Chewbacca - TFA - Armor Up (Forest)

Faithful first mate and co-pilot Chewbacca has loyally stood by his captain's side through the twisting fortunes of a galaxy in turmoil.

The creation and existence of The Force Awakens Armor Up line completely and utterly confounds us. Why, in the Build A Weapon basic figure line, do we get a large buildable LEGO type of construction piece that assembles with other parts from other figures for $7.99, yet we essentially get the same exact thing for $5 more in the Armor Up line? What’s worse, these Armor Up exclusive pieces just make the Star Wars action figures look like they’re dressing up for Halloween or something. To add insult to injury, Hasbro crafted beautiful boxed set-like packaging to make these simply articulated action figures look better than they are. Sadly, in all honesty nothing is noteworthy about the Armor Up line except for the packaging. The “gear” is often silly and while it may dress up a few figures in a believable manner, this is a stretch even for Hasbro. Think gimmicky 20-year-ago add-on pieces that aren’t necessarily screen accurate or completely screen inaccurate that don’t offer the character any more depth. The Armor Up pieces were only created for Hasbro make a quick buck at the expense of a kid or collector desperate to collect them all. These one-piece items, which include some sort of helmet and shoulder armor combination is as boring as it is silly and Hasbro is ridiculous for believing that this is going to remotely introduce kids. Aside from offering “exclusive” figures in this line, we don’t think that too many collectors will be buying the repackaged figures.

Chewbacca is one of the more bittersweet figures. But wouldn’t you have preferred to get him without this stupid armor for $5 less? Hasbro apparently doesn’t think so. While the description on the box isn’t specific, we imagine that we’re to assume that this is Chewbacca from The Force Awakens. That being said however, the Armor Up gear strongly resembles what would be seen at the Battle of Kashyyyk during Revenge Of The Sith. It really becomes so confusing when all of these lines get blurred, but perhaps that is Hasbro’s goal. To remain noncommittal about what gets relegated to a pack-in premium, or what they’re going to charge you for an accessory with approximately the same plastic mass but is featured as the gimmick of the sub-line. Isn’t it maddening just talking about this? The nuts and bolts of this is that Hasbro is charging more than 62.5% for the Armor Up figures than they are for the Build A Weapon figures and for all intents and purposes they are identical to each other. We literally find that appalling. If you can get past this sickening bit of fact, you might still be able to not thrown out the baby with the bathwater. The Armor Up line once again brings forward an action figure with five points of articulation. These figures generally have nice sculpts and average paint jobs. So aside from the exorbitant up-charge, collectors of The Force Awakens line are indeed getting the status quo as far as action figures are concerned.

Chewbacca honestly looks nicer than many other figures in the Armor Up line because his extra armor really looks like something that you’d possibly see on his home planet Kashyyyk, especially during Order 66 and the Battle of Kashyyyk seen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. All of the parts are here to give that sense of accuracy. The blued copper plating, the Wookiee ornamentations and the warrior inspired structure of the Armor Up piece all harken to those events in Episode III. But ultimately, why should anyone have to pay $5 more for this extra piece. It may have been better to include the Armor Up figures in the basic Build A Weapon line instead because that is where a figure like Chewbacca would be best suited. Chewbacca comes in colorful and attractive packaging, but that brings us to another point. You know those gifts under the trees during Christmas in malls? They’re beautifully gift-wrapped yet are empty boxes inside. The Armor Up figures may not be empty boxes, but Hasbro is relying on the packaging to sell us the same dang figures for significantly more money. We take exception with that. How hard would it have been to include a nice healthy dose of accessories to make it feel like you’re getting a “Deluxe” figure of sorts? This is honestly a slap in the face and contradicts everything Hasbro has stated about the need for a budget line for kids and gift-giving parents. We suppose that it’s time to wake up and smell the reality of where we are as collectors.