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