Chewbacca - TBS [ROTJ40] - Six Inch Figures

Old habits die hard. So we shouldn't be surprised when Hasbro gets lazy. They resued the original The Black Series [Phase II] Chewbacca (#04) figure much too often. And every Chewbacca action figure in the 6-inch line uses most of the original tooling. So, we shouldn't be surprised they were cheap again to produce a Return Of The Jedi-specific version of the character. What's interesting about Chewbacca is the spirit of the figure paired with its character photo. It reminds us of 1985's POTF Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Pop-Up Lightsaber) figure. That carded figure shows a character photo that doesn't align with the scene-specific action figure. The same is true for this Chewbacca figure. It's based on the scenes from Jabba's palace but features the Wookiee on Endor. So it's a mismatch of sorts. Some collectors are going to find favor with Chewbacca. But we have to concede that we're not impressed with the likeness all that much. The action figure resembles Rorworr (Wookiee Scout) from the Power Of The Jedi line more closely than the most popular Wookiee character from the Star Wars saga. But you may have a different opinion about that.

Chewbacca is a retool and repaint of 2014's TBS [P2] Chewbacca (#04) figure. This time, Hasbro gave Chewbacca an all-new portrait that features a unique hairstyle and a collared chain around the figure's neck. There are also variances in the paint operations. Chewbacca also comes with some other variances in the deco throughout the figure, but the other changes are much less noticeable. Chewbacca could be a better version of the character in the line to date, but we appreciate that Hasbro attempted to keep things fresh here. One thing we're not crazy about with this new release of Chewbacca is the bowcaster accessory. Hasbro molded it in a pliable plastic that became distorted from the packaging. Also, its assembly is bizarre. Thanks to the warped parts, it looks like the figure holds it upside-down. After recasting this thing repeatedly, the pieces don't stay together tightly anymore. The articulation allows the figure to pose itself in multiple configurations. But keep this in mind. Due to the figure's large size and extra-large joints, they have a partial range of motion of smaller joints on other figures.

Overall, Chewbacca is a slight disappointment. We only wish that Hasbro tooled the figure's accessory in rigid plastic and that the eye details were brighter. Other than these exceptions, we believe collectors will find this a passable addition to the line. Chewbacca comes with an impressive 28 points of articulation across 17 areas. The movement is fluid, but as we've briefly mentioned, some more substantial joins don't provide a wide range of motion. While they possess articulation, the hands are tricky to manipulate, and the movement is vital to hold the bowcaster. Chewbacca is based on the original figure produced in The Black Series [Phase II] lineup. Hasbro tooled a new head sculpt with newly parted hair, but something is still off about it. Then again, you may love what Hasbro did here. Hasbro should have handled things differently with the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi lineup, but it would be incorrect to say that Hasbro didn't provide an excellent cast of characters. We only wish that they perfected things a bit more. Sometimes, you need more quality control to deliver superior products.