Ewoks - LC - Basic (BD18)

Nho’Apakk and Paploo are two of the Ewoks who inhabit the forested moon of Endor. Like all Ewoks, they prefer to avoid confrontation but are fearsome warriors when threatened. They fight alongside the Rebels to subdue the stormtroopers during the Battle of Endor, ultimately helping to defeat the Empire.

Wow! We have two more Ewoks! Sorry, but we are unabashed fans of Return Of The Jedi and every character within the film, including the Ewoks. We love these fur balls and we are ecstatic that they are coming to us fast and furious now with today's action figure standards being so high. Going back just a little bit, Hasbro has set a new standard for Ewoks with the advent of 2006's TSC Chief Chirpa (SAGA 039) figure. The details, sculpts and paint applications on Chirpa and then all subsequent Ewoks have been amazing and we are thrilled to get these added into our collections two by two (for the most). For 2009, we get another two-pack and Hasbro has given us our first modern basic carded version of Paploo. Sure, we got that awful 2002 POTJ Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike Toys R Us exclusive pack-in version, but this time Hasbro nailed the likeness and created a beautiful figure that will probably be considered the definitive Paploo for our collections. Additionally, we get a first attempt on a new Ewok. Nho'Apakk as well and both Ewoks are quite impressive and very exciting additions to your Ewok village or general collections. Both are well accessorized with staffs and belts and Paploo even comes with a removable (albeit very rubbery) dagger. And Paploo is a tremendous upgrade from our original vintage figure and obviously the Power Of The Jedi version. It knocks another name off of our "definitive version" vintage list of figures to be remade in the modern line. And it is worth adding to your collection based on its own merits as well. It is an excellent reuse of a great previous mold and it has been reinvented to hold its own place in the basic line. We would of course loved to see all-new sculpts be used for these particular Ewoks. After all, Ewoks are diverse as just about nay other creature in the Star Wars universe. But even though Hasbro didn't take that apporach, these Ewoks look fantastic nonetheless.

Paploo looks just like the character in the film. We are so impressed with Hasbro's attention to detail and they took every fold and feather into account to replicate into action figure form. Paploo simply doesn't disappoint. Interestingly, Hasbro did the same mistake Kenner did with the picture of the character on the packaging artwork. Back in 1984, Kenner pictured Romba (or an Ewok that looks a lot like Romba) on the card back for Paploo. This same error was duplicated on this 2009 LC Ewoks basic figure set. Again, an image of Romba (or similar looking Ewok) sits in place of Paploo (pictured next to "Nho'Apakk" who looks to be a lot like Lumat if you ask us....) on the card front. We are not sure why this mislabeling has happened (and happened twice) but it does confuse things a bit. It seems that there is a bad habit when it comes to picture identifying Paploo. We mildly joke here, but the action figure is a spitting image of the character Paploo in the film (the Ewok who stole the Speeder Bike to create a diversion for the Rebel Alliance on Endor). Perhaps Hasbro was referring to the vintage artwork when they created the 2009 packaging. We don't know for sure, but we do know the mistake was overlooked again. Ironically, Paploo is a retool of Romba from 2007's TAC Romba & Graak (30 43) two-pack. It is essentially the same body of Romba with a new head and cowl. And this same body was also used for Leektar from 2008's TLC Leektar & Nippet (BD 4) figure two-pack. To be frank, we are growing a little concerned about the reuse of only a few Ewok bodies Hasbro is using to make new figures. We think greater diversity exists within this species and we hope that Hasbro will decide to change it up a bit more. For example, Paploo looks a little taller and leaner than Leektar and Romba, yet he is designed from those same bodies. This is not a huge problem, but we hope that more disparity can be applied for the Ewoks, we would hate for them to look all the same. Despite this concern, Paploo is still and incredibly constructed action figure.

Nho'Apakk is another pure joy to have added to your collection. While he is a retool of the 2007 TAC Graak figure, he looks so different that we almost didn't notice he was a reuse of that figure initially. He is a very light-colored Ewok and Hasbro has applied a beautiful finishing wash on the fur to give him a lived-in look, like he has been out in the Endor forest hunting and battling or something. While Nho'Apakk was indeed in Episode VI, he was just recently named by Lucasfilm. One thought is that he may be the Ewok that held onto one of the AT-ST's legs as it walked while attacking the foot with a club. It is difficult to find another similiarly colored Ewok with the dark cowl anywhere else in the film. He has a touching background story as well! He was named after a young fan Noah with a serious medical condition and who happened to be a big Ewok fan too. He visited Hasbro one day and Hasbro thought it would be a great idea to name an Ewok after him. While Nho'Apakk has never been introduced into the Star Wars line before, he fits in just perfectly and looks very well placed with the rest of the Ewoks. He has a dark cowl and dark features on his face that makes for a quite striking look. Moreover, he has tan digits against his light gray fur and this too looks very distinct. Nho'Apakk is certainly a unique Ewok. This Ewok two-pack is a great value in every way. Getting two action figures for the price of one is always a great deal. Remember back a bit, not even the vintage line did this. Whether the action figure was Yoda or Han Solo (In Carbonite) – it was all the same price. So, this two-pack is a steal. A great addition to the basic figure line, Paploo & Nho'Apakk round of the Return Of The Jedi wave incredibly and we hope that they only foreshadow what many additional Ewok figures will hopefully be coming down the pike from Hasbro. But for now, Nho'Apakk & Paploo couldn't have arrived at a better time to celebration the legacy of Star Wars.