Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,299 Chewbacca (2025 - The Vintage Collection)

CHEWBACCA Just Begin Again
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0923
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #381
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Chewbacca is a legendary Wookiee warrior with a big heart known for his short temper, accuracy with a bowcater, and unwavering loyalty to his friends. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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Commentary: There are few characters as important to old-school Star Wars as Chewbacca. We got one 3 3/4-inch figure of him in the original trilogy, but Kenner and Hasbro would go on to find numerous ways to do (and redo) him in the 1990s and beyond... up until about 2004. At that point we got a really good new body and nearly every collector-level (and some kid-level) original trilogy-specific action figures would be this guy, possibly with a different head and altered fur deco. Yes, this is the Original Trilogy Collection "Vintage" body yet again but Hasbro has given it more changes than ever. And would you believe less deco?

If you have no Chewbaccas, get this one. If you need another one for the Cantina or a vehicle, this might be your best bet. If he's just going to stand around and look cool, I don't think this one adds anything - this is a figure you buy to sit around.

It's not obvious to look at it, but it has some pretty serious changes above the neck and below the waist. First up, the head seem to be from a similar digital ancestor to a head we saw used in The Black Series and also the infamous 2005 Early Bird Kit, but it's not the same. The mouth interior is painted, and some of the scruff around the neck is different - but some looks almost the same. There are enough changes from the figures I had within reach that I'm fairly confident that it's a good new sculpt, with decent fangs and deco that gets the job done nicely. The eyes have a little shine to them, and he's growling - as most Chewbacca figures do. The head matches the body sculpting style fairly closely, but it does seem like it might not be from the exact same era.

The torso and arms seem to be the same sculpts, down to the hair hanging off his hands. That's the one thing I wish we could see changed, because it seems like it's still designed for a specific pose. taking some of the shaggy elements off might make him look a bit more modern, and I would really love to see some improved arm articulation so we can replicate that "let the Wookiee win" Dejarik champion pose from the original film. Hasbro made a figure with pre-bent elbows back in 2000 that can do that pose... and not much else. Hasbro's other figures have incredible bending power in their joints, so when Theseus updates this ship next time I hope they can do some work on the arms. They're not bad - they can hold a bowcaster (also from 2004). His body still has the multiple segments, and you can pivot and rotate them to your liking.

The Bandolier seems to be the same as previous releases, but with less deco. The AT-ST release had a lot more grit and dirt on it, this one is squeaky-clean. 2025 Chewbacca's ammo pouches and snaps seem to have more appropriately placed paint, though, so I'd give the new guy the edge there.

The lower torso and legs seem to be entirely new, with smaller feet and thigh swivels plus lateral hip movement. It's not hard to get him to sit in the big Millennium Falcon from 2008, but you can't have his legs bent very much due to the size of the figure (and cockpit.) The bag hangs over the side, with decent deco on the legs. It feels to have a minor mismatch around the shins, though, and it's worth noting his fingernails and toenails are unpainted this time. AT-ST Chewbacca had some black paint there. Will you notice, would you miss it if I didn't point it out? Probably not. It doesn't ruin the figure, but you can see a couple of very small corners cut here.

I'm especially pleased Hasbro dropped the fur highlights, as that always looked a little gross to me. This figure is about 50% new, with new deco and some new-for-Chewbacca articulation, and another 50% is 21 years old. There may be other examples of keeping tooling working on a "new" figure that long, but I'm hard-pressed to name it for something that isn't meant as a reissue or nostalgia-specific item. I guess this might qualify, but I'd like to think it's also a good time to try an all-new sculpt and see how it turns out. Functionally this is a very nice figure with an improved range of motion and an excellent head giving him additional personality. Having said that, if Hasbro never made it? I'd probably never have missed the improvements, and just made do with what I had at home. I was very surprised to see smaller feet and a seemingly new head mold, but a little disappointed that the bowcaster still kind of rattles around with its two-piece design. I wouldn't mind seeing a new take on that, too. If you miss it, I assume a rerelease or remold is inevitable.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,299: December 4, 2025