Some Star Wars collectors might be familiar with the Droid Factory playsets released in 1979, but these are not the only Star Wars toys to use this name. In 1996, RoseArt released the Star Wars Trilogy: Droid Factory, a plate set similar to fashion plates that children could use to create their own droids. While the idea was creative, the set ultimately had its limitations, and later video games with similar premises improved upon the idea.
The RoseArt Droid Factory was inspired by earlier Star Wars toys. As explained on StarWars.com, the Kenner Droid Factory playset from 1979 included multiple parts and blueprints that allowed children to assemble their own droids. Palitoy also released a version of the set in the same year. Although both sets allowed for creativity, they were limited by the amount of parts that could be included.
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The RoseArt Star Wars Trilogy Droid Factory set attempted to recreate droid assembly using 2D art rather than 3D toy parts. Using plates with embossed droid parts, children could assemble the plates and use a rubbing crayon to transfer the design onto paper. Because the set used rubbing plates, crayons and paper, children could make as many versions of the droids as they wanted without having to disassemble and reassemble the same droids over and over. Also, because the plates were much larger than the small parts used to create the toys in the physical playset, they were much less likely to be lost. In theory, using the fashion plate format increased replayability.
Despite boasting a strong concept, the RoseArt Star Wars Trilogy Droid Factory set had some serious drawbacks. First, the set only really allowed for customization of humanoid droids; astromechs like R2-D2 and R5-D4 were single plates with no parts that could be switched out. Second, the artwork on the customizable plates did not always match up. For example, some combinations resulted in droids missing hands or other parts. Thus, while the idea for the set had merit, it ultimately was held back by these design flaws.
The droid customization concept was later recycled into a video game, and the concept works much better in a digital format. The first, Star Wars: Droid Works, was released in 1998, and allowed for more creativity and customization. Players could more easily mix and match parts from multiple types of droids to bring their own ideas to life. The game also included a storyline so that players could see their droids in action. Thus, Star Wars: Droid Works improved upon the ideas of both the physical toy sets and the RoseArt plate set.
Despite its flaws, the RoseArt Star Wars Trilogy Droid Factory plate set represents an important stepping stone to bridge the gap between the original toy playsets and the later video games focusing on droid assembly. There are still products focused on creating physical droids, such as the Star Wars: Droid Factory toy line. In addition, LEGO sets and the BB and R units found at the Droid Depot at the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park represent continuations of the original Droid Factory toy sets. The newer versions of droid assembly allow for more options, but the RoseArt fashion plate set still represents an attempt to try new ways of engaging children at a lower price, even if the final product ultimately needed improvement.
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