Action Figure Review: C-3PO & Babu Frik from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

    The Rise of Skywalker definitely hasn't had nearly the amount of merchandise released as the previous two saga installments, although the figures we've gotten definitely are of a much higher quality than we've seen before. Today I'm checking out Target's exclusive The Black Series release: C-3PO & Babu Frik. Warning! Once we get into the review, there are going to be some spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker as I want to talk about C-3PO's role in the film, which I really liked. Seriously, C-3PO had one of the best roles for a legacy character in the sequel trilogy in TROS. Ever since we saw the trailer showing C-3PO with those crazy red eyes I've been curious about his role in the film. When this guy was revealed, I had even more questions. Was C-3PO going to be reprogrammed to fight? Why does he have Chewbacca's stuff? Is something going to happen to Chewbacca? Who is Babu Frik? This guy was a perfect release to get me excited for the film and he turned out to be a darn fine figure, too. Let's check this pair out after the break...

 

 The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel shoulder covers, bicep swivel/hinge elbows with hinged pistons, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: 2-piece bowcaster, bandolier, rear head plate, and Babu Frik (with swivel waist, balljointed shoulders, and hinged goggles).

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars.

 Comparison:

* This version of C-3PO is a mixture of previous versions with a new head. He uses most of the body and legs from C-3PO (Resistance Base), on the right, while adding in the newer arms and hands that 0-0-0 (on the left) borrowed from 4-LOM.

 The Positives:


* As I mentioned above, if you own any of the other C-3PO figures and one of the newer protocol styled droids like 4-LOM or 0-0-0 then you know what to expect here. That's not a bad thing, though, as it gives the protocol droids a nice uniformity but also means that C-3PO has the new elbows with functioning pistons and hands designed for holding blasters. I like the color of Threepio better, too. He seems more metallic than previous releases. The paintwork is neat and clean, even on the wires in his stomach.

* This is a new (or slightly modified, at least) portrait. From the front you won't notice too much, but turn this guy around...

 * And you can see where Babu Frik has opened up C-3PO's head to perform a memory wipe, thus bypassing the restriction in place that keeps him from sharing his translation of the writing on a Sith dagger! This is a cool feature that works really well and makes this an improvement over the previous releases.

* It's not mentioned on the package but when you put C-3PO in the freezer his eyes turn red, just like in the film! (Dryden Vos has a similar unadvertised feature.) In TROS, C-3PO's eyes turn red when he reads and translates the Sith text found on the dagger hiding the location of the Sith wayfinder. I wish C-3PO came with the Sith dagger, too. That would have been another killer extra.

 * When I first saw that this C-3PO figure came with Chewbacca's satchel and bowcaster, I was geared up for the worst. Fortunately, Chewie does survive TROS (c'mon, I told y'all there would be spoilers in here), although C-3PO does carry the satchel and bowcaster briefly while on a mission to rescue Chewbacca. The satchel is from the Chewbacca figure released for The Force Awakens and doesn't really seem to be any different. Surprisingly, it does stay on Threepio fairly well. 

 * Threepio also comes with the bowcaster from the same Episode VII Chewbacca figure. It is a two piece accessory (the crossbar is removable) and and the paintwork is much better than the accessory included with Chewbacca.

* One of the biggest err.., key selling parts of this figure is the inclusion of Babu Frik, the Anzellan droidsmith who assist the Resistance by performing a mind wipe on C-3PO. Baby Frik is tiny, by the way: He's less than an inch tall! He's quite sharp, though, with an excellent sculpt and paintjob for such a tiny character. 

 * He not only looks nice but Babu Frik is also articulated! He features a swivel waist, balljointed shoulders, and hinged welding goggles. That's pretty impressive, right?

 The Negatives:


* I love C-3PO's red eyes but I hate that I gotta stick him in the freezer to see them. this guy really would have benefited from an alternate head with red eyes.

   I gotta say that while there's a lot of reuse here, there's also so much cool stuff that this is an easily Epic figure. Babu Frik is quite impressive given his minuscule size and this is the best version of C-3PO yet. Even though this didn't turn out to be as necessary version of C-3PO as you might be lead to think considering he's running around with Chewie's bowcaster and bandolier, the figure itself is loaded with excellence. This guy's a Target exclusive and he seems to be a little harder to come by than most previous Target exclusives thus far. Threepio's a legacy character and fan favorite that includes another pack-in character. What's not to like about him?

 
 
   If C-3PO is your favorite protocol droid, check out the Black Series classic version and the Black Series Resistance Base version, my daughter's Hero Mashers C-3PO,  the Galoob's Classic Characters (2nd Edition) set, the Micro Machines C-3PO/ Cantina transforming playset, Ice Planet Hoth playset, and the C-3PO minihead set, the Micro Force series 1 C-3PO and the Micro Force advent calendar C-3PO w/ Santa Hat, the POP! C-3PO [Unfinished], and the Kinder Joy C-3PO.


For more Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III figures, check out the following:
0-0-0 (Triple Zero)
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
4-LOM
Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer
Admiral Piett
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Battle Droid
Baze Malbus
BT-1 (Beetee)
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Cal Kestis
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Cara Dune
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Chopper (C1-10P)
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Fox
Clone Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dengar
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Doctor Aphra
Dryden Vos
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Emperor Papatine and Throne
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Ezra Bridger
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Jet Trooper
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Grievous
General Leia Organa
General Veers
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Mimban)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Hera Syndulla
IG-11
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Jumptrooper
Imperial Patrol Trooper
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
Jannah
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (Throne Room) 
L3-37
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Death Star Escape)
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight)
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Luke Skywalker (Skyalker Strikes)
Luke Skywalker (Yavin Ceremony)
Mace Windu
Maz Kanata 
Moloch
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Padawan) 
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016) 
Padme Amidala
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Porgs 
Princess Leia (Bespin Escape)
Princess Leia Organa 
Princess Leia Organa (Hoth)
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Rebel Trooper
Red Squadron (R2-D2, R5-D8, and R2-X2)
Resistance Tech Rose
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Island Journey)
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Jedi Training)- Crait
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Rey's Speeder (Jakku)
Rio Durant
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Second Sister Inquisitor
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (Mimban)
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
Val (Vandor)
Vice Admiral Holdo
Wedge Antilles
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 
Yoda (Force Spirit)
Zuckuss