Review of Princess Leia and Wicket
Star Wars Sixth Scale Action Figures

Introduction

I hate Ewoks. When ROTJ came out, I was in college. It was painfully obvious that the creepy little furballs served one purpose - selling toys. Ugh.  However, when Hot Toys announced the Leia/Wicket two pack, I jumped on it. Hey, I might hate them, but no Star Wars display is complete without them either. And yes, if they announced a Jar-Jar, I'd buy that too.

This set is expensive, running around $420 at most retailers. You can also pick up just the Wicket for around $200, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
There's nothing particularly unique here, but the collector friendly packaging is attractive and well made.  There's some basic instructions, and the double set of plastic trays keep everything safe and sound. I also like the new cigar band label on the front that they've used the last few releases.

Sculpting - ****
Let's get this out there right up front - this is the same Leia portrait that we saw with the Bespin release just a few months ago. I gave that portrait a ***1/2, saying it's tremendously realistic and life-like, but wasn't their best Leia in terms of accuracy. So why the change?

Because of the hair. Whomever came up with the idea to pop off the braids and create a 'hair cap' to mimic her style on Endor, you get a gold star. It's genius on multiple levels - they get to re-use the earlier head sculpt, it looks flawless, and by making it removable you can also put the helmet on! It's as beautiful overall as earlier, but this innovative use of the hair piece sets it apart.

Wicket doesn't have a lot of face - he's mostly fur, after all. You can see the eyes, lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes...when he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living...okay, so that's the description of a different sort of killing machine, but I think it applies here as well.

But it's his fur that really sets the bar. Yes, I know he looks a bit like a tiny stuffed animal - that's what the entire Ewok design was based on. The whole point of these creepy little bastards was to sell stuffed animals to kids. I hated them then, I hate them now, but I can't possibly complain when Hot Toys nailed the look perfectly in sixth scale. I'll talk more about the fur in the Outfit section, because technically, that's what it is. It's a fur suit over a tiny body. But it's worth noting here that the quality of the work, the hidden seams, and the slightly scruffy yet quite realistic appearance go a long way to boosting the more traditional 'sculpting' score as well. It's also worth noting that they did a very nice job on the little bit of the feet and hands - especially the nails - that are exposed.

Leia comes in at about 10 1/2" tall, while Wicket is about 6" tall.

Paint - ****
As with the sculpting, there's not a ton of paint work with Wicket. The dark skin seems screen accurate, but I do wish they'd lightened the teeth just a smidge more so they were a bit easier to see. It would added a subtle pop to the rather plain face. The paint on the hands and feet is good, and the accessories are excellent, especially the worn helmets. I do wish he was a bit more weathered and dirty, but it's a minor nit.

Leia is where the paint really shines, but that should be no surprise. The skin tone is excellent, with just the right amount of make up on the eyes and lips. The hairline is subtle, with a gradual transition in color from the hair to the forehead.

The work on all the rest of her accessories is decent as well, although she doesn't have quite as many colorful extras as Wicket. The wear and aging on the helmet is perhaps the best work here.

Articulation - Leia ****; Wicket ***1/2
Leia has all the excellent articulation you expect out of a TrueType body. The ball neck has lots of tilt and lean, even with the skin that covers the upper body. This skin does not go down over the arms, so the elbows are visible, but these are the less obtrusive designed double joint, and the slightly longer sleeves help hide them.

The torso can lean and tilt too, even with the aforementioned skin, but it's still slightly restricted. The hips, knees, and ankles can manage just about any natural pose.  The soft boots allow for good mobility in the ankles, helping a lot in deeper poses.

Wicket was quite a bit surprise for me. He's a pudgy little BooBoo wannabe, so I figured he'd have little in the way of articulation. I was very wrong. He has most all the same joints as a full sized sixth scale figure, and while his round little torso does eliminate the chance for more extreme stances, he can take some very natural, realistic poses.

The head is particularly good, with lots of turn, lean, ant tilt action. The hood doesn't do much to interfere, and that's a big plus. The arms and legs are stubby, but within the confines of the design, work well. The hands swap easily, but be careful about pulling out any fur on the suit.

It's also worth mentioning in this section the wire in Leia's poncho, which allows you to create some dynamic looks, or to simply add some straight flow in relaxed poses.

Accessories - ***1/2
Considering the price tag, neither figure is as heavily outfitted with goodies as you might expect.

There's extra hands, of course. Leia has four to go with the open set she comes wearing, each in a slightly different grip.  Wicket comes with four as well, and also comes wearing a set of relaxed hands. These extra four have varying grips, and one is holding a snack. The hands swap easily, but when pulling them off, try to avoid squeezing the fur on the arms. You could tear little bits off.

Leia has her blaster, which fits neatly in a holster on her belt. There's also her watch, which you an easily put on her right arm. Just remember it's there when you're swapping hands to avoid losing it.

Wicket has his deadly spear, as well as a set of drum sticks. You can pose him with these drum sticks, playing the helmets, thanks to an included Stormtrooper and Death Star Trooper helmet! Both of these are hollow, as the helmet should be, and nicely weathered.

Both figures come with a base and support, each with a sticker showing a green woodland floor. Perhaps the nicest extra are three chunks of sculpted ground with ferns, designed to sit on the corners of these bases and add a bit of a diorama feel.

Outfit - ****
Leia is wearing her soft leather boots, tight pants, shirt, and vest. She also comes with a great poncho, and the helmet we discussed earlier.

The tailoring is excellent, and the fit on the pants, boots, shirt and vest is excellent. All the materials are top notch, as is the quality of stitching and assembly. The belt looks great, although the holster is a bit cheap. The two smaller packs are good, and I love that they used some Velcro to hold the belt in place at the front. The belt can be worn over the front of the poncho, and slides inside two slits in the cloth. Either in the helmet and poncho, or without either, Leia looks terrific.

While it might seem like the only 'outfit' Wicket is wearing is his hood, the fur is a suit as well. And it looks amazing!  It fits tightly, with very full, tight coverage of hair. The seams between the joints are well hidden, and the coloration is great.  The hood looks nice as well, with appropriate seams and a good fit.

Fun Factor - ****
While they are fun on their own, together - or with a Biker Scout or two - these are even more fun to pose and re-pose. I put Leia on a speeder bike for the last photo, and I can think of a number of great ways to include these with the Biker Scouts.

Value - **
This set is really expensive, coming in at over $400. Just Wicket, who is available by himself, will cost you $200. Normally, I'd hit them harder here, but I have to take into consideration the cost of creating this fancy fur suit.

Things to Watch Out For -
There are a few things to take into consideration here. The Leia head has the tiny, soft rubber hair strands hanging down in front of the ears. They look great, but you should take care when popping the helmet on and off.

You should also take care of the fur around the wrists when swapping the hands. If you accidentally grab the fur on the arm when pulling off a hand, you could tear out some bits.

Overall - ****
I haven't picked up a lot of Hot Toys Star Wars figures in the last 12 months, but I'm really glad I grabbed these. The potential for various displays and dioramas is great, and as much as I hate Ewoks, I'm hoping they produce more.  I don't think I could give a better recommendation than that!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - Leia ****; Wicket ***1/2
Articulation - Leia ****; Wicket ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
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Other recent Hot Toys Star Wars releases include Director Krennic and Bespin Leia.

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