2017 Droid Factory TLJ BB-unit 4-Pack

[Jeff]

You can pop them open?

Yes - Disney designed them to be part of the BAD line so they break down into 4 parts - head, upper outer ball half, lower outer ball half, inner ball.  Here's a pic from Yakface:

[Rob]

Awesome, I suppose.

[Jeff]

I'm waiting to see pics on whether you can stick BB-8's head on existing BAD R-units or 3PO sculpts.  A Protocol Droid with BB head might be a nice 'junk' droid for dio filler.

[Jesse James]

Hadn't considered that, but yes.  I can't imagine they didn't make the pegs compatible?  Hasbro would've done that though, so I guess I shouldn't count my chickens there.   

[Pete_Fett]

I'm waiting to see pics on whether you can stick BB-8's head on existing BAD R-units or 3PO sculpts.  A Protocol Droid with BB head might be a nice 'junk' droid for dio filler.

Nope.

I have Chopper, R2, C3PO and BB-8 on my desk and I just tried some head swaps - and the protocol droid head peg is too big to fit on the astromech body. The Chopper & R2 domes were interchangeable like I would have expected, but the BB-8 dome peg is smaller in diameter and therefore fits loosely on the astromech and protocol droid bodies.

[Jesse James]

Bummer. 

I didn't realize the protocol droid parts weren't compatible with the astromechs too.  Weren't all Hasbro's BAD parts compatible regardless of how stupid it looked?  Go figure that Disney didn't do it.

[Jeff]

Yeah, bummer.  Thanks Pete for checking that out. 

I like the BAD stuff for the franken-droids you can create (one of my favorites combined MB-RA7 Head & Torso with FA-4 Arms & Legs).  I was looking forward to trying a BB-unit head on a protocol droid... probably can still do it, just a bit more work.

[Matt_Fury]

Pete_Fett: Jedidefender official product tester?   

[Pete_Fett]

Bummer. 

I didn't realize the protocol droid parts weren't compatible with the astromechs too.  Weren't all Hasbro's BAD parts compatible regardless of how stupid it looked?  Go figure that Disney didn't do it.

To a degree, I believe so. I can experiment more tonight if folks want. But for example, I can put protocol droid arms & legs in the holes on an Astromech torso, but a protocol droid head doesn't fit into the socket of an astromech where the dome goes and an astromech dome would be loose/easily fall out of you tried to put one onto a protocol droid torso.

For simplicity, I'm referring to any droid that has a torso, two arms, two legs and a head as a "protocol" droid.

The BAD BB units do consist of four parts, but three of those four parts are the weighted ball and the two halves of the outer "shell" of the droid. It's not like you can take half of the outer shell and use it with parts from another type of droid and cobble something together.

The BB-8 head/dome does have a socket on the top - I figured it was for one of those silly hats that Disney BADs come with can be inserted - I haven't tried one yet though.

One thing that is interesting about the BB-unit 4-pack is that while the bodies are all the same just with different paint ops - the heads/domes are all unique. So I can definitely see this as Disney's way of eventually transitioning to having build stations where you can build BB unit droids as well.

[Jesse James]

Yeah I'd guess that joke is for when these become buildable in the parks and the hats go there or other potential plug ins.  I'm fine either way.  Droid factory is still one of my favorite things in modern Star Wars collecting.  Don't have any protocol droids yet but I hope to get them all.

[Pete_Fett]

Yeah I'd guess that joke is for when these become buildable in the parks and the hats go there or other potential plug ins.  I'm fine either way.  Droid factory is still one of my favorite things in modern Star Wars collecting.  Don't have any protocol droids yet but I hope to get them all.

It has become the favorite part of my collection. I have been contemplating lately the idea of scaling back to just BAD and Vintage Collection.

[Jesse James]

I'm almost there except for customizing fodder and vehicles and I can't say I'm unhappy at all.  Frees up some funds for other toys.  Not having to have a lot of the 5poa or waiting for sales to get them to customize is nice.  Still buying beasts and vehicles tho.

[GrandMoffNick]

I'm trying to say this in the way I'm thinking of it for myself and not coming off as questioning other's collecting decisions (I hate when people do that).

I can't ever imagine being at a point where I'd rather have random droids over brand new characters from the movies. Even if they are 5 POA.

To each their own.

[Pete_Fett]

I'm trying to say this in the way I'm thinking of it for myself and not coming off as questioning other's collecting decisions (I hate when people do that).

I can't ever imagine being at a point where I'd rather have random droids over brand new characters from the movies. Even if they are 5 POA.

To each their own.

You know what Nick? That's exactly what's keeping me "in the game" - the idea that, "hey that character was entertaining or has a cool design, if they never do them again, I will have totally missed out" - like Saw Gerrera from Rogue One - that 5POA figure as far as something that stands on a shelf, looks AMAZING - would I have preferred to get a SA Saw in the WM TBS 3.75" line of course! I'll settle for the 5POA one though.

[CorranHorn]

I'm trying to say this in the way I'm thinking of it for myself and not coming off as questioning other's collecting decisions (I hate when people do that).

I can't ever imagine being at a point where I'd rather have random droids over brand new characters from the movies. Even if they are 5 POA.

To each their own.

Same here, some of the 5POAs are rather good, especially those in the Rebels line and the RO 2 packs. Plus K2SO is sweet. More articulation would be great, but until Hasbro does many of these 5POAs will do the trick. Also the Droid Factory line from Disney is fantastic, can't say anything bad about it

You know what Nick? That's exactly what's keeping me "in the game" - the idea that, "hey that character was entertaining or has a cool design, if they never do them again, I will have totally missed out" - like Saw Gerrera from Rogue One - that 5POA figure as far as something that stands on a shelf, looks AMAZING - would I have preferred to get a SA Saw in the WM TBS 3.75" line of course! I'll settle for the 5POA one though.