Chewbacca - TBS [TESB40] - Six Inch Figures

We have to wonder if Hasbro understands the point of vintage Kenner packaging or not. While they haven't been perfect with The Vintage Collection, it seems they're making less sense of it with The Black Series [The Empire Strikes Back 40] line. It's terrific to get screen-accurate action figure interpretations of the beloved characters in the films. Darth Vader looks different from one film to the next, and the same is true for Chewbacca. But back in the Kenner line, Hasbro used one sculpt for each figure. You had to use the 1978 Star Wars Darth Vader and Chewbacca figures for all three Original Trilogy films. With technology, we don't have to be relegated to one version of a character. If Chewbacca's "hairstyle" changes from A New Hope to The Empire Strikes Back, Hasbro has things in motion to make those variations a reality. And again, these are all beautiful things. Why are they using the original Kenner artwork for Darth Vader and Chewbacca when the figures are updated versions specific to The Empire Strikes Back. It would have made more sense if Hasbro ALSO updated the card art to freshen up the line a bit more. They didn't use the 12-Back image of Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) for the Artoo-detoo (R2-D2) (Dagobah) figure. (Heck, they didn't even use the 1982 ESB ARTOO-DETOO (R2-D2) card art.) Perhaps an image of Chewbacca on Cloud City, or an updated image of Darth Vader on the Bespin gantry, would have made more sense for each figure.

Chewbacca is a repaint of the figure from 2019's TBS [P3] Chewbacca & C-3PO Amazon exclusive set. This time, Hasbro gave Chewbacca darker paint operations. The darker paint is especially more noticeable in the portrait. We have to say that the darker color looks better than the original version of this figure, but the eyes need to be brighter to have them "pop" a little more. Chewbacca also comes with some other variances in the deco throughout the figure, but the other changes are much less noticeable. Chewbacca is probably the best version of the character in the line to date. Something falls short with the Sequel Trilogy version of Chewbacca and the version based on A New Hope. 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. It looks like the figure holds it upside-down thanks to the warped parts. If you overlook this unfortunate detail, Chewbacca looks fantastic holding the bowcaster, and the articulation allows the figure to pose in multiple configures. But keep this in mind. Due to the figure's large size and extra-large joints, they don't have the full range of motion of smaller joints on other figures. Overall, Chewbacca is a stunning action figure. 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 love this figure.

Chewbacca comes with an impressive 28 points of articulation across 17 areas. The movement is fluid, but as we've briefly mentioned earlier, some of the more substantial joins don't provide a wide range of motion. While they possess articulation, the hands are quite 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. Back in the day, Chewbacca had a rough start in the 6" line. Originally scheduled to appear in The Black Series [Phase I] line, production issues prevented the figure from arriving on time, and Chewbacca was pushed out to the first wave of the new line look change. This version of Chewbacca didn't necessarily meet collectors' expectations because the likeness was off. But now, Hasbro tooled a new head sculpt, complete with newly parted hair and a ripped representation right out of The Empire Strikes Back. Hasbro also enhanced some of the colorings, We're happy to see the figure released again, and it's excellent that Hasbro included it their 40th Anniversary lineup. We're like to reiterate that the only improvement Hasbro could have made to this figure's delivery was to change the card art. Part of the third wave of The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary line, Chewbacca joins other main characters like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker (Dagobah). We think things could have been handled differently with the 40th Anniversary lineup, but it would be incorrect to say that Hasbro didn't provide an excellent cast of characters.