Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,755: Teebo (The Black Series 6-Inch)

TEEBO (Ewok)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Green Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9361
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #02 - Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: An Ewok scout, Teebo sounded the horn summoning the Ewoks to fight the Stormtroopers during the Battle of Endor. (Taken from Hasbro marketing materials.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Figures like Teebo are exciting reasons to keep collecting. Interestingly, he's a pretool - the stamp on his foot is the SKU for Paploo in the SDCC/PulseCon set, but he's got lots of good original (and shared) parts to make for a convincing take on the alien as he appears on screen. Teebo is shown with different costumes depending on the reference - one has a cowl around his neck, one doesn't - and while the 3 3/4-inch line covered both bases, this one picked a side. Harrumph. I would have liked both cowls given the figure's small size and full retail price, but even with that gripe it's still a remarkable piece of work.

The figure has most of what you could want - you get the axe, the spear from his first appearance with the Rebels, the horn on his bandolier, and even a little knife for the sheath on his other bandolier. The necklace is there, the hood with the dead animal looks slick, and there's a feather in his cap, too. It's the meaner style of Ewok face rather than the cuddlier, kinder Kenner faces we got after Chirpa and Logray back in the day, too. The fur is dark grey with darker grey stripes, and dagnabbit it's gorgeous.

I hope time proves me wrong, but I have to assume this is as good as these Ewok figures can get without finding a way to make fur or flocking that holds up over time. The rubbery feel of the fur sets Teebo apart from a lot of other figures - as does his lack of pants - so I'm pretty happy we a) got this figure and b) Hasbro took their time to get it right. It's something of a miracle that we got an Ewok in a non-anniversary year, or so it seems, particularly since the focus was on The Empire Strikes Back earlier in the season. I feel almost spoiled that we got two weapons, but for all I know Hasbro is tooling that other hood for another exclusive rerelease later. While short, the piece count seems comparable to full-size humans and aliens. If you like Ewoks I hope you run out to buy one, or more accurately, bought it when it came out a few months ago.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,755: November 26, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,754: Yoda (The Black Series 6-Inch)

YODA (Dagobah)
The Black Series 40th Anniversary 6-Inch Figure Deluxe 2-Pack
Item No.: No. E9642
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: D4
Includes: Cane, backpack, head, Luke figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: Commemorate the 40h Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back with Luke Skywalker & Yoda figures. At the urging of Obi-Wan, Yoda agreed to instruct Luke, developing his Jedi abilities. (Taken from the 2-pack box.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Yoda (Dagobah) is good, but it's not worth $20. The only corner Hasbro cut was foot peg holes, but part of the problem with multiple scales is you can see where we're being overcharged a bit - this is a super-articulated figure with an extra head, and it's 2 1/2-inches tall. Hasbro has a 3 3/4-inch assortment with super-articulated figures and similar quality for $12.99. $29.99 might have been too cheap for this set... but c'mon. This isn't a full $20 figure here.

Shorter than the previous Yoda (which had a snake and a lightsaber, this figure seems to be the full super-articulated ridiculousness. Knee joints, ankle joints, wrist joints, and two of the best head sculpts Yoda ever got make this a good figure. I can't deny that you look at it and it's impressive - but it's tiny, man. You got more stuff with Maz Kanata.

The tattered robes are pretty good, and the articulation works fairly well. I can't get a ton of great poses out of him - his body language seems more like the kid in the Yoda costume in E.T. - but he's ideally suited to fit in the blue backpack. Yoda slides right in, no fuss no muss, and in there you have no worries about making him look old, or sore, or hunched over.

As silly as it is to note, Yoda's hair looks great here, as do his eyes. The wrinkles all seem perfect, too. I am unsure if the green is the right shade - it seems too dark - but it still looks decent. He's the right height, he's just too freaking expensive for what you get. A 2-pack with R2-D2 for $30 would have been right on the money... but as it is, it's good, and the Luke he comes with is very good, so I won't talk you out of picking up the set. You can probably get bigger, better, or other Yoda figures, but for this particular line there's no better example of the Jedi master from this movie yet. Having said that, you still want the other one for the snake!

