Bandai Star Wars Movie Realization C-3PO

I've loved the Bandai Star Wars Movie Realization series right from the start, and I'm glad they're still releasing figures. They are definitely taking their sweet time between releases so, but this C-3PO was definitely worth the wait!

Click through to watch my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a thumbs-up and to subscribe too! :)

The box art is the usual style, and the contents aren't that plentiful this time. I think the key focus for this release was more the unique mold and features of the figure, but more on that later. Accessories wise you get a couple of swap out pairs of hands, and his fanciful oriental styled fan.

The Japanese name is quite appropriate, meaning something along the lines of a "puppet interpreter". Coupled with the known mannerisms of Threepio, the fan goes beautifully with the more effeminate characteristics of Threepio. Everything swaps out easily enough with no delicate parts to worry about when doing the swap.

The figure itself has many new unique parts which makes it stand out from the rest of the collection. The overall gold metallic paint app is fantastic. The face sculpt is very nice too, with moveable eyes and mouth. You can get him into all sorts of derpy faces!

The articulation in the neck joint and lower neck piece allow quite a lot of motion for more expressive poses. The shoulders work well, but it's the elbows that need a bit of care. As always with Threepio figures, the pistons are an area of concern. The ones on the inside of the elbow aren't too delicate, but if you try to bend the elbows close to 90 degrees, the piston will flex. So I wouldn't push them too far in case they snap.

The rest of the articulation is on par with the previous figures. There is torso and hip movement, and the legs, knees, and ankles all work well. I love that they painted his right lower leg silver in keeping with the movie. The unique sculpting details in the feet, shins, and through the arms are a highlight.

I love the red drinking gourd, but have no idea what the key is meant to represent. If anyone knows, please let me know via Facebook message! Would love to know if that means something from feudal Japanese days!

Overall, this is another fantastic release by Bandai in this series. I have seen the IG-88 prototype figure shown at some toy fairs. I really hope they show a prototype of the Gamorrean Guard one day! Hopefully they keep this series going for a few years yet with some more original trilogy characters.