Weequay - TVC - Basic (VC107)

Wave 16 of The Vintage Collection includes some remarkable gems. A wave graced with so many spectacular action figures is certainly not unprecedented. Still, it is always fantastic to get excellent gifts like this from Hasbro – even if they don’t make it to retail like this wave initially didn’t. It might be why we see so many figures in this assortment reissued in “TVC2.0.” As technology moves forward, so does the quality of Hasbro’s action figures. So, Weequay may not hold up to today’s standards but look at the gorgeousness of this figure. It holds up exceptionally well today. Weequay is a standard action figure with 22 points of articulation. If there’s one action figure that Hasbro has overused to a fault, it’s 1997’s POTF2 Weequay Skiff Guard figure. It was one of their most significant efforts of the nineties. However, they released repainted versions of this figure as late as 2008 in The Legacy Collection’s Battle At The Sarlacc Pit TARGET Exclusive [Ultimate] Battle Packs set. It was time to put it out of production. Collectors begged for an update, but Hasbro kept telling us it was in their parking lot. For reasons unknown, it never made its way down to production lists until now. Perhaps we should remember that everything happens for a reason. Hindsight is always 20/20, but would you have preferred another way to get the 1983 Return Of The Jedi Weequay vintage Kenner figure updated other than somewhere within The Vintage Collection? Weequay was excellent in 2012; it’s still fantastic in 2023. And it is one of the best action figures from the original lineup. That’s why collectors still want the figure today. It’s a wise reissue. Frankly, this iteration is not 100% perfect, but it’s “perfect enough” in our eyes. And it’s incredible to see it back out in the basic figure line.

Weequay shines from head to toe. Its only issue is mismatched knees and ankle joints (Hasbro thankfully corrected this travesty with the 2023 reissue, and they always got the elbow joints right). Many collectors took issue with the “discolored” joints, but it could have been worse. Now that we have a corrected version, Weequay should hold up as a dream come true for collectors in every other way except for articulation. Weequay represents everything great about what Hasbro’s sculptors can do. The detailed head sculpt, the textured vest, the gauntlets, the tucked-in pants, and the sculpted, pliable skirt are all proof of these sculptors’ brilliance. It also should prove to you why no other licensee but Hasbro is suited to oversee the production of toys made for the Star Wars line. Weequay has full use of the included ball-jointed articulation. Action figures with shoulder armor (namely 2011’s TVC Clone Trooper (VC45) and TVC AT-RT Driver (VC46) figures) have almost no shoulder articulation because of the way the tooling inhibits movement. With Weequay, you can attain entire movement in both shoulders, which is especially important for having the figure hold the force pike. Hasbro designed the shoulder armor to slide into the socket instead of stopping it cold. And the figure’s hands have also been thoroughly sculpted to accept the force pike and the included skiff guard blaster. Weequay doesn’t come with a holster for the gun, but you can freely stow it into the hands with a substantial grip for alternate display. Weequay has a solid center of gravity, which allows you to configure it into various positions. Check out our Photo Gallery to see what’s possible. While a modern update to Weequay has been long-awaited, it was the right thing to do on Hasbro’s part to make us wait so long for this character.

Again, this action figure is relatively perfect when considering when Hasbro produced it. The mismatched articulation joints are no longer an issue, and we’re thankful to see them employ a notable correction to the figure like this. Keeping this in perspective, everything else about this incredible action figure is mind-blowing. Hasbro won’t ever revisit Weequay, and that’s why we’re seeing a reissue. So, you can chalk this figure up as the definitive version of Weequay in the modern action figure line. And we are still pleased with the final results! In our opinion, Weequay is significantly better than 2011’s TVC Weequay (Skiff Master) (VC48) and easily ranks as the best Weequay species figure in the entire toy line. That may not be hard to beat the way Hasbro designs articulation systems today, but we bet that even future Weequay action figures won’t be able to topple this one. It took almost 30 full years to get a definitive modern update to this figure, and now the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi enabled Hasbro to give collectors a second chance at it. And as of this figure’s reissues, we are more than a quarter of a century removed from the first modern version of this character, Weequay Skiff Guard, from 1997’s The Power Of The Force "2" basic figure line. It’s been a long journey, but we’ve reached the destination. And this figure is remarkable. Figures like Weequay take away some of the stings and pains of a brand run terribly by Hasbro. From distribution woes to how they deny who action figures are for these days, Hasbro makes a lot of mistakes. This hobby is losing collectors, and many are dropping like flies because of overall general dissatisfaction with the Star Wars IP. But Original Trilogy repacks like Weequay helps us get through the dread. Be sure not to miss the Weequay reissue, and grab a Tatooine Skiff to go along with it!

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Weequay (VC107) figure in July 2023 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) new paint operations/deco, (2) darker skin complexion (3) matching ankle and knee joint pegs, (4) different color palette of outfit, (5) refreshed 2023 packaging with different graphics and Return Of The Jedi 40 logo, and (6) different placement of action figure and accessories in bubble

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is September 28, 2012. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on July 11, 2023 after Hasbro reissued the figure.