It is finally happening. The saga that has been coming together for the last 40(!!!) years is (supposedly) coming to a close this week with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I excited and anxious all at once to see how this is going to go, so naturally, to bide my time, I bought some Star Wars toys.
For this, we are taking it all the way back to the beginning to a new release of two characters who have been these since the the start: Chewbacca and C-3PO. Granted, there is no shortage of either of these characters in terms of figures in the Black Series, but even after several iterations, these new versions from The Empire Strikes Back carry a lot of weight. Sure, these would be valid just from representation alone, but the fact that both of these figures stand out as unique even in a crowd made of entirely of themselves makes this new release all the cooler.
Amazon has had some pretty solid SWB and Marvel Legends exclusives as of late, and this new pack of Chewie and Threepio as they appeared in Cloud City on Bespin are really sharp. I know for a lot of people, this rumpled look for Chewbacca is the best, and getting C-3PO actually accurately represented as being blown to bits is pretty great. With the 40th anniversary of ESB arriving next year, this is pretty much the perfect opening salvo to what is (hopefully) a year of celebration.
To start with Chewie, our favorite Wookiee is made up of the main base body that most, if not all, of his previous Black Series releases have utilized. That is okay with me because while I think it is a bit too tall, this new head sculpt actually helps to bring the height down a bit. Speaking of the head, that is the new piece, and most certainly the highlight. Chewie looks remarkably different from A New Hope to Empire, but in a cool way. He is rumpled and it feels like he has been through a lot, which he has, and it gives him a nice distinctive change from movie to movie.
I think Hasbro did a nice job with him here, and the shape of the snout and the mess of his hair match the source accurately. At first I thought that maybe the would have cheated a bit and reused the head from the Solo figure, but thankfully, that is not the case, and this one is distinctly ESB. The satchel is from the ANH version we got many moons ago, and he gets the Stormtrooper baster instead of his usually bowcaster. Chewie is my second favorite SW character after Obi-Wan, so this was a bit want of mine, even though for most the draw will most likely be…
C-3PO. I have mixed emotions about him in SWB, and while I still think they have not gotten him exactly right, I will admit that each release seems to get better and better. So, there is no fault there, and really, for what they were able to pull off for this set is pretty damned awesome. As I am sure you know, Threepio arrives on Bespin and promptly gets harassed by Ugnaughts and then gets himself blasted by Stormtroopers. Poor Chewbacca is not only tasked with getting him put back together (after saving him from the foundry, no less), but he also has to shlep him all about Cloud City while he does it.
In usual fashion, the fastidious droid harasses our good space ape from a netted backpack that hangs from his shoulders. This is done well here with netting and an elastic strap that stays in place by hanging from Chewie’s neck. There are instructions included with the release to help you get it right. For me, this is absolutely how these two will be displayed on my shelf because not only is it iconic to me, but it is also executed very well here.
So, Threepio comes with all of his limbs accurately detached, but the good news is that you can actually full assemble him, too. That is a nice touch because all of the wires from disembodied arms are made on swappable pegs, and the severed leg pieces actually slide over the hip pegs hiding the articulation. Kudos to the design team here because they got it just right. C-3PO’s head and chest are given some accurate carbon scoring as well, so this is not the polished up ceremonial Threepio from the end of ANH by any means.
All of the droid bits stay snugly in the backpack when it is on Chewie and you can stuff the appendages in as you like. I know that 3PO is usually facing back when being carried around, but since I face my figures forward on the shelf, I actually like the look of him being turned around and looking over Chewbacca’s shoulder. I think everything looks a bit better from a display perspective with only one arm and one leg in the pack with him, but it can certainly accommodate everything with no issue.
Honestly, I think this is a fun release, so I recommend treating yourself to a holiday gift and picking this up. It is an Amazon exclusive, so you have to get it there, but the good news is that it is in-stock as of this writing. So, enjoy, and I will catch you on the other side of The Rise of Skywalker!
