Tamashii Soul of Chogokin C-3PO & R2-D2

[RichAlot]

I find the red/blue eye too bright on the Tamashii R2. Also the LED bulb of the eye is too obvious. They should have put a frost lens inside to filter the brightness and hide the LED bulb like found in the SS & HT. The illumination on the SS & HT R2 is more correct. Also, Tamashii's dome shape is a bit off. So there goes the "perfect". Because none of the three are perfect. However, all three have their own pros and cons. The HT's dome is a sure winner plus the weathering. While the SS R2's accessories are nice especially the magnetic retraining bolt. Then the Tamashii's body and legs are best among the three.

As seen below, the LED on the eye are pretty obvious.

(Pictures borrowed from Rebelscum)

The dome shape is actually correct for the ANH R2-D2. It was more oblong than spherical. I have both and couldn’t disagree more about the lights. The lights on the Tamshii don’t look faded like the ones on the Hot Toys do. They are also more random and not repetitive. The sound is also crisper and not as muffled. The Hot Toys dome is nice, but the body feels cheap compared to the Tamashii. Overall I think the Tamashii is the better of the two. One thing that I tried—and it does work—is putting th HT dome on the Tamshii body. It looks awesome and only requires a 3-D printed piece to make it snap into place securely.

 

[Ahab]

Ahoy!

 

[Ahab]

Ahoy!
So I decided to crack into this thing and mod some of the lighting effects...
Yeah, the obvious LEDs kinda got to me too, so I added diffusion to the inner surface as well as the LED surface to get it to what I wanted. I added a couple layers of yellowish orange gels to the back light to give it a little something too. I don't know how well this will come across for those that don't own this, but for those who do, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Cheers,

 

[subzro]

Prices for this one have been dropping about every other day on Amazon. When i Pre ordered on 10/16 it was $247 and now it's at $231 if the trend continues and it ships on 11/15 it should be around $220 to $225ish.

 

[Manannin]

Great job Ahab, how hard is it to crack open?

 

[Ahab]

Thanks! It was pretty easy actually. 7 screws and no glue. If anyone opts to make mods under the dome, be careful of the main wires connecting the battery compartment to the circuit board. The soldering connections are very fragile. I ended up soldering new wires with a better connection. Other than that, there's pretty of room to tinker under the hood.

Great job Ahab, how hard is it to crack open?

 

[earthdog]

Thanks! It was pretty easy actually. 7 screws and no glue. If anyone opts to make mods under the dome, be careful of the main wires connecting the battery compartment to the circuit board. The soldering connections are very fragile. I ended up soldering new wires with a better connection. Other than that, there's pretty of room to tinker under the hood.

Kenny Baker wasn't in there? This thing is so inaccurate, cancelled.

 

[vader619]

Ahoy!
So I decided to crack into this thing and mod some of the lighting effects...
Yeah, the obvious LEDs kinda got to me too, so I added diffusion to the inner surface as well as the LED surface to get it to what I wanted. I added a couple layers of yellowish orange gels to the back light to give it a little something too. I don't know how well this will come across for those that don't own this, but for those who do, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Cheers,

View attachment 375612View attachment 375613

Ya beat me to it sir! I just finished making the mods to my Tama R2 before signing on and seeing your tutorial. It was very simple and straight-forward like you said. Cracked the dome open, removed the two "trays" inside, and using Roscolux gel samples (used for theatrical lighting to produce colors and effects) chose a nice frosted gel (#111 Tough Rolux), cut two filters (one for each of the round lights front and rear) and inserted them between the outer dome and inner structures with friction holding them in place perfectly. The result was OUTSTANDING! When off, you see a frosted aperture (like on the SS) with no bulb showing, and when activated, a much softer, prototypical defused light showing. The only thing I didn't do that Ahab did was diffuse the bulb AND the lens (might revisit that and add the bulb filters too, we'll see). Still looks 1000% better than it did!

I used this same technique on my Tama 3PO (using the same gel samples, but choosing a dark brown, that when illuminated by the bright LEDs, looks like the soft yellowish-golden glow of his eyes as seen in the movies).Trust me guys, if i can do it, anyone can!

