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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of C-3PO - Star Wars
Exclusive Sixth Scale Action Figure

Sideshow Collectibles
Date Published: 2016-01-25
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Introduction

Hot Toys and Sideshow have teamed up on the Star Wars sixth scale product, and your wallet is paying the painful price.  The Original Trilogy has been getting its due, finally, and the focus on A New Hope has been particularly refreshing.

Sideshow's latest addition to the line up is C-3PO, in his bruised and battered Tatooine state. There are two versions, regular and exclusive, both selling for $230 at the Sideshow site. I'm reviewing the exclusive tonight, which includes one additional accessory.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Packaging - ***
It's a pretty standard box, and includes the wrap around fifth panel cover held in place with magnets.  It looks good and is completely collector friendly, but doesn't stand out from the pack.

There are two plastic trays inside, one holding the figure and the additional shoulder, and the second holding the rest of the accessories and instructions. The outside of the box also sports the 'Sideshow exclusive' metallic sticker.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Sculpting - ****
There were plenty of variations on the look of C-3PO over the course of the films, but his look in A New Hope was particularly weathered and beaten. This version includes the dent on the left side of his head, picked up during the Tusken Raider attack, and since this dent came and went (and switched spots as well), I thought a screen cap with it in place might be helpful.

I'm loving this sculpt, although I don't claim to be an expert on the intricacies of C-3PO's look. Like every other 'armored' character in Star Wars, there's multiple versions with slight differences, and fans can spend hours picking the nits of any representation.  For me, Sideshow nailed it this time around.

It is all plastic, however, so those collectors that have handled either the die cast Iron Man variations or Tamashii Nations C-3PO may find it feels too light weight or insubstantial.  I'm cool with that, especially considering the price.  A die cast Iron Man will run you around $100 over this one, and the Tamashii Nations 3PO, while very, very nice, is about double the price.

I'm particularly fond of the extreme detail in the waist, where the exposed wiring looks terrific. If there's one nit to pick, it's the size of the fingers, which seem just a *smidge* large. This may be a trade off for including the articulation, and I'm good with that as well.

If it's not obvious, he's sixth scale, and comes in at 12" tall. He should fit in properly scale-wise with the other Hot Toys and Sideshow releases.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Paint - ****
With this figure I have an early ballot nomination for the Eddie Wires award for paint for 2016.  They've done an excellent job, with wonderful work on the plating and small details.

The weathering and oil leakage looks particularly good, creating a very realistic, worn, desert damaged appearance. Add in a nice consistency to the metallic finish and color, along with some excellent small detail paint work on the mid section, and you have a figure that is greatly improved by the overall quality of the paint application.

Again, if I had one nit to pick, it would be with the highlighting of the 'nose'. The darker color there creates a nice shadow effect that makes the indentation seem greater, but it's also a little uneven in length side to side.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Articulation - ***1/2
Sideshow was working with a very restrictive costume this time, and they've done an excellent job getting the most out of a tough situation.

Perhaps the most critical is the neck, since C-3PO tilted his head to express various emotions. There's plenty of movement in the joint, and you should have no trouble adding just the right personality to any stance.

The shoulders are simple cut joints, and the elbows are pin (or hinge) joints. There is a cut bicep to help with posing, and both the piston on the front of the arm and the one in back slide forward and backward in a track. This allows some additional movement at the elbow.

The rotating hinge wrists work mostly as cut joints, although you can get a little tilt out of them. Each of the fingers is articulated at the normal joint, but they only bend inward - they don't turn. This allows him to hold the small communicator and make a number of hand gestures.

The hips allow for limited forward, backward, and side to side movement. They worked better than I had expected, and combined with the hinge knees, cut thighs (hidden under the armor plating), and rotating hinge/rocker ankles, you can get some very natural, flowing stances.  The rocker movement is particularly useful in the ankles, allowing the feet to remain flat on the ground and provide additional support.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Accessories - ***
There's not a lot here, at least with the non-exclusive release. The exclusive does add in one additional item.

One of the key accessories with both versions is the magnetic restraining bolt. There are two included - just in case - and they are actually magnetic, attaching to the chest in the same place as in the film. It looks great in place, and are perfect for the upcoming release of the Jawas.

There's also the small black and white communicator, which he can hold in his hands thanks to the articulated fingers.