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,754: November 24, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,753: General Hux (Celebrate the Saga)

GENERAL HUX Redux, Redux
Celebrate the Saga The First Order - Unmarked Best Buy Exclusive
Item No.: No. F1415
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Includes: Mouse droid, pistol, also BB-9E, First Order Stormtrooper Officer, Flame Trooper, Captain Phasma
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2020
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: In the galaxy's unknown regions, former Imperial officers, nobles, and technologists plotted a return to power, building fleets and armies in secret. This movement became the First Order. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This may be the best damn thing I bought this year. And I didn't even want it when I placed the order. Before Hasbro finally broke my completism with the triple-threat of carbonized, holiday, and credit repaints all in a week I was ordering everything - including the Celebrate the Saga packs. It turns out this was a good move, because General Hux and other humans got that fancy hyperreal paint treatment and it was worth it. I'm not saying you should pay $30 for Hux and barely-changed reissues of troopers you already own... but have you seen how well they nailed Domhnall Gleeson's face?

Arguably one of the more interesting (if chaotic) characters in the sequel trilogy, Hux went from screaming space Nazi to decent comic villain to petty turncoat, making his arc arguably more interesting than most of our heroes. While he didn't necessarily grow as a person, you got to see his bluster for what it was, effectively making him a very Starscream-y villain. How appropriate! It would've been interesting to have him stick around as a post-trilogy villain in some future installment because as a true believer and someone who wanted to keep his job and power, he would be worth following. And if you didn't see The Rise of Skywalker yet and this somehow ruined it for you, you're welcome, just go watch the cartoons instead. Any cartoon. You'll be served better.

Anyway, this figure is a redeco of the 2017 The Last Jedi Hux. It was a big improvement in the facial area when compared to the 2015 figure, but this one does it better by giving him better eyes, better eyebrows, great hair, and painted lips. Under a macro lens it may not be perfect, but to my human eyes it's a remarkable advancement given his melon is about the size of a raisin. It amazes me that this is a mass-produced thing and not a bespoke redeco for a crazy person. The sharp cheekbones are perfectly sculpted, the scowl is just perfect, the hair is sharp, and the eyes are piercing. The First Logo symbol on his sleeve is sharp and has some red in it - that's impressive. The silver stripes on his cuffs are clean, the belt buckle is good, and the glossy boots? Also nice. You can slide off his coat if you like, and he has a nice blaster. When the coat is removed, the articulation is perfect - he can sit! Remember sitting? When I was a kid, everybody except Anakin and Amanaman could sit pretty well.

He also has a Mouse Droid, and it turned out well - rolling wheels, the whole bit. You might already have one of these, but now you can have another one. They're small, they're cool.

It's maddening that Hasbro says they're stopping the 5POA line, because they finally got it right. These sets give you a lot for your money - four full-size human figures and sometimes a fifth full-size (or pint-size) droid for $30 with the best-paint ever is a bargain. The last time Hux was sold, he was $8 - and didn't look this good. For an average of six bucks a figure, we can see we were probably overcharged for the last few movies what with their excessive accessories and useless ForceLink chips. This line could've been amazing. Hasbro's still got it, if they want to go for it, they can still impress the daylights out of me which I didn't think was going to be possible in the year where this amazing paint is glossed over and time is spent applying peppermint and cheer to troopers for some reason.

This is one of the best things Hasbro ever made as a 3 3/4-inch release. If I was making a book with the 100 best Star Wars figures of all time (publishers, call my agent) this one would make the cut. And I've reviewed enough of these things to know what constitutes "best."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Best Buy.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,753: November 19, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,752: Clone Trooper (Lieutenant, The Black Series 6-Inch)

CLONE TROOPER LIEUTENANT Phase I
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Red Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Packaging - Unmarked Walgreens Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9928
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Includes: Rifle, pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2020
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Throughout the Clone Wars, Clone Troopers fought the Battle Droids of the Separatists across the galaxy. They were loyal to their Jedi generals and the Supreme Chancellor. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Toy runs aren't really a thing this year, but I did stop in a Walgreens on the way to the post office only to find a Clone Trooper (Lieutenant) with a slightly damaged box. I didn't notice the damage in the store, but hey, I'm opening it anyway and anything I can do to limit the amount of time I spend around sick people nearer to flu season is good. The timing is strange, welcome, and annoying all at once. You see, Hasbro did its Phase I Clone a few years ago and gave us every color and rank except the blue lieutenant. Everybody had "clean" stripes... except the scuffed lieutenant. And right around the same time we got this figure, Hasbro revealed its all-new sculpt phase I body, which probably means all the ranked clones will get new figures too. It's annoying - but if you want to finish the set from before, now is the time to go do that.

