The Retro Collection Target / Entertainment Earth Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E6255 No. E6270
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: May 2019
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: Chewbacca, known affectionately to his friends as Chewie, was a Wookiee warrior, smuggler, and resistance fighter who fought in the Clone Wars, the Galactic Civil War, and the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance. He hailed from the planet Kashyyyk and became a Wookiee military leader. (Stolen from Wookieepedia. Packaging has no bio.)
Image: Adam's photo lab. Yes, with my childhood Chewbacca.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
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Commentary: My first Star Wars action figures were C-3PO and Chewbacca, so that was the first one I cracked open from this new old assortment. It started life at Target, but then Entertainment Earth offered them - and sold out in a few days. It was fast. Anyway, this is Hasbro (and Kenner) reissuing the figure a second time. The 1995 Toys R Us exclusive reissue was reportedly made in quantities north of 250,000 - I have no confirmation of this - and it was a shorter figure case in a very different shade of brown. The 2019 reissue is the right color, shorter than the 1978 edition (but not that short), and pretty much the kind of reissue you want. The eyes are different, there's some generation loss from what I assume was a 3-D scan from Gentle Giant, and the seemingly intentional off-center bandolier printing is off-center and uglier in a more unpleasant way than all the original Chewbacca figures I have seen over the years.
The figure has most of the flaws of the original - the head can't turn, his hand can't actually grip his weapon, and the paint job is pretty simple. It's peak 1970s toy simplicity, and unlike so many modern figures it just plain works. The bowcaster can clip to his arm. He can fit in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and just about every 3 3/4-inch scale vehicle. It's not a 1978 original, but that's ideal - it's just different enough, complete with new copyright markings under the butt on the legs. I would say it's a reissue done right because I do need those little differences to be happy, but you may disagree. For the asking price, it's worth owning if you don't have and want the original style of figure.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,616: August 29, 2019
Nice review. Still hate that nonsensical "bowcaster", obviously made looking at a side view of the prop and losing the actual "bow". Even as a kid I knew to stick a bent piece of plastic something in there to make it look more right. Would not have minded if they corrected that.
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