Paploo is one of the more visible Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.  He was the “little furball” that made an unexpected dash for one of the parked speederbikes and took off, leading away three of the four scout troopers that were guarding the shield generator bunker.  This maneuver allowed Han to easily lure the last scout towards a waiting group of Rebel soldiers, led by Commander Rex, who served with distinction during the Battle of Endor.  According to Paploo’s wiki page, he was played by Kenny Baker.  Paploo was made into a Kenner (or Kenny) figure, so of course collectors wanted him in the modern line.  Paploo was first released as part of the Toys R Us (I’m not kidding.  That was a real place!) POTJ set with the AT-ST and speederbike.  That figure was pretty lame, but he was sculpted to match the moments that he was clinging to the handlebars for dear life as the speeder bike raced through the forest.  In Legends, Paploo was a fan of the game “Drop the Sack.”  For obvious reasons, the game was banned by the Ewok elders.  This was only mildly less horrifying than the similarly named “Grab the Sack.”

Nho’Apakk is adapted from Noah, the name of a young fan that selected the character to be made into a figure. His story was revealed by Hasbro during a fansite Q&A in 2010, and can be read HERE.  In Return of the Jedi, one of the Ewoks that was trying to trip up an AT-ST with a rope may be Nho’Apakk (see image below).  Otherwise, he is visible in some behind-the-scenes still shots.  This marks the character debut of this Ewok.

Lost opportunity for Hasbro to have made a hollywood style clapboard as an action figure accessory.

Nho’Apakk.  Or so the Germans would have us believe.

For whatever reason, Hasbro identified this basic carded release simply as “BD18 Ewoks”, leaving the names of Paploo and Nho’Apaak relegated to the back of the card.  The image on the back of the card shows a bunch of ewoks pummeling some stormtroopers, It is possible, however unlikely, that one or both of these characters ios n that group shot.  I think Hasbro made like the Rams and punted on this one, but maybe that’s Nho’Apakk in the middle there.

As for the figures, they are basically repaints of previous Ewok releases.  I’m totally fine with this.  While Hasbro improved the Ewok sculpts later on in TVC with more detail and better articulation, these are still very good sculpts, particularly for such small characters.  As far as I’m concerned, Hasbro can take whatever decent Ewok sculpts they have and repaint them until the cows come home.  I mean, after the cows come home there won’t be much room left for any ewoks.  Any idea how much space cows take up?  I can only imagine.  I’m a city boy.  I’ve never seen a cow.  I’m pretty sure they’re not real.  The figures have expressive faces.  Everything is painted fairly well, including some highlights and shadows that really bring out the texture and depth of the fur.  Newer Ewoks may have slightly better sculpts with more articulation, but for figures this small, I’m not upset if they lack knees or elbows.  These guys can be posed in a variety of action stances.

For accessories, each figure comes with a soft plastic removable cowl.  I tried to remove them for the purposes of the above gallery, but after struggling for a while I gave up.  I assume that if I exert even 10% of my brute strength, I will tear these to pieces.  No thanks!  Paploo comes with a staff that seems to be topped with a (non-working) slingshot.  He can hold it in either hand, although it’s a bit loose in the unnecessarily wide “c-grip” right hand.  Paploo has a separately sculpted belt which has a sheath for a tiny removable knife.  He can hold the knife well in either hand, and he looks like he can skillfully slice and dice some stormtroopers without remorse.  Nho’Apakk has a wooden-looking pitchfork or trident.  He can hold it in either hand assuredly, and he can perform a convincing THWG.

These are terrific figures.  It’s OT.  It’s a two-pack.  The figures are well articulated, sculpted, painted, and accessorized.  What’s not to like?  Around 2009-2012, Hasbro released a MASSIVE amount of Endor-related toys and figures, possibly the highest such concentration for any film scene in such a short period of time.  With the soon-to-be-arriving Sail Barge, you would think Hasbro would do the same for Jabba related merchandise, but sadly, this seems to not be the case.  Anyway, consider adding these guys to your collection, if you don’t already have them.  I give the pair a 9.

Build-A-Droid 

Ewoks (First Release) contain the left leg for the astromech R3-M3, which could be seen rolling down a corridor of the Death Star as Obi-Wan was preparing himself to face Darth Vader.  Source:  A New Hope.

OR

Ewoks (Carry Forward) contain the right arm of YVH 1, a battle droid developed to help fight against the Yuuzhan Vong.  Source:  New Jedi Order - (Legends).

Verdict: No Action 

What is there to do here?  These are minor Ewok characters (well, Paploo had a key part).  The sculpts are very good, as are the accessories, and the paint apps.  There’s just no reason to re-do any ewoks these days.  If the opportunity arises, I’d take a couple of new characters, though.  As it is, Hasbro has so far developed a fine array of Ewoks for our collections.  If you like these furballs, you need to pick up this two-pack.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.