Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts C-3PO -Classic Ver- (Star Wars: A New Hope)

Release Date: November 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

While Bandai Tamashii Nations could never dream of properly covering the Star Wars universe, there's still plenty of obvious candidates for S.H. Figuarts out there that they've never even touched. Nevertheless it's clear that they like to keep things both simple and classic - returning once again to Star Wars: A New Hope for a series of "classic ver" releases that revitalise some of their older releases with more screen-accurate paint jobs. S.H. Figuarts C-3PO -Classic Ver- (Star Wars: A New Hope) is particularly notable in this regard, finally returning the iconic Protocol Droid to his shiny greatness.

As was the case with Darth Vader, Figuarts' new range of "Classic Ver" re-releases doesn't feature packaging that's significantly different, staying in line with the design Star Wars Figuarts have always had. The only real difference is that the Star Wars logo that adorns the front window is now in solid gold, whereas on the previous releases it was just a gold stencil. Otherwise the layout itself remains the same, with the front of the box almost entirely taken up by the transparent window and all of the stock images kept to the back and one side. Inside the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, making good use of all the room available. Although most Figuarts ranges have now moved to printing the instructions on the inside flaps of the box by now, the Star Wars figures continue to feature them on a loose paper leaflet.

This "classic version" of C-3PO is essentially the same figure that was released all the way back in 2017 (and then again in 2018 for the Force Awakens version), but with one difference - this one has the deco the Protocol Droid has always deserved. Rather than being decked head to toe in gold paint, this C-3PO is instead a vac-metal marvel - sporting a gold chrome finish that's a far better match to the onscreen costume. Well, it's far shinier than he is for the majority of A New Hope but he's a pretty good match for his polished-up appearance in the film's closing scene. Besides, being almost complete chrome also makes him a magnet for fingerprints so if you handle him for too long he probably will begin to look a little grimy. The silver is perhaps a little lighter than it should be (it isn't wrong per se, but it feels so much obvious here than it did onscreen), but overall its a fantastic deco and the best a Figuarts C-3PO is ever going to look. The vac metal means Threepio feels a little lighter than your average Figuarts but the figure isn't any less sturdy, and despite the design having lots of little bits hanging off it in places there aren't any parts that come with a fragility warning. The 2017 version of the figure got the sculpt down pretty perfectly and that has very much carried over to this one, with all the bits of detailing exactly where it should be. If there was one complaint to be had it's that the eyes feel a little dim, the use of clear plastic making perfect sense but looking a little dead within the head sculpt. It's a problem the original version had as well, so it's a shame Bandai didn't take the extra step to redo the eyes with a more vibrant yellow plastic instead. Overall it's a small complaint to have for such a great looking figure though, the new deco being the kind of thing you should shell out for even if you bought the original.

Articulation isn't even Threepio's strong suit onscreen so it goes without saying that the figure isn't quite up to S.H. Figuarts' standard, but even then they've engineered this in a way that feels authentic to the character yet suitably impressive. Altogether C-3PO features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, shoulders/biceps, torso, waist, wrists and thighs

- Rotating shoulders

- Swivel hinge hips and ankles

- Hinged elbows and knees

First things first - the new deco hasn't done huge favours for the articulation in certain places. The body is generally fine, but both the head and neck joints have a habit of seizing up. I want to say it's because of the vac metal parts because it's not the kind of stiffness I usually see on Figuarts, but can't be 100% sure. The joints do eventually loosen up with a bit of light twisting, but when left in the same pose for too long they tend to get stuck again. Just something to be aware of in case you see similar issues on your copy and think it's broken. The body itself is thankfully better, as well as having some interesting joint cuts to best accommodate Threepio's limited range of movement. The shoulder pieces directly attached to the torso rotate, whilst the arms themselves are on separate ball joints. The elbows do have a very limited bend, with the rods connecting the two halves of the arms sliding extending outwards as you widen them. The hip movement is also very limited, but it's made up for by the legs being attached via ball joints at the thigh. Another random point of interest is that the hands don't connect to the wrist joints via balls like they do on most Figuarts, but pegs instead. All of this leads to a figure that's surprisingly agile despite the limitations of the design, so even if he isn't going to be pulling off the same poses as his companions it's hard to feel disappointed.

Even if this figure was representative of his appearances across the whole franchise there still wouldn't be a great deal of accessories for Threepio to come with, so it's quite impressive how this has a nice little selection despite only representing A New Hope. Threepio comes with two additional sets of hands (both of which are varying degrees of "open"), an alternate faceplate with dented forehead and the communicator Threepio uses to contact Luke whilst aboard the Death Star. Swapping the faceplates is a simple case of pulling the other one off and pegging the replacement in, however gripping the face to get it off can be a little trickier as the chrome finish is slippery (and the pegs a lot stiffer). It's also important to be mindful of the small rod sticking out at the top of his head too, since that could potentially snap off if you were to put force in the wrong place. The communicator is a small black and white piece that could ve VERY easily lost, so make sure when having Threepio hold it it's properly gripped between his fingers and thumb. While a Jawa restraining bolt for the chest might have been another cool accessory to throw in. the only thing that feels like a missed opportunity is again not including some alternate eyes that are better illuminated. You have to get to the eyes when switching out the faceplates anyway, so why not just make them swappable too?

S.H. Figuarts C-3PO -Classic Ver- (A New Hope) works just as you'd expect a Threepio figure would, only it does it with far superior finish. After Vader (who was a whole new mould compared to the previous  A New Hope release) it's probably the most significant alteration for that's been done for this range of figures, and the premium finish is something that's reflected in his slightly higher price tag. Chomed/vac metal finish comes with its own issues (and how badly this figure will be affected by fading will be answered in time), but for now it's a great looking piece - so much so that it's surprising that it took Bandai this long to do him this way. Not all of the "classic ver" figures may necessarily be worth the upgrade, but this one definitely is.