“I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee”
The latest iteration of Chewbacca within the Black Series was released in 2023 initially as part of the Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary carded series, and then later in the year as part of Wave 12 of the Galaxy Collection. It is this latter release we are looking at here - although both figures are identical. Wave 12 was the final wave to use plastic-free packaging and therefore has no window, but uses photographic images to illustrate the figure. As a Return of the Jedi release it features a green accent colour on the text and side artwork, with Chewbacca number 10 in the ROTJ collection. Sadly the side art does not line up particularly well with the Ewok Village Leia at 09 with the arm of Leia out of place when the boxes are side by side. This is another montage issue from the Return of the Jedi figures after the transition from Bib Fortuna to Ewok Village Leia was also poorly executed.
This is the exact same Chewbacca body as we have had since its first release back in 2014. The body is entirely sculpted fur with lines of fur aligned around the joints so that one segment ceases before the joint and then a new section of fur continues afterwards. It is all cast in a base brown and then features darker washes within to add depth and further texture.
The figure is based on the scene in Jabba’s Palace when Boussh presents Chewbacca as their prisoner. This means a new head sculpt is included, incorporating a non-removable chain around Chewie’s neck and a further flexible chain length running from this to a circlet that can be held by another figure. Like the body, the head is cast in brown with darker washes, and Chewie also features much more realistic eyes than some of the previous releases, most likely through photo-real decor application.
The body stands a considerable height taller than most human-sized figures, perhaps too tall when you look at how Chewie and Boushh line up in the Return of the Jedi scenes on which this is based, although the height variation can vary depending on the scene - and with Boushh also having two heights thanks to a correction in recent years. Height issue has plagued the Chewbacca body since its inception in 2014 and while other corrections have been made to the likes of R2-D2 and the aforementioned Boushh figure, the Wookiee proportions remain unchanged.
Chewbacca comes with his bandoleer, a removable piece that sits over his shoulder and is painted brown with silver details and with a brown leather finish to the satchel part. He also comes with his bow caster which is a two-piece grey plastic that connects together with the cross-section attaching to the main body at the front by means of slotted sockets. The fit here is hugely improved on previous versions while remaining broadly the same accessory. Fitting it in Chewie’s hand does remain difficult and articulation also restricts the posing opportunities.
Articulation is 16 points on paper, although the fur body does hold back certain joints. The head in particular is tough to move, as are the hips behind that shaggy fur. The elbows lack motion and get to about 345 degrees which is what hurts the weapons posing, while the legs are a little more extensive in their movement. Chewie also surfers from non-ratcheted hips which can be a weak spot considering his bulk.
The 2023 Return of the Jedi release of Chewbacca is very much a scene-specific release with Chewie in chains as seen on his arrival to Jabba’s Palace. He makes an awesome companion piece to Princess Leia as Boushh and looks great posed with Jabba or the Gamorrean Guards. For those looking for a more generic Chewie for their Star Wars collection then the recent Archive release for A New Hope may present a better option.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...
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