What the hey is a Tri-Droid you ask?  Well, it was a type of combat droid manufactured by the Techno Union for use during the Clone Wars.  The Octuptarra Combat Tri-Droids had a 360 degree field of view thanks to photoreceptors placed around the rotating ball head, while 3 laser canons gave it an impressive amount of firepower.  The three multi-jointed hydraulic legs gave it excellent mobility, including the ability to climb walls.  However, these legs were also its weakness, as damaging one of them would essentially render the droid immobile.  It saw combat across the galaxy, but could be seen in the Microseries (Coruscant), The Clone Wars (Christophsis) as well Revenge of the Sith (Utapau and Mygeeto).  A much larger version, called the Octuptarra Magna Tri-Droids saw service on Mygeeto, and were used primarily as mobile artillery, capable of taking out various Republic heavy platforms.

The tri-droid was another nice addition to the TAC line, debuting in the penultimate wave, which was ROTS-themed.  It has a central stalk, on which rests a large spherical head.  The stalk itself has its own swivel joint at roughly the mid-point, although it’s rather useless.  The head swivels, allowing the droid to point it’s 3 cannons in any direction.  The cannons themselves have a two separate swivel joints, allowing for side-to-side and up-and-down motion. The cannons can be somewhat “stowed” in positions inside 3 cavities in the head, or deployed facing outward.  At the bottom of the stalk/neck, is a rotating piece with 3 clips which each hold one of the 3 legs.  The legs can swivel a bit at this point.  The legs themselves have 4 articulation points, one near the clamp, along with a “shoulder”, “knee”, and “ankle”.  The ankle is essentially a ball joint, which allow for sufficient movement to stabilize the droid, while also acting kind of like a claw.

There are a lot of details sculpted into this figure, and the paint excellently brings the droid to “life.”  It has a bit of a metallic finish to it.  It’s a huge figure, and it towers over everything else in the line with the legs are fully extended vertically. 

The only real complaint I have is that the plastic is somewhat soft.  Over time, the legs can get a bit bendy.  The 3 cannons on the head are particularly poor in this regard. 

It’s an impressive figure, and is a part of a complete, balanced, or nutritious breakfast.  It’s also a necessary addition to your Separatist droid armies.  The figure was released a few more times, and repainted in a battle pack.  Apparently people dug it.  It’s not the most memorable piece of the saga, but it’s a nice figure, and gets a 7/10.