Battle For Endor - LC - Battle Packs

Rebels and Ewoks attack stormtroopers during the Battle of Endor. The Rebel strike team arrives on Endor's moon to demolish the shield generator protecting the Death Star. The Rebels are captured but a surprise attack by the Ewoks frees them, and a desperate battle ensues. Through the combined forces of the Endorian natives and Rebels, the generator is destroyed.

The Battle Packs are for sure an interesting medium to bring a cast of characters at once to kids and collectors that [usually] come from a specific Star Wars source. But that doesn't guarantee us that all of the action figures contained within the set are specifically from one scene. The Battle For Endor is a perfect example of this, and while the figures in this multipack may not have interacted at all with each other in Episode VI, the total package makes for a very cool and collectible set. These three characters (Luke Skywalker, Warok and Colonel Dyer) are all Return Of The Jedi specific, but they were never onscreen together (at the same time). While we don't consider this "Expanded Universe" by any means, we do admit that it may cause a tiny bit of confusion. But this potential confusion is something that we will risk because it is with this Battle Packs set that Hasbro sneaks in some highly desired characters into the action figure line (or long-awaited collector-focused figures). Two-thirds of the figures in this set are updates to two figures in the vintage line. And the good news is that these two figures can be considered definitive for now. This alone will make this Battle Packs set a very popular and hot commodity for long-term collectors, and it would be wise for Hasbro to ship this one on the heavier side. Ewoks have been very popular in the last couple of years, and their popularity doesn't seem to diminish. This can be attributed to Hasbro's high standards which include unparalleled realism and accurate scale. And besides getting another updated (and incredibly excellent) Luke Skywalker (In Battle Poncho), we also finally get the Imperial Officer (Colonel Dyer) that was deleted (at the last minute) from 2008's TLC Shield Generator Assault Battle Packs set. As collectors, we get all worked up inside when we find out action figures may be getting cut or altogether canceled from sets. And it is a true relief to finally get "these figures" at some other point down the road. (But Hasbro, you still owe us a lot of other figures that didn't get released yet....)

Luke Skywalker is a repaint of 2007's TAC Luke Skywalker (30 25) figure. The good news is that the soft-goods tunic and belt have been "redone" and crafted from new material and it is not so shiny like the first one. It is a vast improvement, and we are glad Hasbro updated this little detail - we have been complaining about shiny soft-goods for a while now. They must have heard our moans. The soft-goods tunic looks a little bit bulky, but it is still a vast improvement. Hasbro also utilized the soft-goods poncho and helmet from 2006's TSC Luke Skywalker (SAGA 044) figure, although it looks to be dyed a little differently. Overall, the figure is an accomplished upgrade. Warok is perhaps the gem of the set. Knocking another figure off of our "vintage to modern" checklists, Warok has been long overdue in the modern Hasbro line. Not looking too much (color wise) like his movie character, he does, however, have multiple traits and characteristics that are reminiscent of the vintage action figure (but not too many). Warok is fully welcomed as an excellent action figure for us, but we wish his coloring better matched what we have been used to for years and years. Even when looking at the reference materials, we can't help but notice that his coloring is still a tad off to what it should be. He comes with a quiver, removable arrows and a bow. And the large combat glider he comes with is obviously intended to be the "fourth" figure in this set; we will get to this is a moment, trust us on this one. Warok is a retool of 2007's TAC Graak from the Romba & Graak (30 43) two-pack. This time around a new head has been sculpted in addition to a "new" cowl. There looks to be other smaller retools on this figure too, but nothing too significant. We love this Ewok, and it is the centerpiece here. Warok's hang glider is a repaint of the accessory that came with 2004's SW Ewok With Attack Glider Ultra set. Hasbro painted it very well, and Warok fits flawlessly inside. (Check out some of the gallery photos, it looks perfect!) We are extremely excited to get a modern update to Warok. He looks unique and he is a great little action figure. Lastly, Colonel Dyer is a retool (and subsequent repaint) of 2006's TSC Moff Jerjerrod (SAGA 040) figure. He doesn't look too much like his onscreen character either, but he is a great new Imperial to have. He comes with a new head sculpt (never before issued) in addition to a retooled torso. He suffers from having a painted face instead of a casted face and as a result, he doesn't have the authenticity he needs to be a great action figure.

OK. Now that the great points are out of the way, we are chomping at the bit to express our frustration with the set. As if it wasn't bad enough for Hasbro to eliminate the fifth figure from the Battle Packs, they are now edging out the fourth figure (and in some cases, the third and second figures as well). A hang glider accessory should in no way make up the difference for a sacrificed [fourth] figure. This is simply a nice big accessory for Warok. Another Ewok or Imperial Officer would have made this set perfect. We hope that Hasbro will keep the Battle Packs with a minimum of four action figures (three if a mini vehicle is included). Our complaint of being short-changed a figure is just a grievance that we had to air, but please know that this set is amazing and we are thrilled to have purchased it. Our complaint is not at all directed at the awesomeness of this Battle Packs set. But Hasbro's approach needs to definitely change. While we could have done a whole lot worse when it comes to value for our dollars (cough, cough, 2009's TCW [S2] ARC-170 Fighter at almost $80 a pop), we don't think that the price of this set was terribly unfair. Two vintage updates in one set is a pretty phenomenal thing and it excites us very much. And it was just gravy to get the previously deleted Colonel Dyer. But there was ample opportunity to thrown in another Ewok and we are a little miffed that Hasbro let this chance blow by us. The Battle For Endor set is a worthy addition to the Hasbro line and it is our desire to see Hasbro continue with this style of Battle Packs going forward. If they can cull characters from the same movie (and not just specific scenes) it will make for a very fun and exciting mix. All three figures contained in this set are superb and we will leave it up to you to purchase the set and check out all the cool stuff contained within the set yourselves. We just hope that Hasbro doesn't follow through with their comments that Battle Packs will head to a kid-focused line with lots of repacks. That would be an absolutely terrible thing. This is not the platform to do this Hasbro!