Star Wars Remote-Controlled Droid Replica - R2-D2

I got this for my kid & he was SO excited! We got it home & he played with it for an hour before bed. We made sure it was turned off. It didn't work at all in the morning. Got new batteries (cost more than droid)... still didn't work. Took it apart & messed around with the insides... got it to work for 2 minutes. So I returned it & got the R5-X2... same problem. Disappointed kid.

I do NOT recommend this toy. It requires 4 A76 'button' batteries and each one costs $3.99 at my local discount store. 4x$3.99 is almost $16 which is pretty much what the toy itself costs.



That wouldn't be so bad but there are two tiny little switches, one on the 'droid' and one on the 'controller', that are so small it's almost impossible to discern whether they are in the 'on' or 'off' position. Apparently if you leave one or both in the 'on' position for a relatively short period of time (overnight?), you just cost yourself $8 or $16. How many six-year-old's can be trusted to ensure the switches are in the 'off' position? You get the picture. Uneconomical battery eater. Bad toy.

My son couldn't wait to get this toy for his birthday. It looked like a lot of fun...and it was, for the 5 minutes it worked (literally - not exaggerating). Then, it seemed to get stuck in 'whistle mode'. It wouldn't stop whistling and the remote no longer worked. We did everything to get it to work again...different batteries, tried to reset, even took the thing apart to look for bad wiring. Checked the remote. Nothing we did made it work again. I'm going to return it, hope it was a fluke, and try again. I just wanted to see if anybody else had this problem because then I wouldn't bother. At this point, I couldn't recommend it.

Ha, sorry for that stupid title to this review. Anyway, this is just the coolest thing I've seen among the Star Wars 3 3/4 figure line! Though, it's really part of its own line, because these little remote control astromech droids have their own package design and everything. There are 3 others in the series so far, but I noticed the one that is hardest to find in stores is good ol' R2, one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars saga, and naturally the one everyone wants to get first! Though, frankly, I'd like to get my hands on the other three too.



This is just a perfect little toy. Looking like your basic R2-D2 action figure, R2 comes with a small, lightsaber handle-shaped remote control with two buttons. One button is to go forward, the other is to spin R2 so you can change directions. You hold down whichever button you want to use for as long as you want R2 to perform the activity. I HAVE noticed that sometimes he will continue to spin or move forward after you let go, but then you just quickly tap the other button (if he's about to go off a table or something). R2 lights up (beautifully) as he moves, and you hear the expected sound effects as well, though they unfortunately come from the remote and not from R2. It's no big problem and maybe that's how it HAD to be, but that'd be the one thing to fix if they ever want to improve the model. Beyond that, I'd just say add more functions, but he's plenty of fun with the two he's got, no joke! I only wish I could afford an extra one to take around to show to my friends (and their cats, ha), but at 16.99, I'm going to have to be satisfied with just one for now (and hopefully I'll be able to get at least one of the other models, if not all of them, before they're impossible to find, because they are worth it if you're a big fan of the 3 3/4 figures, as I've been all my life).



Thankfully, this little R2 unit comes with the necessary batteries (that require a screwdriver to change when the time comes), and I assume rough play would not bode well for him. I wouldn't classify this as a small child's toy. I can easily imagine a child twisting his dome off right after taking him our of the box, destroying him entirely. Still, it is great fun for the respectful fan of any age and would make a great gift even for adult Star Wars lovers like myself (if they are interested in the toys at all). The figure and remote come with a simple instruction sheet that makes the important point that you must switch both R2 AND the remote ON to play with them, and you should switch them OFF when you are done. R2 is around 2.5 inches tall, and he and his droid buddies are Target exclusives (but I had to check 4 Targets before I found just one R2). Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended!