Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 11/20/2010 07:11 PM

It might not have all the articulation we’re accustomed to, but at this scale, that would be impossible.  The likeness is exact and the extras allow you to recreate the animated appearance of Wicket.  What more could you want?  10 out of 10.

Updated Review: Bret - 5/22/18 07:05 AM

Chris sums this one up nicely in his short but sweet review summary.  It’s pretty much about as close to perfect as you can get with a figure of this size.  The ball jointed arms, hips, feet, and head, along with swivel wrists make this one of the best possible versions of a 9POA figure you could ever ask for.  The accessories allow you to recreate two versions of Wicket, one from Return of the Jedi, and even one from the Ewoks cartoon, which CJ has threatened to review.  Maybe this will push him across the finish line.  The best thing about that is that it’s not a cartoony figure, but a realistic representation of his cartoon appearance.  This is something that 9 out of 10 dentists surveyed would prefer:  Realistically-styled figures for animation-based characters.  This allows you to pose Wicket with his lady friend Kneesaa.  Kneesaa, by the way, has now joined other characters such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Admiral Screed, and Tag and Bink in being resurrected from the old Expanded Universe, thanks to her appearance in the recent Forces of Destiny series.  But enough about that.  Wicket is a terrific little figure, with a surprising amount of articulation, outstanding paint application, and a nice bunch of accessories.  My only complaint is that it’s a bit tricky for him to do a proper THWG with his spear.  You can accomplish this with the second hand barely holding the spear with his thumb and forefinger (which is actually 2/3 of his entire compliment of fingers).  It’s not a solid grip, but it works.  An outstanding effort by Hasbro.

This is the definitive Wicket figure.  No need to touch the mold at this point.  A possible re-release very far down the resurrected TVC line would be welcome, but it’s not a rush.  Wicket’s secondary market demand is decent, but not through the roof.  If you have any liking for Ewoks, pick this one up.  Maybe he can get re-issued in some kind of Endor multi-pack or battle pack set (please, Hasbro, do not reissue the heinous and nightmarish AT-ST), but no need for it to take up a basic carded repack slot for quite some time.

Updated Review: Bret - 9/14/20 07:05 AM

It’s great that Hasbro made this guy available again.  If you’ve read the above reviews from the past, you’ll see that Chris and I both agree this figure is outstanding.  There really wasn’t much to improve upon, but Hasbro gave it a shot.

Photoreal doesn’t seem to have nearly as dramatic an effect on non-human faces, but there’s definitely a difference in the overall application of paint to Wicket.  The face hasn’t really changed a whole lot, but the eyes are now a meshy silver, instead of black with the white reflection.  The teeth are not as pronounced, but the lips are painted a bit more tightly. 

But it’s not just the face.  Wicket might have received one of the biggest paint overhauls of the Photoreal figures released so far.  The fur is definitely better overall.  Instead of splotchy highlights, this time Hasbro applied more subtle washes that achieves a better depth effect.  The color choices even seem to do a slightly better job of hiding the joints.

Like the figure, the accessories are the same sculpts, but the coloring is definitely different on at least a few of them.  Nothing overly dramatic, but a side-by-side comparison shows off the differences.

Is it a better figure?  Slightly.  Each collector will have to decide if one is better than the other.  Personally, I prefer the fur on the new one, but the accessories from the original release.  Either way, it isn’t enough to move the dial on the score.  Frankly, it only had one direction to go anyway.  It stays a “perfect” 10.  This just seems to hammer home that there wasn’t really anything Hasbro could do to make a measurably better Wicket, even 10 years later.  It’s a testament to how great the figure is.  And now, you can score one for retail prices, and be able to display one wearing the ROTJ costume, and one wearing the Ewoks film costume.