Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,097: Wicket W. Warrick (The Retro Collection)

WICKET W. WARRICK 2023 Remake of 1984 Figure
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney 6-Pack
Item No.: No. F6988
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Hood, spear, plus Mon Mothma, Yak Face, Emperor's Royal Guard, Gamorrean Guard, and Admiral Ackbar
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $72.99
Availability: November 2023
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Star Wars Retro Collection includes Star Wars action figures from the 40-plus-year legacy of the Star Wars Galaxy, including movies and live-action series. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now! 

 Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: When I was very small, I was given a lot of Star Wars figures. One of the first ones I remember chasing down was the very first release of Wicket W. Warrick, who was "NEW!" and one of the figures near the end of the original line. Figures were usually $2-$3 in the old Kenner days, unless you went to somewhere like Long's Drugs, where they were a whopping $5. My parents never let me hear the end of how much more he was there, but we got it, and I don't remember seeing a lot of him ever since. This probably made me an incredibly cheap collector, because when you get right down to it a buck or two is nothing compared to what you might spend on gas (or today, shipping.) But I digress - this was a figure I absolutely loved as a kid, and the new version is the same, but different.

He feels different. The original toy's hoods were much softer and more rubbery, the new one can bend but feels more like plastic. The materials Kenner used back in the day were very distinctive, so it's clearly a different feel. The spear is also different, the details are a little botoxed-out and it feels a smidgen more waxy. Overall the accessories both look good enough, but are colored just a bit differently and any toy dealer worth his salt can look at them and see at a glance (or touch) they're not the originals. And that's the way I like it.

The figure is good, but different. I prefer the original deco - Hasbro didn't paint Wicket's nose quite right, so he looks a bit more like a koala and less like an Ewok. You can see in the pictures that an original Wicket had the whole nose painted, while the new one missed some of the sides near the face. The detail are darker and seem a bit glossier with lips that look less like lips and more like make-up. The brown plastic is also darker, but these are things you're unlikely to notice unless you're seeing them side-by-side or have a close personal relationship with an original that dates back to the days where you were much shorter than you are now.

If I were Hasbro, Wicket is absolutely one of the figures I would want to reissue - as a kid I was about the heroes, aliens, and droids - and this one is much cheaper than an actual original. If money is no object I'd steer you to the genuine article, because while the retro one is good it's just off enough that it would bother me. But again, this is one of my favorites from when I was a kid and I adored Return of the Jedi toys like no others. If you didn't have one as a kid, this reissue is probably going to be just fine - it's not identical, but it shouldn't be. Time has passed, and clearly something has been lost in translation over time with how to do old-style figure sculpting. But it's close, and for what you get in this set for the price I didn't hesitate to buy it. Even though I had five of the six figures, it's like a new thing and for all I know these will be the last-ever Return of the Jedi Kenner figures I'll buy for the rest of my time on this planet. (If Kenner's reading and wants to do more, I'd be happy to see Lumat or Paploo again.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse, who seem to have sold out days after shipping. Check ShopDisney for availability too.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,097: January 9, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,081: Wicket W. Warrick (Ewoks Cartoon, The Vintage Collection)

WICKET W. WARRICK cartoon version
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Fan Channel 2-Pack
Item No.: No. F8300
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #283
Includes: Spear, bag, hood, coin
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $36.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Ewoks

Bio: Wicket's friendly, adventurous, and mischievous nature makes him a leader among the other young EWOKS. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: There are a lot of things Hasbro makes where I don't know who the audience is going to be, but I do know that this Ewoks cartoon Wicket W. Warrick was made for me. If you were a kid in the 1980s, you may have watched these shows on Saturday mornings for a couple of years, and then saw them at Kay-Bee for a buck. What's interesting about Wicket is that he's a remake of a character from 1985, while Kneesaa never actually came out until now. (There's still hope!) Back in the early 1990s and late 1980s, nobody wanted those figures - I got them super cheap and their relative scarcity was in large part because nobody cared to sell them. As such, if you didn't have the then newly-sculpted cartoon-specific Ewoks, you can get these now.

