Vintage Star Wars R5-D4 action figure review Kenner 1978
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- R5-D4? We Had That! This little Astromech came out as part of the second wave of Star Wars figures in 1978. He looked a lot like R2-D2 to me and he was pretty much a mystery as a kid. What do you think about this little droid? Let me know in the comments below!
WeHadThat.com
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R5-D4 is one of my favorite figures.
When I was a kid I was pretty spoiled. My uncle was a chemist/shift foreman at the chemical plant that supplied Kenner with the dyes it used to make its products. This was back before they shipped most of their manufacturing and supply pipeline overseas. Because of this he would often be given products for testing which included dyeless action figures as well as ones that had been finished that they would perform various tests on to see how durable the paint they used to paint them was. Between him and my best friend at the time whose dad worked as a product designer at Hasbro we both ended up with pretty much the entire late 70's to late 80's Star Wars & GI JOE lines. I remember having numerous Darth Vader, C-3PO, and Hoth transport action figure cases full of figures.
Sadly, when I moved away from home in the late 90's my aunt gave them all away...along with most of the rest of my things. I still cringe just thinking about how much sentimental value all that stuff had.
Great memory, and I hate to heap additional regret onto your sentimental loss, but in the toy collector's community, those dyeless figures would be just one step above being prototypes, which means they would have been worth a considerable sum, even if in slightly distressed condition. Just be reassured that some lonely toy-collecting weirdo like me somewhere got a close-to-Holy-Grail item thanks to your family's generosity.
She must have hated you
Did your unclde also ask you to stay away from a strange but wise old hooded man living in the neighbourhood? Sort of spooky fellow who likes to talk about spirituality and stuff?
I received my R5-D4 figure for Christmas in '79 from an uncle really who had no idea what it was. I still have it.
My first R5-D4 action figure came packaged in the Rare Offerless ESB 41D card back. Good thing I bought 3 of these R5s and saved the card back and plastic bubble together.
I got this figure from a yard sale when I was extremely young (less than 5). It's downright amazing that they made him an actual character, because I always liked that figure and would always put him in the Y-Wing in the R2 socket.
Still have one. Always love the color of this little droid.
I loved my R5-D4! For a very long time, for reasons I cannot completely explain, I much preferred the R5 head design and red colors to R2's dome and blue coloring. (Part of that might have been Kenner's rather horrific action figure design.)
Me too👍
I get it.
I had that! When i was a kid an antique store within biking distance sold old Star Wars figures loose without accessories. I had R5-D4 and an ewok (not Wicket).
It wouldn't bother me to think that "R2" was a genericism like "Xerox", "Kleenex" or "Velcro". "R2" droids may have well been the first to really penetrate the market and therefore those models that came after would by been technically different but still known (especially "down on the farm") as "Artoo" units. But then again, little details like this are what keep fans engaged with the material. It's a part of the fun. I too thought of the Death Star Droid as a "Silver C-3PO"! Mostly because I really wanted a U-3PO action figure (which didn't exist!).
Childhood toy adventures!!!
These were all the rage for us back in 1977, I was eight back then.
My R5 was mostly a background character in my Rebel bases.
This was a gentle and refreshing float downstream!
SUBSCRIBED 🏆🤖🇬🇧
as a kid my friends always had this toy but the sticker was always rubbed off so i never knew what droid it was.
As a child I would play with heroes. Mainly how the Jedi cut down the Stormtroopers. As an adult, I like my legos astromechs and have R2 and Chopper droid figures for the SW Rebels series
Awesome!
Still have mine! Been hoarding my figures from the late 70's and early 80's since I was kid.
I still have it. For me it was an older model before the R2-D2 existed in the Star Wars universe.
So many amazing Star wars facts in this video. What a great cure for insomnia!.
R5-D4 is indeed my favorite astromech droid! :D I've got the modern version of the toy, myself! :)
I remember those toys! I had a Luke in khaki jumpsuit complete with a glass window he could be thrown out of... I also had an oboe wan kenobi, greedo, snaggletooth... I think it was the good one too... back then the "good ones" were in the bargain bin probably...
