This is probably another one of those things fans
will be discussing for ages. Obviously, the Tri Droid is one
of the many mechanical maniacs of the Separatists' forces from
Star Wars Episodes 2 & 3. Which one could be debated
since there were large and small versions of this three limbed
beastie. I'll quote from the Star Wars Databank, "The
tri-droids are gigantic versions of the smaller anti-infantry
octuptarra droids." The entry also discusses the Techno
Union's use of scalable technology, allowing a variety of sizes
from the same basic design. To me, it sounds as if this
should actually be the Octuptarra droid, but decide for your self.
The heights are listed as nearly the same for both droids in the
data bank just to confuse you a bit more. I would suppose if
you were in to the smaller Unleashed battle figures, this could be
the gigantic version.Appearance:
I have to say, this is one of the more unique figures Hasbro
has produced recently. I'm so use to buying humanoid
figures, this one is a real treat. There is no real front or
back and the figure is pretty much the same on all sides.
The paint on this figure is a treat. There are painted
worn patches on the legs, detailing on the guns and a variety of
metallic colors. I have to say I was pretty impressed by the
overall paint scheme and number of apps. I would have
figured with as complicated as this figure is, paint would have
been
minimized.
This
figure looks perfectly ready to tear the head off a bunch of clone
troopers. There are claws at the end of each of the legs.
In addition there is a gun between each of the legs.
I will say the joints are fairly obvious, on this critter.
They are definitely more obvious than the on screen version.
I have to say, that even knowing that, it doesn't bother me that
much. The joints are made to look like the obvious
mechanical joints needed for a non-cg version of this droid.
Let's face it, the ILM animators didn't have to worry about
Spencer the Terrible Ten year old battling with their models.
Overall, the general look is correct, and is maybe even a bit
better than I thought it would be.
As a side note, Mrs. Nerd was a bit creeped out by it on my
desk. She said it reminded her a little of some of the
mechanical menaces from Rayman Raving Rabbids. (She loves
the disco part of the game, hates the shooting part. Yes, I
have a pretty cool wife.)
Fun:
I
have to warn you. This figure doesn't come assembled.
I was trying to figure that out in the store, and realized none of
the legs are attached. While this makes the blister a bit
smaller, it leads to a small problem.
The problem is they don't really tell you the correct way to
assemble it. There are three clips on the body, one for each
leg. The post that fits in them can be oriented up or down.
I started fiddling with different ones out of the package and
wasn't sure which was right until I looked at some pictures
online. A little picture on the card would have been
nice.
There
is one accessories with this globe headed marvel.
A stand that doesn't make much sense, no foot pegs here.
This figure reminds me a lot of the older Spawn figures,
particularly the "Techno Spawn" line. A lot of cool
practical articulation that fits with the design. There's
got to be around 30 joints in this guy.
The claws do open and close. However, and this applies to
most of the leg joints, the sculpt limits the motion a bit more
than you would think. (Again, I'm reminded of a McFarlane
figure.) This isn't to say that you can't get him in some
cool poses, but just not every pose you can think of.
Overall:
This really wasn't a figure I was planning on
buying. The detailing, paint, and bulk in the package were
enough to tempt me. That being said, I'm pretty impressed.
This thing will look cool on display and is a nice departure from
the standard battle droid rank and file we've got up to this
point.
Engineernerd Score: 95/100
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