This figure takes the 2010 The Vintage Collection movie mold - which also had a movie hood, and was only $10 - and adds the requisite collector tax mark-up, giving you a reissue of the coin (freebies in the $6.99 line in 2017) instead of a hood at what is basically a 85% mark-up. If you just had the orange hood, rather than the green hood, I'd probably say no - but since they gave you the season two hood first, this is interesting. On the actual cartoon, it was an orangey brown. On the old licensed merchandise and package art, Wicket's hood was usually a dirty yellow. The bright orange of the final figure is a rung below neon, and seems much more saturated and bright than the relatively muted product photography. The mold isn't new, but it's good - Hasbro is excellent at making the most of its existing tooling library, and gives you a handy pouch for sunberries on the side. This accessory is why I pre-ordered the figure, but I'd be lying if I said it turned out like I expected. The cartoon one was brown, while Kenner's preschool Wicket was that yellow color. As such, this is different enough where Hasbro has wiggle room to make another couple of cartoon Wicket figures if they really wanted to do so.

The spear is fine, and he can hold it with both hands since they did a good job designing him. Having said that, you won't feel you got your money's worth with swivel ankles, jointed hips and shoulders and ankles, and a jointed neck that won't move much. Combined, the two-pack has about as many parts as a modern full-size figure (give or take) so I'm sure Hasbro is making a good return on this mold investment - and it's a nice figure. The eyes are painted to be sort of like the movie while also being vaguely like the cartoon. The fur patterns are much cleaner than the movie version, and I actually kind of prefer it. You can move the legs so he can be posed standing without falling over quite nicely.

This figure is very much for a specific kind of fan. I'm sure completists will grouse, and even though this is something I very much want I do feel a little stung over the price tag. I assume we'll never see another Ewoks cartoon figure, but I like it enough to say that old Kenner kids might want to look into getting it. It's also worth noting the bonus coin feels a lot like the original, minus a sharper sculpt that seems a smidgen off from the real deal while paradoxically looking almost identical save for revised copyright markings. I bet it could pass for a genuine original if a fan wasn't intimately familiar with the years being stamped on the Kenner versions. Recommended if you like this sort of thing, and don't mind spending the equivalent of $18.50 for a repaint of a figure you may own already given the obscure nature of this release.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,081: November 14, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,022: Wicket (The Black Series)

WICKET 6-inch debut
The Black Series Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Packaging
Item No.: Asst. F6853 No. F7050
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Hood, bow, arrow, spear, club, torch
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: March 2023
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with figures from The Black Series, featuring classic design and packaging! (Taken from the packaging. There isn't anything specific to the character.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: The question of value comes up more and more these days. Personally, I get about as much joy from a good $5-$10 toy as I do a $25 toy, mostly because added cost doesn't necessarily mean more fun. For Ewoks, there's a good argument to be made that the 6-inch ones shouldn't cost more than a 3 3/4-inch figure - after all, Wicket has fewer parts in his figure, less articulation, and less paint than a lot of The Vintage Collection figures despite being the "larger scale" figure. This isn't to say he's no good - you can tell Hasbro made sure that they gave you a lot of weapons in the 3-inch figure's largely empty bubble packaging - but if you're comparing apples to apples, you're being overcharged. But if we cared about value, we'd be collecting Final Faction. The question I have is "is this Return of the Jedi alien worth getting excited about?" and the answer is, more or less, yes. This is a good figure.

If you can get beyond the size for the price - and let's be honest, that's a tall order - Hasbro did a good job. He has more useful and interesting accessories than almost any Star Wars action figure in years, making him a de facto accessory pack for your Endor dioramas. The figure includes the spear, a bow-and-arrow where you can place the arrow in the bow and it won't fall out, and a little club, and a little torch. Sadly you don't get his little bola weapon that he knocks himself in the head with, nor do you get the cartoon-style hood we saw in The Vintage Collection. He has no problems actually holding any of the accessories thanks to some surprisingly crafty articulation, and he can hold the spear to poke at a Leia figure (sold separately) if you're so inclined. That's neat. The legs have a good range of motion, you get rocker ankles, and the hood hides the shoulder and waist joints pretty well. The engineers saw a challenge and stepped up to the plate to deliver a pretty good figure for a short guy.

