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My very first Star Wars action figure was a 1978 Kenner Chewbacca figure (12 back) given to me by a childhood friend when I was somewhere between 6 and 7 years of age (1979 to 1980). I still have him today. At that point I hadn't even seen the first Star Wars movie but once the plot had been meticulously recounted to me and I was given this little Wookiee action figure I was already hooked. That young boy's generosity and that Kenner Chewbacca figure are still shaping my life over three decades later.

I can't remember which early Star Wars figure was the second that I owned, but the Kenner cantina figures, Ben Kenobi and Luke Farm Boy all followed shortly afterwards, as did Darth Vader and the Star Destroyer Commander.

Find Vintage Chewbacca action figure on eBay

What does Chewbacca carry in his satchel (His school work or his packed lunch perhaps)? Or, perhaps a Wookiee grooming kit? The contents of Chewie's man bag have never been explained.

One of the best features of this vintage Kenner Chewbacca action figure was the bowcaster with the arm clip. This is an absolute tour de force of an accessory. It's unique to Chewbacca and to my mind it has never really been improved upon. As an original feature of the first twelve figures issued the vintage bowcaster is really impressive and made Chewbacca one of the very few Star Wars action figures who didn't suffer from dropping his gun or rifle every time you tried to attach it.

It is notable that the original Kenner Chewbacca action figure only had four points of articulation, unlike most other bipedal humanoid figures (except the Imperial Stormtrooper and the Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear) up until the The Return of the Jedi Ewok figures) which had five. This was not to change until the Power of the Force II releases and the original Chewie action figure remained more robust because of this. I don't think anyone ever complained that you couldn't move his head, especially when the heads of the 1978 Han and Luke Farm Boy were so prone to becoming loose and wobbly.

Vintage Kenner Chewbacca Variants

a) Circle on foot Chewbacca

When this vintage Chewbacca action figure first arrived from a job lot on eBay I was quite confused by it. There is some speculation as to the provenance of this variant which you can read here on the Imperial Gunnery website: http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/t4000-loose-chewbacca-with-circle-on-feet-any-idea-what-he-might-be.

My copy of this Kenner Chewbacca action figure variant does share the faint whiff of plastic and also the very faint date stamp which some other of these action figures are supposed to have. My sense of smell is probably not to be trusted though.

b) Dark brown pouch Chewbacca

This Kenner Chewbacca figure also has what seems to be the somewhat rarer much darker nut-brown pouch.

c) Mixed Shades Chewbacca

This Kenner Chewbacca action figure has a distinctly different paint job on his torso than he does on his arms and legs.

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All Star Wars action figures, vehicles, collectibles and Star Wars toys shown on this website are the 3.75 inch scale and from my own private Star Wars collection unless otherwise stated. Where possible original vintage accessories have been used but in some instances I have placed Kenner Star Wars figures with either reproduction weapons and accessories or for Hasbro figures close approximations have been used. This is mostly the case for modern Star Wars lightsabers where the correct item can be very difficult to identify on some ocassions. Vintage Star Wars action figures are shown with their original weapon or accessory when I have them. When a vintage Kenner action figure is shown with an accessory which is not original I have tried to point this out where possible.

All of the Star Wars action figures shown were purchased second hand, usually incomplete, and in bulk. They have been reunited with their original weapons and accessories where we could get hold of them.

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