STAR WARS BLACK SERIES ONE - R2-D2

I purchased R2-D2 from the same local comic book store I purchased Star Wars Black Luke Skywalker from. The prices are lower at normal retail stores such as Target than they are at comic book stores. Retail may sell these figures for $19.99 compared to comic shops selling them for $24.99. Luke's droid buddy is a pleasant surprise, both visually and feature wise. Two action features that stand out the most are the extension of his middle leg and compartments that open and close. The compartments opening and closing were the biggest surprise to me. The old Kenner R2 figures never had retractable compartments, way to go Hasbro.

As you can see in the front of the packaging R2 comes with seven accessories, which I assume are tools. Not to mention two wrench like tools located inside his two compartments. Throughout the Star Wars series, R2 comes in handy as an extra helper for storage purposes, such as when an X-Wing fighter is being repaired,etc. Also as you can see that each Star Wars black figure comes with their own individual box art.                   The following pics are comparison shots of size differences between the Star Wars Black
R2-D2 compared to an old 3 inch scale R2. Actually the old R2 is around 2 inches tall and the Black series version is almost right at 3 inches tall. Luke is added to the pictures for more size comparisons.

As you can see in the comparison shots that Stars Wars Black R2 is way more detailed than the previous smaller version, looking a lot more like he jumped straight out of a Star Wars film emerging into plastic. One common feature that both versions of R2 share is the extension of his middle third leg. However the action features are done differently for both figures.
In order to display the third leg of the series black R2 , you must rotate his head in a 360 degree motion to the right. To retract the leg repeat the process this time rotating towards the left.

As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised that R2' s chest compartments can open and close. Just use your fingertips to slightly pull them back, revealing two new tools stored inside him. The tools can be removed and inserted back in,however it will take some work on your part. You may have to use something small such as a toothpick to remove the tools out of the compartments.

As you can see seven of R2's accessories can be seen with him in the packaging. So when you open his compartments that's a total of nine different accessories. Out of all of my reviews, this is the first one where I do not know the names of all the accessories. However, I assume that all of them are tools of some kind and not weapons, since R2-D2 is rarely seen in combat situations.
           Having both X-Wing pilot Luke and R2-D2 this early in this series line is a real nice treat
to us fans from Hasbro. Now all I think to make things even sweeter is to add an X-wing fighter jet to the mix along with CP30 . Not sure if we'll see an X-Wing fighter anytime soon but a six inch CP30 would look great next to this movie styled R2-D on display shelves everywhere.

                                                     FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - You can rotate R2's head in a circular 360 degree rotation. His legs move back, forth, up, down. The foot on his middle third leg moves slightly up and down.
(2) STANDABILITY - No balance issues when standing normally however there is one when you extend his middle leg all the way out. R2 will fall if you stand him straight up with his middle leg extended. You must lean him over to his side to make him stand properly with an extended middle leg.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT R2-D2 ? His cool action features. Rotating head, extending leg, compartments that open and close. Rollers on the bottom of his feet allow R2 to slide across smooth wood surfaces. And the duplicate movie likeness is a major plus.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT R2-D2 ? There is nothing that I dislike about this figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THIS FIGURE ? If R2 was battery operated, flashing glowing lights along with his beeping sounds would make nice features to add.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1-10 I give R2 a perfect 10. No flaws with this figure.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - Overall I am pleased with this version of  R2-D2. He was one of the most popular characters when the Star Wars franchise debuted in the 1970s and is one of the best action figures in this Star Wars black series in my opinion. If I were you I'd pose him next to Luke Skywalker on my display shelf, since he spends a lot of time with Luke in the series. Can't wait to get CP30 to pose next to R2, since those two are like the Ernie and Bert of Star Wars, almost always together. ( NOTE ) Some plates on the top of R2's head are removable, however I do not recommend taking them off because they are kind of difficult to re-attach.
       To purchase R2-D2 from Amazon.com , you may click here Star Wars Black Series One R2-D2 at Amazon.com         
     To purchase from Entertainment Earth , you may click here Star Wars Black Series One R2-D2 at Entertainment Earth