Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2013 Day 3: The Butler.

Plucky director J.J. Abrams might have his squint firmly set on Episode VII but meanwhile the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar is determined to mine awkward/stalker love story: Attack of the Clones! Yesterday we got Grandpa Dooku's Sunny Sailor Boat, so my heart shudders in reckless anticipation. What surprises do the stars have in store for us today?

Let's swing into Door Number 3 and reveal our destiny...


And... it... is...

Not so bad! It's another droid! Seriously, Lego, any day that you want to throw me droids, aliens, troops, or enraged wookiees I am totally on board! But who is this character anyway?

This one I do know, although I had to double-check the name. A direct tie-in to yesterday's gift, this rickety robobuddy is FA-4, the droid responsible for piloting Old Man Dooku's ungainly Solar Sailer. You may remember him from when Dooku makes a slippery exit in Episode 2.

But I imagine that piloting Sunshine Boats is not the extent of this guy's abilities. I've always imagined him to be some kind of distinguished butler droid tasked with all manner of gentlemanly duties such as massaging Dooku's barnacled feet, brewing Earl Grey, and dispensing Werther's Originals. So tell your kids today, "Remember that time you accidentally walked in on Granddad in the shower? Well, that's what this poor robot has to look at every day. So pity him, and give him a special place on your shelf." Poor FA-4. I guess he needs to be memory-wiped quite frequently.

And for those keeping score, each day I am pitting this Lego Calendar against the Playmobil Jurassic Park one. Today I definitely need to award the point to Lego for having the testicular fortitude to bring to life one of the saga's unsung but hardest working characters. FA-4, we salute you!

Jurassic Park Playmobil Advent Calendar: 2
Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar: 2