SPECIAL REVIEW: Chatter Back Chopper

A few weeks ago, Hasbro's PR reached out to us and asked if we'd like a free marketing sample of the Chatter Back Chopper for us to review. I initially hesitated because it's not our usual fare here at Bantha Skull. We have a narrow lane. Our readers mostly collect highly detailed, highly articulated, and hyper-realistic 3.75" Star Wars action figures. It's serious business for serious people. Fun and kitsch are straight out. I don't say that negatively, but as a mere statement of fact. As I pondered the offer to review an early sample of the Chatter Back Chopper, I ultimately decided that I did want to have some fun, and this did not disappoint.

Rebels has been a hot topic recently with the ongoing Ghost campaign, and the Ahsoksa series that debuted last night. It's generally accepted that Rebels took a little while to find it stride. Specially, it's when the producers realized that Chopper was the real star of the show. I am definitely a fan of the curmudgeonly bucket of bolts. There's something about the disapproving, grumpy warble combined with the flailing arms that I really identify with. I've been intrigued by Hasbro's previous animatronic offerings, but none have ended up in my cart. But due to being drawn to the character, there were better than coin flip odds that this Chatter Back Chopper was going to be an impulse purchase if I spotted it at my local Target.

As a static item, there isn't much play value. About the only thing that can be done is articulating the elbows on Chopper's dome arms. But this comes to life, almost literally, once the batteries are inserted. I wasn't able to capture this on video, but when the batteries are first loaded, Chopper lets out a celebratory flourish. It gave me a legit chuckle. There are two ways to play with the item. The first is by pressing the copper colored square near the bottom of Chopper's drum. By doing so, Chopper will emote, flail his arms, and rock back and forth. I believe there are different animations depending on whether or not the accessory arm on the front of the drum is extended.

The second way to interact with the toy is much more fun. It's done via voice activation or clapping. Here's what I find somewhat amazing. I tried speaking gibberish to it, and it didn't respond. How did it know? As best as I can tell, the responses are not context sensitive, but it came close to fooling me. I named off the Ghost crew, and initially the responses seemed specifically appropriate. Ezra elicited a mournful response. Hera was affectionate, and Zeb was disapproving. But I tried Zeb as second time, and I didn't get the same response. I think the first run through of the names was coincidental. Still I feel like there's some Easter Eggs in there, and that's what will keep me coming back for a while.

As stated, in the open, this is a fun little toy. After photographing it, it placed it on our kitchen counter. Neither my wife nor I could pass it with out getting Chopper to do a little dance. So who is this Chatter Back Chopper right for? First and foremost, it's kids. That's the target audience. I don't know if it can compete with the latest Super Mario Halo of Duty, but I would have had fun with this as a youngster. Second, casual fans will gobble this up. My wife is firmly in the casual fan camp, and she loves it. She kept voluntarily saying that throughout the day. Finally, I feel like hardcore Chopper fans will need this. It definitely embodies the spirit of C1-10P.

If you want to buy this Chatter Back Chopper, it's available to preorder from the following retailers with an MSRP of $79.99:

Hasbro Pulse
Amazon

Finally, here's a video of me playing with Chatter Back Chopper followed by some pictures:

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