Logray (Ewok Medicine Man) - TVC - Basic (VC55)

Ewok lovers rejoice! We have received a tremendous definitive update to one of the very first produced Ewok characters in action figure form, last revisited in the 1998 POTF2 line. And not only have we just received a long awaited update to another vintage [and POTF2 era] figure, Hasbro has revisited the way these loveable little fur-balls get approached in the basic figure line. Logray (Ewok Medicine Man) is next in line and gets a much coveted place in The Vintage Collection. The final results are breathtaking and for the first time Hasbro has included all-new ball-jointed elbows in the Ewok species, a trend we hope to see continued going forward. This brings the articulation for Logray up to 12 marvelous points. We can’t imagine Hasbro will ever try to include knee joints in the Ewok action figures because we don’t know how they could make that work. The Ewoks have very thick thighs and articulation in this area may not provide satisfying results. So we consider Logray (Ewok Medicine Man) as perfect as an Ewok action figure can be. Logray is the perfect proportions (when compared to the other Ewoks released recently) and comes loaded with accessories. For the first time ever, Logray comes with a spear that looks like he borrowed from Wicket (VC27). There is a lot to like about Logray and aside from one minor flaw, we’d rank Logray as one of the better action figures Hasbro has produced to date. That flaw? Logray has been decorated wonderfully, but he looks more like an inverse of the onscreen character (as well as an inverse to the 1983 figure and the POTF2 figure). We’ll get to this in greater detail in a moment.

Things really started changing for the better as far as Ewok action figures were concerned in 2006’s The Saga Collection when Chief Chirpa was released. Chirpa was an incredible action figure with realistic details, accurate proportions and a stunning paint job. He doesn’t have nearly as much articulation as the newer Ewoks do, but he still has aged well after being released a half decade before Logray. Logray has all of the basic necessities you have come to expect for Ewoks. He comes loaded with ball-jointed articulation including his head, shoulders, [new] elbows, hips and feet. This is more than generous for collectors and we bet you didn’t expect these characters to ever come with this much premium articulation. Logray can be configured into any position you want and we are so impressed how much articulation Hasbro is able to shove into these inordinately small Star Wars characters. It’s quite a feat that the final action figure doesn’t have any silly or out of proportion joints and the overall aesthetics are not compromised at all. And then things like his well-engineered hands have been designed so well to accommodate his many accessories. The headdress also fits like a glove and we bet you’ll be very impressed with how much coloring and detail Hasbro has captured in this removable accessory too. The staff is our personal favorite accessory and although Hasbro has always made these look great, we think they have finally mastered it in 2011. But then again, hasbro has mastered every aspect of Logray and he is easily the best Ewok Hasbro has made (and that’s including the spectacular 2010 TVC Wicket (VC27) figure).

So let us explain to you what we mean when we call Logray is an inverse of all the previous action figure versions. Logray (Ewok Medicine Man) is an amazing action figure so please don’t interpret this as criticism, but Logray appears too dark. And if you hold him up to the original vintage figure (and even the 1998 POTF2 figure) you’ll see an interesting phenomenon. Where Logray is “light� on the vintage figure he is dark on the 2011 TVC figure. This includes the stripes on his fur and even the details on his face. While it is odd that Hasbro got this coloring backwards, it does affect just how accurate Logray is to the onscreen character. But again, this doesn’t mean that this figure isn’t wonderful and a remarkable addition to the line. It’s just one of those “we wish Hasbro would have� things that would have made this figure flawless. But we totally love this figure and we know you will too. It’s so comforting to know that the Ewoks are a hit for Hasbro. As collectors, we of course have witnessed these critters flying off of store shelves, but it’s rare when Hasbro can comment similarly to the same thing. We’re thankful Hasbro is taking notice of this and it’s a fantastic sign that Ewoks will continue coming to use for the duration of the basic figure line. To date, we have received some awesome Ewok action figures. The 2007 TAC Romba & Graak (No. 43) set is brilliant, the 2008 TLC Leektar & Nippet (BD 4) set is sublime and the 2009 LC Ewoks [Nho’Apakk & Paploo] set is a dream come true. Now our Ewoks come one per package. And that is fine with us. It’s all about “vintage� now and that’s they way Ewoks should come!