Wal-Mart Exclusive
Hasbro
Released November, 2002
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Photography by Michael Sullenger
Reviewed on November 27, 2002
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Expanding the Star Wars Universe far beyond the films, comics, books, or games is the Star Wars Holiday Edition set of Santa C-3PO and a reindeer R2-D2. As the first action figures in this line to trace its origins to a greeting card-- and also the first to be based on a Ralph McQuarrie painting, if I'm not mistaken*-- it's a rather special piece.

The set includes a base, two figures, and a greeting card. There are no removable accessories.

* - While there were three figures based on concept art vehicles released in 1998, I'm fairly sure they are all based on the artworks of other artists, even though the boxes attribute at least one of the toys-- incorrectly-- to McQuarrie. (Funny side note-- he was at the first convention where these were shown off, packaging proofs and all, and he pointed out Hasbro's error.)

C-3PO: Sculpt/Articulation/Paint

Santa Threepio is a strange beast, incorporating classic Santa Americana with the chrome of a protocol droid from a galaxy far far away.

The head, well, the head doesn't look so great once you take a look at it in person. While keeping the head a pseudo-chrome and the hat molded in red looks excellent, and I have no problems with the head sculpt, the paint job is what hurts the figure-- his eyes are two big black dots. Most previous C-3POs have left the middle part of the eye unpainted, so this turns out as a fairly drastic departure from what we're used to. Also, the area surrounding the black dot doesn't match the rest of the head in terms of color, which is a little bit of a bummer. It does make the eyes stand out more at a distance, though.

The figure comes from either completely new tooling or at least heavily revised tooling. The legs are the only parts that looks like they could have been recycled, and since they feature a 2002 copyright and foot holes in-- I believe-- a new location, these must be new too. It wouldn't surprise me if they used some older parts, like a TC-14, to get started but there don't seem to be any parts here that haven't seen at least a little bit of work done to them.

The outfit looks pretty much like it should-- the belt hanging off, a few key folds (but not too many), the white fur trim, it's all here. Most of the exposed C-3PO parts are sculpted well, especially the legs. As far as the sculpt on the body goes, there's only one teeny spot where it looks bad, and that's the exposed "neck" right below the head-- it's flat, and it's gold. So it doesn't match the neighboring metallic head, nor does it mesh with what we know that spot looks like. But, again, from a distance and at the right angle, you won't notice.

As far as the deco goes, he is pretty good overall-- the outfit is gold, white, and red where it should be those colors, with very little color bleeding off of the right spots. It ain't perfect, but it's very good. The droid parts, though, are another story-- the head and legs are the chrome silver, and the hands and exposed chest are a flat gold. It doesn't look right having some body parts the wrong color. And to nitpick-- as I am fond of doing-- the figure's legs may be painted improperly. Due to the lighting and reflections in the original painting, it looks like C-3PO may have the mismatched silver shin and foot-- but it's tough to tell and something easily overlooked.

For what it is, it's a cute quirky piece and as such should be a welcome addition to anybody who collects Star Wars and isn't offended by Christmas. However, the pose does not match that of the card, and the head sculpt may bother some. Overall, though, it's just too weird to pass up.

One final note-- we should point out the beard is not removable.

R2-D2: Sculpt/Articulation/Paint

Reindeer Deeto on the other hand is mostly recycled parts, and there are some very unique-- and hokey-- details to be found where he's been changed..

While it's based on the dome from R2-B1 and the Saga X-Wing's R2-D2, there were some sculpt changes made to the plucky little droid's head. Namely, a pair of antlers. In the painting, if you squint, you can see what appear to be blocks of wood in between his dome and the actual antler, with the ornamental head growths tied in place. On the toy, one side has a woodlike base and the other is held on with good ol' fashioned duct tape. (Or duck tape, depending on which version you believe to be true.) For some reason, one of the details on his "face" is extended through the "tape" side, which looks a tad goofy.

Other than that, he's based on an older design-- which means you get a light-up eyeport and all of that jazz. His noggin is top-notch, so all I can say is I'm glad.

If I wanted to nitpick, the antlers aren't exactly as they appear in the painting-- no big deal, really-- and it'd be very cool if they were fuzzy or something. But they aren't, and it doesn't really matter.

