Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,040: Chewbacca (Boushh's Bounty, The Black Series)

CHEWBACCA Boushh's Bounty
The Black Series Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Packaging
Item No.: Asst. F6853 No. F7078
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: May 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!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: While we got some interesting stuff for a couple of the 30th anniversaries, Lucasfilm (and LEGO, and Hasbro, and Mattel) have not really fanned the flames of the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. One of the debut "new" figures is this Chewbacca, which uses the same Chewbacca you may have purchased seveal times already with slightly different fur deco and another new head. Is it new enough to warrant purchasing? Maybe - at this point I feel like we're future-proofing our collections for a diorama that may never be fully fleshed out. We got a pretty swell Jabba the Hutt for SDCC in 2014 - reissue san carbonite incoming - but there's no plastic throne or dungeon or any of that. It's mostly the heroes, Jabba, and Bib Fortuna. After 10 years, that's a crappy showing of things - but if you want Luke, Leia, Lando, and arguably the droids, you're all set.

Figures like this are sensible from a manufacturing perspective, but after the original Chewie, multiple issues of The Force Awakens Chewie (including the theme park one and Archive one), a Cloud City Chewbacca, Solo Chewbacca, the comic Krrsantan, and whatever I'm forgetting, Hasbro has made some good money off this mold by only changing out the head, deco, and sometimes, accessories. It was a pretty big and impressive figure for the price, and I have to say I'm glad Hasbro hasn't succumbed to temptation to charge "deluxe" prices for this "basic" figure. And it's not bad - the new head has Chewie's distinctive parted hair and spiked collar, complete with a chain that sadly is not linked and feels a little too short. His jaw is a separately molded piece, but his big blue eyes and slightly-parted mouth is surprisingly expressive. The designers did a good job capturing his personality without blacking out the eyes.

The body is the same it's always been, with a black 3-part bowcaster. I don't love that it pops apart, and after fidgeting more with other scales of figures, I'd go as far as to say it's kind of bad. I know we have to be careful with our toys, but this is something that falls apart pretty easily if you touch it. That's not what I want on a toy rated "ages 4 and up." It's also a bit of fight to get the grip of his bowcaster in his hands - I would have loved to see a more open or rubbery fist to better wrap around it without a fight. You can get it in there, but the entire product feels like a thing you buy to pose and never touch again. And it also doesn't make sense that this "outfit" has a weapon, as he never used it while chained. But that's nitpicking - you have to throw something in the package.

At nearly a decade old, the elbows that don't bend a full 90 degrees and legs that are hindered by a hairy skirt piece feels increasingly old. I don't know if Hasbro can do better, and neither do they - it would have been nice to see Chewbacca 2.0 by now. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this figure unless you don't have any Chewbacca, or want this specific one for a diorama or packaging collection. Hasbro did a great job with it, but given the limited number of slots, and how many figures we get are just trooper and clone repaints, it is incredibly difficult to name more than a couple of genuinely exciting figures in this scale from the past several months.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,040: June 22, 2023