Toyark Review – Star Wars Droid Jumbo Kenner Action Figure Set

The Jumbo Kenner Star Wars Action Figures by Gentle Giant is one of the more unique and collector friendly lines going on right now. They take the original Kenner Star Wars Figures, 3D scan them and produce exact 12″ versions of those classic toys. For them, it’s not enough to just reproduce the main characters, Gentle Giant has gone out of their way to reproduce the gift sets, classic packaging errors, and variants, allowing fans to truly flesh out their collections.

Today we have one of their gift sets and we’re doing an extensive photo gallery and review. We are reviewing the AFX Exclusive Star Wars Droid Jumbo Kenner Special Action Figure Set. The set features three droids; a Death Star Droid, R5-D4 and a Power Droid. Read on to see 70 high resolution photos and to check out our review.

The Star Wars Droid Jumbo Kenner Special Action Figure Set is a throw back to the classic special sets that were put out during the original run of Kenner figures. This particular 3-pack has roots in a Target Exclusive 3.75″ Star Wars Droids Special Action Figure Set from a few years ago. It includes three Droids; a Death Star Droid, R5-D4 and a Power Droid. The set sells for $199.99 and is exclusive to Action Figure Xpress and can be ordered by Clicking Here. From AFX:

Just like they were when you were a kid, only BIGGER! Gentle Giant continues on with their new line of vintage Star Wars Action figure reproductions with an epic Droid-themed three-pack featuring the Death Star Droid, R5-D4 and Power Droid! All three figures were digitally scanned from mint Kenner originals and reproduced to Jumbo scale. The Death Star Droid is fully vac-metallized, while R5-D4 and the Power Droid feature faithfully reproduced “clicking” articulation, just like the originals!

That’s not all! This set comes packaged in a cardboard-backed plastic sealed tray, featuring a vintage-style outer cardboard shell, perfect for display! You won’t want to miss out on this exciting AFX Exclusive from Gentle Giant Ltd.!

These three, together with R2-D2, were captured and transported by the Jawas in the sandcrawler across the Tatooine Desert. R5-D4 was originally purchased by Luke. The power droid was first seen in the sandcrawler dungeon together with a gleaming silver Death Star Droid.

Exclusive Star Wars backdrop included for added realism!

Packaging
The figures come packaged in a massive box that’s well over 24″ tall. The box is a replica of the box/cardback hybrid design. It features a (to scale) peg hole, which comes unpunched. The flap is purposely creased and folded back to allow for easier (and likely much cheaper) shipping.

The package is based on the classic Kenner designs of the 80’s, featuring the classic metallic Star Wars logo, black backgrounds and metallic style detailing. The front features a window, showing the figures. The back shows a photograph of the figures from the set, as well as the background story of the characters. The box is taped on both the left and right sides.

The packaging is made of an extremely sturdy cardboard. It’s thick, heavy and displays extremely well. The figures are set in a plastic tray, bound by a few loose twist ties. After opening, the figures can easily be placed back into the tray and displayed in box. The tray sits in a cardboard backer, displaying the names of the characters. Directly behind that is the photographic backdrop included with the set. The backdrop shows the classic scene from A New Hope, where a young Luke Skywalker is introduced to the droids being sold by the Jawas.

The one downfall is the purposely bent flap. Setting it to stand upright will take some time as the sheer weight of it will cause it to fold back quickly. I got it to stay up for the shoot by folding it forward and placing a heavy book on it for a few minutes. It’s a minor quibble with an otherwise great, collector friendly box.

The Figures
The Death Star Droid, R5-D4 and the Power Droid are immediately recognizable reproductions of the original figures. In pictures, by themselves, it’s hard to tell these are even 12″ scale figures due to how authentically they have been reproduced.

The Death Star Droid features a very clean vac-metal paint job. The shiny silver gives the illusion of added weight to the figure. Like the classic figures, it features shoulder and hip articulation as well as a turnable head.

R5-D4 is molded in a slight off white and features orange and silver paint apps on its head, legs and torso. The main detailing comes in the form of stickers for the front and back of the torso. This replicates the look of the original Droids released in the 80’s. The head piece can be turned, which produces a clicking sound as you rotate it. The figure can be tilted back and forth at the leg connectors.

Finally, the Power Droid also features a sound mechanism. When his legs are moved back and forth, they pop into place with an audible click. The main body is molded in a deep blue, and features a sticker detail for the “face”. The legs are done in a silver plastic with black paint apps. On top, there is a black exhaust port which is molded in rubber.

Review
Now these don’t really compare to modern day 12″ figures and aren’t meant to. The intention is solely to give fans an exact larger version of the figures they grew up with. So I’m not taking into account what lines like Sideshow’s Sixth Scale Figures offer. I’m approaching them for what they are…Retro figures.

These are the first Gentle Giant Jumbo Kenner Figures I’ve ever handled in person. I’ve really only ever observed them in photos or from afar at conventions. I really underestimated the sheer size of these figures. I’ve included photos of them with some 3.75″ Star Wars figures I own (including two Droids from Disneyworld’s Build-A-Droid kiosks) to show the scale. They’re large and bulky with a good weight to them. As I said before, the box for them is massive and makes a fantastic display piece on its own.

Once I took them out of the box, I felt like a kid again. Growing up in the 80’s, Star Wars was one of the handful of toy lines I was lucky enough to have and really enjoy. So holding these in person brought that immediate sense of nostalgia. As advertised, these were just like the originals. The sculpts are, from what I can tell, near perfect. By perfect, I mean they match the classic figures they are based on. This is due to the 3D scanning process Gentle Giant employs, which allows them to take the original figure, recreate it as a 3D model on a computer, and then produce it at any size with extreme accuracy. Now, with that comes the inherent blemishes that the originals featured. Mainly this means thick mold connections, which will show some gaps where they come together. Gentle Giant has intentionally refrained from altering these pieces. They are striving to put out as authentic a figure as possible. And these little things help the nostalgia factor.

While keeping these figures accurate, Gentle Giant hasn’t skimped on the quality of the figures. The plastic doesn’t come off as cheap, the joints are tight and the paint apps are extremely clean. That really comes through in R5-D4, as the orange dots and triangles on his head and the paint on his legs is about as good as you can get. The lines are very clean and the colors uniform without any fading. But I think that the Death Star Droid steals the show here. The clean vac-metal paint is a thing of beauty. The silver reflects things a little too well (you can clearly see me reflected in his chest).

The included backdrop is also a nice bonus. It’s a large print from the film and would look great framed. It’s printed on cardboard with two flap creases allowing it to stand on its own.

Bottom Line
I wasn’t sure what to expect with these when I initially got them. After opening them, taking photos and holding them in my hands, I have to say Gentle Giant has made me an instant fan. The first thing I said to my wife when I finished the photo shoot was “You know that now I have to track down the other figures”. This set is a must buy for those already collecting the Jumbo Kenner Figures, especially for the Death Star Droid. Everything from the packaging to the figures themselves are high quality.

Check out a few choice photos directly below, and the rest after that.

*This set was provided for review by Gentle Giant.