While the green clone's colors are always off - even its white is weird! - the whites are pretty consistent in the rest of the crew. The stripe locations on the arms are a little different, but you might not notice that unless someone points it out to you. The blue seems a bit darker than the movie rendered armor, but closer to the action figures from the 2003-2005 era. Given the fact that the figure is, by design, an obsolete sculpt likely retiring here, I don't have a problem with this. If Hasbro is planning on giving us the revised Phase 1 sculpt later with a corrected stripe (and I have every reason to believe they would do this in the next 5-10 years) all I can say is that this is a perfectly good figure for right now, but by no means the definitive take on the design. It's weird to see a 2002 design in 2020 and say "well sure it's wrong but clearly Hasbro has plans to redo it anyway" but everything seems to indicate that reality is in the cards. I'd be more shocked if we didn't get a 2.0 later.

He's a fine addition to Rex's army, he's got 2 blasters and about 30 points of articulation, and he's theoretically available when you pick up your heating pads or anti-fungal whatever or cold medicine. Obviously if you're at-risk take care of yourself, but if there's a reason to be in a Walgreen's anyway you may as well get this figure in its unmarked exclusive box. I like a lot of the prequel designs, and this one seems to have aged well. And in this era of non-canon weird shiny/festive/muddied repaints, I'm thrilled to see a repaint of something from the movies I enjoyed that isn't just different enough to make me mad.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walgreens. Back in October.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,752: November 17, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,751: Jabba the Hutt (Barge pack-in, The Vintage Collection)

JABBA THE HUTT Barge Redeco
The Vintage Collection Sail Barge Pack-In
Item No.: No. E2596
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Barge, Yak Face, cannons
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $499.99
Availability: March 2019
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: Jabba Desilijic Tiure, more commonly referred to as Jabba the Hutt or simply Jabba, and formally styled as His Excellency Jabba Desilijic Tiure of Nal Hutta, Eminence of Tatooine, was a Hutt gangster and crime lord, as well as a member of the Grand Hutt Council, who operated and led a criminal empire from his palace on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine. (Taken from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Over the years there have been a bunch of Jabba the Hutt figures of varying levels of quality - but none of them are great. The 1983 Kenner one has less color and no drool, but has wonderful glassy eyes and a fun tail/head mechanism. I'm also very fond of The Clone Wars Jabba! Jabba Glob from Episode I is neat, the 2004 Saga Jabba had this nifty railing accessory, and the 2010 Jabba from Walmart ain't bad either - but now is extruding an oily residue and it's gross. Go check yours. I'll wait. (Bring a wet towel.)

This 2019 Jabba was packed in the Sail Barge, but it's a redeco of the 2015 Toys R Us exclusive one in the "Jabba's Rancor Pit" set. The deco on both of these isn't great. The nose and eyes of the 2015 version were off, and the drool looked bad. The 2019 version has a lot of great skin detail, but the eyes - I do not like the eyes. It's like someone traced them with a Sharpie. Bad eyes can give any figure a failing grade, and these aren't up to snuff - but if you can fix them somehow, it's still a great Jabba.

He has his tattoo/brand on his arm, the hands are bend-and-swivel, the head turns, and he can hold the microphone in the Barge. The arms move well in the folds of his neck, hiding the joints relatively well - the designers did a great job here. I love his sassy rubber face and how he can gesture pretty much any way I want. It's a pity he can't eat things, as his mouth is a harder material and can't flex open, but it's still very very good.

I invite Hasbro to re-release him with improved eyes, a throne, and Salacious Crumb one more time. I bet it'd sell in a Vintage box, and I'd happily buy another one if it was really improved. (Or if you want to bring back glassy 1983-style eyes, that's good too.) The magnificence of the sculpting and the paint work bring out his scar, his wrinkles, his weird octopus suction cups on his tail. There's no reason to reinvent the wheel here - Hasbro and their freelancers can do excellent work, it's just the factory came up short in the eye department and you're left with something that's maddeningly close to perfection - and something more fans will want. Have you seen the prices on that 3 3/4-inch scale The Black Series Rancor Pit set these days?