Also this weird sand Luke who wore mostly white and came in an orange space ship I've never seen in the movies. I got that one for Christmas in the mid 80s I think... *edit- I found the ship on the Web. Called an ast 5... didn't come with Luke. Must have got him separately
I loved star wars figures. I really liked power droid because his legs clicked. Greedo and hammerhead were my favorites as well. I still have my stormtroopers and boba Fett figures in a box with some of my childhood toys
I literally have one of those and the other droids in a Star Wars themed lunch box right now lol
I had a surprising number of the original release of Star Wars action figures ! But my favorite ones were:
1: First Boba Fett (likely because he could fly)
2: C3PO (because he was a human shaped robot)
3: X-wing Luke (because he looked somewhat like a spaceman)
Honorable mentions are the first Stormtrooper, Greedo and Hammerhead. I often pitted similar figures in scenes together though. Like Boba Fett with the Stormtropper, because they both had full face helmets on and Greedo with Hammerhead because they didn't .
My absolute favorite figures though were my Micronauts Time Traveller, Galactic Defender and Space Glider, because I was an articulation snob. I NEVER played with my Star Wars figures with Micronauts EXCEPT C3PO because a) he had vac-metallization like the heads of the Micronauts and b) C3PO really wasn't that articulated on screen either so it kinda fit. Same applied to my Battlestar Galactica Muffet and eventually the swivel armed Gi Joes like Grand Slam and Duke (Which came 2nd in my heart after the Micronauts because of the superior articulation and they could wear helmets and backpacks and guns and binoculars !.
I've always loved the Time Travelers!
In the excellent Star wars radio adaptation,which is available on TH-cam, (and was Canon until Disney bought Star Wars), R2D2 intentionally sabotaged R5D4 to ensure that HE would be bought by Uncle Owen, remain with C3PO and be freed from the Jawas.
It may not sound like a heroic thing to do, but like in so many rebellions, he chose to temporarily sacrifice an innocent for the greater good, because he knew how important his mission was.
R5D4 would have been repaired by the Jawas and sold to someone else so no real harm done and a Galaxy saved.
Personally I like this story much better.
It demonstrates that R2D2 understood the weight of his duties, his independence and willingness to do what he had to do to complete his mission. And that he was special and had a more ingrained personality than other droids that were regularly memory wiped.
That's why I dislike the idea that R5D4 is some kind of hero or intentionally sacrificed himself because this implies a deeper personality than a typical agricultural Droid on tattooine would have.
It's clear that R5D4 was intended to be a simpler cheaper agricultural model as opposed to R2D2 being the upscale model both in appearance and everything indicated in the movie such as his slow movements, simpler beeping noises, less overall movement, fewer scanning eyes/lights and overall cheaper, plainer appearance.
He's a simple base model Droid where R2D2 is a much more expensive upscale model, which is why Uncle Owen skipped R2 in the first place.
He didn't need or want an expensive droid. But when he accused the Jawas of trying to rip him off when R5D4 failed, they substituted the more expensive Droid to keep the sale and their customer.
So let's not take away from R2D2's role in this case, it wasn't just chance, it wasn't some grand sacrifice made by R5D4, it was action taken by R2D2 to complete his mission that was intrusted to him by Princess Leia.
I had many SW figs but never R2D2. I did, though, have R5D4 (got him for 50 cents in the cheapo bin)...He made a good analogue of R2D2.
Could never find R5 as a kid.
My favorite figures were black suit (RTJ) Luke Skywalker and the speeder bike scout
When I brought my Star Wars toys to a friends house, or they came to mine, I was the one that said " No I've got R5-D4,not R2-D2". I never did get an R2-D2.
I was happy he Reappeared in The Mandalorian
When I was a kid it Took me ages to find on of those
...R5-D4 probably THE most important droid in the whole Star Wars universe. Because of it wasn't for him deliberately malfunctioning on Tatooine R2 would not of been able to complete his mission!
I had that one, but for a very short time because it got stolen, although I don't know why I never bought it again to replace it.
