Had to ask SS for a repalcement dome. Mine has a dent and some scratches on the main eye. I also noticed one of the lights one the back of the dome isn't lighting how it's supposed to. Should be an easy replacement I hope.
As for differences between this one and the very first original release, aside from what's already been stated, I've found that the restraining bolt is more accurate and scaled properly on these newer versions compared to the original ones. I thankfully still have my original since it's the exclusive with the 3 extra arm attachment pieces so I have something to go off of.
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Oh and the lights don’t work properly. Got it to come on. One tap on then the two and three taps done nothing. Ended up trying to take the head off to switch off at the power. Instructions said align the lines. I couldn’t see any anywhere to line up but got lucky and got it apart. Bit of a mess really.
There is a method to getting the dome off. There are 2 rings at the base of the dome that allow it swivel (the blue and the silver). If you hold those two rings firmly then twist the dome counterclockwise, you would feel it unlock, then you should be able to pull it off without issue. You get it back on by aligning two tabs on the underside of the dome with cut outs on a ring on the inside of the body. Once you plug it back in, you hold the blue and silver rings on the outside again and twist clockwise until you feel it lock again.
The panels are a bit finicky though. However, with the exception of the panel for the drink serving arm, mine thankfully stay closed this time around. On my original version from the very first release, none of the dome panels stayed closed and would just flop all over the place, with the periscope constantly just falling out.
That said, it might be better to just return yours if your lights aren't working properly and just wait on the AOTC one teased by HT. It will probably have almost everything the original version did except for the Leia holograms and the Degobah light. However, with the way prices have gone up, the HT one will probably end up being almost double the price of the Sideshow.