Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 526: Chewbacca

CHEWBACCA Return of the Jedi
Original Trilogy Collection Vintage Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85213 No. 85269
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Fall 2004
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Chewbacca (or "Chewie", as he was known by his friends) was a legendary Wookiee from Kashyyyk and co-pilot of Han Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. He also played a significant role in the Battle of Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars as well as during the Galactic Civil War. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's toy shelves.

Commentary: Considered by many to be the best Chewbacca figure of all time, this 2004 release is pretty gosh darned good. Not only is he super-articulated, but he features multiple waist joints which allow for a number of poses previously unseen (and unthinkable) in Star Wars action figures. Sure, his bowcaster requires minimal assembly, but the end result is a Chewbacca figure that has received precious few complaints. This is no small feat. Sculpting fur is difficult, and as you can see, Hasbro took this into consideration. Fur hangs off his limbs, which helps you see how Hasbro probably intended him to be posed. Unless, of course, he's in zero gravity. The face is good, the fur is good, the only thing I don't know if I really can praise is the deco. As you can see, there are these brown streaks in it. Depending on how it's lit, you might not notice, but I notice these things and it looks like he smeared some brown substance into it. For some reason, Hasbro has no problem getting the dark browns in his fur, but it's the light brown that continues to present a challenge. This if a very tall figure, he has great articulation, and probably qualifies as the definitive Chewbacca. Buy one, buy ten. You'll be glad you did.

Collector's Notes: Fans voted for this figure for the Saga Legends Fan's Choice, but Hasbro opted to use a different mold. This figure is coming soon in a Betrayal at Cloud City Battle Pack. A "snowy" version was sold in a collector tin from 2006-2007, and a retooled version was part of the Early Bird Kit mail-in of 2005. The first release was designed to look like Chewbacca in Return of the Jedi, which is interesting if you consider the packaging. You see, for ROTJ, Kenner often used two different photos for the cardback-- and for this figure, they used the Star Wars one and not the one from Endor. Why? No idea.

Day 526: October 14, 2007