Figure of the Day: Day 61: Mynock Hunt Chewbacca

CHEWBACCA Mynock Hunt
Power of the Force Cinema Scenes Collection
Item No.: Asst. 69650 No. 69868
Number: n/a
Includes: Breathing Mask, Bowcaster, Display Stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99-$19.99
Availability: Fall 1998
Appearances: Primarily Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Fleeing the fierce Imperial assault on the frozen planet Hoth, the Millennium Falcon and the Rebel crew fly into the midst of a waiting Imperial war fleet. Unable to engage the Falcon's malfunctioning hyperdrive system, Han Solo steers recklessly into an asteroid field. Solo maneuvers the Corellian freighter through the deadly storm, missing large rocks by mere inches before locating sanctuary in the cave of a huge asteroid. Inside the cave it become apparent that the Falcon is in danger of being ravaged by mynocks. Large, winged parasites with an appetite for the mineral and energy-rich bulls of starships, mynocks can cause critical damage to star-freighting vessels. Forced to hunt the creatures before irreparable harm is caused to the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Han Solo don breathing gear and venture outside. But the mynocks become a secondary concern once the Rebel crew discovers that the cave they're parked in is not a cave at all, but something large and very alive. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam's Pawlus Toy Shelves.

Commentary: After Chewbacca was first released as a giant gorilla-like creature, a shaggier, thinner version was hoped for by many. In 1998, Hasbro delivered three times over with this figure as well as a Hoth-specific Chewbacca and a Boushh's Bounty version. All three of these have since been upgraded again, but this figure was really something special for its day in that it was just a plain, regular Chewbacca once you took the mask off, and it was the best of the best. A toothy smile, blue eyes, and a not-too-beefy build made up for the meager (and standard) six points of articulation. With the "novelty" of having many colors of fur, hands posed specifically to hold his weapon properly, and a nifty gas mask, it's quite easy to see why this was a very fondly remembered and much loved action figure when it first came out. While the years have produced better Wookiees, this is still one of the finest, and certainly, was Kenner's finest take on Han Solo's co-pilot before it was finally and fully absorbed into the Hasbro empire. (This is, of course, after it was absorbed by Big Tonka.) There is no better "old style" modern Chewbacca.

Collector's Notes: Once upon a time, this figure was the definitive Chewbacca-- up until around 2001, when they released a Chewie with a torch from Power of the Jedi. This was also a very hard to find set for quite some time, resulting in prices having shot up to about $50-- they have since dropped considerably, and a new Mynock Hunt-specific Chewbacca was released in 2003 with a firing bowcaster. As such, this figure now only holds the distinction of the best Chewbacca of the pre-prequel era.

Day 61: July 6, 2006