R2-D2 vs. Super Battle Droid
Galactic Heroes Revenge of the Sith-era
Item No.: Asst. 85208 No. 85559
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: This figure plus a Super Battle Droid
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.99
Availability: Summer 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: A longtime friend and counterpart of the protocol droid C-3PO, R2-D2 served the Skywalker family faithfully for many years. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' "heroes" risers.

Commentary: For whatever reason, some of the Revenge of the Sith Galactic Heroes were hard to get in 2005 and didn't see much distribution in 2006 or beyond-- like this unique R2-D2 with its flame jets. Rather than going with yellow/red flames, this one had blue jets squirting out of the droid's arms. Like other "heroes" astromech figures, the figure features simplified sculpting on his dome, but for whatever reason is nearly as movie-authentic as any other droid collectible when it comes to the body. Go figure. The figure really doesn't have any articulation to speak of, and is essentially a PVC collectible-- in other words, the perfect thing to collect or to keep on your computer/desk. It's a cute figure, and I believe the first R2-D2 to actually have something shooting out of his arm rockets in any line.

I don't know if the blue jets were a design choice due to early drafts of the movie and Hasbro guessing the color, or Hasbro deliberately being unfun and taking the fire out of the line. Maybe we'll find out some day after I find a publisher to pay me to write that coffee table book on action figures I've been itching to do.

Collector's Notes: It's a tough figure to come by, but it isn't the only R2-D2. A two-legged sculpt was used in 2002 for the first Playskool toys, and a three-legged version was introduced in 2004. In addition to some repaints (including other characters and dirty variants), this is the third and so far only other full-bodied astromech mold available in the entire line.

Day 608: January 4, 2008