Apparently, my mom bought one for me when it first came out. I found it years later and joined a Facebook group asking for information about it. My version was a variant, as it did not have three red stripes on the front but had two red stripes and an outline where the third should have been printed. I ended up selling him for over $1,100. A gentleman in England bought it and I shipped it out to him. I ended up calling that particular action figure Merry Christmas because that action figure provided Christmas for my grandkids
when the figure came out, when i got around to thinking about it, i just assumed luke called r5 an r2 unit using a "brand name" to describe a class of items. like calling all tissues "kleenex".
I can see that. It would make sense!
I had most of these. Hand me downs from uncles.
I stole my first Star Wars action figure, unintentionally I may add! My mother and I were in a local toy shop, I would be about 5 years old at the time, and there was a small stand with nothing but Star Wars figures on it, as well as some Star Trek figures too, but it was Hammerhead which caught my eye, he looked amazing, everything about that figure, the expression on its face, its pose, the way the legs feel towards its feet, as well as his right hand... those that know will know lol I basically picked up the figure, didnt let go of it, and I thought my mum paid for it as we left the shop... she didnt, and we didnt go back either lol
ps, I thought the Gonk droid was awesome!
I always assumed Luke's use of the term "R2-unit" is like any of us saying "my computer" when refering to a laptop or a desktop computer... Or "My car" instead of "My corvette" (or whatever)... Like, "R2-unit" is a genric term to me...
I always called it R2 D4.
Was it just the American packaging that called it that ?
I'm sure the British version was R2 D4.
I have no issues with R5-D4 being referred to as an R2 unit. When I reach for my "scotch" tape it's rarely "Scotch" brand. Or a "Kleenex" . Or any number of items we refer to as by the most popular brand name, but aren't.
Nah, Power Droid was awesome! I couldn't believe we found him at the drug store one day... Death Star Droid and R5 were my favorites too! My least favorites were always the human characters lol
I had one!
I had that !
All that and no mention of the Error version that goes for lot more money these days?
I try to research the videos the best I can, but I'm sure I'm not perfect. I don't know about an error version.
IMO R5-D4 toy is not the same droid as Red. The toy has red on the legs while the movie droid has blue.
I have thjis weired memory of an alien figure with a bag. He was purple with some yellow "beard" that looked like bananas coming out of his face. Was a Star Wars figure and to this day i have absolutly no clue about who he was. I called him banana face.
for me it was always an R2 in a different version (just like there are commercial vehicles with different bodies for different jobs)
I loved R5-D4!
I remember getting him, Obi Wan, farmboy Luke and Hoth Han X-mas of 1980, as well at the the "Darth Vader Star Destroyer". I was also into the Black Hole around that time, so the "Star Destroyer" wound up being the Cygnus, and R5 became Old Bob.
I always liked R5's design better than R2's and I wanted that figure more than R2. Imagine if they made a Cygnus to go along with the figure line back then? Even a smaller die cast version would have been sweet.......that ship is arguably the most underrated aesthetically in the realm of sci-fi movies.
@@thesilveraura2177 I love the USS Cygnus. It looks like it would be as much at home in a Jules Verne styled sci- fi movie as it did in the future setting of The Black Hole.
There was a prototype toy of the USS Palomino, but it never made it to production. I would've loved to have had the figures from TBH... especially V.I.N.Cent and Maximilian (whom I've always dubbed as "King of the Cylons).
My brothers and I used an extra R2-D2 wrapped in white tape as our old Bob for the Black Hole adventures. I had the V.I.N.CENT figure and Maxamillion figure as well. I never got the rest of them, but a couple years later my youngest brother got a Sentry Robot Figure. All of those figures are long gone now, who knows where. R5-D4 was a cool droid and when the Y-wing came out I always had R5 in the droid socket.
@@martok2112 Yes! Totally out of a Jules Verne universe.
Even in the 90s that figure line was near impossible to find complete and in decent shape. When I was a young punk I'd be at every toy and antique show, nagging the dealers, looking for any of TBH figures as well as the Tron line. (Another tough series) Eons later I found a Maximilian that was in respectable shape that I still have.
I built the Cygnus out of my Lego heap. It was awesome.
My dad had this one as a kid and gave it to me, which made me love astromech droids and especially R5-D4 and the other R5 droids. This guy isn't too mysterious-he's the droid Uncle Owen bought at the Jawa droid sale, before his motivator blew so he purchased R2 instead. Now he's in the Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett.
