A few days ago, I lamented the VC45 Clone Trooper as the sculpt that would not die.  Despite recently announcing that there would be a new clone in 2023, Hasbro continues to pump out clones today using this mold that was controversial at the outset when it debuted well over 10 years ago.  So while it continues to get use, it seems, at least, that its days are numbered.

Perhaps more frustrating than VC45, is VC25 (“BAR2-D2”), which is even a bit older than the clone trooper.  Also not all that well-received upon release in 2010, this is also a sculpt that will not die.  And this one has no excuse that I can allow, because we already have a superior basic astromech sculpt.  The first time it was released as R2-D2 (in The Last Jedi packaging), it instantly became the best astromech available.  It was a great sculpt that was based on the venerable build-a-droid mold, but without the unsightly large holes on the sides of the body.  That sculpt was then repainted with some dirt and grime, and released in TVC (minus any accessories and for several dollars more) as VC149. 

Hasbro recently released VC234, seemingly to appease the O96 crowd (at the expense of everyone else in the hobby).  The excuse for the VC25 sculpt being re-used was clearly needing the NOT SENSORSCOPE! periscope accessory.  Fine.  It’s terrible and wrong, but I get it.  Nevertheless, VC25 was also used for the Droids cartoon R2-D2 and now again for this R2-SHW, neither of which need the periscope. So why couldn’t we have gotten the TLJ/VC149 sculpt for these figures?  I have no idea, but here we are.

So again, no need to go over the sculpt.  It’s terrible, and the accessories are superfluous for R2-SHW. 

But lets get to what we DO get here:  R2-SHW.  General Antoc Merrick (Blue Leader)‘s astromech!  Yay!  We were dying to get Merrick for the longest time, and Hasbro heard our calls and delivered Merrick AND his X-Wing!  Instantly, we wanted - nay, DEMANDED! - Merrick’s droid.  One of the problems was that it seemed the character was not identified or named in the film, or almost any source material for Rogue One.  Well, it took a few more years, but R2-SHW is now available, and he completes the “crew” of pilot, astromech, and starfigther.  Kudos to Hasbro for working with LFL to get the droid named, and then out to collectors.  While the sculpt is frustrating, I’m just happy to have this guy in my collection, even at the exorbitant price of $16.99 (due to limited availability as an online shared exclusive, and presumably, a shorter run). 

Chris pretty much wrote about all of this when he reacted to the original announcement.  But I have a minimum word count clause in my contract, so you get it all again, but more wordy this time.  We gave VC234 a reluctant 5.  This is the same figure, but repainted as a debut figure for this character, so it gets a bump.  6/10.