"Build your own droid at Black Spire Outpost’s industrial depot."
The first Star Wars Black Series Disney Parks Exclusives for Galaxy’s Edge were released in 2019 with box sets created solely for the Parks and made up of both revamped existing figures and new ones such as Hondo Ohnaka and DJ-R3X. In 2022 three more packs were unveiled including a four-pack set called Droid Depot that featured repacks of a B1 Battle Droid and Babu Frik, a repainted KX Droid, a variant BB unit, and the Black Series’ first-ever Pit Droid.
Like all the Disney Park releases, the sets are packed into closed presentation boxes using the Galaxy’s Edge design principles. The Droid Depot set uses a blue accent colour surrounding the grey-scale artwork of the four Droids. The artwork is repeated around the back with headline text for each character underneath detailing their place in the Star Wars Universe. The box opens up via a front cover to reveal the figures within against a deep red backdrop with more artwork and text on the inside cover sitting under the main Black Series logo.
We will start our look at this set with CB-23 a BB Droid we were introduced to in Star Wars: Resistance and who worked with Poe Dameron while BB8 was off doing other missions. CB-23 uses the BB8 body but features an updated and flattened dome with extending aerials in a softer plastic. She is a pink/red colour with light blue panel details and silver inserts on each face of the ball section. The head includes a pair of silver eyes within a further ring of blue highlight panels. The flat top is silver with some sculpted droid gubbins visible and the two aerials extending from the centre. CB-23 is wonderfully painted and a very different-looking droid to those we have in the collection to date.
Articulation is limited to the dome which moves around on a small internal axis for some varying positions. The droid’s circular design is a flaw in getting it to stay on display and there is no flattening of the base of the body, no included stand, and no obvious weighting to hold the figure upright. You will need some form of washer, ring, or even simple Blu-Tac to get CB-23 on display.
Joining CB-23 is Babu Frik, the Anzellan Droid Smith we meet in The Rise of Skywalker. He has only had one release previously as an added part with the 2019 release of C-3PO and has become increasingly hard to obtain on the secondary market with a price that now exceeds that of a standard 6-inch figure. His popularity having been driven up further by his species' appearance in the Mandalorian.
While the promo art shows a slightly lighter colour scheme, in hand this is more or less the same figure as released in 2019 paintwork-wise and that paintwork is pretty neat considering the scale of Babu Frik. He is decor includes a painted face with eye and mouth details, his hood, droids-smith belt & apron, and devices around his wrists. He features three points of articulation with tiny ball joints in the shoulders - which can pop out if you aren’t careful - and a movable visor that can be lowered over his head. Despite his small stature, he is perfectly secure once stood on his wide feet.
Up next is our KX Droid, K-7R1 who is the first figure in the set directly linked to Galaxy’s Edge. The droid is seen as a prop in the Droid Depot of Black Spire Outpost - with his head detached from his body. The figure has been re-assembled and uses the KX Droid body first seen in 2016 with the K-2SO release for Rogue One. K-7R1 features updated paintwork reflective of his look at Black Spire Outpost with white markings on his face and chest and tan brown on his forearms. He also features damaged paintwork around the shoulders and hips with silver scratches and some rust colouration beneath.
Paintwork aside this is the same KX Droid base figure with 15 points of articulation all worked into the droid construction with elbow and knee joints incorporated into the design and functionality of the figure. He does remain top-heavy and has some weakness in the ankle joints which makes him prone to falling. There is also a slight disappointment that Hasbro didn’t go the whole hog and make his head detachable.
Droid four is the B1 Battle Droid, included in the set as a direct repack of the 2019 release from The Phantom Menace. The B1 features the same tan cast body with smaller weathering elements in brown ‘splashed’ mud colour and silver scratches and dings. Like Babu Frik the variance between the Disney Parks release and the original is minimal with factory run application the only main difference.
Our B1 comes with the only accessory of the set, his blaster, and also features both backpack and rear aerial configuration. It has 17 points of articulation, also worked into the construction of the droid and this allows a wide range of positions, including a folded pose with arms wrapped around the folded legs. The B1 is notoriously unstable with the thin legs also featuring loose joints. He is a nightmare to stand and keep standing and would benefit from a stand. Like Babu Frik and CB-23, there is no direct link between the B1 Battle Droid and the Galaxy’s Edge although B1 parts are seen in the Droid Depot attraction.
The final piece of the set is the brand new figure, a Pit Droid as first seen in The Phantom Menace and who have more recently been seen playing a wider role in The Mandalorian. The Pit Droid is cast in a deeper brown finish with a similar construction to the B1 Droid in terms of a skeletal look and circular pivot joints. There is added paintwork in silver around some of these joints and some brown around either wrist. The large head features a pinkish trim and the large black central eye. A pair of aerials extends from the left hand of the dome in off-white, tipped in black.
Our Pit Droid features 17 points of articulation including the ability to rotate the clawed hands, but a contrasting lack of movement on the head with the tiny ball joint that connects the delicate neck to the large dome resistant to any rotation. The Pit Droid is a little easier to stand than the B1 but is still loose around the legs. He doesn’t come with any accessories which is a shame considering the various tools and devices we see them use in their on-screen appearances.
The 2022 Droid Depot release is an interesting mix with some ties to Disney Park’s Galaxys Edge attraction, but some outlying inclusions too like Babu Frik and CB-23 from Resistance. The set remains a Park’s Exclusive so available only in the US to park attendees making it difficult to obtain anywhere else without a huge secondary market premium. While marketed as five figures, only two are full size with the Pit Droid, CB-23 and Babu Frik figures Hasbro could never offer on their own and who would always form part of a wider set. Price-wise, you are looking at circa £100 as a good UK price with shipping and that is probably only worth it if you are a completist or die-hard collector of all things Droid. The Pit Droid sculpt is incoming into the mainline soon, while K-731 and CB-23 are very niche and likely will remain solely exclusive to this set.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...