The body and legs are the same as the aforementioned R2-B1/R2-D2 sculpt. The "2000" copyright is still there, so there's nothing really new to speak of. This was a good sculpt, and as such, it turned out good here for the figure.

In the painting, though, we should note R2-D2 has three legs, not two. But you'll also notice R2-D2 is flip-flopped in the image, with his various lights mirrored... so it's a mixed blessing. Some details that were painted on the figure previously are not on this version, but overall Hasbro did well. It's a shame they didn't revise the Power of the Jedi R2-D2 sculpt (the one that was used for the silver 25th Anniversary R2-D2) but hey, at least it wasn't the 1995 sculpt.

It's R2-- and it's cute. This little guy's just adorable, and the fanciful outfit and design are just adorable. This is the kind of thing a non-fan would probably enjoy getting as a gift. He isn't perfect, but he's good-- and since I assume this set was a bit of a rush job, that's OK for me.

Accessories

This set includes a greeting card from which the outfit was based-- and it is removable without damaging the package-- and the stand on which the figures, well, stand. Oh, and a background.

The card is a cute extra for many reasons. First, the painting from which these toys were derived was an old painting that came from an old LucasFilm Christmas Card. Second, it's possible to get the card out of the package without damaging the plastic portion so you can use it when giving the set as a gift-- but unless you read a review, odds are you'd never know that prior to opening one yourself.

To remove the card: the back of the package is closed via tape and tabs. If you cut the tape along the bottom, you can slide the backdrop out quite easily and the card rests therein. After, you can slide the backdrop right back in and voila-- you just saved yourself $2-$4 that the Hallmark Gestapo will never see.

The stand has an intricate-- and very bright-- pattern on the rug which odds are most people will never notice. Kudos to Hasbro for putting in a ridiculous amount of detail in such a small piece of a set! The footpegs fit the figures perfectly, the stand is sized nicely, and the gold lettering that reads "Holiday Edition" looks like it belongs on a similarly themed Hot Wheels set. It's functional and it looks great!

The backdrop is part of the packaging, really... it doesn't fit into the base in any neat way, but it can stand on its own and since it is modeled after the old McQuarrie painting, it'll look great behind the set if you open it up. At least it doesn't get destroyed once you open the toy.

Packaging

Is it possible? Has Hasbro actually made a packaging both lovely and amazing? 'TIS! In the surprise of the century, Hasbro has pulled off a durable, gorgeous packaging from which you can slip the figures in and out with minimal damage that looks unique and lets you see the figures quite nicely!

Wow. It looks like a snowglobe without any of the breakage issues! It's one of the few pieces I'd consider buying an extra of just to keep it in the box. It looks great-- I'm very impressed. When I pulled it out of the case, each one was covered in tissue paper. It was minty mint minty good, which, even for something case fresh at Wal-Mart, isn't all that common. Well, I guess it is now. Either way, this is the ideal package for this set-- you can slice open the back and slide the stuff in and out, you can just look at it, and there's even a peg hook if you need such a thing. As far as packaging goes, this is nearly perfect.

The cool little extra I didn't notice until I had it in my hand was that the "Star Wars" logo was changed-- the lightsaber was replaced by a candy cane. Very cute. It would seem the tray's trees are meant to be Endor, but I don't recall seeing mountains on Endor. Then again, I was never really looking during ROTJ.

Availability

As of the day of this review, I have seen sealed cases at two Wal-Marts and no pieces on the shelf as of the time I got there. So odds are your stores have them or had them, either way it's time to hit Wal-Mart on the way home from work from now until you get one.

Fin

At pennies under $14, it's a trifle expensive for what it is-- two $5 figures, one of which is from an old mold. As a goofy fun collectible, though, it's easily worth the $14 and maybe even a little more.

It's not "toy of the year" but it's easily the niftiest, kitschy exclusive that's come down the pike... uh... ever. I don't expect (or hope) Hasbro to do many of these, but I'd love to see a Santa Yoda next year if this set does well enough.

This one is worth your while to track down-- it's just that unique.

For the record, it was supposedly a Fan Club exclusive at one point, but due to the current reorganization many of these exclusives are ebing shopped around... hence the 12" Plo Koons and Saga Sandtrooper four-packs at Entertainment Earth and whatnot. Our sample was obtained from Wal-Mart on November 25, 2002.