Tamashii Soul of Chogokin C-3PO & R2-D2

[Bikerscout]

I recently ordered the Tamashii R2 from Amazon and it arrived yesterday. After spending a little time with it, I naturally pulled up this thread for a little help with turning on the holo projector. (You really have to turn harder than I would have expected.) My only other complaint was the holo projector on top of his head comes off and needs to be glued back on. I found the comments here interesting reading and thought I would add my take on both the HT and Tamashii... I doubt any of my observations are unique.

Overall, I think both versions have their pros and cons. I don't think one is good and one is bad. I think it all boils down to preference. Having owned multiple full scale R2's, I think the criticisms appear to be carrying over to the 1/6 scale.

Hot Toys pros:
* Obviously the aluminum look to the dome
* R2 blue looks to be more accurate
* Nice weathering if you like your R2 dirty
* Broader variety in sounds
* Some will say dome shape is more accurate. I think this is personal preference.
* Fiber optic light color in front appears to be more accurate.

Hot Toys cons:
* Holo projector light comes on with the other lights and is very bright.
* Audio has a more tinny sound (not a big deal to me)
* No restraining bolt

Tamashii pros:
* R2 feels solid and gives the perception of durability
* Holoprojector light can be turned on separately
* Some will prefer the squeaky clean version
* Kenny Baker feet is a really nice add on not done before.
* Not sure this is a pro, but the dome finish has the look of fiberglass. Many movie R2 dome were made of fiberglass, so not necessarily a bad thing unless you want to see a painted spun metal finish. It's definitely an improvement over the sideshow R2 that looks like a flat gray finish in comparison.
* Overall I think this R2 "fits" better with the Tamashii C-3PO.

Tamashii cons:
* Some will put the rivets at the top of the list, but they don't really bother me. Neither do the small gaps to open the doors.
* Again, some may say the blue is not dead on or the dome shape isn't 100% right, but not a major issue for me.
* Dome finish will not satisfy fans that want a 100% metal look.
* I think what bothers me most is there really needs to be a film placed over the lights. One would have to open the dome as some have done on this forum.

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with either. I think my preference is with Hot Toys, however, I like the Tamashii better when displayed next to the Tamashii C-3PO

Very unbiased review. Well said.

 

[Solo_bones]

Very unbiased review. Well said.

Second that..thank you for the review.

 

[DCFett]

* I think what bothers me most is there really needs to be a film placed over the lights. One would have to open the dome as some have done on this forum.

There are like 6-8 screws holding the board in the head unit. Not very difficult to open. I haven't done the mod, but opened the entire head when I thought my projector light was not working. To your point, I wasnt getting it past the pressure switch in order to get it to activate. Once I opened it, this became a much easier task, so proceed at your own risk, but it's not that hard a mod to complete. I remember in this thread that a lot of folks were doing the same with 3PO, which I didn't find necessary for my taste.
Nice review. This thing is pretty rad.

 

[hokietwo]

Just got the tamashi R2. Really nice piece. Love the sounds bits, they are nice and clear. The build is quality great, the rivets really are not that noticeable when it’s not a focus on macro pics. Looks great with 3po, agree the lights are really bright. Will look for a solution to tone down the emitters.

 

[Rudimus]

Nice shots hokietwo! That extended Tantive Diorama is very nice!

 

[Lee in MI]

Repped

 

[Lejuan]

Nice Hokie

 

[hokietwo]

Thank you for the kind comments, Joost made an amazing dio for these figures to shine in.

 

[ZE_501]

Repped

Also repped, great shot!

 

[clutch]

Does the diorama come with lit up buttons or did you add those?

 

[TonTon]

Beautiful set-up, hokietwo!

 

[hokietwo]

The door control panels come pre-assembled with the LEDs.

 

[matrix69]

Fantastic shots hokietwo

 

[DarthRusty]

Good God man! Those are incredible photos!!!

 

[parrasmaniac]

I recently ordered the Tamashii R2 from Amazon and it arrived yesterday. After spending a little time with it, I naturally pulled up this thread for a little help with turning on the holo projector. (You really have to turn harder than I would have expected.) My only other complaint was the holo projector on top of his head comes off and needs to be glued back on. I found the comments here interesting reading and thought I would add my take on both the HT and Tamashii... I doubt any of my observations are unique.

Overall, I think both versions have their pros and cons. I don't think one is good and one is bad. I think it all boils down to preference. Having owned multiple full scale R2's, I think the criticisms appear to be carrying over to the 1/6 scale.

Hot Toys pros:
* Obviously the aluminum look to the dome
* R2 blue looks to be more accurate
* Nice weathering if you like your R2 dirty
* Broader variety in sounds
* Some will say dome shape is more accurate. I think this is personal preference.
* Fiber optic light color in front appears to be more accurate.

