Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: R4-G9 action figure by Hasbro, review by Andrew Lenahan
Series Overview:
Well before the release of the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith movie (AKA Episode III), Hasbro released a series of four figures as a preview of what to expect, both from the film and the inevitable toy line. The results are good, with all four figures presenting a solid addition to recent Star Wars toy lines, though not a spectacular improvement upon them.
Character Overview:
Described on the packaging as an astromech droid who accompanies Obi-Wan Kenobi on an important mission to the sinkhole planet Utapau. Sounds like fun, I guess R2-D2 was in the shop that day or something. Astromech droids are hard to hate. They're little and cute, yet not overly cute. You either like them or you pretty much ignore them. I try to collect every last one of them, even though I know it's really just the same basic idea and I could probably make my own at home with model paint and a box of spare R2-D2s.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 8.5
R4-G9 might be the best-sculpted astromech droid so far, so if you only feel the need to own one of them, go for it. There's plenty of detail, such as the black pneumatic tubes on his feet. His main sculpt-related feature is an eye that glows when thee figure is placed near light. The paint is nice and subtle. He's a little bit grubby, but not nearly so much that he appears dipped in mud like the Dagobah R2-D2 from 2004.
Articulation: 7.5
Astromech droids are never going to be the most articulated figures in the world, and adding unnecessary articulation points would ruin the sculpt. That said, this is probably the most articulated astromech out there. He has the typical turning head and shoulder joints, plus joints at all three feet. His third leg retracts into his body, and even has multiple levels of retraction. Unfortunately retracting it (and getting it back) were both pretty difficult, and not something you'd want to do often. Finally, there are little turning wheels under each foot. You couldn't really ask for more articulation than this from an astromech droid.
Accessories: 6
This is where R4-G9 really takes a hit. He only has one accessory, and it's no prize either. It's a "hologram" of a planet, though without close inspection one might mistake it for a Dragonball-style fireball, or even a giant blog of snot coming out of R4-G9's robotic nose unit. It hangs from a projector hole in R4-G9's head. I might have given it a 5 if the planet wasn't nicely textured and painted.
Packaging: Above Average
All the Revenge of the Sith preview figures are packaged in very cool oval-shaped bubble, with a menacing Darth Vader-above-molten-lava background. The packaging is slightly hard to open, but gone are the annoying twist-ties which have plagued Star Wars figures since the late 90s. There's also a little colour pamphlet with ads for more Star Wars toys. Overall, the packing is well above average for an action figure.
Overall score: 8
The R4-G9 figure is, in many ways, like Astromech's Greatest Hits. The glowing "eye", the holographic projection accessory, the third leg, the wheels, and the dirty paint job have all been seen before in other astromech figures, mostly the various R2-D2s. However, it's nice to have all those features come together in one toy. I would have liked more or better accessories, but there's no denying that he's as good an astromech droid to buy as any, and better than most (in a close race with the Dagobah R2-D2 for overall greatness). Go ahead, pick this little guy up.
Availability:
R4-G9 hould be easy to find in the USA. As of this review, they're a common sight at both Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. They're also on Amazon.
Well before the release of the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith movie (AKA Episode III), Hasbro released a series of four figures as a preview of what to expect, both from the film and the inevitable toy line. The results are good, with all four figures presenting a solid addition to recent Star Wars toy lines, though not a spectacular improvement upon them.
Character Overview:
Described on the packaging as an astromech droid who accompanies Obi-Wan Kenobi on an important mission to the sinkhole planet Utapau. Sounds like fun, I guess R2-D2 was in the shop that day or something. Astromech droids are hard to hate. They're little and cute, yet not overly cute. You either like them or you pretty much ignore them. I try to collect every last one of them, even though I know it's really just the same basic idea and I could probably make my own at home with model paint and a box of spare R2-D2s.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 8.5
R4-G9 might be the best-sculpted astromech droid so far, so if you only feel the need to own one of them, go for it. There's plenty of detail, such as the black pneumatic tubes on his feet. His main sculpt-related feature is an eye that glows when thee figure is placed near light. The paint is nice and subtle. He's a little bit grubby, but not nearly so much that he appears dipped in mud like the Dagobah R2-D2 from 2004.
Articulation: 7.5
Astromech droids are never going to be the most articulated figures in the world, and adding unnecessary articulation points would ruin the sculpt. That said, this is probably the most articulated astromech out there. He has the typical turning head and shoulder joints, plus joints at all three feet. His third leg retracts into his body, and even has multiple levels of retraction. Unfortunately retracting it (and getting it back) were both pretty difficult, and not something you'd want to do often. Finally, there are little turning wheels under each foot. You couldn't really ask for more articulation than this from an astromech droid.
Accessories: 6
This is where R4-G9 really takes a hit. He only has one accessory, and it's no prize either. It's a "hologram" of a planet, though without close inspection one might mistake it for a Dragonball-style fireball, or even a giant blog of snot coming out of R4-G9's robotic nose unit. It hangs from a projector hole in R4-G9's head. I might have given it a 5 if the planet wasn't nicely textured and painted.
Packaging: Above Average
All the Revenge of the Sith preview figures are packaged in very cool oval-shaped bubble, with a menacing Darth Vader-above-molten-lava background. The packaging is slightly hard to open, but gone are the annoying twist-ties which have plagued Star Wars figures since the late 90s. There's also a little colour pamphlet with ads for more Star Wars toys. Overall, the packing is well above average for an action figure.
Overall score: 8
The R4-G9 figure is, in many ways, like Astromech's Greatest Hits. The glowing "eye", the holographic projection accessory, the third leg, the wheels, and the dirty paint job have all been seen before in other astromech figures, mostly the various R2-D2s. However, it's nice to have all those features come together in one toy. I would have liked more or better accessories, but there's no denying that he's as good an astromech droid to buy as any, and better than most (in a close race with the Dagobah R2-D2 for overall greatness). Go ahead, pick this little guy up.
Availability:
R4-G9 hould be easy to find in the USA. As of this review, they're a common sight at both Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. They're also on Amazon.
posted by Andrew Lenahan at 8:53 AM
3 Comments:
Just found this site. Nice reviews!
"Around the survivors a perimeter create."
I agree with your review whole-heartedly. I am quite surprised you didn't mention how when the "snot" is attached to the R4-G9's head....he totally falls over. It makes the accessory pretty worthless. Other than that...he is a beautiful little driod and I love him.
Hi. Thanks for your review on the R4-G9 droid toy. I was involved with the original design of this robot during production although it ended up with simply a colour change rather than an all-over design change as originally projected. I'd like to point out that rotating the head causes the middle leg to retract and extend. You seem to have missed this feature as it is not on the box. I too found that getting the little leg to come out difficult until I discovered that it cranks out as you twist the dome. Great review otherwise. And yes, I'm quite fond of him too.
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