembles a playset was The Clone Wars (Shadows of the Dark Side) Republic Attack Shuttle.  Prior to that, it was 2005’s Mustafar Duel Playset. 

So what do we get for our patience?

Let’s begin with the name.  This is called the BB-8 2-in-1 Mega Playset.  I guess it’s appropriate, from a certain point of view.  I’m not sure if there was some spoilery reason for not including “Star Destroyer” or “Flagship” or something like that in the name.  But perhaps it’s because Hasbro didn’t want to limit your imagination.  Without the benefit of a viewing of The Last Jedi, we have no idea yet what inspired this set.  But as you’ll see, it’s very possible this can adequately (although not nearly perfectly) multi-task as a TLJ Star Destroyer, a TFA Starkiller Base, and an ANH Death Star.  So maybe Hasbro just figured that a “BB-8 Transforming Death Star / Starkiller Base / First Order Super Duper Star Destroyer Wild Wacky Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Playset” was best simplified as “Mega.”  I suspect we’ll have a clearer notion after TLJ premieres.

We move on to the transforming capability.  First you have a big BB-8.  He’s got only a front “half”, but that means he fits well against a wall somewhere.  There is a well-masked button on his dome that activates his light up eye, while he blurts out several different strings of beeps and whistles.  I estimate about 6-8 different ones, but I couldnt be sure, as I don’t speak his language.  So this really is a giant Transformer.  In fact, the company that holds the rights to The Transformers should consider litigation against Hasbro for…what?  Hasbro makes those too?  Well, okay then.  I have to admit that my first time completing the steps to transform BB-8 into the playset was pretty fun.  I wasn’t into Transformers, so I don’t really have a frame of reference, but it was reasonably challenging without being frustrating.  Kids will probably have a good time racing the clock to transform this from BB-8 to the playset and then back again.  I did it in about 15 seconds.  I took video to prove it, but then my dog ate it.  She’s so damn cute!  Anyway, it does transform nicely, and all the parts stow away neatly.

Once the playset is deployed, you have a large, interactive play area.  The first “floor” has three distinct areas.  There is a garbage room, which makes sounds via Force Link activation.  The garbage sticker image has a dianoga on it, which may or may not be from the sequels.  It could be our favorite compactor from the Death Star, or where Phasma was tossed on Starkiller Base, or from something yet to be seen in TLJ.  There are no moving parts here, so it falls woefully short of the Kenner trash compactor.  Sliding over to the middle, we have a detention cell lockup, which can hold a couple of prisoners, and can also then fold down to serve as a platform for an interrogation chair.  This could be from Starkiller Base or still possibly from TLJ.  To the right, we have a bunch of cutout troopers, which also interact with the Force Link Activator to play alarms and troopers talking.

The second floor has a bunch of action features.  The left side has a collapsible catwalk for figures that are not too sexy for the trash compactor below.  When activated with the button, sounds accompany the falling catwalk.  In the center, we have a lot going on.  A button triggers a trap door, with sound.  A swivel cannon fires a spring-loaded projectile.  I’m not a good judge of distance, but it had to travel at least 50-60 feet.  Turning the cannon’s platform to its 90 degree limits creates firing sounds.  A quick note that the box images and manual text indicate the cannon can swivel 180 degrees, but mine stopped at 90.  I didn’t push it for fear of breaking it.  Another button will cause an explosion on the central “hangar” (that’s what it’s called in the instruction manual), and jettisons a large piece revealing some fiery lights and explosive sounds.  You can also trigger alarms.  The right side has no features, but it is a large enough platform to hold several stormtroopers.

The third floor is the throne room.  Via Force Link, you get some battle sounds as well as a Snoke quote.  There is space for several figures, and Snoke can sit on the throne, albeit awkwardly since he doesn’t have knees.  There’s a strange circular “window” or display next to the throne.  Again, we’ll have to wait until TLJ to see what kind of sorcery is behind it.

The set comes with 2 5POA figures.  One of 2 types of Praetorian guards currently available at launch, with the other being in the Rey 2-pack. The figure looks pretty good, stands with sturdiness, and holds his weapon tightly.  It has a ball jointed head, but otherwise, has limited poseability.  Force Link reveals fighting sounds.  Snoke is very tall.  The face sculpt is pretty impressive. Again, the 5POA limits the figure’s usefulness, and it gets low marks because he looks ridiculous sitting on his throne.  Maybe he needs an ottoman.  One thing that stands out is his huge black ring.  We’ll see what that’s all about soon enough.  The Activator reveals many phrases and sounds.

Finally, this version of the set comes complete with the Force Link Activator.  It currently retails separately with a 5POA Kylo Ren figure for $24.99.  While I haven’t seen it available yet myself, I believe a version of the set without the activator is $20 cheaper.

That brings us to price.  My set was $179.99 at Target.  That is a steep price for any Hasbro toy, but there is a difference between “over-priced” and just plain “expensive.”  In my opinion, if you combine the size of this set, the many and varied sounds and lights, the action features, the transforming capability, the 2 figures, and the Force Link Activator, it’s not a bad deal.  Yes, it’s expensive.  You might find it cheaper if you wait for a sale, a coupon, or clearance.  But I don’t believe this is over-priced at $179.99.

