Toy Review: Diamond Select Star Wars Chewbacca and Stormtrooper

Do you need to start collecting another scale of Star Wars figures? Maybe not. But for anyone who’d like Star Wars characters in scale with NECA and McFarlane characters, or other Diamond Select lines like Lord of the Rings, it’s a perfect line, even if it seems a little more costly than most for being exclusive. Diamond kicked off the line with Darth Maul and Boba Fett; the latest two span a couple of different franchise eras. Presenting Chewbacca and Stormtrooper.

Diamond’s ShopDisney line essentially succeeds the diecast metal Disney Store exclusive line also in the 7-inch scale. It’s a definite improvement. Those figures made for fun illusions, but poseability was never so great, even though the sculpts looked mightily impressive for metal. Diamond’s boxes look considerably bigger, but looking closely one can see the two Chewies stand about the same height.

Diamond’s Chewbacca comes with two signature weapons and two bandoliers. Thus, he can appear in either his original trilogy gear, or his Solo appearance. The latter actually works much better — the dual bandoliers fit snugly on him as opposed to slipping off his shoulder constantly, and his arms more easily pose to hold the shotgun blaster than the bowcaster.

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For the classic look, try to tuck the bandolier between his head and shoulder. It may not stay, but it holds in the moment.

For the sake of keeping his torso unbroken, Chewie doesn’t have any real torso articulation. Hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows are limited disc-and-pin ball joints, as are his outer wrists, with additional cut joints on the hands inside the “cuffs.” Neck is a limited ball joint. It’s less than the Black Series version. The Stormtrooper, however, has a waist joint that many Black Series versions don’t have, and inner-upper-thigh and upper arm cut joints. The philosophy seems to be what works with the sculpt — if a joint would break up Chewie’s fur, it’s omitted.

The Trooper comes with alternate hands. Two allow for a hands-up/reeling pose, while the others include short trigger finger hands for his smaller guns, and one wider trigger hand for his rifle. His accessories include a Mouse Droid (no rolling wheels), small pistol, standard blaster and long rifle.

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A red laser effect plugs into the standard blaster — it does not immediately do so with the others, but with some heating, probably could. Said blaster also stashes in his holster, but it’s a tight fit, and won’t go easily in and out.

The effect also plugs into Chewbacca’s weapons, but on the bowcaster, it only goes at a downward angle.

It’s better on the shotgun — as is Chewie with it. Posing his hands to hold the bowcaster is a trick, but they handle the shotgun better.

The detail level on these is great, but they’re designed more to look good in a chosen, custom pose than be super playable. And the $34.99 price, which is $10 more than Diamond’s Lord of the Rings figures, in the same scale and with more accessories, is rough. But that’s the price of ShopDisney exclusivity — and actually, right now as of this writing, the Stormtrooper is down to $23.98 and part of a buy two, get one free deal. So if you want to army build, do that now. The previously released Boba Fett figure is also now available repackaged in the new box/clamshell tray. At the new price, of course.

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Take a look through the gallery below for more. Do new 7-inch Star Wars figures float your boat? Let us know in comments.

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