I am a
fan of the Ewoks.
I’m
not quite sure when this happened, but I am. Oh sure – I went
through that phase where I thought they were stupid, but that was
mainly because of the Ewok TV movies. I didn’t like those. Not
because of the Ewoks, but because of the kids. Even when I was
younger I never liked media that centered around children, so I was
really disappointed when this new Star Wars experience that I had
been so excited about ended up being a children’s movie.
I don’t
go to K-Mart. Unless they’re having a sale their toy prices are
shitty and the only one that is anywhere near us never has their own
Exclusives in stock. But we were on that side of town one day for a
movie and had half an hour to kill. So we went to K-Mart. Much to my
surprise they had this set and both Imperial Scanning Crew sets in
stock and the prices weren’t terrible. I mean, for modern toy
prices. Of course they were overpriced, but all
toys cost way too much now.
This is
an exciting set because it’s an update of a thing from later in
Kenner’s Star Wars toy line and I can clearly remember seeing the
original on the shelves in Lionel Playworld alongside the Ewok
Glider. Also because it comes with two more Ewoks. I have a
lot of Ewoks right now. And
I always want more.
FIRST
GLANCE
I
love Hasbro Star Wars. You pretty much always get exactly what you’re
expecting. Sometimes a little nicer, rarely disappointing. This set
is no exception – it’s a box full of things, but no corners were
cut. Each of the Ewoks could be a carded release and the catapult
looks slightly nicer than I expected.
PACKAGING
I’m
not gonna lie – the Vintage style packaging was a factor in my
decision to buy. I would say that I am twenty percent more likely to
buy something that is in this kind of package. And not just Star Wars
– that goes for the Mego-style stuff and the ReAction figures as
well. I’m telling you – once I start seeing those ReAction
figures at retail I’m not going to be able to help myself. And I
can almost guarantee you I’ll regret buying them. But buy them I
will.
This
box is a perfect update of the original catapult box. It looks
wonderful. Well, except for the big “K” burst on the front.
That’s the worst Exclusive sticker I’ve ever seen.
LOOKS
The
set comes with two Ewoks – Chubray and Stemzee, their hoods, two
spears, two boulders, and the catapult. Excuse me – Assault
catapult. As opposed to, you know, a vacation catapult.
The
catapult comes in two pieces attached by a string. Or a cord. Twine?
I dunno. I’m not sure what to call it. It’s like kite string so I
guess it is string. I wish it weren’t like kite string. I suppose
that maybe the Alliance gave the Ewoks some rope, but it just doesn’t
look right. Hasbro did at least give it a brownish color so it wasn’t
too out of place. I guess I’m just being nitpicky.
Once
you attach the arm to the base you have a functioning catapult. The
sculpt is really neat. The logs have a lot of texture and the cut
ends taper down and are smooth. The sculpted ropes are well done.
Everything in the design makes sense because this is a working toy
and it has to. The paint job is pretty simple but up to Hasbro Star
Wars standards. The logs and ropes are each one color, but the green
lichen or moss painted on the logs gives it that finishing touch.
The
boulders have a great stony look. They’re both the same sculpt, but
that’s fine because it’s so varied you don’t really notice.
Each one has a hole in the bottom for the peg on the arm of the
catapult to fit in.
Stemzee
is the tall Ewok mold that we’ve seen before. The joints are pretty
visible, but the sculpt is still good. The fur has a nice depth and
texture. I don’t know is this is a new head, but the paint on the
face makes Stemzee seem pretty unique. His eyes are looking off to
one side and his mouth appears to be slightly open. And I’m not
actually sure this is a “he”.
Chubray
looks like he should be named Chubray. And his face looks kind of
like Barf from Spaceballs.
This is definitely the ugliest Ewok I own. I’m sure both of these
guys have an Expanded Universe backstory (that is no longer valid;
not that it technically ever was), but I don’t know it. This is the
short Ewok buck that has been used several times before. It doesn’t
have as much articulation, but actually looks better than the taller
buck because of it. I also prefer this shorter, stockier shape.
ACCESSORIES
The
set comes with two spears and two hoods. They’re interchangeable
between the two Ewoks.
The
hoods fit snugly and are kind of a pain in the ass to get on and off.
You’re going to pull off their heads at least a couple of times
before you figure out how to hold them. Quite frankly I found that
somewhat satisfying. And the heads do pop right back on. I think
these are both new hoods, but at the very least they’re old hoods
in different colors.
The
spears are different. In addition to the color variances, one is
longer and has a smaller head. They’re both made out of a firm but
pliable plastic, so they’re not going to break but they also aren’t
all warped.
FUN
This
set is a ton of fun and I’d recommend it to anybody. The catapult
totally works. It doesn’t fling the boulders quite as far as I’d
like, but it throws them just far enough to be acceptable. My only
concern is the stress on the arm. The arm is a softer plastic than
I’d like, so I’m afraid that over time it’s going to just start
staying bent. Be sure you don’t store or display this thing wound
up.
The
boulders are a soft plastic that’s almost like foam and the
catapult doesn’t have enough force to get any real momentum, so you
and your friends can shoot boulders at each other all you want.
The
Ewoks are just as fun as all the other Ewok figures because they’re
the same as all the other Ewok figures. They have just enough
articulation to be fun to mess around with. The interchangeable
accessories give them a little extra oomph, too.
OVERALL
I’m
totally satisfied with this purchase. It looks good on the shelf,
it’s fun to actually take down and play with, and it has added
valuable members to my Ewok tribe. I couldn’t have asked for
anything more out of this one.
5
out of 5
This
is a K-Mart Exclusive, but I bet I can find something similar for you
to buy from Amazon:
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