Hot Toys cons:
* Holo projector light comes on with the other lights and is very bright.
* Audio has a more tinny sound (not a big deal to me)
* No restraining bolt

Tamashii pros:
* R2 feels solid and gives the perception of durability
* Holoprojector light can be turned on separately
* Some will prefer the squeaky clean version
* Kenny Baker feet is a really nice add on not done before.
* Not sure this is a pro, but the dome finish has the look of fiberglass. Many movie R2 dome were made of fiberglass, so not necessarily a bad thing unless you want to see a painted spun metal finish. It's definitely an improvement over the sideshow R2 that looks like a flat gray finish in comparison.
* Overall I think this R2 "fits" better with the Tamashii C-3PO.

Tamashii cons:
* Some will put the rivets at the top of the list, but they don't really bother me. Neither do the small gaps to open the doors.
* Again, some may say the blue is not dead on or the dome shape isn't 100% right, but not a major issue for me.
* Dome finish will not satisfy fans that want a 100% metal look.
* I think what bothers me most is there really needs to be a film placed over the lights. One would have to open the dome as some have done on this forum.

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with either. I think my preference is with Hot Toys, however, I like the Tamashii better when displayed next to the Tamashii C-3PO

I finally have both R2's in hand.

I mostly can confirm this review. I agree to most of it.

Having received the Hot Toys first, I was very happy with it, and I somehow was regretting having ordered the Tamashii too.

But once I received the Tamashii, everything has changed, from the very first moment:

- The Bandai box is beautiful, and reminded me of the time when I opened up the C-3PO.
- R2 has some accessories, which makes for a more slow unboxing (I enjoyed the Tama unboxing better)
- The figure feels fresh. A great built. It is very heavy, and feels very well manufactured.
- The dome feels a bit of a dissapointing, but it is not a matter of how it looks, looks great. Cannot hardly see the seams, almost invisible. The reflection of light is even better than HT! It looks more like the real thing IMHO. It's just the fact that it feels warm, instead of cold, like the rest of the body does.

I love the look of the dome though. There is something special in Tama R2, that makes it visually just as I remember R2.

More...

- The size of HT and Tama R2 is almost the same... Tama is slightly taller, which explains why it photopraphs as a thinner R2. Not a big difference in hand.

- The light system on the Tama is superior. The 2 AA batteries will last longer, the projectors can be switched on separately, and the figure feels better engineered. I will mod the lights on this one too, in this case to change the colour too (back light) but also to hide the LEDs a bit, they are too visible as many fellow freaks have mentioned.

- The white body contrasts better with the dome and blues.... HT is very weathered.


I think both figures are great. I don't know which one I will keep, I wanted to keep only one.

Now...

- I see my Tama R2 as an R2 to pose with Hoth leia, C-3PO and Chewie at Echo base. A cleaner version.
- I see my HT R2 as an R2 to pose with Yoda and ESB pilot Luke, at Dagobah. Or for a Bespin escape scene. I think HT R2 looks just like R2 does in that scene.

For the moment, I will keep both, and I don't regret getting both!!

Hope this helps somebody....

 

[parrasmaniac]

Ahoy!
So I decided to crack into this thing and mod some of the lighting effects...
Yeah, the obvious LEDs kinda got to me too, so I added diffusion to the inner surface as well as the LED surface to get it to what I wanted. I added a couple layers of yellowish orange gels to the back light to give it a little something too. I don't know how well this will come across for those that don't own this, but for those who do, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Cheers,

View attachment 375612View attachment 375613

Ahab! I need help with this please.

I have started working in order to reach the LEDs but I am stuck at the inside panel level, I am not sure where to pull from in order to release that last panel before reaching the wire and LED level.

I have pm you!

 

[DCFett]

Did you take the screws outta the second board? Once you do that gently wiggle the board up. Don’t pull it hard at all or you might pull the wire from the control board. Then you will also see the LEDs underneath.
Just realize that the last board, while secured with screws, is also friction fit into the head. Giving a gentle nudge on one side, then the other, will “Walk it” Free from the dome.

 

[parrasmaniac]

thank you! yes, I took out all screws from this board too.

I wanted to be sure I have to pull now.... gently

 

[ZE_501]

I also bought both; I love the Tama proportions, it feels like a beast and the body details are sharp. Rivets don’t bother me, even the slots aren’t so noticeable; but in spite of being very impressive out of the box, I personally couldn’t get past the dome and prefer the HT — but at least I know firsthand. A friend with the Tama Threepio will likely take it off my hands. I also thought the lights were freakishly bright. It is a beautifully made collectible, though. Really nice piece.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[parrasmaniac]

thank you DC Fett and Ahab for replying to my call for help.

So far I have not broken anything but I am struggling to make the LEDs look alright. I don't know what material to use, the modified lights do not please me so far...