Vintage Collection R2-D2 (Jabba’s Sail Barge Version) by Hasbro

This is another figure from Jabba’s palace (or more accurately, his sail barge) which should be hitting stores right about now. The previous version of this figure was pretty good, but when you put them side by side you can see that this version is better in most respects. The proportions of the body and dome look better, without the strangely elongated look of the older figure. The new figure is also slightly smaller than the previous version, which I believe is more accurate (interestingly, R2-D2 figures in the 12″ scale always seem to be too small). Compare the two in the shot below (the Vintage Collection version is on the left).

The paint on the body more closely matches that on the dome than on the 2004 version, although the Vintage Collection version has an extendable arm in his chest that is pretty obvious even when closed. It also has a hole in its head where you can put Luke’s lightsaber or an extending sensorscope (both included). The bad thing about this is that the middle leg is used to push the saber or scope up out of the head, which means that you can’t have R2 standing on only two legs without also having the scope/saber showing.

In the shot below you can see how the serving tray looks a lot better on the Vintage Collection version, and the little cups are actually removable! All in all, while either of these figures would work well in a Jabba display, my vote definitely goes to the Vintage Collection version.