Star Wars Interactive R2D2 Astromech Droid Robot

by Hasbro

Product Features

• Newly programmed at our ultra-modern factory, this state-of-the-art R2 series astromech droid unit is ready to obey your commands
• Grab his attention by saying "Hey, R2" and he's ready for more than 40 voice commands
• Ask him if he remembers his famous friends, like Luke Skywalker, C-3PO or Jabba the Hutt
• These are just a few of R2's amazing attributes
• In "Game" mode, R2 plays multiple games and spins, dances and plays music, and he even guards your room with his sentry alarm
• Each name will stir up a different response depending on R2's "feelings" for that character
• Includes moving along on his own, turning his front beam on and off, and even playing a secret message when you follow the proper voice commands

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 13.2 x 17.8 inches ; 2.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001E95SQ2
• Item model number: 89055
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 10 years
• Batteries: 4 AA batteries required.
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,216 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Collectors young and old will appreciate the details of this Star Wars Interactive Electronic R2-D2 Astromech Droid. Complete with movie-accurate messages and flashing lights, this droid responds to voice commands and has a special arm designed to keep your beverage handy. This friendly robot is designed to be a fun companion for kids aged eight and up.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Detailed robot moves, makes authentic movie sounds, and holds your beverage The Bad: R2-D2 occasionally has trouble deciphering voice commands In a Nutshell: Star Wars collectors are sure to enjoy this cool, interactive droid At a Glance Ages: 8 and up Requires: 4 "AA" batteries and 4 "D" batteries

The realistic details of R2-D2 will please collectors young and old. View larger.

Bring Home Your Own Astromech Droid
Celebrate Star Wars 30th Anniversary by inviting this movie-accurate droid into your life. Once the loyal companion to Queen Amdala, this utility droid is programmed to be your devoted helper and friend. Help him get ready to serve you by snapping his steering legs into place and attaching the projector piece to his domed top. You'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert four "AA" batteries and four "D" cell batteries in his side.

More than 15-inches tall, this sophisticated R2-D2 model boasts a secret cargo compartment, a unique swing-down utility arm that's also a beverage holder, a removable sensor scope, a working light beam, sound-processing microphones, and an adaptable droid mood-status indicator. Sonar navigational technology and infrared location sensors help make him one the most advanced droids around.

Take Advantage of Three Interactive Modes
Intergalactic missions will be more fun with a reliable droid at your side. In companion mode, R2-D2 responds to commands like "Go on patrol," "Light Beam," and "Play Message." Star Wars fans are sure to appreciate the accuracy of the messages, which are culled from famous missions he remembers.

You can even ask R2 about friends including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and Jabba the Hutt. He has a different reaction to each name based on his "feelings" for the characters. And if you hit R2 on the head, he'll make irritated beeping sounds and try to move away from you. As you get to know your droid, you'll realize that the noises and motions he makes correspond to his "mood."

In game mode, R2 responds to more complicated commands. He'll act as a sentry to protect your important stuff, dance to cantina music, spin around, or play light tag. The third mode is the most complex. This command mode lets you give pointed directions that control R2's movements. Tell him to turn left and right or go forward whenever you want, or set a preprogrammed course for him to follow.

While R2 responded to simple commands with no problems, we had difficulty getting him to respond reliably to more complex requests. We trust that, like with any voice-operated electronic system, over time it will get easier to produce a wider range of commands that R2 consistently responds to. Until then, his movie-accurate look, the way he responds to simple commands, and the convenient beverage holder make him a fun comrade.

What's in the Box
Droid body, two steering legs, projector piece, telescope piece with sensory array, and an operation manual.

R2-D2 can respond to commands. View larger.

And can double has a beverage holder. View larger.

Product Description

Once the loyal companion to Queen Amdala, this roughly 14" utility droid is now programmed to be your devoted helper and friend. Grab his attention by saying "Hey, Artoo!" and he's ready for more than 40 voice commands! Ask him if he remembers his famous friends, like Luke Skywalker, C-3PO or Jabba the Hutt. Each name will stir up a different response depending on Artoo's "feelings" for that character. Just a few of Artoo's amazing attributes include moving along on his own, turning his front beam on and off, and even playing a secret message when you follow the proper voice commands. In "Game" mode, Artoo plays the hide-and-seek game of Light Tag, dances to cantina music, guards your room with his sentry alarm , or even jazzes up your next party with "Spin The Droid." Once you've mastered Artoo's "companion" and "game" modes, move on to "command" mode for plotting real-time maneuvering or programmed courses for the droid to follow! Artoo also boasts a secret cargo compartment and a unique swing-down utility arm that's also a beverage holder! Window box packaging.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

216 of 218 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool droid with a few secret commands..., January 1, 2006

By 

Miss B (Seattle area) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Santa brought R2 to my 6 year old son this Christmas. My son takes this robot with him everywhere. I was concerned that he would lose interest after a few days, but he spends the majority of his day playing with R2. The entire family has enjoyed giving him various commands and in addition to the commands listed in the Command Guide, R2 has some advanced commands (sometimes known as Easter Eggs) built in that we found on the HASBRO website. Here they are:

Advanced Command #1 - Follow Me

In Companion Mode, if you say "Follow Me," R2 will turn to find you and then attempt to follow you around. Go slowly though, or R2 will lose you and turn the other direction.

Advanced Command #2 - Come Here

Also in Companion Mode, if you say "Come Here," R2 will attempt to find you and come to you. Since this feature relies on R2's heat sensing technology, kneel down in front of R2. R2 may not come directly to you, but R2 will try and find you.

