"Yub Nub"
This post represents my 1000th Action Figure Review! Over the past 8 years, I have delivered an average of a review every 3-days and covered a variety of lines including Star Wars, Marvel, Doctor Who, NECA, Diamond Select, and many others.
It was a hard choice deciding who would be the 1000th review but it seemed fateful that the Star Wars Black Series 40th Anniversary Wicket arrived a little while ago. Wicket is one of the only vintage figures I still own that I had as a child - and it was that childhood nostalgia that drove me to set up the Mephitsu Archives and its mix of news, reviews, and checklists in the first place.
To everyone who has been on this journey with us, I say "Alaay loo ta nuv"
Wicket is the 3rd Ewok to be released in the Star Wars Black Series following on from the 2020 release of Teebo, and the 2021 exclusive release of Paploo. Wicket is part of the Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary line and is therefore packed on a replica Kenner card back - scaled up for the Black Series - that includes the original artwork and colouring. It is not clear at this stage if Wicket will be re-released in the Galaxy Collection boxes but that is likely as it has been the case on all other 40th anniversary releases like the Tusken Raider, Jawa, and Hoth Rebel Trooper.
Wicket is the smallest single figure released in the Black Series to date, save the release of Grogu in his pram. He stands about 3 inches tall (75mm). The body is executed in the same way that Paploo and Logray were created with a fur-sculpted bear body and a rubberised headpiece that slips over the head and ears and drapes down on the torso. The fur texture is done particularly well with a base colour of brown and then highlights added in grey around the face and ears. The hands and feet are painted in a flesh texture with gloss black for the eyes, and white for Wicket’s teeth.
Wicket comes with a whole variety of weapons which is a pleasant surprise considering the original Kenner figure only had his spear. As well as the spear - which is not a re-use of any of the previous spears packed with Paploo or Ewok Village Leia - you also get a couple of club-type weapons and a bow. The clubs also double as drumsticks from the Endor Celebration scene and there is a bit of me that feels an opportunity was missed to include an Imperial Helmet Drum Kit with Wicket. The bow is perhaps the weakest as it uses a circular tube for the tiny arrow that is also included and this looks too manufactured whereas Ewok technology should be rougher and more rudimentary.
The articulation also doesn’t help with the bow and arrow as the shorter arms are not agile enough to get into a natural bow-drawing position. Considering his size and stature, there are enough joints for Wicket to have a few posing options - but nowhere near as there is with a larger figure.
I am probably very biased with this new Wicket figure in terms of him being one of my favourite Kenner figures from the 80s and one of the few childhood Star Wars figures I still own. This modern update into the Black Series line is a very strong effort particularly with the addition of additional accessories to perhaps fill out what on shelves might look a very small and empty blister when sat next to other figures from the ROTJ 40th. The card back is a collector's dream and will sit nicely within a larger 40th Anniversary collection, while the RRP is not overly different than a standard release and won’t put off out-of-box collectors.
As Hasbro’s Ewok ranks grow, that in turn opens up more opportunities for other Ewok characters down the line, in the same way that the Clone Trooper variants have exploded over time once various parts were sculpted and added to the line. Here’s to adding Chief Chirpa and Logray very soon!
If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
Comments