[Original Review by Chris 2/19/2014]

I really dig the Ewok subset.  I truly do.  I was on the warpath to get Wicket updated after we suffered for years with the gigantism inflicted POTF2 version.  Through multipacks, Special Action Figure sets and general releases, we’ve been treated to a bevy of Ewoks since Chief Chirpa burst onto the scene in 2006.  But we’re now getting to the point that I feel like the Christmas Card guy in the Twelve Pains of Christmas.  Uh, I don’t even know half these people.  These two Ewoks are named Chubbray and Stemzee.  Hasbro could have called these two particular Ewoks “Ishy” and “Scrappy” and I would have been none the wiser.

Chubbray is the little brown feller.  He’s based on the older Ewok mold and as such comes with 5 points of swivel articulation plus a sixth point of articulation at the ball jointed head.  Stimzee is based on the Logray sculpt (I think) and gets all the bells in whistles that come with it which includes ball jointed articulation at the head, shoulders, elbows, hips and ankles plus swivel articulation at the wrists and waist.  It’s an impressive articulation haul in such a small form factor.  Again, as is the case with most Ewoks, these are essentially repaints and lesser known characters.  I’m not even sure if they appear on film and I’m too lazy to research that point right now.  You got the names.  Google is only a click away.  I can’t keep spoon feeding you.

So the Ewoks will just help flesh out your Ewok display.  They’re not the cornerstone of any memorable Return of the Jedi scene.  The real star of this set is the catapult environment piece.  It’s very nicely detailed and it will blend in with any Endor display.  As a toy, the launching feature fizzles as it relies entirely on the innate springiness of the plastic arm.  So you’re basically bending the arm out of shape and releasing that energy to launch the rubber stone.  I’m not chemistry major, but I think it’s safe to say that if used too much, the plastic will eventually fatigue.  So that basically leaves its display value as the reason to purchase it.  Again it will blend it, but that’s the problem.  It’s a catapult.  It just blends in.  It’s not going to be the centerpiece of any display.  I’d much rather pay 5 times this and get the Ewok Village in glorious Vintage Collection packaging. 

I’m glad I own it, but if you pick and choose your items, I feel this is an easy pass. Another 6 out of 10.  If this set came with the originally shown “dalmatian” Ewok, it would be a more compelling purchase. 

[Updated Review by Bret 12/8/2024]

While sifting through my collection I realized that I had this TVC 1.0 gem unopened.  Our original review was still in the old photography format with a different background, size, and quality, so I decided it would be a good time for updating it.  So here we are.

Our good friend John Miko from the TVC Facebook Group recently mentioned this product in an editorial he wrote here at Banthaskull a few months ago.  He referenced some slides that were shown at SDCC2013 when this product was first revealed.  For whatever reason, the two ewoks that were shown were switched out and two different ones were released.  One of them (or one very similar) was released with the VC Ewok Scouts set, and named Wonka.  The other, more interesting looking one with the “Dalmatian” spots, was named Brethrupp, and was never released.  There was never much of an explanation given for this last minute switch, so Brethrupp remains elusive and a member of the fairly small number of 3.75” figures that were announced/revealed, but never released.

The figures that did come with this set are named Chubbray and Stemzee.  Both can be spotted in the film at various points.  Chubbray, according to Wookieepedia, is in several shots, although the only time I can definitely find him is with the catapult, so that works out well.  Chubbray uses an older Ewok sculpt, as Chris mentioned above, which dates back to the TAC 30-43 Romba and Graak 2-pack.  As such, the figure has swivel hips, and, like 2024’s 8D8, no elbows.  He does have a different headsculpt, though, which also is recycled.  Chubbray comes with a spear and a removable hood.  The hood doesn’t fit great, it’s a little loose around the face.  It’s not a bad sculpt, just not the best one available at the time.  One neat detail is that there is a light wash over the fur on the torso piece, although not on any of the other parts.  It does add a little depth to the coloring, and is a nice detail while reminding of us of what TVC should continue to do today. 

Stemzee has a bit of an interesting history as a character.  It seems that someone - whether it was Hasbro, LFL, or “the internet”, confused Stemzee with the Ewok “Nho’Apakk.”  At the time we did our review of the TLC BD18 Ewok 2-pack, I had believed that one of the unnamed Ewoks was Nho’Apakk (the other being Paploo), and that he was the one manning the catapult and holding a clapboard in the well known behind-the scenes shot.  That has since been rectified (I think), and Nho’Apakk is now a completely different Ewok that is barely on screen, while Stemzee is the one by the catapult and holding the clapboard.  If Hasbro had any sense of humor, they would have included a clapboard accessory.  Also of note, that 2009 Nho’Apakk figure reused the 2007 Graak sculpt, making things just a little more confusing (for me to write this review).

Stemzee is the trigger man, pulling the rope to launch the boulder from the catapult, while Chubbray stands behind him and helps brace Stemzee’s backward momentum after the rope releases the projectile towards the Imperial AT-ST.  I believe this same action is shown at least twice, from different angles, in the sequence where it looks like multiple catapults are used.  For the Stemzee figure, Hasbro re-used a much better sculpt.  Again, as Chris points out, it was from the VC55 Logray figure.  This one has ball jointed elbows and hips, unlike the Chubbray sculpt.  It makes sense that Hasbro used two difference Ewok sculpts for this set.  I don’t recall if there was a better alternative for Chubbray available at the time, but in the end, this was 2013-ish, so whatever.

The catapult, which is the centerpiece of the pack, is a nice looking item that seems to be pretty accurate to the one on screen, perhaps a bit on the small size.  It’s really nice, with great detailing, and some paint washes that give the tree bark some depth.  There is no traditional play feature here.  As Chris explains above in the original review, it seems to rely on the flexibility and springiness of the catapult arm.  In its natural state, the arm is straight.  But you can bend it backward by reeling in the little string which is tied to the rotating axle.  You can actually lock the axle into place, holding the arm back.  The included boulders attach to the launcher basket via a peg/hole connection.  It is meant to be loose, so that when you release the tension, it will fly forward.  Not surprisingly, the effectiveness of this as a launching mechanism is dubious, at best.  I tried 3 times, and got the following results: 1) Roll down the arm, 2) Roll down the arm, and 3) go airborne and land less than 4 inches from the catapult.  No AT-ST’s were injured during this test.  The rocks themselves are made of a somewhat spongey plastic, kind of like a very hard nerf.  The material and the launching mechanism make for it to be unlikely that you shoot your eye out, which I assume was the point.  Anyway, as I loathe most action features, I’m happy that the thing looks great, and isn’t hampered aesthetically with a spring loaded mechanism.

The set was one of the last items released in TVC packaging before the Dark Times, and while the figure line was already transforming to horribleness.  Also, it was a Kmart exclusive, a store that is unbelievably only mostly dead.  I think Chris was tough on this set giving it a 6, even back in 2014 when he reviewed it.  I’d give Chubbray a 6, Stimzee an 8, and the catapult a 7.  Overall, I’ll give increase it to a 7.