Chewbacca - OTC - Vintage

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars trilogy that changed the universe forever, with The Original Trilogy Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest recreations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Original Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the Original Trilogy. May the Force be with you!

Generally speaking, collectors adore The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection. But a figure that made them fall deeply in love with the sub-line is Chewbacca, based on the character’s appearance from Return Of The Jedi. Collectors thought they couldn’t be any more impressed with Hasbro thanks to the VOTC Han Solo figure, but Hasbro once again wowed us to dizzying levels with the release of Chewbacca. Chewbacca has gone through multiple changes in the Hasbro Star Wars line. Past versions, wrought with likeness and scale issues, had collectors believing Hasbro would never get a Wookiee correctly in a 3.75” scale. Hasbro allayed our fears and assuaged our spirits with what collectors may easily categorize as the definitive Chewbacca action figure. It may provide collectors with one of the best Star Wars action figures of all time. Despite the beautiful addition to the line, some may take exception that this is a Chewbacca action figure based onReturn Of The Jedi, as evidenced by the hairstyle. Collectors desperately want a definitive update to 1978's SW Chewbacca Kenner figure, from A New Hope. Unfortunately, Hasbro used the original Star Wars card art instead of the running change image from Episode VI (with Chewbacca on Endor). Collectors typically don’t like Hasbro jostling the film sources around like this. Still, no matter the source, Chewbacca is a tremendous upgrade to all others and makes the previous releases obsolete. (Editor’s Note: Hasbro updated this sculpt to include an Episode IV specific portrait and released it as part of 2005’s TSC Early Bird Figures set.) Hasbro raised the bar; therefore, collectors raised their expectations. As a result, it will make it hard to accept inferior action figures.

Chewbacca may forever remain the tallest action figure we’ll see released in a single-carded lineup, ever. Towering over previously existing tall characters like Darth Vader and Han Solo, Chewbacca brings an accurate scale to the Wookiee species for the first time. Hasbro worked in an astounding twenty-five points of articulation to Chewbacca’s sculpt. Hasbro added an extra torso joint to give Chewbacca the desired flexibility we all want to see in the body. After all, this character has extra length in its midsection, so an additional point of articulation here makes complete sense. The sculpting of Chewbacca’s fur is remarkable. Hasbro tasked its finest sculptors to remove anything, preventing them from designing an authentic action figure. Anything that could inhibit the quality of Chewbacca, Hasbro addressed. The final result is a small masterpiece. Despite a lanky stature, Hasbro designed Chewbacca with proportion and simplicity, and the final result is a shining example of action figure making at its best. You’ll notice that the figure’s arms and legs appear appropriate in size and thickness next to a tree trunk-like torso. The articulation is mostly ball-jointed, and premium articulation, save for the wrists and hips and give Chewbacca an excellent array of movement. Whether sitting in a cockpit or walking in the lush woods of Endor, Chewbacca can seemingly do it all. Ball-jointed hips would have rocketed this figure’s definitive status into the stratosphere, but Hasbro stopped short of reaching this critical level of articulation. We imagine Hasbro had to cap the budget somewhere. But there should be no worries because Chewbacca is a stunning action figure as is.

If Chewbacca couldn’t get any better, look to the figure’s paint job, and you’ll discover what that does for the figure’s screen-accuracy. Hasbro added some yellow highlights to the waviest parts of the fur, which adds depth and texture. Because this is a plastic sculpt, it’s difficult to imitate the properties of real hair. But Hasbro did a fantastic job here regardless. Thanks to a clever mix of highlights accenting the appropriate edging in the many locks of hair, Chewbacca’s furry body looks natural. Chewbacca possesses a surprisingly warm expression in the face. The action figure doesn’t appear too intimidating, but then again, a Wookiee’s demeanor is unpredictable at best. Chewbacca does have overtly warm and expressive interaction with the Ewoks in the film during the Battle of Endor. After all, Chewbacca has always been more bark than bite. Chewbacca comes with an all-new sculpted bowcaster. It’s very detailed and comes in two pieces, and it’s simple to put it all together. Once assembled, you can have Chewbacca hold it with one hand or both hands with relative ease. The design here is incredibly masterful. We’re impressed with how well the figure can keep it in both hands while in action-oriented poses. The bonus here is that you can have the other hand cup the front section of the bowcaster, and imitate how the character holds it in the films. Had Chewbacca been sculpted based on the Episode IV appearance, it would have beaten out Han Solo as our favorite The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection figure. But because it’s not, it will have to play second fiddle to the Millennium Falcon’s co-pilot. Don’t be misled. You need to own this Chewbacca action figure. And the packaging seals the deal for a must-have purchase.