Say what you like about the Ewoks, but they helped topple the Empire, used the discarded helmets of their foe as drums and nearly straight up cooked and ate Luke and Han if not for the god-like allure of C-3PO. Plus, before George Lucas’ tinkering, they sang a catchy tune at the end of Return of the Jedi. Now the furry fiends have inspired the latest buildable Star Wars character. In particular, Wicket, the inquisitive Ewok we first met in the third Star Wars film. Here’s an early look at the Wicket the Ewok buildable character set.
Product Details
Set Name: Wicket the Ewok | Set Number: 75430 | Pieces: 1010 | Theme: Star Wars
Number of Bags: Bags x 4 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: Wicket W. Warrick
RRP: £109.99/129.99€/$119.99/199.99AUD/149.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO Retailers
Being based on a space-spanning story, it’s unsurprising that LEGO Star Wars sets lean more towards starships and other such vehicles. But even in the early days of the theme, attempts have been made to create builds inspired by Star Wars’ cast of characters. Those early sets were shocking compared to what we are treated to now. This is the first time the Ewoks have inspired a buildable character, but it does share similar traits with the buildable Wookie, Chewbacca.
As Ewoks are on the smaller side, the build does require a complex core. But it does still have a core section, but it’s used more as a surface to add the exterior detail instead of forming the inner workings of a mechanical function. This becomes the point upon which Wicket’s legs and arms are connected.
The head is a slightly different story; this is crafted from several different sections. The back of the hooded head is built onto the core section, but the other details are built separately and connected around it. The hood is particularly unusual as it has to look organic and sits over the head section, keeping the face part in place. I do love Wicket’s little ear poking through the top.
The use of elements and the way they are layered do help to give Wicket a natural appearance. Replicating fur is tricky with blocky elements, but thanks to the use of bows and rocky plates, LEGO Wicket does look rather cuddly, although I wouldn’t recommend it.
Wicket includes two accessories: his pointy stick, perfect for jabbing wayward princesses with and a treat. The stick can be fixed in Wicket’s hand, and the arm holding it is positioned in such a way that it looks odd with the stick connected, although it can be easily removed. The treat is simply a white circular tile. A similar-looking treat is offered by Leia to Wicket during their first meeting. It’s quite difficult to get Wicket to hold it.
A tradition for the Star Wars buildable characters is the addition of a display plaque. This originated with the UCS sets and offers a large printed tile that shows details of the character, as well as serving as a perch for the set’s minifigure. Who, unsurprisingly, is Wicket. It’s not an exclusive version of the character, but it’s a nice addition to the overall set, offering a level of consistency across the different sets.
The LEGO Star Wars theme continues to explore new types of sets. No matter what they are, they are instantly picked apart by so-called ‘fans’. That’s not to say people can’t criticise sets, but it seems the LEGO Star Wars Design team can do nothing right, which I do not agree with. Buildable characters, in particular, gain a large amount of irk. Natural characters are always a little trickier to recreate with LEGO bricks. But I quite like them, they have a unique charm about them and make a change from the usual grey spaceship and vehicles. I do think the Star Wars theme has an increasingly awkward pricing issue. Wicket is a detailed build, but it doesn’t feel like it warrants its RRP. However, this is the best non-Droid buildable character to date, so much so that I’d love to see more Ewoks in this style. The Wicket the Ewok set launches August 1st and can be pre-order now.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
