Hasbro Star Wars Saga: Wampa (Ultra Figure) Review

One of the results of Hasbro's late 1990s takeover of Kenner Toys - perversely, the company whose Star Wars action figures nearly "killed" the Pawtucket, RI toymaker and its famous G.I. Joe line in the 1970s - was that its more modern design and manufacturing methods gave "old" Star Wars toys and collectibles a second lease on life after being absent from toy stores for a decade.

Take the Wampa, for instance.

Introduced in 1982 by Kenner as part of its The Empire Strikes Back collection, the toy replica of the yeti-like Wampa (also known as the Wampa Ice Creature) was a very conjectural depiction of the white-furred monster that attacks both Luke Skywalker and his Tauntaun (a domesticated snow-lizard) early on in Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

I say "very conjectural" because in the 1980 cut of the movie, both Irvin Kershner (the director) and George Lucas (the executive producer) had been so unhappy with the man-in-the-suit costume used during filming that they decided to not show the entire monster onscreen. Instead, they edited the sequence in the Wampa's lair so that the audience only sees a few parts (namely the arms) and lets its collective imagination fill in the blanks.

Because of this, the 1982 Wampa (which I happen to own) has extremely oversized arms and a somewhat interesting but unthreatening demeanor; its claws look dangerous enough, but its horned head and yeti-like face soften its mien way too much.

The one redeeming quality that the toy Wampa (also known later as "Hoth Wampa") possesses is that its hooked fingers are set so they can grip a small object securely.  Thus, if you had a Luke Skywalker (in Hoth Battle Gear) action figure, you could have the Wampa grab Luke by the ankle and "drag" him off to an imaginary "lair" in an equally imaginary "ice cave."

Wampa (Hoth Attack)

The bone-chilling cold is not the only danger that awaits a traveler on the Hoth plains. Despite standing over two meters in height, the Wampa ice creature is nonetheless a stealthy predator. Camouflaged by its white fur and the howling Hoth winds, a Wampa surprised Luke Skywalker while he was on patrol and dragged him to its cave as his next meal. When the Jedi freed himself, the Wampa fought him - and lost an arm in the struggle.  

 In 1997, almost 20 years after the premiere of Star Wars (a.k.a. Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope, Lucasfilm Limited and 20th Century Fox released an enhanced (and still controversial) Special Edition of the Star Wars Trilogy.

Not only did the theatrical release of the 20th Anniversary Special Edition re-issues introduce the Classic Trilogy to fans who had only seen it on home video before DVDs were introduced, but it also allowed Lucas to redo certain scenes which he felt were okay but didn't match his original vision.

One such "redo" involved the creation of a better Wampa man-in-the-suit costume and a forced-perspective set; the footage shot in the mid-1990s was then matched to the 1970s-era shots for 1980's The Empire Strikes Back . The result? Audiences got a better look at the yeti-like Wampa as it snacked on Luke Skywalker's poor tauntaun while Luke hung suspended by his ankles from the Wampa's ice cave ceiling on Hoth.

Of course, when Hasbro combined all its Star Wars figures into its 2002-2005 Saga collection, the company released a subset of action figures based on the Hoth sequences in Empire, including a redesigned version of the deadly Wampa.

The figure, which could have simply been a slightly updated version of the 1982 Wampa, is a totally all-new design, with a sculpt-and-paint job that makes it a close replica of the yeti-like creature seen in the 1997 Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back, complete with a hunk of raw tauntaun leg and an "ice cave" base that connects with that from the Luke Skywalker Hoth Attack action figure to recreate the scenes where the young would-be Jedi Knight escapes from the Wampa's lair.

While the "fur" detailing is done essentially in the same basic fashion as in the 1982 Wampa, the 2004 ultra figure (known officially as Wampa Hoth Attack (With Hoth Ice Cave) is now more realistic-looking.  The head and face now have more obvious "carnivore" traits, with such details as black lips, white teeth and drops of simulated blood on its white-yellow fur added on for good measure.

Gone, for instance, are the overly long limbs of the first iteration of Star Wars' version of the abominable snowman.  Instead, they are more proportionately correct, even though they do have wicked-looking paws with long claws.( Speaking of arms, the right one detaches at the shoulder to simulate the effects of Luke's lightsaber; this is sort of neat for kids who like recreating scenes from the films while playing, but the inevitable "reveal" of the joint's workings mar the illusion for, say, diorama purposes.)

Weapons and Accessories: 

• Hoth Cave
• Tauntaun Leg
• Removable Arm

Because Hasbro realized that most buyers of Star Wars figures are older kids and adult collectors (even though the age recommendation is Ages 4 and Up) , it added on lots of realistic detailing to get collectors to part with their money.

Not only does the figure come with a somewhat gross-looking chunk of freshly torn off tauntaun leg, when you examine the Wampa's facial fur, you'll see that he's not exactly a neat eater, as there are drops of blood matted onto the white-yellowish fur. (Yuck!)

The Hoth Cave base not only allows the Wampa to stand upright without toppling over, but when "mated" to the base of Luke Skywalker (Hoth Attack) action figure, it can be used to recreate the exciting sequence where Luke uses the Force to "grab" his out-of-reach lightsaber and use it to escape from the ice cave.

My Take:

Though the figures from the Hoth Attack sub-collection are probably available locally in comic book stores at ridiculously steep prices, the craftsmanship and detailing of this 2004 Wampa Hoth Attack (With Hoth Cave) ultra figure make it worth looking for on the Web, especially for collectors who really like the yeti-like creature from Empire. 

What I like is the fact that if you have the Luke Skywalker counterpart figure (and are willing to take both figures out of the packages), you can set both up to create a mini-diorama set in the Wampa's cave.  Given my reluctance to open most of my figures and the lack of display shelves in my house, it's not likely that I will do it, but it is still a pretty cool idea and there may be collectors who can and will do it.

As with all the Star Wars action figures, Hasbro recommends this toy for children 4 and up since the small parts pose a clear and present choking hazard, especially for children under 3 years.