He literally explained this in the video. You should watch it...
Haha@@lake_cooper
If I remember correctly, the Radio Drama had Artoo messing around with R5-D4 before the sale to cause his motivator to go bad.
Bweep bwoo! He’s a classic! Interesting facts on the name and continuity.
I had him and Luke because mom didn’t know difference between the 2 droids she thought he was R2 lol
The quintessentially meme-able "You have R2-D2 at home"! Yep, been there, m'self a couple times, mate.
I just look at as R2 was the most commonly known astromech droid and they generally are called R2 units. Like when most call tissues "Kleenex" regardless of brand name,
The book, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View reinforces story about R5-D4 intentionally blowing his motivator to keep R2-D2 an C-3PO from splitting up and allow R2 to continue his mission to contact Obi Wan.
Yes in the new stuff r5 is also a rebel droid, and knew r2 had a more important mission. In the old stuff r2 just sabotaged him just in case .
Just waiting for Return of the Jedi: From a Certain Point of View to come out.
@@loydwalters4334 This year, 2023, is the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi, so I have a feeling it will come out sometime in 2023.
@@GremmPaltakin lol Disney garbage
@@GremmPaltakin I have no idea.
Canonically, R2 units were the most popular of the “R” series Astromechs, so it is likely they are commonly referred to as “R2” units, regardless of their actual series numbers.
Like how cotton swabs are commonly called q-tips
I think more like how adhesive bandages are called Band-aids.
I think what you mean is how all tissues are called Kleenex.
I think you mean like how people call anyone dressed in a a red suit with a white beard “Santa”
Like facial tissue is called Kleenex
R5-D4 was one of the first figures I got after seeing Star Wars. I found out you could take its head off with a simple Phillips head screwdriver.
I had a great time disassembling R5 and R2 and making various mashups with the parts.
I did the same after getting a 3D printer a few years back and modeled them in a simple CAD to reproduce them. Not to exact specs, but they turned out okay
I used to swap heads on some of my figures. You couldn't do this with all of them, but by the time The Empire Strikes Back series of figures came out, they pretty much all had a head-on-a-peg design that let you pop them off and back on. I'd also wrap them up in tinfoil and pretend they'd been carbon-frozen.
Nice!
Kenner just gave the droid a random alphanumeric designation so they could sell the figure with a name. I like the way the name R5-D4 eventually became canon, with the R5 series offered by Industrial Automaton as a low-cost alternative to the R2, R3, and R4 models. Wookieepedia has a great article about the R5 series, written in the style of a corporate after-action review about how bad the R5 series droids ended up being. Luke calling it an 'R2 unit' was likely a rural-style affectation of calling all astromechs 'R2's, kind of the way people in the South call every brand of soda 'Coke'.
I have been in multiple parts of southern states my whole life and have never heard people refer to a non-cola soda as a "Coke."
@@thorguff I heard it mostly in Alabama and Georgia.
@@thorguffIt was more common before the ‘80s. I remember my parents, relatives, friends, and strangers calling sodas Cokes or dranks; sometimes they would as you what kind of Coke to you want to drank.
I think it's that R2 units are possibly the most common astromech 'droid, so the name 'R2' is used generically, like ballpoint pens being called 'BIC's', or 'Biros', or vacuum cleaners being called 'Hoovers'. Luke would have known it was an R5, but called it an R2 out of familiarity. Owen Lars knew exactly what Luke meant.
Good point about Owen knowing what Luke meant!
R5-D4 shows up in a few episodes of the Mandalorian!
Oh yes, I played with Star Wars action figures as a kid. I had the land speeder before I had any figures. My first two figures were Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker. My absolute favorite figure would have to be Darth Vader. As a kid who played with his toys outside and sometimes a little rough, I went through four of them! The last Star Wars figure I bought was one of the Ewoks in the Power of the Force line. I bought it at K-mart on clearance for about eighty cents. As a young adult I sold my Star Wars collection to a collector for a few hundred dollars, I later regretted that.