Advanced Command #3 - Imperial March Song

R2 plays up to 5 songs, but only the Cantina song is expressly mentioned in the Command Guide.

To play the Imperial March, go to Character Mode by asking "Do You Remember." Ask R2 about Darth Vader and Anakin (in any order) and R2 will play the song.

Advanced Command #4 - Sad Cantina Song

Another song that R2 plays is actually a different version of the song he sings if you command him to do the dance program (in game mode). When R2 is in a sad mood, he will play a sad version of the Cantina song. There are many ways to put R2 into a sad mood. The easiest is in 'Do You Remember'. If you ask about Darth Vader, R2 will go into a sad mood. You can tell, because his mood status indicator will be red instead of blue.

Advanced Command #5 - Celebration Song

The Celebration Song is another one of the 5 songs that R2 plays and is not expressly mentioned in the Command Guide.

To play the Celebration song, go to Character Mode by asking "Do You Remember." Ask R2 about Chewbacca, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker (in any order), and R2 will play the celebration song.

Advanced Command #6 - A "Special Surprise"

The final hidden gem for R2 really takes a little work, as well as really knowing your droid.

First, have R2 turn on his light beam by saying "light beam." With his light beam on, tap R2 three times on the head, and then place him into Game Mode by telling R2 "Game Mode" and then "Dance program." R2 will have a special dance, just for you.

Overall, I am happy with our R2. I hope you find the commands useful for your little droid. :)

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Star Wars Interactive Droid Robot (2005 edition), December 26, 2005

By 

I.M. Ulysses (Calgary, Alberta) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Temperamental, disobedient and he gets into a lot of trouble. I'm not talking about a pet or your average little kid, I'm talking about the Star Wars Interactive R2D2 Robot (2005 edition).
All of 18 inches tall, this diminutive little toy gets around well on most surfaces (hardwood or linoleum floors are best) and is a lot of fun. But he's not your daddy's Radio-Controlled R2D2. This Artoo unit doesn't automatically do what you say, or even what you want or expect. Although, on most occasions, you wont' have a problem with Artoo, the one I bought has shown flashes of temper and streak of stubbornness that would try even the most patient parent.
Despite this (or maybe because of this) Artoo is a riot! I took him over to my friend's place for Christmas and, at first, everyone in the room was amazed at how well he followed orders. Whether it was to turn left, turn right, go forward or turn around, Artoo seemed pleased as punch to follow directions. Then his temper flared and he, quite pointedly, refused to obey me; shaking his head and making noises in apparent disdain at my pleas.
That reaction brought the house down, as everyone laughed at his refusal to follow his "master's commands." When I ordered him to "re set system" and he refused again, that created still more chuckles. Finally he got over his little "snit" and behaved normally...until he seemed to change his mind decided to act up all over again.
Then my friend, who has three children of his own, got into the act. Pleading with Artoo in his best "daddy voice" he finally got the robot to obey him where my pleas failed. Then, like a stubborn child, Artoo had another tantrum and stopped listening to him too. That invoked a surprising response from me, anger. But, instead of spanking him like any other misbehaving child, I manually shut him off via the power switch on his behind so he could "calm down" (I would have spanked him, too, but Hasbro, the manufacturer, has not seen fit to include a pain function on him...yet!).
Needless to say, all this only helped to further endear Artoo to everyone around him, although this behavior can get annoying when you want him to do something simple, like bring you a beverage. That said, after a while it became hard to see him as simply another "toy," which is probably what Hasbro had in mind all along.
Instead of a mere "toy," they created a "personality," one that can interact, and react, with both people and the environment around him. Had Artoo simply followed directions, he would have got "old" real fast; becoming nothing more than another cleverly designed (but boring) set of circuits and switches run by batteries. But, by giving him what appears to be a random and unpredictable nature, Hasbro has made Artoo appear to be as realistic, and "alive," as the one in the movies we all love.
That said, Artoo is also a very clever robot, packed with sonar and voice recognition capabilities that are very functional. Although he cannot "see" things below his domed head, he is not stupid and not only found his way out of my bedroom but proceed to bound his way down the hallway.
Artoo's dance function is hilarious and he patrols a floor better than the average mutt, without fear of "accidents." Although the beverage container is problematic (the grip is not very strong), he does manage to find his way around a house fairly well and will probably get into all kinds of mischief unless monitored carefully (like any toddler). Be careful, though, of stairs, as Artoo does not have a floor-sensor and would go over and down them, with catastrophic results.
Combined with a very affordable price tag, the Star Wars Interactive R2D2 Robot (2005 edition) is a terrific toy and well worth the money. If anyone reading this article knows of any "secret" or hidden commands, please e-mail me and let me know.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute, fun - like having a little pet, October 4, 2006

By 

Cinnamon girl (Quaker Hill, CT USA) - See all my reviews

I bought R2-D2 for my daughter's birthday. It was pricey, so I was hesitant, but she seemed to really want it. Boy, I'm glad that I did as it is a very well made, sophisticated toy. I find myself playing with it and treating it almost as a pet. You talk to it, and it responds to you, it plays games and can be mischievous. We like "light tag", and "spin the droid". If you tell him to go on a "Time out", he shakes his head "no" like a disobedient child. If you tell him to "Behave himself" and give him a "Time out" again, he obeys. Sometimes, we have a hard time getting him out of "Game Mode" to "Companion Mode" (He doesn't seem to understand the "Re-set command" always), so you just turn him off and then turn him back on. Thanks to the reviewer giving the "Easter Eggs". They were fun to do. Overall, the voice recognition is good, but it definitely takes practice to learn the nuances of his programming. A fun toy and a "must" for any Star Wars fan.