Kenner R2-D2

The original R2-D2 is a captivating figure. I’ve already expressed here how I’m a huge fan of R5-D4, but I like him for different reasons than the ones I think make R2 attractive. There’s something nice in R5-D4 as a representation of a generic astromech in Kenner form. R2 on the other hand, has a lot of character for a droid that speaks in beeps and boops.

I can’t call R2 an awesome sculpt like so many other vintage figures, given that there isn’t much of a sculpt to this one with most of his details being represented by a flat sticker. It’s so peculiar, yet it’s those sorts of oddities that really make this stuff interesting to me. As good a figure as Kenner was capable of sculpting, the sticker is probably sharper than anything they would’ve been able to do in 1977.

Perhaps the sticker could be attributed to the figure’s chrome head, which would’ve drained his budget a good bit. The dome is easily the most eye-catching part of this figure, and the painted bits over the chrome also go a long way to really breathe some life into this one. Another ingenious aesthetic decision was to ratchet the head, making the toy feel more mechanical when playing with it. In the end of the day, it’s a toy that’s cool for the amount of thought put into its design, it’s unique, and stands out to me for that.