At the time of this review, the Disney+ streaming service has just added the 1980’s cartoon, Star Wars: Droids — The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, to the platform.  It’s a pretty big nostalgia deal.  I wish the C-3POs cereal was still in stores to complete the experience.  We’re launching this review today to commemorate this monumental streaming event.  The figures are sourced from the episode A Race to the Finish (S1:E4).  You can read CJ’s review of that episode HERE.

The set of figures themselves are from the Legacy Collection “Droid Factory” 2-packs which were exclusive to Walmart.  This is from the second (and final) wave in the series.  Buying all five sets allowed you to complete the Phase 3 Dark Trooper build-a-figure from the Dark Forces video game.  Figures sourced from the Droids cartoon and a build-a-figure from Dark Forces you say?  OUR COLLECTIONS CAN’T HANDLE AWESOMENESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE!  Sadly if you don’t already own these figures, you prospects of acquiring them are not great.  There are only three sets available on Ebay at the time of this review, and the asking prices are steep.

Boba Fett

(click for the full sized image)

This is literally a repack of TAC 30-24 - Animated Debut Boba Fett figure with some different accessories.  Boba Fett’s Holiday Special “electric tuning fork” is replaced with the more familiar and source accurate EE-3 Carbine.  The sidearm is likewise changed to the Sacros K-11.  I’ll admit my eyesight isn’t the greatest, but I can’t spot a blessed difference in the figures themselves; hence the lack of a comparison shot.  You would think I was fundogging you or something.  “Fundogging” is a word accidentally made up by my childhood best friend, but it applies here.  It’s remarkable that the figures are identical because their productions are separated by two years.  Usually there are unintentional manufacturing differences in such a case, but I can’t spot any.

Now you may be saying, “Beep, beep, beep, back up the truck.  Where does Hasbro get off using a figure sourced to the 1978 Holiday Special for a mid 80’s cartoon?” Well, hold your horses, smart guy.  The same animation company, Nelvana, produced both the animated segment of the Holiday Special and the Droids cartoon.  Not so smart now, are ya?  There are subtle differences between the two versions of Fett.  Heck, in many children’s cartoons of the era, there could be differences from frame to frame within the same epsiode.  Do you think they’re going to waste the good animation on idiot kids?  The changes are minor enough that it’s fair to concede that both versions would translate to the same realistically-styled interpretation.

Unfortunately, the figure is based on 2004’s VOTC Boba Fett.  Long time readers know of my distaste for that particular figure, and I’m not going to belabor its deficiencies, so I’ll just quickly list them:  The helmet is disproportionate, the arms lack great range of motion, the stance is narrow and can’t be changed due to a lack of ball joint hips, and, finally, the jet pack falls off when you look at it.  Fortunately, for an Episode VI-based Boba Fett, all of these issues have been remedied with the definitive VC186 - Boba Fett.  That figure needs to be repainted/retooled ASAP into an animated Boba Fett and slapped on a reproduction Droids card.

This Boba Fett gets the standard super-articulated score of a 7 out of 10.

BL-17

(click for the full sized image)

Hasbro took enormous artistic license when traslating the animated BL-17 into a realistically-styled action figure, to the point that it’s barely recognizable to the source.  BL-17 was Fett’s droid, and on the show they shared a similar color pallet.  BL-17 also had sinister orange eyes portending his villainy.  He literally tried to murder Kea Moll (pretty dark).  Of course that perpetual poor judge of character, C-3PO, immediately befriended him.

None of these styling elements have been carried to the figure.  This BL-17 exchanges the blues, grays and pale orange of the animated version for green, yellow and silver.  It’s as if the styling choices were informed by Professor Lombardo (Simpson’s deep cut).  The ferocious orange eyes from Droids give way to meek white eyes.  What looks like an upward pointing arrow on BL-17’s chest in the cartoon is replaced by a design that looks like a massive push pin.  Finally the proportionality of the upper torso to the midsection is completely inverted.  On screen he has a long upper torso with only a minimal amount of the midsection exposed. The figure is the exact opposite with a very short upper torso.  Again, it’s barely recognizable to the source.

BL-17 also lacks waist articulation for some reason, otherwise the standard super articulation points are there.  Due to the questionable (bordering on negligible) likeness and missing point of articulation, this figure gets a 6 out of 10.