C-3P0 w/ EWOK THRONE
STAR WARS: THE SAGA COLLECTION
For the third day of Star Wars week, I’m actually jumping back a little. No, not back to the vintage line, or even the ‘90s revival, but rather to the post-Revenge of the Sith line. Hasbro’s license actually went up for renewal not too long after RotS’s release, and there was some discussion (admittedly, not *a lot* of discussion, though) as to whether they were really going to pick the license back up, or if Star Wars toys, now without a steady stream of new movies, had run their course. But, Hasbro and Lucasfilm renewed, launching the whole franchise encompassing Saga Collection. Today, I’ll be looking at one of the earlier figures from that line, C-3P0!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
C-3P0 was released in 2006 as part of the Star Wars: The Saga Collection line. He was figure 42 out of 74, so he hit a little past the line’s halfway point. He’s based on Threepio’s appearance from the Original Trilogy, specifically the scene in Return of the Jedi where the Ewoks believe him to be a god. The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and has 9 points of articulation. He comes from a period when the line was just starting to produce decently articulated figures, and it’s worth noting that he’s actually the very first Threepio to feature moving knees (though, it’s likely that the only reason he was given them was so he could sit properly in his chair). This version of Threepio had an all-new sculpt. I can’t say for certain, but I’m fairly confident this one got used at least a few more times, too. It’s a pretty decent sculpt, and certainly does his design justice. There’s a lot of nice detail work, where really makes him feel like an authentic recreation of the character, and he looks far more accurate than even the RotS version, released only a year prior. The paint on this figure is mostly reliant upon the vac metalizing, to give him the proper shiny finish. They even got the silver for his right shin correct! He’s still got actual paint for all the important details, such as the eyes, mouth, wiring on his torso, and even the black on the undersides of his hands (a detail very frequently left out). There were two variations of this figure’s knees. He initially shipped out with two gold knees, but later figures (including mine) had knees that matched the lower legs. It’s a small detail, but does make a noticeable difference. Threepio was packed with the wooden throne constructed for him by the Ewoks (with removable carry poles), a Saga Collection display stand, and a little holographic Han Solo. There were 12 different hologram figures, each available in both red and blue, included with all the Saga Collection figures, and packed in at random.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
Threepio here was a slightly early birthday present from my pal Phil. Last year he got me Maria from Metropolis, so it’s only fitting that this year he’d give me a character famously inspired by her (it’s entirely possible this was not intentional on Phil’s part. He tends to give me something either Star Wars or robot related, so Threepio showing up isn’t that far-fetched). He may be a decade old, but this is still possibly the best version of Threepio Hasbro ever put out!
The Figure In Question 