 

[Mandible]

Stumbled across one of these on display at a shop I would never have guessed would carry this sort of thing, Games World - and have to say, I wasn't impressed.

Those that are saying "the rivets are not that noticeable in-hand" are quite frankly fooling themselves into justifying their purchase; they are horribly obvious. Also, the nail slots to open the doors were a lot larger in-hand than I expected. The dome is an even-colored grey/silver with gloss finish, that has no depth or texture, and does not in any way compared with the HT metal dome. And the thing that actually struck me the most... he is so stark-white, it looks like a cheap toy (until you pick it up of course).

Sorry to hammer into it, but I was really taken aback.

 

[DCFett]

Eh to each his own I guess. Both the HT and the Tamashii have something for just about everyone and maybe no one to some. I don't think anyone has said either are perfect, but the free market has saw fit to provide us with multiple options, so we are really lucky in that regard. All three would be the ****, but I've settled on this one and the SS version. If an "ultimate" is ever produced, will be tempted, but I think my 1/6th droids are about done.

 

[Bikerscout]

Ahoy!
So I decided to crack into this thing and mod some of the lighting effects...
Yeah, the obvious LEDs kinda got to me too, so I added diffusion to the inner surface as well as the LED surface to get it to what I wanted. I added a couple layers of yellowish orange gels to the back light to give it a little something too. I don't know how well this will come across for those that don't own this, but for those who do, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Cheers,

View attachment 375612View attachment 375613

Good job! I like that Tama uses AAA batteries instead of button type.

 

[vader619]

Stumbled across one of these on display at a shop I would never have guessed would carry this sort of thing, Games World - and have to say, I wasn't impressed.

Those that are saying "the rivets are not that noticeable in-hand" are quite frankly fooling themselves into justifying their purchase; they are horribly obvious. Also, the nail slots to open the doors were a lot larger in-hand than I expected. The dome is an even-colored grey/silver with gloss finish, that has no depth or texture, and does not in any way compared with the HT metal dome. And the thing that actually struck me the most... he is so stark-white, it looks like a cheap toy (until you pick it up of course).

Sorry to hammer into it, but I was really taken aback.

With all due respect. I didn't need to "fool myself into justifying the purchase". I wanted an R2 that is more accurate than HT's or SS's to the R2 seen in ANH (albeit even if it was only the prototype riveted version seen only in the opening). The dome shape and body/leg details exceed both the competitors in this respect, especially when comparing it to the beautiful pictures in "The Star Wars Chronicles" book. The electronics are superior to both the other offerings as well.

And I'm sorry - not flaming you - but of those who have it in-hand, you're the only one claiming the rivets and door slots are "horribly obvious" - they may be to you. We are all entitled to our opinions and yours is just as important or pertinent as mine - we will have to agree to disagree on this. Yes, they are visible (they don't really bother me at all - even though early pics I saw really concerned me and the copious negative posts here about them didn't help).

Those of us that bought it and have scrutinized it during the time we've had it don't have to "justify" anything. We like it for what it is (the most accurate 1/6 ANH R2 made by any manufacturer). Would I have liked it better if it had replicated a version other than the prototype with the rivets? Maybe. If Tamashii did a second version without them I'd buy it - so I could have BOTH variations which existed in the "real world" (and you can't have too many R2's). Would I have liked it if they'd done a diecast dome? Definitely - but could the proper shape actually be diecast? If so, why didn't HT do it in the first place?

From my point of view, I'd much rather have a R2 true to the OT with more accurate dome shape, size, details and better functions and features than have an inaccurate (for OT) R2 just because it has a metal dome. That is the only thing the HT has over the Tamashii - except factory weathering and I for one like being able to start with a "clean slate" IF I want it weathered.

The HT replicates the appearance and details of R2 in TFA which have been documented to differ from those of the OT R2 (and lest we forget, was fan-made which itself could also lead to some inaccuracies. I've seen stunning fan-made replicas of many iconic robots, droids, spacecraft models and costumes that while absolutely beautiful, were "off" here or there https://www.starwars.com/news/r2-d2-is-in-star-wars-episode-7-and-hes-fan-made). If HT plans to make an OT R2, they're going to have to change several things to make it accurate. Now that does not mean I think the HT is a piece of junk. Quite the opposite in fact. I think it IS a great model, but just not my cup of tea.

