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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The droid you’re looking for
Loyal, dedicated and true, R2-D2 has long inspired the kind of affection that other astromech droids could never dream of matching. When a Los Angeles auction house put up a collection of Star Wars memorabilia for sale in 2017, it wasn’t Darth Vader’s helmet that inspired the most ferocious bidding ($96,000) or indeed Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber ($450,000) but a 110cm R2-D2 unit, put together from parts used in filming between 1977 and 1983. It went for $2.76mn.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first collaboration between the Lego Group and Lucasfilm, and this 1,050-piece R2-D2 toy is one of the commemorative launches. It’s by no means the first brick-built Artoo: die-hard obsessives will already own the Droid Developer Kit from 1999, the Technic model from 2002, the Ultimate Collector Series and 2021’s Construction Set.
This new version gives our hero a 360-degree rotatable head, an attachable third leg and periscope, and throws in an information plaque and additional figures of R2-D2 and Darth Malak. “Over time, we have tried to create different levels of detailing, and sometimes add in fun Easter eggs to please both Lego enthusiasts and Star Wars fans,” says Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, creative lead for the project. A 1:1 scale build, made from 27,797 elements, was also unveiled at Nuremberg’s Spielwarenmesse toy fair back in January, and is due to tour Europe and the US imminently.
The “little brother” vibes emitted by R2-D2 are perhaps the key to its enduring popularity. This was perhaps best summed up by the late Kenny Baker, the actor who played the droid in six of the Star Wars films, when he recounted the story of signing an autograph for a visibly emotional woman. “I said, ‘What are you crying for?’ She said, ‘Well, when I was a little girl, when Star Wars came out, my parents were going through a divorce and R2-D2 was the only thing that kept me happy. I used to take him to bed with me every night.’ How about that?” Lego R2-D2 25th Anniversary model, £89.99
First contact
Some may wince at the idea of a kids’ smartwatch, but this is very neatly conceived. It has a lot of the functionality of a standard smart device – voice calls, video calls, selfies, chatting, voice notes and so on – but it all happens within a walled garden (or “Circle”, as myFirst calls it) controlled by a parent or guardian. So while the device has advanced connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an eSIM for £8.99 a month), there’s no general internet access – just ways of staying in touch with a tight-knit group. It doubles as an alarm and a music player, and has tracking facilities (location and activity, including a high heart-rate alert) that can be enabled some of the time or not at all. myFirst Fone R2, £199.99
Sound of the future
Children’s headphones are subjected to a great deal of squashing and smashing, with their destiny ultimately being the bin. Kibu, however, is 3D- printed from post-consumer waste with 70 per cent of the components recyclable – and you’re encouraged to take them apart, see how they work and snap them back together again. If they break, the warranty scheme encourages you to replace the parts that actually need replacing and to do it yourself (a very easy process). The cans come in gentle colours, have a safe volume limit of 85dB and can be daisy-chained together for group listening – but their selling point, really, is the ethos behind them: encouraging young people to be considerate consumers. Kibu headphones, £49
Play it again – and again
Loog is known for its traditionally styled guitars made for little hands, classic in design and straightforward in functionality. The firm now offers an appealing alternative to the shrill, garish plastic pianos that swamp the market. It has just one sound (a concert grand), built-in speakers, velocity-sensitive keys and a wooden casing topped with red cloth, giving it a distinct resemblance to a high-end Clavia Nord keyboard. It’s easily portable for holidays, and its simplicity is an invitation for musical exploration. New features such as a sustain pedal option, octave shifting and the ability to use it as a MIDI controller may see envious adults asking their children if they can borrow it for a day or two, or maybe three. Loog Piano, $249
Stay focused
A light, robust, self-contained camera for budding shutterbugs. It’s droppable, bashable and surprisingly full-featured, with flash, front and back cameras, zoom, panorama, video mode and a rotating ring that applies coloured filters. On-screen menus are crammed with features, including a music player, games (with parental time-limits), a voice recorder, animation tools and Snapchat-like lenses. Internal storage is minimal (about 256MB) but that’s easily bumped up with a micro-SD card (up to 32GB supported). If any eye-catching shots need to make their way into the grey, humdrum world of grown-ups, they can be transferred to a computer via a USB cable. VTech KidiZoom Duo FX camera, £64.99
@rhodri
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