Recommended music: Limp Bizkit – Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)
For this #StarWarsSaturday post, we’re taking a short break from The Empire Strikes Back, and taking a look at the Star Tours/Droid Factory R0-4L0!
You might be wondering, Dale, you’ve spent all year talking about The Empire Strikes Back, and we still haven’t left Hoth! I’m taking a quick break from the ice planet to celebrate the tenth anniversary of another Star Wars film: Episode VII, The Force Awakens. I didn’t collect as much from the sequels as I did from the prequels or the Original Trilogy, but I do have a few items from these films to share from the collection.
Known as ROLO, R0-4LO was an astromech droid serving in the Resistance approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor. R0-4LO’s dome may be visible during The Force Awakens as Jessika Pava’s astromech droid aboard her T-70 X-wing starfighter during the assault on Starkiller Base; however, I could only find the whole body of this specific black and white droid appearing very briefly on D’Qar next to an X-Wing behind Han before they leave for the attack.
Even though R0-4LO only appears for a moment, the droid was included in a Disney Parks exclusive 4-pack in 2010. I happened to be at the parks for my own 10th anniversary a few months before the movie was released, so I didn’t realize how significant the character would be.
Just like Ric Olie from The Phantom Menace, The Force Awakens had random characters who got action figures before we ever saw them in theaters—looking at you, Constable Zuvio. 😄 Hasbro even doubled down on this obscure character by including a 12” version in a Target exclusive gift set with BB-8 and C-3PO, instead of the obvious choice of R2-D2.
The action figure is accurate to the film (no foot cables) and uses the Disney Build-A-Droid mold, allowing the dome and all three legs to be removed. Unlike the film, the dome has a hole on top so you can plug in Mickey Mouse ears or another silly hat.
The Force Awakens turns 10 years old next week. Happy 10 years of TFA!
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Dale's Toys 