Figure of the Day: Day 465: Wookiee Commando

WOOKIEE COMMANDO Kashyyyk Battle Bash
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 86670
Number: III-58
Includes: Cannon, projectile, removable bandolier/loincloth
Action Feature: Projectile fires from cannon, squeeze legs for Wookiee Battle Bash action
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: The Wookiees are intelligent, fiercely loyal and exceedingly strong. When their peaceful planet of Kashyyyk is enveloped by the Clone Wars, these ferocious warriors fight the Separatist incursion. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: By Summer of 2005, it was obvious that Revenge of the Sith toys were huge-- and that Hasbro didn't make enough of them. Enter the repaint waves. One of these 12 end-of-the-line repaints was this Wookiee Commando, a black and grey revision of a Wookiee Warrior figure available earlier in the year. The good news is that the new color makes it a new trooper that is welcome in your collection, with the added soft goods loin cloth (which can be removed if you dislike such things) adding more flair to the already nifty figure. The bad news is that it came with the same goofy cannon that came with an earlier Yoda figure, and the Wookiee really can't do much with it other than hold it under his arm-- the weapons from previous Wookiee figures work far better with this figure. Still, his fur patterns are sculpted nicely, black repaints are always fun, and the articulation is excellent, but not perfect. (You get about 12 joints, with fake knees-- they rotate, but don't bend. In other words, worthless.) If you're building a Wookiee army, or need someone for your green Battle Droids to fight, you'll want to get one of these. If not, well, odds are you can skip this one and not miss any sleep.

Collector's Notes: This was one of five unique Wookiee Warrior figures from 2005-- there were two other versions of this mold sold earlier in the year, plus another mold which was available in two colors. Factor in Chewbacca and Tarfful, that's a grand total of 7 unique new Wookiees in less than a year!

Day 465: August 14, 2007