Wicket - TVC - Basic (VC27)

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

We didn’t expect Wicket (VC27) to be one of the best-updated figures in The Vintage Collection thanks to Photo Real, but it is. We also didn’t expect them to use Photo Real on Wicket, but again, Hasbro did. We believe most collectors had some mild complaints against the original release of Wicket in 2010. Between the heavy white paint in the face to the shiny matte on the figure, it appeared Wicket could have stood a few tweaks before the final release. We’re happy to report that Wicket’s 2020 re-release superseded our expectations and quickly became one of the standouts in the second phase of The Vintage Collection. Although it’s an accessory, the figure’s cowl (the one based on Return Of The Jedi) makes up a large portion of its personality. And Hasbro gave it an all-new paint job, giving it a closer color to what we see on-screen, and a wash that gives it some texture. Unfortunately, they missed some of the stitching this round, so it’s a bittersweet update. Do you choose the new version for the updated color of the cowl? Or do you choose the original release with the stitching painted correctly? The choice is yours. The paint job on the face is significantly improved. Hasbro decorated Wicket’s eyes, nose, mouth, and facial fur with Photo Real applications. You’re going to love the final results. Wicket finally looks “young” without all of that white fur. And while we don’t understand how this figure made the cut for re-release, we’re happy to see the figure available again. As you know, Wicket comes with an interchangeable cowl and accessories to source the character to the Star Wars: Ewoks cartoon series. And we’re happy to see all of these accessories packed with the figure again.

Let us express a couple of things. One – we are thrilled that Hasbro has decided to pack Ewoks one per card back (thanks be to The Vintage Collection for really making this happen) so we can complete the original vintage Kenner line in a modern format. We prefer to see Star Wars characters packaged separately to get the “respect” they deserve. And two – we love Ewoks and think that Hasbro could never make enough of them for the basic figure line. Shameless suckers for Return Of The Jedi, are we. It’s the movie that brings back the best Christmas memories for many of us here at Jedi Temple Archives, and it truly has the best selection of aliens and heroes for any Star Wars fan. Every year we cannot wait to hear the character listing of action figures Hasbro chooses to make from this film. The third and sixteenth waves of The Vintage Collection provided collectors with a ton of new action figures based on Episode VI. Thankfully, Hasbro delicately balances never-before-made Ewoks in addition to revisits of previously made ones effectively. Their approach allows us to build a fur-ball army that we probably never expected to create in the modern line. But they keep getting better and exceeding our expectations. The most popular Ewok of all, Wicket, received a much-needed update in 2010 after collectors waited a dozen years to update the one from 1998’s The Power Of The Force "2" [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] line. Now, a decade later, Hasbro updates the neo-classic figure to be the best-looking figure possible. We never thought Wicket’s original release looked terrible, but the re-release proves to us how much further Hasbro can take their sculpts with Photo Real deco.

Instead of a second action figure, Hasbro has decided to include accessories based on one of the character’s many appearances in the Star Wars: Ewoks cartoon from 1985. (Kneesa was the other figure intended to be packed with Wicket, but plans were changed, and Kneesa was eventually released in 2012’s SW [TPM3D] Ewok Pack set with many other Ewoks. The additional Expanded Universe accessories, coupled with the movie accessories, make Wicket a stellar action figure. We love the ingenuity Hasbro applied here to give collectors the most bang for their buck. It’s lovely that they gave us an option to recreate a realistic Wicket version from the animated series! It’s not often we’re given these options as collectors, so we’re grateful. Put merely; Wicket is pure joy for the basic figure line. And Kenner/Hasbro hasn’t impressed us with a Wicket action figure since 1984’s ROTJ Wicket W. Warrick vintage Kenner release. As we’ve briefly mentioned, the first modern version of Wicket arrived in the “now dreadful” The Power Of The Force “2” [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] line from 1998. Admittedly, it was exciting to get Wicket back then when the figure came with Logray. They were the first two Ewoks in the modern line, but time hasn’t been kind to them throughout the years. Scale, pose, and likeness issue plagued the older modern figures from the 90s. What’s more, it was the only version of Wicket Hasbro used to release throughout the current line’s duration until now. Hasbro was so unwilling to break into new Ewok sculpts that the created multiple other “generic” Ewoks from the 1998 Wicket mold!

Hasbro brilliantly sculpted The Vintage Collection’s Wicket (VC27) figure, and now the updated paint operations allow you to appreciate the tooling at a higher level. They included a surprising amount of premium articulation in an action figure that is this tiny. For accessories, Wicket comes with two cowls. The tan/brown one is from Return Of The Jedi, and the green one (with the bandolier) is from the Star Wars: Ewoks cartoon. Something about the cartoon cowl’s combination and the figure’s realistic style gives it the look of a new character, yet seems to favor an animated look or style. Along with the green cowl, Hasbro added a pouch, and you place this underneath it. If you choose to pose Wicket without the headgear, you will find the cutest action figure face possible. Wicket has his two front buck teeth, and Hasbro has painted the tummy and the face with a lighter color over the dark brown fur to replicate the character’s look in the film. It’s subtle and blends in with the rest of the creature’s coat ever so nicely. Impressively, Wicket has fifteen points of articulation and comes with ball-jointed hips. This point of articulation is an unexpected add here, but it enhances this action figure wonderfully. He comes with his signature spear, and it is the perfect height. We wish Hasbro added articulation to the elbows to help with the posing of the included spear. It fair to conclude that the 2020 updated release of Wicket is the definitive version, and there is no reason for Hasbro to revisit the character. With the release of so many other Ewoks in the line like Logray, Teebo, and Lumat, collectors are genuinely building up Bright Tree Village. Hopefully, Hasbro will continue this trend.

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Wicket (VC27) figure in September 2020 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) "photorealistic" deco, (2) completely new figure paint operations (3) completely new accessory paint operations, (4) refreshed 2020 packaging with different graphics.

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is November 22, 2010. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on September 12, 2020 after Hasbro reissued the figure.