Blocks explores the history of LEGO Star Wars Battle Droid figures. Since they debuted 25 years ago, there have been more variations than you might expect.
The LEGO Battle Droid figure is about as close to a perfect first try as you can get, especially when it comes to LEGO Star Wars figure designs. Every other figure from the early days of the theme has long since become outdated, as printing styles evolve and designs change. But not for the Battle Droid. Take a Droid from 1999 and put him alongside the ones in 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack, and it feels right at home.
Initial perfection doesn’t mean the LEGO Battle Droid has never had any adjustments or special versions, however. There have actually been a handful of different variants that see the standard Battle Droid thrust into unique environments, though these are much less common than the regular figure. Join Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, as it lands on Geonosis to examine the ranks of LEGO Battle Droid minifigures.
1999 — A perfect start
Of all the new moulds and prints introduced for LEGO Star Wars’ debut wave, the Battle Droid is one of the few to never even have an update attempted (aside from a very subtle improvement to the clip and bar connection). It’s quite clear as to why. The figure is nothing short of a perfect LEGO representation of the in-universe machines of war. Fans have come to take the parts used for the Battle Droid for granted, but in 1999, every piece was brand new. The head is an excellent mould, especially for the time, and everything else is great, too. The body has a stud on the back, allowing for a backpack piece to be attached — though this is uncommon in modern sets.
The Battle Droid’s first appearance was 7121 Naboo Swamp, which featured two Droids and their STAPs. The vehicles also explain why early Battle Droids had two sideways arms, as that allowed them to grip the handlebars with two hands.
2003 — Attack of the Droids
2002’s Attack of the Clones climaxed with the epic Battle of Geonosis. The battle featured dozens of new trooper and vehicle designs, so it can be easy to overlook the change made to the standard Battle Droid. While they were still built the same, they were repainted to match the red sands of Geonosis. LEGO Star Wars captured this change in 2003’s 4478 Geonosian Fighter. The set contained two of this unique variant, fighting alongside their Geonosian makers, who are also exclusive to the set.
2007 — 90-degree pivot
7662 Trade Federation MTT is treated like royalty by the LEGO Star Wars community for its impressive build and host of Battle Droid figures. But back in 2007, there was another reason for its popularity — it was the first set to use the new arm piece, which allowed Battle Droids to hold the new specially designed weapons properly. They could make use of the new blaster elements without it looking terribly goofy. And this small upgrade was enough to give new life to the Battle Droid figure — the straight arm variant has appeared in more than 30 sets since 2007.
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2009 — To the stars
The first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars had an episode in which Plo Koon and his Clone Troopers were stuck in an escape pod, hunted by ruthless squads of Rocket Battle Droids. LEGO Star Wars recreated these high-flying B1s in two sets — 2009’s 8016 Hyena Droid Bomber and 2010’s 8086 Droid Tri-Fighter. The Rocket Droid figures introduced a new colour for the Droid head and torso — a rather nice dark orange. The legs and arms were a simple dark bluish grey, which is less exciting than dark orange, but still makes for a great figure. To help them navigate the vacuum of space, the Droids come equipped with jetpacks, made of just a stud and binocular element.
2013 — Return to the sands
Ten years after the first Geonosis Battle Droid, LEGO Star Wars tried its hand at an upgrade, ending up with some fantastic results. 2013’s summer wave focused heavily on Attack of the Clones, preparing for a 3D rerelease of the film that never saw the light of day. Cancelled film aside, the sets were some of the best LEGO Star Wars has seen. And with a great deal of attention given to the Battle of Geonosis, the Geonosis Battle Droid made a comeback.
The updated figure used the same dark orange colour as the Rocket Battle Droid, this time having every piece of the figure moulded in that colour. A variant with a backpack appeared in 75015 Corporate Alliance tank Droid and a backpack-less version came in the beloved 75019 AT-TE.
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Images courtesy of Brickset.com.