The regular and exclusive releases also have a crotch support stand. Nothing exciting, but nice for consistency.

The exclusive adds in a damaged left shoulder and shoulder armor piece. The normal left arm pops off easily, and this piece pops in place. The hunk of plating is keyed to fit one way on the damaged arm. Get yourself a Tusken Raider and this extra piece makes for a great display. Here's another screen cap that shows off the arm after the Raiders were done with poor 3PO.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Light Feature - ****
This is an excellent variation on the standard light up feature, with a focus on keeping it both unobtrusive AND easy to use.

Obviously, his eyes light up.  The batteries come installed, and the compartment is in the neck. Pull off the head (pull on the neck itself, not the head!) and you can take out the small piece of plastic used in transit to keep the batteries from draining. Pop the head back on (taking it on and off is fairly easy) and all you do is *touch* the back of the head to turn the lights on and off. No manual switch at all! Of course, you will turn it off and on accidentally fairly often, but that's a small price to pay for something this well hidden and this easy to use.

The eyes are nice and bright too, although I bet you'll want to swap to your own, stronger batteries pretty soon after opening him up.

This is a light feature you'll actually use, and use regularly, unlike something like the recent Hot Toys Vader. This is a nice example of moving the bar higher in an area where most companies have gotten complacent.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Fun Factor - ***
There aren't a ton of poses you can give this guy, but that's due to the restrictive nature of the costume, not any fault of Sideshow. Poor Mr. Daniels wasn't going to be moving around a whole lot either.

You can get some very cool, iconic stances though, and swap them up a bit as time goes on. Pair this guy with the earlier Sideshow R2-D2, and you'll have a great time working with them as a duo.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Value - **
The exclusive edition will run you $230, but you can find the regular release for closer to $220 if you shop around.  That's a pretty hefty chunk of change, although this exact same release from Hot Toys would cost about the same. Because the quality of the build, paint, and sculpt are all in line with other manufacturers in this price range, I'm grading it at about the same - just below average based on the lack of accessories.

One thing to keep in mind with a figure like this is all the new tooling required.  Unlike a clothed sixth scale figure that usually only needs tooling for the head and specific accessories, this guy is a whole new character, top to bottom. Tooling is far more expensive than producing cloth outfits, and I'm cutting them some slack because of it.

Find him for $210, and you can add another half star here, getting you to an average value. I don't expect to see that happen because this guy is likely to be popular, but that's where it feels like he should really be.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Things to Watch Out For -
The small pistons on the arms are actually quite sturdy, certainly as much or more so than similar designs we've seen with Hot Toys, but you'll still want to pay attention to them as you move the arm back and forth. Ensuring they are sliding along the tracks correctly will go a long way to remaining happy and calm.

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Overall - ***1/2
The more I worked with, posed, and handled this figure, the more I liked it.  The light up feature is a huge improvement over the usual manual switch, the accessories make sense and allow for additional display options, and the paint and sculpt quality are up there with the best in the business. It won't replace the Tamashii Nations release for those that could afford it, but it is an excellent alternative for those of us that passed on that one.

The only thing holding him back from the full four stars is the slightly high price point. If price is no problem for you, then this guy will make you very happy. But if price is no problem, you probably already bought the Tamashii Nations version and don't really need this guy.

Unfortunately, my R2-D2 is boxed away in storage right now, but getting this guy in hand is an excellent reason to break him out. Between Sideshow and Hot Toys, we are getting an excellent set of New Hope releases, and while your bank account might be crying, your display is going to rock.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Light Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow was the place to pick up the exclusive release, where he was the same $230 as the regular release. You can still get on the wait list for the exclusive.

- comes in at $220 for the regular release.

- also has the regular release at $220.

- has the regular for $230.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Both Sideshow and Hot Toys have been providing a solid round up of Star Wars figures lately, particularly for A New Hope. Hot Toys just released Darth Vader, Tatooine Luke Skywalker, Luke in his Stormtrooper Disguise, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Han and Chewbacca from ANH. If you'd like a bit more of a regular Stormtrooper, they've done him as well, along with a Blackhole version. Sidseshow has helped out this year with the Original Trilogy as well, with their Hoth Han, Hoth Luke, Tauntaun, Speederbike, and Scout Trooper.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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Star Wars C-3PO sixth scale action figure by Sideshow

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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