Today’s review features the Body Vibe x Star Wars Stainless Steel R2-D2 bead charm. First arriving at stores in late 2014, the R2-D2 bead charm is part of the fantastic range of Star Wars charms by Body Vibe. I am a huge charm bracelet fan, so this R2-D2 charm was a great addition to my bracelet.
Usually priced at US$24.99 each, the charm is currently on sale for only US$9.99 each at ThinkGeek – or get it free for 2,000 reward points with any purchase over US$25.00! ThinkGeek can ship internationally, which is great. It is also available from Amazon sellers – shipping rates/policies vary by seller.
- Stainless Steel R2-D2 bead charm – US$9.99 each (ThinkGeek)
- Stainless Steel R2-D2 bead charm – US$12.97 to US$27.99 each (Amazon)
The charm comes on a cardboard backing card, featuring the Star Wars logo on the front, and the standard Body Vibe/Sales One information on the back. The charm is attached to the card with a small black ‘twisty tie’, threaded through the bead. The charm is made from 316L surgical Stainless Steel, and features a 3D sculpt of R2-D2 in his standing ‘2-leg’ mode.
The bead charm is a ‘threaded’ style design, where the bracelet is threaded through the bead itself, rather than hanging from a ring. This means that the hole through the bead cuts out R2-D2’s ‘arms’, which does change his classic shape. It is a little bit of a shame, but there is no way to preserve the entire sculpt for a threaded bead. This bead does look much better worn in between other charms, where the cluster effect tends to hide the missing arms.
The fine detail of the sculpt is accented with black antiquing, which coordinates nicely with the other charms in the range. The level of detail is great, the sculpt even includes details on the underside of R2-D2’s feet. It is a little bit of a shame that the back is flat, to allow space for the etched Lucasfilm copyright text. I understand the need for it on licensed items, but it does distract a little from the cute design.
The bead charm measures approximately 17mm high, 10cm across and 6mm deep. Below is a photo of the R2-D2 bead threaded on a stainless steel necklace by Body Vibe (sold separately). You can already see how the side cut-outs are less distracting to the design. The Body Vibe x Star Wars charms can fit most common charm bracelet brands – I own a Pandora bracelet, and these charms fit nicely.
It is interesting to compare the bead charm to the dangle version. The most obvious difference is the flat back of the bead charm, but also the dangle charm does not have details on the bottom of R2-D2’s feet. Otherwise they appear to based on the same design – they are the same height and width. My own dangle charm has a touch more antiquing, but that tends to vary a bit charm by charm.
While I do prefer the dangle version, this R2-D2 charm is a welcome addition to my bracelet. So many of the Body Vibe x Star Wars charm designs feature a dangling charm, so I need more spacer-style threaded charms to put between them. The lack of R2-D2’s ‘arms’ is much less noticeable when worn between other charms, so I’m really glad I decided to add him to my collection. Beep Boop Beep!
