Page 87 - Star Wars Insider #181

R2-D2, but it’s a feature that is
built into fans’ memories and
emotions of playing with the

vintage action figure, so it’s an
important feature to capture in
our monument version.

What was the hardest element of

this particular figure to replicate?
Making sure that the torso sticker
was accurate in scale, design, and
materials took some work. And
vac-metalizing at this scale can
be tricky. But the most diffi cult
part was in making sure that the
clicking mechanism worked, so
that you could turn the head on a

figure this large and still get that
satisfying, nostalgic experience—
only louder!

How are the legs attached to the
body? Was that a challenge,
given the monument’s weight?
We had to use metal bolts, since
our R2-D2 weighs in at around
300 lbs. but it’s really the same
idea as the original fi gure, which
was just four pieces and a screw.
Ours is built the same way, with a
head, two legs, and a body with
an internal tab to provide the
clicking sound. It’s five pieces if

02 / Action figures of R2-D2 and C-3PO were part of Kenner’s initial 12-figue set, released in 1978.
you count the body sticker, and
then it’s just the bolts.
we’re fans ourselves, we all knew
How does Gentle Giant make its we would love to have a life-size EARLY BIRD R2
decisions on which Star Wars vintage R2-D2 become a part of
The 1978 Kenner toy was one of the
characters to produce? our own collections. fi rst ever Star Wars fi gures to fi nd its
There are a lot of different factors way into the hands of those lucky kids
who had received the Star Wars Early
that can go into that decision. Is a Do members of the development
Bird Certifi cate Package for Christmas
character going to be making an team have memories of playing in 1977. This stopgap gift amounted
appearance in any upcoming with the original R2-D2 fi gure? to little more than an envelope and
movies, TV shows, games, or We have a wide range of ages on some stickers, and was Kenner’s smart
response when it realized it couldn’t
comics? Who are the fans asking the development team, so there get Star Wars action fi gures into stores
for? If it’s a character that we’ve are some who got their fi rst R2-D2 in time for the holiday season. As a
done before, have there been any as part of Kenner’s original Early result, many children spent Christmas
poring over its illustrations in lieu
advancements in technology since Bird wave [see sidebar], and some
of any actual Star Wars toys. Those
we last did them? But most of all, who weren’t even born during the illustrations included a sticker of R2-D2
we ask ourselves: What would vintage run! But regardless of age, that faithfully captured the look of the
eventual action fi gure, and a lifelong
look amazing? So, with R2-D2, we are all big fans of the vintage
love for the plucky, pocket-sized droid
for example, we knew that the line and are thrilled to be working was instantly fi red in hundreds of hearts.
character is a fan-favorite, and as on a project like this.