For a little perspective on price, let’s take a look at the number one playset that collectors seem to want:  a modern Death Star.  In our 2014 interview at NYTF with Jeff Lebovitz, Hasbro’s Global Marketing Director, we had this exchange regarding the possibility:

Jeff:  Yes, that worked well.  We can consider this type of thing for the future.  We haven’t done playsets in a while…
nomad:  How about a Death Star?
Jeff:  What?  Nobody has ever asked for that!
nomad:  Ha!  Well, you know we want it!
Jeff:  How much would you pay for it?
nomad:  I know it would be expensive, but depending on what was included, it could be modular, and I’d personally be willing to pay nicely for it.
Jeff:  Okay, even modular.  How much would you look to pay for the whole thing to complete it?
nomad:  300.  400.  Maybe 500 if it was done well.
Jeff:  (pointing upwards)  More than that to get it right.
nomad:  Using the Vintage playset as a point of reference…
Jeff:  That would cost a lot more than $300 today.  We just don’t think it’s feasible, and not enough people would be willing to spend on it.  Believe me, we’d love to do it, and we’ve looked at many ways to get it done, but it’s not possible now.

I’m not good with numbers, but taking into account inflation, “more than [$500] to get it right” in 2014 would mean that an acceptable Death Star playset in today’s dollars would be at least $63,750.  And yet, here is a large Death Star-like playset, with action features, interactive sounds and electronics, which transforms neatly into a whole nother thing…for $179 including 2 figures and the Force Link Activator.  Hasbro could keep this same theme to make a Death Star Playset that transforms into an R2-D2 (or an R2-Q5!), which presumably could be taller and less round-ish, in an overall shape that would be awesomely reminiscent of the legendary Kenner set.

So what score do we give this?  It’s big and has a lot of features.  It is packed with lights and sounds.  It comes with 2 5POA figures which look pretty good.  It comes with the Activator, which you might be able to skip and save $20 bucks (although you’ll need it to hear most of the sounds and phrases).  If you take that last bit into account, the set is actually $160.  I think this is a decent MSRP.  It’s geared towards kids and is a true playset.  I think a lot of collectors would rather forego some of the action features and get a more realistic environmental set piece for display purposes.  This set may prove that a true collector-focused large Death Star Display Playset is possible at a price that is significantly more reasonable than we would have dared thought possible.  Hopefully this BB-8 sells well, and then we can get down to business!  I give this a 7.  I deduct for the 5POA Snoke, the overall non-specific setting, and an under-developed trash room.  Otherwise, it’s a pretty nice playset.

Here’s a video showcasing the transforming design of the playset.  Thanks to long-time reader and forum member Darth Chuck for providing it!

[UPDATE 12/25/17]:

Now that we’ve had the opportunity to watch The Last Jedi, it’s more clear that this set is actually a mashup of 3 different locations spanning both sequel films.  The prison cell / interrogation rack could be from the Finalizer, where Kylo Ren tortured and imprisoned Poe Dameron, before he escaped with the help of Finn.  It could also double as the interrogation room on Starkiller Base that Ren used to interrogate Rey. The trash compactor fits most closely with the off-screen dumping of Phasma on Starkiller Base (although some of the sounds are reminiscent of the Death Star scene).  The throne room is obviously on board Snoke’s flagship, Supremacy.  The hangar section, as well as the hallway next to it, could essentially be any of the three locations.  So the toy itself spans both movies, allowing for extended and creative play or display value. 

I also noticed that the lines generated by the playset can be somewhat interactive with specific character figures that you place nearby.  The stormtroopers on the bottom right of the playset, near the prison cell, react differently depending on whether you have a Resistance or First Order figure, and the same goes for the trash compactor.  I had tried to see if there were any lines that came from the throne room area, but was unsuccessful in generating anything new, despite trying with Rey, Ren, and Hux.

Also, I noticed at one point that the activator gave a Finn line, even though Finn was nowhere to be found.  I grabbed the figure, and the activator repeated his line and performed a second.  Then the same thing happened when I held the activator near the prison cell.  It thought it may have had a line from Poe, but I couldn’t replicate that one line, even trying to use any of the 3 Poe figures I have.  So, strangely, the activator can be triggered to do lines from other characters, but it could be a glitch that allowed it to do so even when the character wasn’t around. 

There may be other combinations of characters that produce new dialogue and sound effects.  If anyone finds anything new, let us know.

If I was doing it correctly, then this may represent a level of interactivity that I didn’t know was present with the Force Link feature.  We recently did a quick review of the Hallmark Storyteller ornaments, which interact with each other.  Force Link would be extra awesome if it was “customizable” depending on the combination of figures and toys that are nearby, but I’ve only just noticed this as happening with the BB-8 Mega Playset.  We’ll see if that capability persists in other toys, or if the interactivity actually expands.

The gallery above was updated with the newly discovered quotes, as many as we could identify so far.

The set is currently seeing deep discounts on the MSRP, so check out our sponsor Amazon for current pricing.

 

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