This was originally just a random post I made in 2008 but it got so many hits I decided to make a dedicated page and keep it up to date for fellow droid action figure collectors. I update it whenever I come across new release info, and rely on tips/corrections in the comments at the bottom of this page. After The Phantom Menace came out Hasbro really got on the ball. The designs and paint schemes became more accurate to the characters, and they figured out they can take the same droid sculpt and sell it to fans over and over without batting an eye by simply changing the colors and maybe a gimmick here or there. It worked fine, because that’s essentially how the droids of Star Wars were made… and it unleashed a flood of new bots in recent years. Disregarding R2D2 completely – as well as the small handful of droids released before 2000 that have since been remade to the new standard (meaning better) – here is a comprehensive list of all the astromech droid variations out there for the obsessive collectors like myself:
dark green vertical stripes on white lampshade copper on black dome lime green on clear dome over white red and blue on clear dome over blue on white (not the same droid as the PotJ R4-M9) turquoise on white lampshade red on white bucket (not a normal astromech) yellow stripes on dark green (in the Battle of Hoth multipack) orange on clear dome over white (in the Imperial Forces multipack, re-released for 07 Saga Legends Fan Choice) silver on black lampshade copper in gold dome over white (re-released in the Legacy Collection Kamino Conflict battle pack in 2010 with cleaner paintjob) silver on maroon dome over maroon on white (re-released in the Vintage Collection in 2010) silver on black bucket over copper on black black on silver dome over gray purple on silver dome over silver on purple white on orange lampshade over orange on white yellow on silver dome over white white and brown stripes dome over blue on white
white and black stripes on gray dome over black and white on gray clear dome over red on white red on white lampshade black stripes on white dome over all black maroon on silver dome over white green on silver dome over white olive on clear dome over white (previous version from 1999/2000 Episode 1 had a chrome dome, +new edition in 2012) yellow on gray dome over blue (in the Episode 1 Collectible Tin, +new edition in 2012) red on silver dome over white on red (in the ARC-170 Elite Squad multipack) silver on red dome over blue (came with the Y-wing Starfighter) yellow on white bucket (SDCC + online exclusive) pink on silver dome over white (in the Hoth Attack multipack) silver on black bucket over white (in the Assault on Yavin multipack) black on red bucket (came with Wedge’s X-Wing) red on silver over white, with red half circles on sides of feet (Droid Factory 2 pack – #1 of 6 w/ Plo Koon)
silver on teal dome over teal on white (Droid Factory 2 pack – #2 of 6 w/ Watto) turquoise on blue splatter dome (Droid Factory 2 pack – #4 of 6 w/ Kit Fisto) silver on orange dome over yellow and green on white lime on black dome over white black on dark blue lampshade over silver on dark blue blue and tan on silver dome over white white on green lampshade over green on white (Build-a-Droid Wave 5, labeled R2-N6 in a preview slide for unknown reason) black and white on reddish-orange dome white on orange bucket over orange on white (Droid Factory 2 pack – #1 of 5 w/ General Grievous) red on silver dome over white (Droid Factory 2 pack – #5 of 5 w/ Corran Horn) (IR remote controlled “micro droid” in scale with the action figures, but not a normal figure) red with black lines on white bucket over white on red metallic purple on white bucket (Build-a-Droid Wave 4, mislabeled R3-O1 in a preview slide for unknown reason)
clear dome over white on blue silver on metallic green over metallic green on white (different droid than the R2-X2 from the 2006 EE multipack) dark green stripe on white dome over dark green (Disney exclusive 2-pack with “Jedi Mickey”. Includes mouse ear hat.) black on red chrome dome over black & red on white black strip on gold dome over gold on black (looks distinct enough from the non-animated version to warrant a second entry on the list) lime on grey dome over maroon (Rise of Boba Fett Ultimate Battle Pack) yellow on blue dome over grey maroon on light grey dome over white on maroon (Battle Over Endor rebel battle pack) red on dark grey dome over dark grey on white (Battle Over Endor imperial battle pack) grey bucket over silver on white (Royal Starship Droids pack. Also included: new Build-A-Droid editions of R2-D2, R2-B1, and R2-R9 – all previously available as standard droid figures.) green on silver dome over green on white (only “new” droid included)
(TRU Exclusive Yavin Pilot 5-Pack, build-a-droid body) red on white bucket w/ blue & highlights (very similar to R5-D4) How do I even approach this… someone had the awesome idea to put Build-a-Droid stations in the Tatooine Traders gift shop at Disneyland. (Possibly other Disney parks too?) This means bins of droid parts where you mix and match to make your own astromechs, but technically no new specific droids are officially being released. According to well informed sources there are plans for 25 different heads (R2s through R9s, domes & buckets & lampshades oh my!), 13 bodies in assorted styles, 10 matching leg sets (that you don’t have to match), 5 middle legs that will jive with the sides, and 8 hats (…hats?!) for a total of 71 separate pieces in all. That opens this up to an obscene number of combinations if you don’t care about matching color schemes and symmetric parts. There are 15 unique domes shown in the promotional images so far, so to me this equates to 15 new unnamed droids with no official color scheme for each.
But considering you can build existing droids with the parts, it might be fewer overall. I’d file this under “one of everything please” except at a minimum of $10 per complete droid… yikes. That mouse is devious. Update: This poster was given out at Celebration VI and shows the parts available. Now, a quick explanation of the droids that we have been made into figures: R1 units look …stupid. They’re huge in comparison to the other droids and thankfully only one was made. R2 units are the standard one you’ll see, they typically have a silver dome like R2D2. R3 units are pretty much the same stylistically as R2s, but with a clear dome instead. R4 units usually have what I call a “lampshade” style head – a faceted six or eight sided cone. R5 units on the other hand have a smooth truncated cone that looks like an upside down bucket. R7 units are strictly Expanded Universe droids (not seen in the movies). They’ve got R2 style domes, but triangular eyes and different panels on the body.