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Review of Battle Droid and S.T.A.P. - Star Wars 1/6th action figures

Sideshow Collectibles
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Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Introduction

Some of Sideshow's best work on the Star Wars license has involved the armies - Stormtroopers, Clonetroopers, and now Battle Droids.

I loved the two pack that they released earlier this year, and now we have another droid, but this time with his very cool hovering Segway, better known as a S.T.A.P.

STAP (with or without the punctuation) stands for Single Troop Aerial Platform. I've also heard it called a Single Troop Armed Pogo stick...either way, it's a great little vehicle that one droid can use to scout ahead.

Sideshow's good, but they haven't yet invented hover technology for their figures, so the vehicle attaches to a large, heavy base. If you buy it directly from them, it will run you $175, but other retailers have it for closer to $150.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Packaging - ***1/2
Not much new I can say here - same design, collector friendly, not much waste, wrap around magnetic flap...all the usual. And as usual, there's no COA with these.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Sculpting - ****
These guys fit in nicely with the rest of the sixth scale series, coming in at 11 - 12" tall, depending on how far you extend the neck.

I love the engineering - more so with each release. It really is impressive how well the sculpt and articulation work together, and this is one of Sideshow's best overall designs.

The smooth texture gives the impression of metal, and the details on the pack and body look great.

The vehicle is terrific, sculpted in proper scale and with tons of detail. I love the look of the dual engines, and the guns can tilt up and down. The gray base is very heavy, making it less likely that he could tip over.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is solid, although there's not a ton of detail. The weathering is very good, especially on the legs. There's a slight difference between the color of the body and the color of the backpack, but that's a very minor nit, since it isn't all one piece.

The color of the droid and the vehicle does match however, making him look pretty seamless sitting up there.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Articulation - ****
One of the things that really impresses me about these figures is the engineering - they've managed to create a figure with a ton of sturdy AND useful articulation.

Let's start with the neck. It extends out of the body, so far out that it can lean way forward and backward. It also slides down into the body, allowing the head to rest flush on the torso. You can adjust it to what ever length you'd like or looks best with the rest of the pose, and it will hold it's spot. There's also a ball joint right where the head attaches to the neck, but it doesn't tilt quite as much as I'd like due to the sculpt.

The shoulders allow for forward, backward, inward and outward movement, and the armor pads are hinged so they don't get in the way of any pose.

The elbows work like regular pins, with a cut joint at the bicep and forearm. There's ball wrists, ball and cut ankles, pin knees, and ball hips.

The hips are a bit restricted by the design though, so you can't get to extreme with the leg poses. There's also a little movement in the waist, but it's minimal.

The hands include pin joints for the fingers and thumb as well, and these are tight enough that he can easily hold the gun or the handle of the vehicle.

Finally, both of the antenna on his backpack extend and retract as well. Overall, it's a very impressive piece of design work, and the execution is just as good.

If you're worried about getting him to ride the S.T.A.P., don't. The articulation allows him to ride just fine, and there's magnets in the vehicle and metal plates on the bottom of the feet for that extra security. I wish the magnets were in his feet instead, since you could use other metal bases to give him different extreme poses, but such is life.

In case all that figure articulation isn't enough, you can also adjust the top half of the vehicle forward and backward, depending on the look you're going for.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Accessories - ***
I'm assuming that neither the figure or the S.T.A.P. is an accessory - this is more of a two pack situation. However, the Droid does also have his backpack with the cool extending antennae mentioned earlier, as well as a very nicely sculpted blaster. He can hold it easily in one or both hands, although when he's riding it's a bit tough.

While the backpack is a separate piece, it hooks tightly to the back, and remains there with normal handling.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Fun Factor - ****
This guy - and the vehicle - are great fun. With all the cool articulation, and the sturdy construction on the 'bike', you could actually play with this guy. Or at least that's what it's going to look like to your significant other when you're working on getting that perfect pose.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Value - ***
The two pack of droids that Sideshow originally released cost around $120, or $60 a droid. You can pick up this pair for $150 - $175, depending on the retailer, so let's split the difference and call it $160. That means you're getting the S.T.A.P. for around $100, which is a solid value. It's rare to get anything like this in sixth scale - vehicle, diorama, or big accessory - for that price.

Things to Watch Out For -
While the joints are all fairly sturdy, I'd still take some care when using them, especially the neck and the thin antenna.

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Overall - ***1/2
If you can snag this pair for less than $150, you can boost this up to a full four stars. He's not a bad value at $160 or so, but that would really put him over the top.

The sculpt and articulation are excellent, and I love the look of the S.T.A.P. Now we just need four or five more droids (there's another shipping soon) to fill out the display!

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

Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid action figure by Sideshow

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has it for $175

- is at $160.

- has it for $170.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other sixth scale Star Wars figures include:

- I just checked out the Tusken Raider from Sideshow and the Bepin Luke from Hot Toys. Also recently from Sideshow was the Boba Fett.

- before that was the very cool two pack of Droids.

- I love the big Dewback and Trooper, but it's a lot of cash.

- late last year I checked out Figrin D'an.

- speaking of Troopers, there's the Sargeant Clone Trooper.

- just before that was the dimunitive Jedi, Yoda.

- I also liked the recent Gammorean Guard.

- it was awhile before that for the previous review, Admiral Thrawn and his command chair.

- prior to that was Lando Calrissian, and the Shock Trooper.

- Darth Vader was perhaps Sideshow's best Star Wars release.

- then there's the Utapau Trooper, the Imperial Stormtrooper, and Captain Antilles.

- I wasn't as thrilled with Ki-Adi-Mundi, but Obi-Wan in Clone Armor is easily one of their best. Then there's Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke and Han Solo.

- Sideshow had a strong year in 2008 with Commander Praji, the exceptional Palpatine/Sidous and ANH Obi-Wan, and the not quite so exceptional Ilum Padme.

- also in the sixth scale line, I've reviewed Leia and Bespin Luke, the Holo-chess set, Sideshow's Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin Luke, the Endor Troops, Jabba the Hutt and his throne, Bib Fortuna, Jedi Luke, Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, Bespin Han Solo, regular Anakin Skywalker and Kit Fisto.

- I also have guest reviews of the SDCC Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Emperor Palpatine and his throne, and Qui-Gon Jinn.

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

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Star Wars S.T.A.P., Battle Droid 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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