[Original Review by Chris, 7/17/2019 7:05 AM]

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the fact that R2-D2 being released in the Vintage Collection is almost entirely for the card.  A segment of fans have been clamoring for the original Kenner 12-back figures to be released on the double racetrack Episode IV “Star Wars” cards.  Prior to this release, R2-D2 was twice released on “Vintage” cards.  The first time was in the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection (VOTC) in 2004.  The second time was in the Vintage Collection mainline in 2010.  Both times “Return of the Jedi” cards were used, so there was pent up demand among a segment of collectors for an R2 release that reproduced the original Kenner 12-Back card.  This is it. 

Now, I’m going to try a nuanced response to this.  It won’t go well.  I personally wasn’t campaigning for this release, but I don’t begrudge those who were.  I’m not going to judge what is or isn’t important to other collectors (unless it’s the 6” scale).  Even though this wasn’t on my personal want list, I’m pretty happy to own this carded release now.  I’ve always felt this was one of the more striking card designs and Hasbro managed to improve the color depth and clarity of the photo.  I think this is a stunning display piece on card.  So lets give a recap:

• I wasn’t campaigning for this release
• I didn’t begrudge those who did
• Now that it’s been released, I’m thrilled to have it

Got it?  Good.  Now I look forward to a few weeks from now reading how I ruined the TVC line by demanding Hasbro make unnecessary carded releases.  The internet is fun.

So the bitter pill to swallow in all of this is paying the full Vintage Collection MSRP of $12.99 for an astromech “half figure” without a single accessory.  This is especially wince-worthy since the figure is based on the mold used for both the TLJ Force Link 1.0 R2-D2 and the Solo Force Link 2.0 R2-D2, which is an outstanding figure, but the former retailed for $7.99 two years prior and came with the rocket accessories.  I’m not going to argue that this is a bit tough to take.  To make up for the perceived lack of value, Hasbro added multiple paint applications to give R2 a good geschmutzing. That TLJ predecessor was a pristine white, while the Solo release had a dirt wash. This time around Hasbro gave R2 the greasy treatment.  Some missing blue paint apps on the feet have also been accounted for this time around.  Unfortunately the gray panel on R2’s back is still missing.  Whether you realize it or not, paint applications are expensive, and Hasbro clearly pushed the budget in this regard.  The only argument you could make is that they went overboard and made R2 too dirty for his traipse across the Tatooine desert, and comparing to the film, that would be a valid argument.  I’m personally not bothered by it and think it looks good.  Sometimes you have to “overdo” something to make sure it has the correct effect when scaled down.  The one downgrade I would critique in the paint department on this Vintage Collection release is that I think the glossier paint on the eyeport of the Force Link version looks better.

As Mr. Nomadscout noted in the original Force Link review, this R2 is based on the outstanding Buid-A-Droid mold minus the jarring extra leg holes.  So it’s pretty much the definitive astromech sculpt.  It certainly works better than the “BAR-2-D2” which is undermined by too many conflicting features. It would have been nice if the scomp link arm could have been included so R2 could shut down all the trash compactors on the detention level.  NO!  WAIT!  HE SHUT THEM ALL DOWN!  Of course retooling the figure would have qualified this as a “new” figure, and violated the intent of the release.  This allowed Hasbro use one of the “repaint” slots in the Vintage Collection to satisfy the demand for a modern release of one of the “original 92/96” counterparts.  It is what it is.  Even though the figure has extra paint apps, I’m going to keep the score at the 8 out of 10 that Mr. Nomadscout gave the base figure.

[Updated Review by Bret, 7/1/2024 7:05 AM]

So have you backed the Haslab yet?  In order to hype the campaign, we bring you another figure that doesn’t belong in the cantina.  Sure R2 was in the cantina, albeit briefly before he was chased out by the anti-droidite bartender.  But he was grimy and gross after his adventures in the Jundland Wastes, and this figure is squeaky clean.  But that shouldn’t stop you from backing.  In fact, go ahead and do so right now.  I’ll wait.  Okay, I’m tired of waiting, so let’s get on with it.

This figure is bittersweet for some.  For one thing, it’s another repaint, which seems to be the defining characteristic of the 2024 version of TVC so far.  For another, this figure is $16.99, $4 more than its pre-paint from 2019, which in turn was $5 more than its original predecessor from the 5POA TLJ line.

But I believe the good news outweighs the bad.  Many collectors would have preferred that VC149 be clean, and in 2019 it was filthy.  So this addresses that concern.  The other good news is that this corrects just about all the paint application omissions from previous releases, of which there were several.  I’m not an R2-D2 aficionado, but the original VC149 had a bunch of misses, many of which I hadn’t even noticed the first time around.  The dumbest ones were the missed blue circle at the very top of the dome, and the blue curved trapezoid surrounding the holoprojector near that circle.  There are some other paint apps that are changed on the dome, which seem to be more accurate.  The blue/silver paint apps on the side “armpit” vents were absent the first time around as well.  There are a few blue points on the feet which are new, and the octagon ports on the front and back of the body have blue outlines that were missed the first time.  On the “shoulders”, the 2 pips, the vertical strut, and the central hub are now all silver.  Interestingly, the legs are swapped from the earlier releases, so the 2 pips and vertical bar are now swapped.  I looked at several instances of R2 on screen, and not just in ANH, and it seems that these details are swapped from scene to scene rather frequently.  Not sure what was going on there, an oversight obviously.  But just on the Tantive and wandering Tatooine scenes, they flip multiple times, so it’s hard to tell which is accurate.  It’s just interesting that Hasbro took the time to change this during assembly.  As a reminder, even if you overlook the various changes (which are less dramatic between the two clean versions), you can always identify the TLJ 5POA version by the presence of the little Force Link logo on the bottom of the left foot.

With the nicely updated paint apps, this appears to be a nearly perfect R2-D2, if you’re looking for a clean version. The main downside here is that this is a no-frills R2.  You get no accessories or features.  Hopefully Hasbro adds some of those to future releases that are more accurate to ESB and ROTJ.

It’s a very nice figure, and should make collectors happy (aside from the perceived lack of value), and it’s a nice complement to the recent Leia, Luke X-Wing, and Vader figures from ANH.  With the pipeline announcements of the Luke, Han, Obi-Wan, and Chewy, it sounds like it’s time for a definitive update to C-3PO.  Anyway, 9/10.

Also - added this figure to our Yavin Ceremony Scene It.  Not an overly dramatic change visually, but it’s nice to replace the 5POA TLJ figure with a proper TVC version.  But once again, I’ve stumbled across another piece of trivia that I’ve never realized before.  In the Yavin Ceremony scene, there is a missing character named Pashna Starkiller.  We featured him in our M.I.A.F. catalog HERE.  He’s a rather interesting looking dude with a magnificent hair style.  A look on Wookieepedia shows that the actor who portrayed this dashing gentleman is named George Stock.  But Mr. Stock played another bit part in A New Hope:  He was none other than YERKA MIG!  So Hasbro has an opportunity to sculpt a fabulous new head/hair combo, and can get a two-fer usage out of it.  This is a no brainer and needs to happen.  Today, we launch the Yerka/Pashna campaign!