While I love the functionality, it doesn't hurt that this is a great figure at which to look. The little black eyes are shiny, he has a little gap in his teeth, the hood has stitches, and the texture of the fur is pretty good too. The fingers and toes are painted separately, and there is a dusting of light fur under the hood. I would've liked to see some more light fur on the face, but it's still a good figure and probably one of Hasbro's best takes on Wicket as a toy. I still have a soft spot for the 1984 original, but the original couldn't grip a spear with two arms without breaking them first. This one can. He's cute, but can still wave around an arsenal and it doesn't look silly. I don't know if Hasbro could pull that off at the 3 3/4-inch scale, but here at the 6-inch scale they made magic work. Which, considering how many 6-inch tall figures can't be posed this well, certainly might make you grumpy. At least Wicket turned out great! Maybe some day they'll start throwing us a bone with some more aliens from the film like Yak Face or Amanaman at this size.

It would've been ideal if Hasbro could have a "short guy assortment" at a lower price for the likes of Yoda, Grogu, R2-D2, Salacious Crumb and their ilk. It doesn't mean that this isn't a good figure - it's just that Hasbro sells other, cheaper, taller figures with more parts for less money. We're just being charged a tax because it's in the 6-inch assortment packaging. Such is life. If you're like me and you were crazy for Ewoks as a kid, you want this, and you may already have this. I can't imagine Hasbro will revisit Ewoks given how few we've had in the last decade, although a repack in a new box is pretty much guaranteed to happen eventually. If you don't get the "vintage" packaging version, and you love Return of the Jedi, be sure to pick up some flavor of Wicket. I think I can safely say this may well be the best Wicket figure Hasbro will ever give us, unless by some miracle they start to deliver cartoon-style Ewoks with appropriate sculpting and deco. And that's pretty unlikely. Movie fans, if you just want a cool Wicket and don't mind the price, do yourself a favor and pick up this one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,022: April 20, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,729: Wicket (Ewok Redux, The Vintage Collection)

WICKET 2020 Redux
The Vintage Collection   3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. E9578
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #27
Includes: Pouch, green hood, brown hood, spear
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: July 2020
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Fore be with you! (Taken from the figure's packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I am unsure what prompted the reissue of Wicket the Ewok.  When the pre-order was announced last year he wasn't prohibitively expensive... but he has shot up since then. Despite a much cheaper new release.   The 2010 release of Wicket [FOTD #1,622] was a whopping ten years ago, and while this one does seem to have largely different paint masks it didn't take advantage of what kind of fun you could have with a rerelease and new deco - but it's still one of the great Ewok figures.

What made the 2010 release so impressive was the alternate hood and pouch, colored in season 2 Ewoks cartoon colors.   Hasbro has largely ignored the 1980s television projects when it comes to action figures, with a literal handful of releases based on the likes of the Holiday Special (OK that's the 1970s), Ewok telefilms, and the Ewoks & Droids cartoons.  You can bet that I was thrilled to see that green hood, which looks pretty much exactly the same in 2020.   If I didn't have it next to the original, I wouldn't know there was a difference.  If I had my druthers they'd have done it in the cartoon season 1 tan color - it'd really set this figure apart while making the original release unique and special, and obviously a different figure.

The brown hood is quite different - the 2010 version was lighter, and closer to the photo and movie.  It was also molded in green and painted brown back then.  The 2020 version appears to be molded in brown, which means it feels thinner and it's a bit more flexible.  But it's not true to the movie - so why make the change?  It fits just fine, and Wicket can look around and tilt his head in this good. 

The satchel is pretty much the same with more pronounced stitching.  It just pops more.  The spear is a bit different with the string wrap now painted a much darker color, and the wood lighter and less glossy.

Wicket himself has a lot of changes - he still has 15 joints, but the deco is a lot different.  The toes and fingers are a lighter brown, the belly paint is a little more splotchy, and the face has a lot of minor changes. The eyes are entirely different with brown shiny paint and a more subtle brushing of light fur around the face.  Is it better? Well, it's different - it's not closer to the movie look.   It appears a lot brighter on film, and the original Kenner figure from 1984 may have gotten both Wicket and his hood the best overall.

As it is I wouldn't necessarily say you need to get this Wicket unless you want a second one, so one can be in the green cartoon hood and another can be in the brown movie hood.  The other changes aren't too significant, but more importantly, it's been 10 years.  If you missed this figure for $10 10 years ago, you can get it for $13 now.   Unless you hate Ewoks, and if you do, we can't be friends.  I'd recommend this figure if you need a spare or missed it the first time, but if you're happy with your current Wicket you don't have to worry too much about missing this one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,729: September 29, 2020