This C-3PO figure was a revelation at the time of release.  It was the first one to have something more than 6POA (head, waist, 2 shoulders, 2 hips).  This one also had knees.  KNEES!  That was a huge advance for C-3PO because there were a few times in films where he was actually sitting down.  There were at least two times he was seated in the Falcon.  Once when he was paying dejarik with Chewbacca, and another time just before the TIE’s attack during the Death Star escape.  He was also sitting down when R2-D2 was putting his legs together during the Bespin escape, although technically he wasn’t bending his knees because the only knee he had at that moment was flexed straight outward as R2 worked.  But the most significant sitting scene for C-3PO was when he was being worshipped as a deity by the Ewoks, and occupied their wooden throne.  This was an iconic scene in ROTJ, and could not be replicated by any existing C-3PO figure at the time.

Along came this figure, and at last you could have an accurate centerpiece for your Ewok feast display.  Besides the standard articulation present in previous versions of the droid, this figure added the hinged knees.  They work well, although one issue is that the hips don’t have a symmetrical range of motion.  C-3PO seems to have a slight lean when standing, and this tends to carry forward a bit when sitting.  As such, he doesn’t perfect conform to the 90 degree angle of the included chair.  But it works well enough, and he can sit anywhere you want to put him.

In addition to the knees, C-3PO now was given a ball jointed waist.  The waist itself was a huge plus, as it allowed you to pose the figure in some of the more recognizable stances that Anthony Daniels often delivered.  It seemed Threepio was often taken aback by the events around him, and would lean backwards a bit in astonishment.  He would also occasionally have a proud air about him when he was bragging about the fluency of his vast array of forms of communication, or he would bend down to berate his astromech buddy.  The improved waist joint is probably often overlooked by collectors, but it’s a very nice, if subtle, upgrade.

In 2006, at the time of release, most C-3PO figures still received the vac-metalization technique.  This one was no different.  It has a shiny gold finish over the majority of the plating, except for the silver right shin and foot.  Along with the yellow photoreceptors, he also has the various colors that have been applied to the exposed wiring in his abdomen.  In the first runs of this figure, the knee joints were unpainted, and were left as a medium brown/gold color.  I never really noticed them, until Hasbro made a correction and started releasing versions of the figure with painted knees.  Impressively, one was painted metallic gold and the other metallic silver. They weren’t “vac metal”, but they had a metallic quality to them that worked.  This corrected version is definitely better if you are looking to add this figure to your collection, but either will do.  There is a comparison shot in the gallery above so you can see for yourself.  The basic “museum” shots are of the original figure, while the diorama shots include the one with the corrected knees.

The Ewok chair is more than just an accessory.  It’s almost a set piece that increases the appeal of this basic carded figure.  It is made of several parts (as you can see in the exploded view image above) but they easily assemble into the completed chair.  It includes two long poles that slide through each side of the chair to provide the Ewoks with the ability to carry their golden deity into their treetop village for the ceremonial feast. 

Hasbro re-released this figure many times over the course of the line.  It’s perfect for the Ewok scene, but also for many other scenes in which you require a shiny C-3PO, since the vac metallization days seem to have come to end.  While some of the new C-3PO’s have more impressive sculpts (including the AOTC build-a-droid version), the shiny finish and hinged knees make this a winner of a figure for your OT collection even today, 13 years after its debut.  It gets a very respectable 7/10, despite not being super-articulated.  Hey, I must do what I feel is right.