Sculpt: R2-C4, R3-T2, R2-Q2, R2-X2, R2-M5, R2-A6--4.5/5 ; R4-A22, R3-T6, R4-E1, R3-Y2--3.5/5
Astromechs! The five R2 units (and R3-T2) in these sets use the newest astromech body, first seen on the ROTS preview figure R4-P17. This is hands down the most accurate astromech sculpt Hasbro has created in this scale and it's incredibly cool that they've utilized it on these figures. Details on the R2 units are top notch--separately sculpted hoses, more detailed panels and accurate proportions. If Hasbro could add a couple of little details on the legs, these things would be practically perfect!

The other two astromechs in the set, R4-A22 and R3-T6, use the older astromech bodies that date back to the Power of the Jedi line. These bodies have inaccurate proportions--the bodies are too long from top to bottom and they aren't as wide as they should be. The panels on the body are a bit more generalized, and the hoses on the feet are not separately sculpted. The heads on these two figures are okay though. I especially like the detail work on the R4 head, with its little vent-like details and well defined eyes.

Articulation: All the R2 Units--5/5 ; The rest--4.5/5
All of the astromechs in this pack have basically the same articulation points: rotating head, movable legs, ankles, and retractable third leg. That's pretty much all you can ask for with an astromech figure, but I'm taking off half a point for the older bodies since their third leg does not retract into the body all the way like the newer bodies do.

Accessories--NA/5
There are no accessories with these sets.

Paint
Now here's the real meat of this review. Since the paint job on each figure is the only real thing that separates them from each other and past astromechs, I'm going to go through each droid and score them individually. Here we go!

Series 1
R4-A22--4/5
R4-A22 is one of the more interesting-looking droids out of the 10. His strong orange color and unique paint applications really set him apart from the regular astromech. Hasbro did a bang up job for what it's worth, though the foibles of mass-production keep things from looking perfect. Everything is in the right place; the parts that are supposed to be orange are orange, and the white lines on the head are accurately recreated. Unfortunately, some of the edges of the orange sections aren't as sharp as I'd like, and there's a bit of slop here and there. Despite that, this figure looks great and is easily one of my favorites.

R2-C4--3.5/5
R2-C4 looks like your basic R2 unit in yellow trim. I like the painted silver dome; it's a good representation of the brushed aluminum look of the real thing. The yellow paint seems to applied in all the right spots, but R2-C4 is missing some silver accents here and there. The vent-like panels on the sides of R2-C4 should be silver and yellow, but here they're just yellow. The same is true for the little octagon-shaped indent on the bottom front of the body. Hasbro also applied a paint wash to the body to give it a slightly dirty look, but they neglected to also apply the wash to the legs. This makes R2-C4 look a bit odd, and...unfinished. Another interesting note is that they painted black in the area where the legs attach to the body, and they've also done this on the bottom of the body where the third leg retracts. Interesting but a bit unnecessary. This is also the only figure in both sets where the main eye is not black; I don't know why they chose to not paint it, as it hurts the overall appearance of the droid.

R3-T2--1.5/5
This is, without a doubt, the worst painted figure in both sets. This figure looks like they decided to stop painting it when they were halfway done. The body of R3-T2 should look just like R2-D2's. There should be blue and silver accents all over this guy, but on this figure, there's hardly any. The head is also a complete disgrace. The head should basically be red with white panels, but on this figure, they cheaped out and simply painted a large brown-ish band around its head with a thin line at the bottom. Poor R3-T2 didn't even get the weathered treatment to help out his looks. If there's one figure that needed weathering, this one was it. Poor, poor job all round.

R2-Q2--4.5/5
R2-Q2 is perhaps my favorite astromech of these sets; his unique paint scheme really makes him stand out and look cool. Hasbro pulled out all the stops on this figure. All the body panels that are painted are either white with black trim or black with white trim. It's impressive that they were able to capture all this detail, even if some of the lines are crooked. The head is also done well with the white and black lines going around the head. There is a slight inaccuracy here though, as it shouldn't be white above the black line; it is supposed to be silver and then white lines should be around the panels at the top of the head. Impressive job nonetheless!

R3-T6--4/5
Rounding out Set 1 is R3-T6 who appears on the Death Star. Paint is pretty accurate as far as I can tell, except that they didn't paint the large panel at the top of the back of the body. It is supposed to be red like the other panels, but they left it white. Paint application is fairly clean on this figure, with pretty well-defined edges. Despite being an average looking droid, he is painted well.

Series 2
R4-E1--4/5
R4-E1 has a lot of paint apps which makes him look pretty interesting. Hasbro got it all right as far as I can tell, though it's a bit hard because I don't have much reference material on him. The red paint apps are painted well, with not a whole lot of slop or over spray. What's really interesting about the paint job though is what you can't really see--Hasbro painted certain parts of R4-E1 WHITE! I guess it's actually off-white, but it's so similar to plain white that you can hardly see it. Certain panels and areas are painted in this off-white color and it's interesting that they went through all this trouble for something you can barely see. Good job anyways though. Slight weathering would have been nice since this droid is seen rolling around Mos Eisley.

