This just might be the droid you’re looking for. Gentle Giant Ltd. has announced their life-sizeStar Warsreplica of the originalR2-D2action figure that came out in 1977. By today’s standards, the original 3 and ¾" is very crude and some might call it kind of crappy in comparison to all of the other R2 units that are available to purchase. Regardless, Gentle Giant has still put these bad boys up for sale and are asking $3,200 for a replica of probably the worst designed official R2-D2 toy on the market.
While theStar Wars toymay not look like much today, nostalgia plays a large role in the idea of anybody shelling out over 3 thousand dollars to have a life-size replica of an old R2-D2 action figure to sit on display in their home or office. The original toy had a clicking head, which is a noise that R2 never made in any of theStar Warsmovies released thus far and had a cheap decal for the droid’s front panel that became discolored really quickly and for some, began peeling off all on its own. The droid was fun to put on your finger though, although you won’t be able to do that any longer with a 3.5' version of the character.
3.5' is a lot of plastic, but it’s not clear how Gentle Giant expects people to pay over 3 thousand dollars for this version of R2-D2 that they’re calling the “Monument” edition. Thelife-size replicawill be available this summer, and it’s not clear if anybody has purchased one as of yet. Additionally, the promotional material doesn’t mention if they’re just going to slap a giant decal on the plastic body of the droid. You can read the full release statement below.
“Yourchildhood dreamshave come true! Now your toys are big enough to play with you! Gentle Giant Ltd. is proud to bring you the latest addition to their popular line of life-sized monuments with the vintage-inspired R2-D2 Monument! Digitally scanned from an authentic mint-condition vintage 3 3/4” action figure and reproduced to a staggering three and a half FEET tall, this fully articulated monument also includes a vac-metal dome, articulated head and legs, and his head actually clicks when you turn it, just like your childhood figure! The R2-D2 live-size monument will be a stunning centerpiece for any true collector’s display."
There’s been some pretty crazyStar Warstoys released lately, and this certainly fits into that category. TheNew York Toy Fairwent on over the weekend and showed off the prototype for Jabba’s Barge, which is now the biggestStar Warstoy in history (for the action figures, not counting life-size replicas). There’s also new Millennium Falcons for both Hasbro and LEGO. While all of these toys are different from the Monument of R2-D2, they’re all very expensive.
While this might not be the exact droid you’re looking for after all, it might make for a good $3,200 trash can or ash tray if you’re a big smoker. It will be interesting to see if anybody buys any of these 3.5' versions of the original R2-D2 1977 action figure at that steep of a price, but it’s just quirky enough to where it could actually sell to some hardcoreStar Warscollectors. You can check out photos of the expensive droid below, courtesy ofGentle Giant’s Instagrampage.