I've been lucky that I've never sold any of my Star Wars toys except my Cantina playset as a kid and my Death Star playset as an adult (because I didn't have anywhere to put it)
I think it should be noted that in the first film Episode 4, and the entire original trilogy, all the background Astromech droids were simply referred to as "R2 units" by the creators of the film (except R1 that is). The names we know today, like R5D4, came from other later sources that labeled these nameless R2 droids that appeared in scenes from the first trilogy.
I guess with all of the after-the-fact information that came out, I sometimes forget that when they were making Star Wars, it was just a movie, not a religion...yet.
Even though I begged and begged for that Sears cardboard Cantina, my parents wouldn't budge. My first encounter with the second wave of Star Wars figures was in late winter/early spring of 1979. We went on a rare weeknight visit to the mall and in Woolworths was an endcap of Star Wars figures with all 8 of the new wave. I picked R5-D4 and the Power Droid and was very happy with them.
I don't know why I had the cardboard Cantina playset. I think I got it for Christmas and I guess my parents just knew how much I liked Star Wars figures and since it was new, they got it for me.
I didn't see Star Wars (1977) when it was first in the cinema, however I was bought my first Star Wars figure in 1977 when visiting the toy shop. I chose R5D4 and I still have it today.
He's a great one!
I think Luke was just mistaken. How often does a farmboy on Tatooine stumble across astromechs to be expected to be able to tell them apart? I like the theory that R2 sabotaged R4's motivator. It was in the radio drama I think.
I was also young and my primary Star Wars experience was the toys for years. When I finally saw the movie again, I was shocked R2 and R4 had a retractable third foot.
Ah, the retractable 3rd foot! Didn't the droid factory have one of those?
Luke says a couple strange things in Ep4. He also calls R2 and CP3O “robots” instead of “droids” while he and Obi-wan are inspecting the sand crawler. It never gets a mention though.
I never noticed that.
I picked up R5-D4 as soon as I saw it on the shelf, then begged my mom to buy it for me. Thought it was cool to have another droid like R2 in my collection. When I saw Star Wars, as a kid I thought/figured R2 did something to cause R5 to explode....lol.
Star Wars toy memories!
He's got a bad motivator!
Has anyone mentioned the old radio drama shows, yet? In them R2 actually sabotages R5 to blow his motivator. As it goes the radio drama was based more off an earlier draft of the script; where the droids were a bit different than they ended up being in the movie. (Also, yes; my Death Star Droid and R% were counterparts like 3PO and R2.)
I didn't know there was a radio drama! Did they have the same actors?
R2 units have blue coverings on their legs and R5 units have red coverings on their legs. That’s why Luke calls it an R2 unit, because every one in the world of Star Wars knows that and people on Earth, don’t. 😅
Luke being color blind makes sense.😉
I had to throw a tantrum to get the original Luke Skywalker. The rest I got more easily. Funniest story was Christmas when my folks and grandma gave me stormtroopers and Grandma tried to take hers back: "Grandma, there's a million of these guys!"
Those stormtrooper action figures were hard to find because people were getting them in multiples to build their own little squads and created a shortage for quite some time before Kenner caught up with the demand.
My r5 was tortured in jabba's dungeon
R5-D4 shows up in a few episodes of the Mandalorian!
The truth is calling an R5 a R2 is no biggie when you consider Luke was a backwater moisture farmer with lack of experience. To him, any Astromech could have been an R2 in the same way many called all colas 'Coke'. Unless you were a Chevy muscle car expert, a '67 Firebird might have been called a '67 Camaro to the casual, or how any .45 ACP is a Colt 45, even if made by Kimber or some other company. Luke was a young inexperienced punk just labeling it generically the same way we all do at times. No continuity errors in my my mind just a natural uneducated mistake. Seems more natural to me.
I suppose an in-universe explanation for Luke referring to R5-D4 as an "R2 unit" might be that Luke (who has had a sheltered upbringing on a farm) is simply wrong, and has never seen an R5 unit before. He might just think it's an R2 unit with a different head.
