Chewbacca - SW [TPM 3D] - The Clone Wars (CW9)

Chewbacca is captured by Trandoshan hunters, who kidnap victims and hunt them as part of a deadly game. The Wookiee comes across a group of Padawans who have been kidnapped, including Ahsoka, Anakin's Padawan. Chewbacca joins them to find a way to escape from the planet. His immense strength and his technological skills give the group much-needed support.

Chewbacca is one of the most favorite characters in the entire Star Wars universe. When it was announced he’d be making a [more than] cameo appearance in the final episode of Season 3 of The Clone Wars, Star Wars fans were thrilled to see him again. The Wookiee Hunt episode included some of the finest moments in The Clone Wars franchise and it was evident that Dave Filoni was growing as a producer because it captivated people who normally didn’t watch the television show. After Chewbacca’s inaugural appearance in The Clone Wars, the most obvious questions began being addressed to Hasbro. When are you bringing Chewbacca into The Clone Wars line? Collectors knew it wasn’t an issue of if, but when. The good news everyone wanted to know was that Chewbacca was on tap to be one of the last figures to make it to the “Shadow Of The Dark Side” phase of The Clone Wars basic figure line. Collectors were excited when he began making sporadic appearances at retail in the August of 2011, but he didn’t make a significant showing at retail until closer to November of that same year. Fans noticed almost immediately that he was in need of a better paint job. Thankfully Hasbro noticed this too and unbeknownst to us they started working on a revision which would become this figure, 2012’s SW [TPM 3D] - Chewbacca - The Clone Wars (CW9) figure.

Chewbacca is a repaint of 2011’s TCW Chewbacca (CW63) figure. Hasbro went back to the drawing board to perfect the way the paint operations decorated his face. The 2011 figure looked like someone held an explosive too closely too his face and the gunpowder residue left that dark stain on his fur. By comparison, the 2012 version of Chewbacca has a much lighter (and expressive face). Another detail which we are especially thrilled to see Hasbro update is the color of his lips. Chewbacca looked like he was wearing bright pink lipstick on the 2011 figure. That pink has been significantly muted to be more natural looking. In fact, at first glance you’re not even aware that his lips are pink anymore. We think that update is a tremendous upgrade in and of itself. The “mascara” around his eyes has also been toned down. The lower half of his torso has been darkened a bit more and some reason unknown, Hasbro utilized a glossy gray paint to decorate his feet. (The first version used flat gray paint.) Lastly (and this is also something we’re personally thrilled about), Hasbro updated the ball-jointed elbows so that they match the color of his arms. The dark brown rectangle-shaped joints are gone and now they blend in perfectly with the rest of his fur. We’re ecstatic over this because Hasbro has been noncommittal about ensuring that joints match the color of where they’re placed. Chewbacca is truly better than ever now.

Chewbacca still comes with the same accessories as the 2011 figure. He comes with a “realistically animated” crossbow, an action feature crossbow and a Trandoshan blaster. And let’s not forget about his awesome removable bandolier and pouch, something that not even the realistically styled Chewbacca action figures have ever seen to date. Chewbacca comes with 12 points of articulation. He lacks ankle joints, but thankfully he can stand unassisted thanks to well sculpted legs. The updated paint job on this figure’s portrait has done it wonders. You can see for the first time all of the fine details the sculptors added to his head. The lighter paint job with its “speckled” approach allows the collector to appreciate these previously “hidden” details. We have always stated time and again that a paint job can make or break a figure. Thank goodness the first version of Chewbacca was very good. But this updated paint job makes his so much better. It’s such an improvement that we think a repurchase of this action figure is warranted. See the comparison shots in our gallery. The choice is clear which Chewbacca figure look infinitely better. We’re excited to see a rerelease of Chewbacca in The Clone Wars facet of the 2012 line, but we’re hoping that Hasbro makes wiser decisions to get figures that collectors want to see out again on the pegs. We really didn't need the repackaged 2011 TCW Plo Koon (CW53) or 2009's TCW Cad Bane (CW22) figures on pegs anymore. Get figures like 2010's TCW Commander Bly (CW39) and 2011's TCW Ahsoka (CW44) out to pegs again. We just get so confused by what figures Hasbro feels need to be hanging on the pegs.