So, like it's been said before, "different strokes for different folks"... but I don't need to "convince myself" of anything to love this little guy. He's got more going for him than against him - in my humble opinion, that is

Peace.

 

[Wchow16]

Stumbled across one of these on display at a shop I would never have guessed would carry this sort of thing, Games World - and have to say, I wasn't impressed.

Those that are saying "the rivets are not that noticeable in-hand" are quite frankly fooling themselves into justifying their purchase; they are horribly obvious. Also, the nail slots to open the doors were a lot larger in-hand than I expected. The dome is an even-colored grey/silver with gloss finish, that has no depth or texture, and does not in any way compared with the HT metal dome. And the thing that actually struck me the most... he is so stark-white, it looks like a cheap toy (until you pick it up of course).

Sorry to hammer into it, but I was really taken aback.

You make it sound like we bought the Tamashii and then the Hot Toys came out and we Tamashii owners needed to justify our purchase. They both came out at the same time and we chose to buy the Tamashii (rivets and slots). Whatever the justification to buy it came before we purchased it. Since the Hot Toys was released first, the people that passed on it for the Tamashii did it for various reason, none of which was to justify a bad choice. In my case I bought both. Like I said in my prior post if I could only have one, I would take the Tamashii.

 

[Bikerscout]

The HT replicates the appearance and details of R2 in TFA (and probably the upcoming TLJ) and lest we forget, was fan-made (which could also lead to possible inaccuracies - https://www.starwars.com/news/r2-d2-is-in-star-wars-episode-7-and-hes-fan-made).

Just like to share my opinion here with regards to TFA R2...

Even if it was a fan made R2, it's still an authentic piece because it was actually used in the movie. So that makes it legit.

Going back to which R2-D2 is better,it has been mentioned, "to each his own". Depends on how you like to look at them. The poor detailing on the Tamashii dome to me is a let down.

This is the actual AHN R2 dome. Looks very different in terms of details (minus the weathering of course).



Tama dome... Blue color is different, silver is greyish as opposed to brighter silver and painting application is Hasbro-ish level to be honest. Also, dome is still longer which to me, makes it inaccurate.

 

[koonfasa]

I think most us tamashi 3PO owners are more inclined to get a matching R2.

 

[Mandible]

Just like to share my opinion here with regards to TFA R2...

Even if it was a fan made R2, it's still an authentic piece because it was actually used in the movie. So that makes it legit.

Going back to which R2-D2 is better,it has been mentioned, "to each his own". Depends on how you like to look at them. The poor detailing on the Tamashii dome to me is a let down.

This is the actual AHN R2 dome. Looks very different in terms of details (minus the weathering of course).

View attachment 375677

Tama dome... Blue color is different, silver is greyish as opposed to brighter silver and painting application is Hasbro-ish level to be honest. Also, dome is still longer which to me, makes it inaccurate.

This

Just with these quick observations, it seems pretty inaccurate in these comparison shots above:
No rivets... (as with 99.9% of all movie R2 appearances).
Dome - wrong color/shape.
Blue - wrong color.
And I just noticed for the first time: no black coloring on the end of his hologram projection piece. It has the black ring at the base (unlike the HT), but not on the end nozzle bit.

I'm not trying to be a ****, I'm simply saying that calling this the "most accurate R2 ever made" is delusional. I agree none of the 3 current versions are perfect either, but this version should have been the bomb. A metal dome, removal of the rivets (and nail slots) should have been no brainers for these guys.

I guess I'm just more disappointed than anything

 

[paulcarson]

I'm happy with mine, an addition I'm thinking of is trying to modify it to remotely control the lighting and sound features.

 

[Rudimus]

Since R2 wasn't lit up for most of The Force Awakens, the HT is technically correct for that film since it's electronics don't work either. But the HT doesn't have 1/100 of an inch rivets or a metal dome so I must be wrong to prefer the Tama over it

 

[Ahab]

Ahoy!

So, I’ve had the figure for a couple days now and I’d like to share my thoughts..