My great Aunt gave me my 1st Star Wars figures. One was Greedo and the other was R5-D4. I still have both of them; don't ask about the condition. (Or any the condition of any of my figures)
I may be wrong but I could've sworn that the Death Star Droid was in the scene on the Jawa Sandcrawler and not the Death Star. There's a droid of some kind sitting amongst the debris inside the Sandcrawler in the scene with R2 and 3P0 and it looks exactly like Death Star Droid. Can anyone clarify this?
I had ALL of those. My Obi wan and Jawa had the cloth capes.
How is a droid a Jedi? 🤷🏼♂️ RIP porkins 😢
Poor R5D4 he was the toy I got for my eighth birthday because all the “good” toys had sold out! But he quickly earned a place in my hart.
Luke calling him an R2 unit could also be chalked up to Luke not being particularly familiar with astromech droids.
when it comes to collectables i have had the worst luck. My parents threw away my entire star trek collection. I had all of it and it was all in mint condition. My Star Wars collection which was extensive but a little worse for wear was also thrown... My album collection was drowned in their basement and had a few things of significant value and my lionel silver streak collection given to my by my grandfather was so huge and vast it was unreal was sold without me knowing by my alcoholic stepmother piece by piece for booze.
My x wing Luke had severe crossed eyes.....ha. not that there's anything wrong with that..
I had this R5-D4 figure and liked it very much -- it was unique. Oddly enough, my parents never bought me R2-D2. I remember having 3 different Lukes, Obi Wan, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, the Hoth Han Solo, Lando, Boba Fett (my personal favorite) -- but never the standard Han Solo, C-3PO, or R2-D2. I don't even think I ever got Yoda!
No Han Solo!?!?
I heard there’s a deleted scene where R2-D2 intentionally damages R5-D4’s motivator.
I don't ever remember seeing Death Star Droid on the Death Star in ANH? He was in the Sandcrawler, but where on the Death Star?
I was 6 years old when I first saw Star Wars. I loved all my action figures. I recall reading somewhere that R2 actually sabotaged the R5 unit during the part where Uncle Owen is bargaining with the Jawas. Not sure why I remember that. The original novelization perhaps?
Great video. For that matter I can't remember many times R2-D2 was called R2-D2 in Star Wars. Star Wars mysteries are great though. I didn't have R5-D4 until later, like 1989 when I found him at a local comic book store. For me he was a cool addition but unessential.
I take that back about R2-D2. C3PO says "R2-D2 where are you?" in the first five minutes of the movie!
I thought Princess Leia also said something about "This R2 Unit"
Nice to see R4 getting a revival in The Mandalorian… Peli has him working in her garage complete with scorched markings of the blown converter
It is nice!
The original Star Wars novel stated that R2 sabotaged R5 In order to make certain that he would be selected… As a kid I loved all the figures, but Boba had an extra special place in my collection. I had 2, 1 for close up beauty shots & the other, flew into the wooden fence, flew into the stucco on our house & many other would be injurious stunts.
Awesome childhood adventures!
I had a fair few original "Star Wars" figures as a kid, but I didn't have the original R5-D4. I've been collecting modern "Star Wars" figures since 1995, though, and the best version of this droid so far has got to be the 2006 The Saga Collection version with a "bad motivator" that pops up when you turn his head. After that one, the Build-A-Droid version that came packaged in the TVC line felt like a bit of a letdown. Don't get me started on the "missile-launching" version from 1996 . . . .
I hated the missile launcher R5. Worst fig ever but he was the only R5-D4 available at the time.
I really just know mostly about the old, vintage Star Wars figures.
In the Star Wars Radio Play by the late, great Brian Daley back in 1980, R2-D2 actuator rigged the R5 unit to blow its motivator. C-3P0 even quietly called him out on it (which actually serves as the narrative of just what Artoo was doing).
For a good long time, the Radio Plays of the original trilogy were considered Canon.
I remember listening to the radio with my older brother when that came out and Empire as well. Brock Peters was a great Darth Vader and Mark Hamill was Luke Skywalker of course.
@@theperceptor9287 I really liked what Daley did with writing General Carlist Rieekan for the radio play of Empire Strikes Back. There was a demeanor about him that reminded me of some of the officers I served under when I was in the military. In the radio play, he was even more concerned for his soldiers (not that he wasn't in the movie). Rieekan came across as more real to me.
