You probably know the story.  A hardcore fan put forth years of effort to rally collectors behind making this obscure “joke” character into a Star Wars action figure.  The campaign led to some recognition through online voting for fans choice figures.  Finally, after relentless, withering, and soul-crushing pressure, Hasbro released Willrow Hood in the 2009 Legacy Collection.  It was most definitely a fun moment for the collector community, even if one may have opposed the creation of the figure.  It meant that fans had influence and Hasbro listened.  Most collectors eagerly purchased the figure when released, but it certainly didn’t catch fire among casual buyers.  Willrow Hood was a miserable peg warmer.  Perhaps the only thing saving it from annihilating the line at the time was the included build-a-droid part.  It was a lesson for everyone, including Hasbro.  Fans knew what they would buy, but a figure made only for fans was going to be retail death for the wider audience.  A figure such as this probably should have been reserved as a convention exclusive, or something similar.  Wide release just didn’t pan out well.

But we did get our Ice Cream Maker Guy.  As with just about everyone in the Star Wars universe, he was given a backstory that connected him to the larger events occurring in the galaxy.  Interestingly, he has two completely different backstories in Legends and in Canon.  In Legends, he was a Rebel sympathizer.  His job was to ensure that the Alliance had access to discounted Tibanna gas.  The “ice cream maker” was actually a computer core that contained important names and data from the Alliance.  The story goes that when the Empire invaded Cloud City, Hood rushed to dispose of the core, and did so just before being captured by Imperial forces.  He was imprisoned and tortured, but didn’t give up any info.  Meanwhile, in canon, he appeared in Last Flight of the Harbinger (see Jimmy’s review in Part I and Part II).  In this new reality, Hood was an Imperial who participated in the evacuation the Star Destroyer, eventually settling on Cloud City.

The figure?  it’s pretty good for just a background human.  The sculpt is decent, even though there’s not much to the jumpsuit outfit.  The sculpt captures the texture and folds well enough.  It’s simply painted, which happens to be accurate to the on screen appearance.  The head sculpt is excellent.  I don’t know much about the actor to tell if the likeness is perfect, but it is a new sculpt and certainly captures the spirit of the character.  Willrow Hood has standard super articulation, which is enough for you to re-create his iconic pose, as he sprints down the hallways of Cloud City past Lando Calrissian and Princess Leia.  He can hold onto his ice cream maker / computer core, to complete the scene. 

For accessories, Hood comes with a Rebel trooper style blaster, with no painted detailing.  He can grip it well enough in his hand, but has no holster in which to store it, which is a bit of a bummer.  Basically, though, it’s a throwaway item, because you didn’t get the figure for the blaster.  You got it for the ice cream maker, and it’s pretty awesome.  Not only does it look just like the prop, but the bottom panel has a rebel starbird insignia on it, which is a perfect accessory to label your computer cores that contain top secret information.  You can decide if Willrow escapes with his ice cream maker, or if he has to destroy it by tossing it down a garbage chute / Dalek ripoff.

Overall, I am certainly happy to own the figure.  It is not only another testament to the depth of the line that continuously brought us obscure backgrounders, but it represents a victory for hardcore collectors that started a movement for a favorite figure which was heard by Hasbro.  Good figure, fun to have, and it’s definitive.  7/10.

Build-A-Droid 

Willrow Hood contains the right arm of HK-50.  This was a model of assassin droid from the Old Republic era, built by Revan.  Source:  Knights of the Old Republic II - (Legends).

Verdict: No Action 

You can expect to pay over $45 for a carded sample on eBay, and maybe about half that for a loose figure.  Pretty hefty prices for one of the bigger pegwarmers of all time.  About 9 years after release, this Fans’ Choice figure which almost sank the hobby and ruined the credibility of the fan vote has apparently made a comeback.  Nevertheless, it would be a horrible choice by Hasbro to do anything with this figure.  It was a novelty at the time, and no resources should go into an update or a re-release.  If you didn’t get one in 2009/2010, you’re on your own now. 

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.