In a nut shell, Tamashii Nations delivered a high end 1/6 die cast collectible toy. There are no surprises with what sits in front of me and what’s been recently promoted by the company and by in hand reviews by 1/6 community as a whole. I know that’s an evasive conclusion, but wait there’s more.

Whether it’s a success, that’s really up to the collector’s perspective. If you are trying to fill the hole in you 1/6 Star Wars collection and are hoping this will fit nicely along side a finely tailored or realistically weathered robots or figures, this may not be the piece for you. This probably applies to 90% plus of 1/6 collectors. If the upper lip of HT farmboy Luke bothers you enough to alter it or find a customizer to create the ultimate Luke, then this figure would not live up to your expectations.

However…

Tamashii’s 3po was the first 1/6 scale figure I purchased. At the time I had no interest in collecting, I simply came across this amazing metal 3PO that I thought looked great. I figured I’d put it on old radio and display it as is. It didn’t even enter my mind to seek out an R2 to join it. When I did, and realized there was no R2 being made, I resigned myself to the sole droid and I was happy. Then I started snooping into the 1/6 realm and found Medicom Boba then SS Sandtroopers and HT Luke and on and on…. Eventually began to collect. Along came the SS 3PO. Around this time the water started getting muddy for me. I started to look at my stand alone figure differently. I began looking at is as part of my collection versus this cool medal sentinel in the corner. And to be honest, I felt SS did a lot of things right with their version. The sculpt of the legs and overall body gesture looked and felt more like Anthony Daniels as 3PO. And if SS had delivered as die cast version (minus the headsculpt… TM is better in my opinion), I would have bought that.

Now out of the abyss comes the TM R2…
Years have past for all of us, but it seems like no time has passed for Tamashii Nations. They continued in the spirit of 3PO and created something on par with that unique effort. Now for them, it seems, and should be the aim of any company, would be to deliver options that contemporary 1/6 collectors of HT, SS, Blitzway etc. would want. This is the sticking point. This is where the confusion lies. It almost feels that TM is catering to nostalgia and days of die cast toys and models that exist in there own realm (and not within the typical 1/6 collecting community). As if someone who collected die cast cars and planes would collect theses as well… and I’m sure they do. Details like the rivets would be cool to the collectors that knows those details, but who would care less about the HT Leia and how wrong her dress looks. Issues like the nail slots, may not even be an “issue” (like the 3PO pistons) to a collector who values the materials and production process over those kinds of details. I just feel like there are fewer of those people out there.

The Dome…the dome
Is the shape accurate? Are the sculpted details on point? Does the choice of paint application suck? Are the lights awesome? Should it have been made out of metal?

Maybe, yes, yes, yes….and YES.

No matter what side of the fence you’re on, this is where they dropped the ball, Maybe they were too far into production to change the process from plastic to die cast, or maybe it was never there intention. Who knows? That decision though, has alienated a lot of potential collectors. Even if they went with the metal dome, I still suspect many would have issue with the overall paint application. This would be a deal breaker those who don’t want to risk customizing or having to drop bank of having someone do the work for them.

HT or Tamashii? (I'm going for both, but for different reasons..)

If you are asking this question, then obviously you are not looking for a stand alone novelty but something to fit into your 1/6 collection. If that’s what you’re aiming for, get the Hot Toys. IF you want an OT R2, wait for HT to do an OT R2 so you can have all the options the current one lacks (with improved electronics if hope...). I’m not a place holder kind of guy, so that’s what I’m going for. Patience.

If you’re going for the stand alone novelty R2 to accompany your 3PO , which is like eleven of you (including me, haha!), then perhaps this is for you. But I have to say, the dome choice/paint may give you pause. Me, I’m crazy, I plan on repainting the dome to look like aluminum.

Sorry for the extra long ramble, but talking about this stuff is like talking religion or politics… no easy out!

Cheers,
Ahab

 

[Lejuan]

I think most us tamashi 3PO owners are more inclined to get a matching R2.

You can't really have a discussion about which is preferred by collectors without taking this into account. As a standalone I would've gone HT. As a pairing with Tama 3PO though, it's glaringly obvious they're from two different companies. It's why I can overlook the rivets and panel notches - overall it just looks better to me alongside its companion piece.