I was surprised when they threw me a big baby shower at work recently, after all I already had a son and we had kept everything of his knowing that we were going to have another baby someday. Throwing a shower for my new baby was sweet, but I also really, really appreciated the fact that they didn't forget about my older son, who is now 3½. My husband and I (and many of my co-workers) are big Star Wars fans (of the original movies more so than the recent ones), and we had purchased some of the Playskool Star Wars toys for our little guy in the past. I couldn't have been happier to discover that my dear co-workers had purchased some of the new preschooler Star Wars toys for my older son so that he wouldn't feel left out when we came home with loads of gifts for the new baby. Of my boy's new Star Wars treasure trove, his favorites are the duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Product Description:

This new line of "Jedi Force" figures from Playskool/Hasbro stand much taller than the preschooler oriented sets that they've put out previously. Prior sets had figures that stood just a couple of inches tall, whereas the "Jedi Force" figures are taller and more to scale with my son's chunky "Spider-man and Friends" figures, as well as his "Rescue Heroes". Fortunately for us, the two droids come packaged together in the "Jedi Force" line.

C-3PO looks just like the familiar golden robot we all know and love, except that his hands and feet are rather oversized and chunky. The likeness is good -- he's quite a shiny gold with visible (painted) wires at his midsection. If you press the circular section at his stomach his eyes light up with a yellowish glow. His only articulation is at his shoulders and hips. C-3PO stands 5¾ inches tall, and with his large feet he's quite stable.

R2-D2 is also a rather faithful rendition. Believe it or not, they did still manage to make a rather chunky looking robot look even chunkier by giving him oversized feet. His only articulation is where his 2 legs meet up with his cylindrical body (and one leg seems to lock into place when in the upright-most position, making him very stable when standing). When you press the circular section on top of his head, two spring-loaded little blue arms pop out of his body. One is a bit of a claw, the other is more tool-esque looking. R2-D2 stands roughly 3½ inches tall. R2's head is silver and his body white, with various detailing in blue and silver that is nice but actually could have been done a bit better (I'm not overly impressed with the paint job, but it is certainly "okay").

The manufacturer recommends this product for children ages 3 and up. Two button-cell batteries are included for C-3PO's light-up eyes (and they cannot be replaced once they go dead).

Our Thoughts and Experiences:

My son is quite the R2-D2 fan anyway, and he absolutely adores the way the little arms pop out on this particular R2-D2. The arms aren't really good for much, but the fact that they spring out thrills my son to no end. C-3PO's light-up eyes are neat too, but it does bother me that if/when the batteries go dead they cannot be replaced.

One of the things I appreciate most about the "Jedi Force" line of Star Wars toys is that they are in scale with my son's "Spider-man and Friends" and "Rescue Heroes" toys. R2-D2 and C-3PO hang out at my son's Super Hero Playset Headquarters, where they work together with Spider-man, Wolverine, and The Hulk to defeat our Jedi Force Darth Vader and any other bad guys my son can muster up. My husband and I are endlessly entertained when we watch the way my son intermingles his Star Wars and Superhero figures.

R2-D2 and C-3PO are my favorite set from the Jedi Force line so far, not only because the droids are fun characters from Star Wars, but also because they come packaged together. Most of the other sets in the Jedi Force line come with a single figure (Luke, Chewbacca, Darth Vader) and an appliance of some kind. I appreciate the fact that Hasbro/Playskool didn't make us pay twice to get both of the droids that go together so well in the first place.

Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) They're cute, chunky versions of the popular Star Wars droids geared toward preschoolers/toddlers
+) To scale with "Spider-man and Friends" and "Rescue Heroes" toy lines
+) C-3PO's eyes light up when his belly is pressed
+) R2-D2 has 2 little arms that pop out when the top of his head is pressed
Cons:
-) Batteries cannot be replaced

Final Thoughts:

As always with these new Star Wars toys, I love being able to share something I enjoyed in my own childhood with my little boy. I love the fact that the preschool toys are chunky and cute and just the right size for my little guy.


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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): ?? - Gift