VADER'S MEDICAL DROID Chopper Droid
Revenge of the Sith Collection 2
Item No.: Asst. 85174 No. 85441
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #III-37
Includes: Mustafar-themed display stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Summer 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Galactic Chopper droids specialize in prosthetic engineering and biomechanics. The tripedal design increases mobility, and modular appendages allow for different limbs to be attached depending on the need. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Vader's Medical Droid (or "Chopper Droid") is another one of those figures that's both essential, and not very good. The construction and overall quality is very similar to that of the 2005 Star Tours robots-- that is, grey, with a lot of brightly colored wires that look somewhat cheap. This figure is slightly worse than those releases because of its weak design. I don't mean this as a slam against Hasbro or the designers at Lucasfilm, but physically, this figure isn't capable of standing for long. He has three legs, but the plastic used is fairly rubbery and if the room is somewhat warm, it will start to fall over in a matter of time. Even if the room isn't too chilly, it's still likely to fall over because his legs and feet are too thin to make good use (or any use) of his display stand. Sure, he can stand on it, but the foot hole to foot peg connection can't be made here. The figure has very limited articulation, and the conspiracy theorist in me thinks this figure was developed to be super-cheap to balance out the rest of the assortment. With few moving parts, no real accessories to speak of, and very little paint the figure had to be a lower-cost release. The good news is that it's a neat design and will go well with any "let's rebuild Darth Vader" diorama, especially since the figure's base plugs in to Darth Vader's medical table. I would suggest you get this figure, but if you do, be careful with it. It is likely to fall over if left on display, and it is fairly fragile. Hopefully Hasbro will do a better version some day, or perhaps a version with a more supportive display base. In a way it's a shame that the Titanium Series figure line has ended, because this is a figure that could probably have done well with die-cast construction. It's still a neat droid, though, so go get one-- just be careful with it.

Collector's Notes: The figure has yet to be reissued. In 2005, its availability was all over the place. Some stores were swimming in this robot, while others didn't seem to keep it around for long. This isn't so much a free market interpretation of the figure's strengths, as in 2005, pretty much everybody young and old was buying this stuff and virtually anything would sell within reason. Today, the figure can be had cheaply-- like roughly what it cost back in 2005. So don't pay $10 or more for this one, as with a little patience, you're sure to get one for under $8 shipped. ( MORE IMAGES )

--Adam Pawlus

Day 697: April 2, 2008