R2-X2--3.5/5
This is another cool looking droid that I've always wanted in action figure form. He's got a sleek black appearance that makes him look different from the usual white astromechs. R2-X2's paint scheme is actually pretty simple, but the stark contrast of the black body and white head make him stand out. Hasbro did a good job on the paint overall, but there are some inaccuracies. The head is supposed to be all white except for the top-most panels which are black. Of course, there's also the two black lines that go around the head, and the main eye box is also black. But Hasbro embelished a little here, and painted some of the lower panels black. The "second eye" beneath the main eye has also been painted within a black box on the toy when it should be in white. The silver stripes at the top of the legs are also too thick and should be thinner. An interesting note is that the body is actally white plastic that has been fully painted black. I don't mind, but it does tend to smooth out some of the details in the sculpting. One final complaint is that the silver areas on the body are a bit messy looking and seem to be a little misaligned. I still love the way this guy looks though, and he is one my favorites.

R2-M5--4.5/5
R2-M5 has another one of those basic R2-D2-like paint schemes, but he's one of the most well-painted of them all. There are a few extra bits that Hasbro usally doesn't paint that are painted on this figure. These are small details, like the little spots on the feet and legs that are painted in the red-colored trim. They may not seem like much, but they really make the toy look more detailed. Actually painting any part of the third leg scores points with me, as Hasbro tends ot neglect the third leg. There's a bit of slop on my figure, but for the most part this droid's paint job is solid.

R2-A6--3.5/5
R2-A6 is the only droid in both sets that has appeared as an action figure before (he was in the 12-inch Episode I line). For the most part, R2-A6 is another solid R2-D2-look-a-like. While he doesn't have as much paint detail as R2-M5, he still does an adequate job of recreating its movie counterpart's paint scheme. There are some green accents missing on the feet and ankles, and the third leg is not painted at all. Paint application is messy on my figure. There's places where paint is bleeding and there is some glop here and there. The paint job is still decent looking to the naked eye though, so I'm not complaining too much.

R3-Y2--3/5
It's kind of a shame that we're ending on R3-Y2, because he is for me the least memorable droid of the ten. Maybe it's his pea soup-green color, or maybe it's his oddly colored legs. Whatever the case, I just don't like this guy. But personal feelings aside, this droid has quite a bit of dark green paint apps, and the consistency just isn't that good on my figure. There are parts within the same panel where the green is lighter than the rest of the panel. Other than that, the application is solid. The biggest head-scratcher with this figure are the oddly colored legs. The legs and feet were cast in a darker-colored plastic than the body, I suppose in an attempt to make the droid look dirty. Unfortunately the result is that this figure looks weird and mismatched. This figure could've looked better had they not done this.

Packaging--4/5
The packaging for these are pretty standard. If you order them direct from Entertainment Earth, each box comes in a white mailer box. This is done to help keep the actual boxes in mint condition. If you buy them in a store like Puzzle Zoo, you most likely will not get the white box. Anyway, the actual boxes are sporting the new Saga Collection graphic design and are simplistic and effective. I like that the box is not too big nor too small; this box simply does what it was meant to do--protect and display the figure within.

The droids are held within a plastic tray; some of the droids are held in with those clear rubberbands while others are not--don't ask me why. They are set against a backdrop from the movie which is a nice and expected touch. Series I has a Jawa Sandcrawler backdrop, and Series II has a Mos Eisley backdrop. The back of the box shows photos of the droids and a small blurb about their "story".

Overall--4/5
If you like astromech droids and are looking to increase your collection, you simply have to get these sets. While the figures aren't perfect, they are definitely good enough and will look great in any scenes or dioramas you create. It's very cool that Hasbro and Entertainment Earth was able to bring us ten new astromechs all at once; think about how few and far between astromech droids come out single-carded in the basic line--we'd be waiting years for ten new astromechs! Some people feel these are too expensive, but if you break it down, they are about $8.00 each which is about $1.00 higher than a figure you'd buy at a store. Not bad for an exclusive figure if you ask me, especially when compared to other exclusives that are $10-$15 for one figure. Anyway, I love these figures, and I heartily recommend them to anyone looking to expand their droid pool!

Where to buy:
Entertainment Earth is the main place to buy these figures, seeing as they're an EE exclusive. You can buy the complete set of ten for $74.99 or buy each set separately $39.99 each. Follow these links to order:
Astromech Droids Complete Set
Astromech Droids Set #1
Astromech Droids Set #2

You can also possibly find these figures at your local comic shop or specialty stores such as Puzzle Zoo.
Ebay is also a possiblity, but if you can't find it for less than retail, then stick with Entertainment Earth.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com