Star Wars Evil R2 Droid Sideshow Figure Preorder Open
10/28/2016 09:29 am EDT
Droids in the Star Wars universe are full of personality, even when it comes to Astromechs that can only beep and whistle. Fans get excited when they see a mouse droid whiz by, or hear a lumbering Gonk droid's "GONK." But when things are turned on their head with characters that are oh-so-similar to ones we know and love, on the other side of the fight or with an evil persona, it's a recipe for instant fan favorite results.
C2-B5 is the latest of these, an Imperial Astromech Droid or "Evil Artoo." An all-black droid that otherwise looks very much like the classic R2-D2 that has appeared in all seven Star Wars movies, plus both animated series so far, we know basically nothing about C2-B5. Will he be a helpful droid like Artoo, just working for the other side? Will he be grumpy like Chopper on Star Wars Rebels? Will he be downright evil like BT-1 in the Darth Vader stories from Marvel Comics? Who knows, but even with no knowledge of the character, he still looks cool, and that meant Sideshow Collectibles wanted to make a high-end figure of him.
The C2-B5 Imperial Astromech Droid sixth scale figure is available for pre-order now, at the price of $139.99. If you pre-order, though, know that you'll be waiting until next summer to actually put this guy on your shelf; targeted release of C2-B5 is June-August 2017. The droid appeared in the trailers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and it matte black color, silver accents, and gunmetal base were unique enough to catch the eye of the talented sculptors at Sideshow. Like their human figures, the droid is extremely high-quality, with lights, display ports, a rotating dome, adjustable legs (with a retractable front leg), and hinged panels. It sits at 6.75" like the similar droids in their collection, and was designed by sculptor Pascual Wawoe, painters Jason Eaton and Kat Sapene, and the Sideshow Design and Development Team.
Take a closer look at the C2-B5 figure in the gallery below, and head to Sideshow to pre-order it for your collection now.
Here's hoping C2-B5 sells well, opening the door to more droids like the aforementioned Chopper and BT-1. That BT-1 droid in particular is the true "evil Artoo," as he's a sadistic and extremely well-equipped murder machine. Perfect for a collection shelf.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16, 2016. Directed by Gareth Edwards, it's the first standalone film in the Star Wars universe, set outside the core "Skywalker Saga" of the episodic films.
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