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Review |
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| Sculpt: |
| The golden-hued, fussy protocol droid See-Threepio (C-3PO) gets the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection treatment, courtesy of his appearance in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. There have been many versions of Threepio in both the original Kenner lines, as well as the modern lines. Hasbro's intent here was to create a modern sculpt that gave as much detailing as possible, while still utilizing the vac-plated gold finish of the original. While there is a nice amount of detailing on the figure, it just doesn't seem all that more impressive than the 1995 POTF2 version. In fact, some of the details are a bit off --especially around the face, where his mouth is too pinched and his "cheeks" too gaunt. 7.5 out of 10. |
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| Paint: |
| The entire figure is vac-metallized in gold, except for the area between his lower chest and waist (or whatever the droid equivalent of those areas are called). There is a silver paint application to his right shin (front and back), and a greenish-brown wash applied over the entire figure. His eyes are lemon-yellow with black centers. His waist is black with a tangle of multi-colored wires: red, yellow, and white. The paint apps to the eyes have been pretty sloppy on most of the samples I've seen, and my own review sample is missing the silver paint app to the right leg (the date stamp is 42011, for those of you obsessed with such things): 7/10. |
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| Articulation: |
| Standard planer-cut joints at the neck, shoulders, and hips. Definitely a disappointment for a line that's entire selling point is ultra-articulation: 5/10. |
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| Accessories: |
| None. Now, Hasbro could have thrown in something here, and really, since they put Threepio in TESB line, why not give him removable limbs and the netting that Chewbacca carried him around in from TESB? Great, big, stinking goose-egg for this catagory: 0/10. |
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| Packaging: |
| The same Vintage OTC clamshell outer case as the rest of line, with an inner blistercard that reproduces most of the elements from the original Kenner THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK card. The clamshell insert depicts the OTC logo with silver-foil highlights, with the UPC code on the bottom of the insert. The cardfront is a reproduction of the major elements from the C-3PO card from TESB line, which actually used a photo of the droid in the Death Star security room from ANH. The blistercard reverse explains the significance of the OTC, showing a photo of an original, carded 198082 See-Threepio figure. It also shows small pictures of all four figures in TESB wave, with a list of all 12 VOTC figures below that: 8/10. |
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| Availability: |
| As of this writing, the figure has been appearing at retail over two months. Inexplicably, it is one of the hardest figures to find, and has been selling out almost instantly at e-tailers. If you find one, snag it! 5/10. |
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| Conclusion: |
| The VOTC continues to be a hugely inconsistant line, with Threepio being one of the biggest mistakes Hasbro has made so far in it. They have made far better Threepios in the past, and there's really not a decent excuse for it being as bad as it is: 5.4/10. |
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