If you’ve been around this site long enough, you probably know that my interest in kitsch items for TVC is close to zero.  My general definition that covers such items would be any figure or toy that doesn’t upgrade my displays.  If you really want to stretch this definition, you could include something like VC155 Knight of Ren.  Technically it would fall in that category, but you could still stick him in the background of some scene containing random scum and villainy, and it could work.  At least Hasbro’s (possible) intent was to build more around this guy.  It just never happened because so few collectors seemed to care.  But my definition of “kitsch” really applies to things like this Ewok 2-pack.  While the sculpts are TVC worthy (Wicket is actually a repaint of his own TVC figure), the paint and accessories make them stick out awkwardly in almost any “realistic-inspired” display. 

Examples of kitsch would include items such as the Droids sub-line, the Target trifecta of Boba Fett repaints, and the “carbonized” figures.  The carbonized figures are clearly an invention by Hasbro to make the most ROI on some of the sculpts, and I believe may have been launched in TVC to rush more product onto shelves after the surprise success of The Mandalorian.

I had already moved on from Star Wars figures at around the time the ROTJ hype was fading.  While I had a ton of Kenner toys, I never once saw anything in POTF, Droids, or Ewoks packaging.  I never even knew those things existed until after I became an adult collector in 1999.  In fact I was not even aware there was such a thing as the Droids and Ewoks cartoons at all (although I may have been aware of the Ewok movies with Wilfred Brimley).  Such was my near complete break with Star Wars in and around 1983/84.  I was always a fan of the films, and would watch them whenever they popped up on TV, and I owned the trilogy on VHS, but I had no connection to the merchandise.  Even when the Zahn trilogy came out, which I read voraciously, I never had an itch to own any toys.  So it wasn’t until after the dust was settling on Midnight Madness at my local Toys R Us in 1999 (El Paso, TX, at the time) when I started collecting and learned about these post-ROTJ toy lines.

Once I got hooked, the simple act of collecting itself was the nostalgia.  I never saw the need for nostalgia on top of nostalgia. That just seemed to be a waste of time.  So not only do I have no attachment to the Ewoks packaging, I wouldn’t be interested in specifically reliving it now.  I collect toys, and that’s enough nostalgia for me.

The good news is that these Store / Fan Channel exclusives don’t actually take away slots in the main line.  In fact, we can hope that they enhance our chances of improving the robustness of the main line by selling well and adding money to the budget.  If I wasn’t a completist, this set would be an easy pass.

As it is, I am a completist, and I share responsibility for this site and must do my duty.  So on this Veterans Day weekend, I expect everyone to thank me for my service to the community for taking the time out of my life to buy this, do a photo shoot, and write this terrible review.  I’d rather watch a Giants game than do another kitsch figure review, but at least the Jets lost as well.

Anyway, the packaging is probably the star here, if it floats your boat.  It’s the same “expression” as the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader Showdown 2-pack.  It’s two carded figures inside a box.  Unlike the Obi-Wan pack, this is branded outside the TVC main line, and so the Ewok figures within are not numbered.  It’s another reason to pass, if you’re OCD, since it won’t disrupt your numbered sequence. 

Wicket W. Warrick is a straight repaint of VC27 - Wicket.  The figure has some paint differences, particularly the vibrant cartoon hues of the accessories.  VC27 was neat because it was a two-fer.  You could have Wicket be from ROTJ, or swap his accessories and fit in your display nicely as if he’s wearing a different outfit which was a realistic interpretation of his cartoon appearance.  The bold color palette on this release makes no bones about the fact that it is a cartoon figure.  The figure sculpt and articulation are otherwise excellent, and are no different from VC27.

Kneesaa is also a repaint.  The original release was from the TPM3D-branded Ewok Pack from 2011.  Like Wicket, Kneesaa had multiple accessories, both of which could work in a realistic diorama.  Again, the vibrant colors of this release make it pretty much incompatible with existing “realistic” figures.

The coloring is not nearly as egregious as the comic Boba Fetts, but it’s still cartoony. 

Obviously I am not the target of this release, and yet I still bought a set.  I’m just not happy about it.  I’m sure it’s cool to some collectors, and that’s fine by me.  I hope it sells well and helps fund a TVC Ewok Village playset.  Or maybe we could have gotten a better Endor Han.

Difficult to grade, but my personal feelings aside, I think it’s well-executed, so I’ll give it an 8.