Droids are the unsung heroes of the Star Wars universe, and that holds true in the toy department too. Though the bigger droids of the franchise have been honored numerous times throughout the years, but those that have only appeared a few times across the saga haven’t had quite as much figural success. Yeah, you’ve got your GNK droids and your interrogation droids, but it’s rare these days for any true Imperial droids to get any play.

Where at least the droids that pal around with the Rebel Alliance have had some adventures beyond the 1/12 scale, it’s rarified air for anyone that doesn’t know a Skywalker personally to get any love --- particularly at sixth-scale. Sideshow Collectibles appreciates the little guy, and with the release of the R2-Q5 has finally given the 1/6 bad guys a droid all their own.

 

Sideshow Collectibles R2-Q5 Imperial Astromech Droid and Darth Vader
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This being a droid and all, there isn’t much in the way of articulation, but to be accurate to the screen representation, there shouldn’t be anyway. That said, the R2-Q5 has the necessary movement you’d expect to be included. Legs on the exterior and rotate around, and there are wheels in the base. The third leg does pop out from the central cylinder, giving the R2-Q5 the third prop for mobility. It too has wheels, and you can play with the droid a little bit, but we’re talking about $160 figures here, so maybe don’t go using it like a Matchbox toy.

Up top, the dome rotates fully, allowing you to position the “head” at any angle you see fit. That might not sound all that important, but considering the R2-Q5 has working lights across the dome that make it come to life. The top pops off easily --- and locks back in with tabs simply, too --- allowing you to flip the on/off switch. Once the droid is on, a touch panel to the left of the projection lens activates the lights at two levels. The first is the basic lighting package, which gives off quite a bit of personality. The second turns on both projection lenses, as if the droid is communicating a secret Imperial message to a commanding officer.

 

Sideshow Collectibles R2-Q5 Imperial Astromech Droid
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The only other bit of articulation with the figure comes in two panels that open up on the front of the body. Inside you can see a bit of the inner workings of the droid. They don’t offer much excitement, but for diorama-builders, it does provide some more options for posing. Perhaps the droid is in need of repair… or sabotage. Again though, droids typically don’t have a lot of playability, so even these small touches do give it a bit more depth from a design perspective.

R2-Q5 has a bit of a dramatic color palette, with the glossy black base complemented well by the copper elements throughout. The Empire loves it’s classy black hues, and R2-Q5 is a perfect example of that aesthetic. It’s also perfectly frustrating to touch. Don’t get me wrong, this is a sharp-looking droid, but dang is it a major fingerprint magnet. That’s the trouble with the glossy finish; it looks amazing, but it’s a challenge to maintain. As long as you’re okay with wiping down the droid for a more pure look from time to time, it will look great on display.

R2-Q5 is a great effort from Sideshow in giving the robot characters of the Star Wars universe their proper due. It’s got everything you’d expect from a figure for a droid, but that’s exactly where Sideshow draws the line too. There’s nothing unexpectedly amazing or surprising about R2-Q5, but in a way, that’s fairly on point for an Imperial Astromech droid.

 

 

The Sideshow Collectibles R2-Q5 Imperial Astromech Droid sixth-scale figure is available for purchase now for $139.99. This figure was provided by Sideshow Collectibles for review.

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