Took some time to break out the European Droid Factory this weekend. I love this thing. Its like an alternate reality version of the Droid Factory we got in the U.S. The pieces are pretty comparable, but the base and stickers for it are entirely different. The other big differences are the placement of the parts, the blueprints, and the swapping of the central crane for a droid loading feature. Sadly, that last piece is the only thing missing from this set. There is supposed to be a little bolt with a string at the top of the ramp. The other end of the rope connects to the droids you make, so with your friend gravity, you can make the droids slowly climb or descend the ram as you turn the bolt. In looking at the directions, I think this bolt is actually the same piece that holds the two crane arms together, so I may take apart a spare at some point to recreate the effect.
Here are some additional pictures. I put the RD units side by side to show the coloring differences in stickers and parts (Europe on the left). The UK sticker is obviously faded, but seems like a matte finish versus the more glossy US version. The differences are much easier to see in person. So happy to have this one in the collection. This was the last vintage holy grail for me, which is very good because I'm completely out of space now...
