Figure of the Day: Day 957: Wookiee Warrior

WOOKIEE WARRIOR Attack on Kashyyyk
30th Anniversary Collection Target Exclusive Battle Pack
Item No.: No. 87701
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster, projectile, additional Wookiee, Darth Vader, 2 Stormtroopers
Action Feature: Bowcaster really fires!
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2008
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Bio: The Wookiees courageously defend their planet but are outgunned by the Imperial army and its extensive weaponry. The Wookiees fight with ferocity and manage to hold back the troopers for a time, but are ultimately overwhelmed by the Imperial Troopers. (Taken from the set's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray. Note: the figure is carrying a Stormtrooper blaster and a Wookiee blaster, nether of which are supposed to go with this figure-- but you will get Stormtrooper blasters in the battle pack.

Commentary: There aren't many molds were swapping accessories and repainting the figure will result in a compelling plastic person, but Hasbro made this Wookiee Warrior on the cheap and it still looks pretty great. The figure uses the mold originally used for the 2005 "Sneak Preview" Wookiee Warrior, and tweaks it just enough to be cool again. All of the figures armor has been removed, and replaced with a retooled bandolier specially designed for this figure's girth. It's a huge figure-- and Hasbro gave him the big feet he needs to not fall over when fighting or what have you.

The new reddish brown deco is great, it's not crazy different from other figures but it's distinctive enough that it isn't obviously a previous figure with a new belt. It's actually the same as the other figure in the set, but it's in a different color, which actually is OK when dealing with a trooper figure like this. In the game, Darth Vader (you) fight Wookiee after Wookiee in an endless attack in the first stage, so you'll probably actually get pretty excited for this sort of thing if you like stuff from the game. In a way it's a shame we couldn't get more, but there are at least 6 Wookiee Warrior figures based on this specific mold at this point. It's probably time to move on, but at least Hasbro made a bunch of good ones and spread them out over 3 years.

Value Notes: Long time fans may wince at this boxed set due to what you get for the price. The Wookiee Warriors were originally $5.24-$6.99 each. The Vintage Stormtroopers were $9.99 each, if not more, as was Darth Vader (who is now missing a lightsaber hilt.) Individually, these figures would have ran you roughly $40-$45 which just goes to show that sometimes, you really can wait for a better deal.

Collector's Notes: I love this set, but it's pretty much guaranteed to do well-- as of the date I write this (which is before the print date), the Battle Packs are almost entirely sold out at every Target I've visited-- just a couple seem to be left at each store, if that. It's a neat set but I have to say it is a little scary to think that we might see a lot of "group of figures you have versus 1-2 figures you wouldn't mind having because they're different" even if the value is there. I don't know how it will ultimately do on the secondary market but it seems to be selling fast enough to warrant you take interest in it sooner rather than later.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 957: February 12, 2009