Trivia note: The actor who played Rieekan in the movie appeared later in Full Metal Jacket.
Yes, Brock Peters was an excellent Darth Vader, and I personally consider him to be the second official voice of Vader behind James Earl Jones. (RIP Brock Peters)
@@martok2112 I almost forgot about the way Rieekan showered some concerns about his troops. It's been too long since I've heard the old radio broadcast, I've forgotten a lot of the actual radio story itself, thanks for the reminder.
@@theperceptor9287 You can find the radio plays for all three on TH-cam. I recommend (if you would like to hear the radio plays without episode breaks) channel Nige L.
@@martok2112 Thanks for the info 🐱
Thanks for sharing! Well R5-D4 was my very first SW action figure. By the time I didn't know who he was because I haven't seen the movie. Anyway at the age of ten (1981) I saw "A New Hope" for the very first time and I was. blown away. My fav figure(s) back in the early 80 were the the six bounty hunters. Unfortunately my Kenner collection got lost nevertheless my current collection of figures, vehicles and playlets is huge and nowadays R5-D4 (Vintage Collection) is one of my top ten figures!
Awesome!
R5-D4 will always have a special place in my heart because after the original 12 action figures were released the next 8 were hard to find. R5-D4 was the first one of the second wave of figures I found in the checkout lane of our grocery store. 45 years ago and I'll never forget that day.
Awesome vintage toy memories!!!
This was the only action figure of the 1977-78 run I did not have.
Thanks for trip down memory lane! I had many of those action figures including R5-D4. I don’t think I had the Imperial droid though. I wish I still had mine because I bet they’d be worth some money today. I remember getting C3-PO and his joints were all stuck at first, so he was just stuck in that standing pose like he was in the package. I don’t know if it was the gold paint or what, but they eventually gave way and his arms and legs could be moved.
Most of the common figures aren't worth that much. Their weapons, on the other hand, are worth quite a bit more since they were the first things to get lost.
A better retcon for why Luke called R5-D4 an R2 unit is because Luke didn't know the difference. He might have called it an R2 unit because when watching all his starship video-mags, all the coolest pilots had R2 units and called them that, he saw another astromech of vaguely the same shape and he called it an R2 unit because he wanted to sound like he knew all about astromechs and anything else star-fighter related.
THAT makes sense!
I definitely had this figure, although I really wanted R2-D2. His role in the first Star Wars movie was disappointingly brief.
Brief but important! I'm sorry you didn't have BOTH figures!
I had a vinyl caped R5-D4
Haha! I wanted the double telescoping lightsaber R5-D4 myself, but never could find one.
5:26 "Either way, there was no Porkins figure back when I was playing with Star Wars figures..." And even if they HAD made a Porkins figure for the original Kenner line, there was no way to have put R5-D4 into the X-wing fighter toy, as it had a dedicated R2 dome which was the button to activate the opening of the wings.
I still have my R5D4 but the label was sadly ruined. Of all of the Star Wars figures my brother and I shared, only it and Luke as a rebel pilot are still to be found. The main box of Star Wars toys was stolen from the truck or accidentally given away when we moved at one point :(
Great video! I love your take on R5 going on adventures with R2D2 and C-3PO. Sounds fun! I loved these toys as a kid. They were the only way for us to continue our Star Wars adventures until the Empire Strikes Back was released. The Darth Vader figure and the Stormtroopers were probably my favourites - but there was something special about the interpretation of Chewie as well.
I really loved these toys as a kid!
My original R5 sits on my workbench and is the unofficial mascot of all my projects. He's always been one of my favorite designs and figures. When they came out with the Y-Wing with the removable droid spot, R5 was immediately promoted to flight duty.
I think I read that in the novelization that R4 blew his motivator purposely because he made friends with R2 on the Sand Crawler, making him much more of a cool and important character, that was probably Alan Dean Foster's and not George's idea.
I don't remember any detail like that from the 1977 novel. The 'droids, as Foster terms them, are fairly impersonal characters, without the humor or warmth you see on screen. It may be morphing into canon from later treatments of the Episode IV narrative.
I've heard that