Figure of the Day: Day 146: Paploo

PAPLOO Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike
Power of the Jedi Collection Toys "R" Us Exclusive
Item No.: No. 32468
Number: n/a
Includes: AT-ST, Speeder Bike
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: 2001
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: To destroy the second Death Star, the Rebels need to gain control of the shield generator on Endor. Just before the battle begins, the wily Ewok Paploo commandeers an Imperial speeder bike and creates a diversion that enables the Rebel strike team to infiltrate the bunker. The Rebel team, led by Han Solo and Princess Leia, is soon surrounded by Emperor’s troops and pinned down by an Imperial AT-ST. Just when it looks as if the Rebels are beaten, the Ewoks ambush the Imperial army in a pivotal battle between the technological brawn of the Empire and the primitive resourcefulness of the Ewok tribe. (Taken from Hasbro.)

Image: The toy shelves of Adam Pawlus.

Commentary: Hasbro proved that, with the modern line, they weren't going to spend a lot of money on Ewoks as they reused the 1998 Wicket body to make multiple figures, like Paploo here. This exclusive Ewok is a modified Wicket with a new head sculpt, but he's a bit more "correct" in size compared to Wicket-- but not Chief Chirpa-- and has the 5 joints you'd come to expect on your Ewoks. The coloring is simple, the texture is adequate, and the overall figure is OK. The vintage figure offered a little more and felt like a better release, even though the new one has better overall sculpting. I have hopes Hasbro will make an all-new Paploo before the line ends, as he's a great Ewok and could certainly benefit from a figure that wasn't a hard-to-get exclusive. Still, if this were to be the only modern incarnation of the character, I'd say you should get it because it is "good enough," but doesn't qualify as especially great. Still, he's cute, and even if they do a new one, we'd say get this one just to flesh out the crowds. I like Ewoks and I think you would like this one, too, just to fill out your too-empty Endor shelves.

Collector's Notes: The here-and-gone-again exclusive for Toys "R" Us really offered a rare team-up of an exclusive figure with two hard-to-find vehicles. The original rumor was that it would include Chewbacca or an AT-ST Driver as well, but the bean counters got it down to a single packed-in figure. For what you got in the box, it made sense as it seemed almost like overkill to put two vehicles in a set together when modifications were indeed made to the Endor-themed gift pack. This was also one of many Endor-themed exclusives for Toys "R" Us, along with the Original Trilogy Collection Endor Gift Set with 5 figures and a Speeder Bike, and the 2006 AT-AT with Scout Trooper and AT-AT Driver.

Day 146: September 29, 2006