A Droid Story: Size does matter

May 11, 2024

It’s been a few months since the upgraded R series droid body dropped with R2-D2 since then we’ve gotten two more droids with that body for the Black Series

Here is a quick review of the new droid body. We posted this on our Facebook back when the new R2 D2 came out. With the addition of R5-D4 and the newly released R4-6D0 from Walmart, we thought it’d be good to expand our comparison guide for any who might be wondering if the new droids are worth it.

Overall, it’s nice and refreshing to see the team revisit figures that didn’t make the mark the first time around. I know many collectors have been asking for this! As someone who dabbles in toy photography, I appreciate the new size.

Here are a few comparisons:

While it’s a good figure, it isn’t perfect. The figure is presented as a “clean” version. There is no visible weathering.

When compared to the old “clean” R2, you can see that the whites are not the same. In this version, the white is slightly taupe.

The panels for R2’s attachments are not easy to open. But there are more panels to open. It looks great for display and pictures but it’s not very toyetic! Just be cautious when opening them as they can dislodge the extra parts in the storage compartment, making it hard to access them.

I love the storage compartment for the extra accessories. My old R2’s extra was in a ziploc bag. This had out-of-box collectors in mind.

My biggest complaint is that this is not a “universal” R2, whereas the previous version could have been used across scenes with all 3 trilogies. It lacks the swappable thrusters for his legs and the slot for Luke’s ROTJ hilt as well as the hilt. This is frustrating, as this R2 is made for the 40th anniversary of ROTJ.

Comparing R5, R2, and R4:

Overall, there aren’t many changes other than the obvious between the new R2, the new R5, and Walmart’s R4. A few of the attachments are different, and each subsequent droid comes with one less attachment. R2 is the only one with tools for its dome.

R5 is great and accurate to my knowledge, and overall, I don’t have any complaints as well about him. The new droid body fits him well. It’s good to see Hasbro taking advantage of the new body and pumping out several droids at a time. R4-6D0 from Walmart is also a good release. While it’s an obscure droid to choose from, it does look great with the others. As someone who likes to pose my figures in a diorama, I appreciate droid diversity.

If you’re interested in picking them out for your own collection, here are some links to guide you. R2 has been out for a while and might no longer be at retail price but occasionally does come in at a decent price.