The Last Jedi

TLJDLX

Imperial Probe Droid

Info and Stats
Year:  
2017
MSRP:  
$19.99
Grade:  
8/10 Bantha Skulls
 
Review by: Chris
Review date: 09/17/2017

Left to my own devices, I never would have made this purchase.  Then I read this review by Paul Harrison on Jedi Temple Archives.  I hope this speaks to the role of fan site evangelism for the product that really connects with the community.  This Imperial Probe Droid set went from “off my radar” to a “must purchase” based on that review.  I know that’s not exactly a statistically relevant sample size, but surely I’m not the only one.  Not only did the TLJ Imperial Probe Droid land on my purchase radar, but, at only one per case, it became an actual toy hunt for me.  That is something the Hasbro mainline hasn’t offered me in years.  That’s kinda neat. 

It’s hard for me to not make this review part public service announcement.  To say this site has a narrow focus in terms of collecting isn’t an overstatement.  Our community is largely comprised of super articulated 3.75” collectors.  If this site has a vertical on which it is built, it is that.  As such, we tend to ignore product that does not fall into that specific category, as I would have done with this set without prompting from Jedi Temple Archives.  While 5 (or 7) POA will always be a case of “it is what it is” in terms of the ability to pose the figures, I’ve been noticing increased quality in terms of paint applications and detailing.  While I will never fully accept the 5POA line as a collecting focus (and it’s not just due to the risk of being choked out by Randy), some figures are becoming viable display pieces, so long that the character would be posed in such a way that can be naturally replicated by limited articulation.  This is a long way of saying that collectors should not sleep on the mainline any longer.  It may offer a handful of purchases for you.  That TIE Silencer is calling my name every time I set foot in the store.

I brought my personal biases about the mainline to the table when I first saw this set.  Not only did I assume the probe droid would be crudely detailed, I assumed the limbs would be largely static, save for swivel joints where they attach to the body.  Boy, was I wrong.  Each limb rotates 360 degrees at the attachment point similar to swivel wrists on action figures.  This is followed immediately by a perpendicular hinge joint.  In concert, these two points of articulation operate exactly as a ball joint.  In fact, that is exactly what a ball joint is.  It’s just “deconstructed”, if you will.  Each leg has one more swivel joint.  In the case of the longer legs, a third swivel would have pushed the “posability’ off the charts, but there are still ample posing options as is.  When I was able to approximate the flying pose of the probe droid, I was a little giddy.  I was unsure if the antennas raised and lowered (since they are in the lowered position out of the box).  When they did in fact raise, I had a bit of a “no way” reaction.  Both antennas raise as a single unit.  The unfortunate aspect of this is that they both raise to the same height, unlike the movie.  Additionally they don’t raise as high as they do in the movie.  This is where we have to remind ourselves that it’s a toy and not a replica.

The detailing is ample as well.  There are many silver accents that give the impression of “used universe” wear, and the black paint on the eyes is sufficiently glossy to give the impression of glass.  They are so reflective that you can clearly see the reflection of the photo lamps in some of the pictures above.  Even the hover stand incorporates design elements in the base, mimicking a large Imperial symbol. Lastly, this probe droid has taught me another lesson:  I sometimes fall into the “good enough” trap when we already have existing versions of a figure (or toy).  I thought the old probe droid was “good enough.”  Once again, boy, was I wrong.  This new probe droid makes the old one look like a turd.  The old one now makes me angry at its presence.  Hasbro, bring on a new Hammerhead and Lobot in the Vintage Collection.  I will no longer say that the Saga and OTC versions are “good enough”.

Now it’s onto the Darth Vader figure.  As you should know by now, we’re big fans of the “you had one job” meme.  The concept is admirably concise (a quality lacking from my long-winded reviews).  In terms of 5POA, that one job is for the figure to stand securely, and my sample of the Vader figure cannot.  The figure will not balance when both feet are flush to the floor.  It’s not as extreme as in the photos above, but one foot needs to be partially off the surface.  This makes balancing the figure difficult.  So while the sculpt is perfectly acceptable, the figure fails at its one job.  This set is targeted primarily at kids who probably won’t mind the balance issue.  The fact that Vader is the pack-in hammers home that kid focus.  If collectors were targeted, a true companion piece, such as Hoth Han or Chewbacca, would have been included.  Still, I have to factor that failure into my score of 8 out of 10.  But most of you reading this will probably be giving that figure away anyway.  Don’t take a “wait and see” approach with this Imperial Probe Droid set.  It currently ships one per case with three Rathtar sets.  It will start to disappear when word gets out.

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