Sadly for fans of Hasbro's generally accurate sculpts of the droids of the Star Wars universe, some of the many mechanicals featured in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace were released only with vehicles, as limited editions, or in very limited quantities.

 
 
Look, sir! Droids! (1999-2001): R2-B1, TC-14, unnamed red astromech droid from Naboo Royal Starship playset, K-3PO.

• R2-B1: an R2 series astromech droid, just like R2-D2, R2-B1 was one of Artoo's comrades in the droid bay of Queen Amidala's chrome-covered royal starship. But if you remember the film at all, you'll note that R2-D2 was the only one of those droids to survive the emergency trip out to the ship's hull to perform repairs in an intense combat situation. R2-B1 and the rest of the R2 droids - with the sole exception of R2-D2 - were blasted off the hull by a barrage of Trade Federation gunfire. I originally thought that R2-B1 was a Star Wars Fan Club exclusive, but it turns out now that it may have been a shortpacked item which simply didn't make it to every part of the country. It came packaged with a nifty "power harness" accessory; each R2 droid was charging up in his own alcove when the alarm was sounded. Unlike Hasbro's previous R2 models, R2-B1 has a solid body with no third "tripod" leg.
• TC-14: a protocol droid serving on the flagship of the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo, TC-14 correctly deduced that the ambassadors she welcomed aboard were Jedi Knights, setting a momentous chain of events into motion. The TC-14 figure, another rarity like R2-B1, is essentially a silver-coated C-3PO-style droid. She comes with a serving tray and pitcher like the ones she carried in the film, and her hands have been rescuplted to allow her to carry the tray.
• Unnamed Red R2 Unit: another ill-fated R2 astromech droid, this red droid sped to the rescue of the Queen's cruiser, only to be obliterated by heavy fire from the Trade Federation blockade. This figure came packaged only with Hasbro's enormous replica of the Queen's cruiser - enormous because it was scaled to hold the figures with room to spare, and because it was almost three "stories" tall! The unnamed droid's figure is perhaps the best design yet for an R2-series droid figure due to its third "tripod" leg, which lowers to the rear or to the front, and all three feet are articulated, allowing it to lean back or to bend forward - all the better to tend to its delicate repairs (until its moment of fame is ended by a burst of laser fire courtesy of the Trade Federation blockade, that is). For those keeping track, the red droid was the first to meet his end, followed closely by R2-B1 and an R5-series droid which has yet to be granted its own action figure.

Other rare or limited edition droids not seen here include Hasbro's reissue of the Death Star Droid from the original Kenner line (a reissue which also came with the first Mouse Droid, as seen on the Death Star, scaled down to the 3 3/4" figures' proportions), and the R2-D2 with Princess Leia Hologram figure which was never released in the U.S. (though overseas issues of that figure bring in a hefty price); the transparent plastic "hologram" was deemed a choking hazard, and did not meet U.S. toy standards. A thin droid with a binocular-shaped head, occasionally referred to as Treadwell, has only been issued as an accessory to the Aunt Beru Commtech figure; that droid had no moving parts, and was more or less a statue. Additionally, the Interrogation Droid seen in Star Wars was included as an accessory with the Commtech reissue of Darth Vader; it "floats" on a clear plastic stand.

Are there more droids waiting to be immortalized in plastic? You betcha. A white Threepio-type protocol droid with visible battle damage, named K-3PO in the Lucasfilm archives, is now available as part of the latest wave of Power Of The Jedi, and it may come as no surprise that K-3PO is the exact same mold as TC-14. (K-3PO appeared in Echo Base early in The Empire Strikes Back, if you're wondering where he appeared.) So many variations on the basic R2-type droid have appeared, Hasbro could almost resort to the same kind of thinking that British toy manufacturer Dapol has with its Dalek figures from the Doctor Who TV series: same basic mold, new paint job. Dapol has over a dozen varieties of Dalek figures, and Hasbro would probably reap more than a few collectors' dollars by adopting the same policy with R2 units. In fact, another R2 variation, another Naboo royal cruiser droid with green detailing, has been produced as part of Hasbro's 12" line - and, after the bulk of this essay had been written, word got out than an "Imperial R2 droid" with a black and red paint scheme will soon be joining the above droids in the Power Of The Jedi series of figures.

CARDED FIGURES