Confidential to everyone: one of my favorite scenes in The Clone Wars was seeing the Grand Hutt Council. More Hutts, please.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from HasLab.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,751: November 12, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,750: Jango Fett (Gaming Greats, The Black Series 6-Inch)

JANGO FETT (Star Wars: Bounty Hunter)
The Black Series Gamestop Exclusive Gaming Greats 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: No. E9995
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Helmet, backpack, pistols
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: September 2020
Appearances: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Bio: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter follows Jango Fett, the most fearsome bounty hunter in the galaxy, as he pursues an unhinged Dark Jedi named Komari Vosa. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: The second Jango Fett! Part of me thought buying another release of Jango Fett would be a waste - and we've been subject to so many repaints and reissues this year, it's starting to sting a bit - but I ordered anyway, and am glad I did. It's not much of an upgrade, but there are numerous improvements over the previous release which I am now realizing I never reviewed. Well, we'll correct that won't we? New Jango is based on the video game, which means it's a little different in a lot of ways. There's also some new tooling, which is important, as well as hooks which hint at upcoming accessories. It's worth noting he still has his dented helmet - as seen on Geonosis - as Hasbro didn't retool it (or notice the detail) from the costume before the duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Kamino.

With 29 points of articulation - not all of which add to the figure's range of motion - it's a gem. Bend-and-swivel wrists, smooth joints, an extra bicep swivel, rocker ankles, and just about anything you could reasonably consider from a mold a few years ago can be found here. He stands just fine, and the legs can swing forward far better than most 3 3/4-inch figures with holsters - it just works. Not perfectly, mind you, but it gets a great range of motion given the rubbery plastic in the way of the joints.

The helmet is the same as the previous release, with a slightly less shiny finish and the two stripes circling the helmet still missing. They didn't have them before, and they don't have it now - it's a shame, this was on most of the other Hasbro figures over the years. The blasters are similar, but the grips are a slightly different color. The backpack is completely new - there are holes in the bottom for flames, were any flames made, and I assume the design means those are coming later. It wouldn't surprise me to see this backpack used for a Boba Fett in the future, but it is a new tool - you can see there are some elements changed or missing when compared to Boba Fett's.

The figure's deco has been improved, with one exception. Sure, it's cleaner. Yes, it uses the purple body suit - which is probably closer to the game and movie. And yes, the Temura Morrison face has been improved significantly with far, far better eyebrows - but he's a bit glossier than the last one. Despite not necessarily being more authentic to the film, this figure does seem to be a better looking figure overall - the colors are nicer, it's a little less ambitious, and you get a better (but not perfect) head under the helmet. Also it's theoretically cheaper, but I assume that will come to an end as soon as this figure sells out. Get it while you can!

Collector's Notes: I got mine from GameStop.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,750: November 10, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,749: Clone Trooper (Kamino, The Black Series 6-Inch)

CLONE TROOPER (Kamino)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Yellow Star Wars: The Clone Wars Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9354
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Includes: Rifle, pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: The Republic Clone Troopers represented the future of galactic warfare. So symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflict that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: The Clone Wars. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Before I opened the Clone Trooper (Kamino) I didn't realize it was an all-new sculpt. This comes as a bit of a surprise - Hasbro never released any Revenge of the Sith rank-and-file individually - Amazon got the all-white trooper, and at work I got us the 501st/Shock Trooper/212th/442nd groups as an exclusive (which nobody bought at the time, and now sells north of $500, not that I'm bitter. It seems unnecessary to tool a new trooper - but I don't deny there are some improvements... and some non-improvements. What could have been a quick color change is instead a complete top-to-bottom makeover, which I assume means repaints are coming in force.

Starting at the head, we get an all-new helmet with a head glued inside. This future-proofs the figure and allows Hasbro to easily make removable helmet versions down the road with minimal remolding. This also looks wonky. When I got the box open I was asking myself it was misshapen - and it seems to be. The head stretched out the helmet in a weird, asymmetrical way that didn't happen with the older, solid helmet heads. The "face" is distorted a bit, and the t-visor doesn't merge into the also misshapen mouth area very well. The eyebrow black equator isn't on this revision of the armor, so it looks weird because of that, too. It's not the worst Clone helmet I've ever seen... is what I would like to say, but this is probably the worst one I've seen since their 2002 debut. From a distance, it looks just fine, but there's enough about it - like the various small stripes at what seem to be the wrong angle, with the wrong spacing - just turns me off. I hope there's a running change/improvement in an "Archive Series"-type release in the future.

The body deco is pretty solid - the stripes are thicker and placed a tiny bit different than on the show, but everything seems to be the right color and essentially looks fine. They're squeaky-clean, with the nifty squad marks on the shoulders. The thigh stripes are a little thicker than on the show, but I prefer the look of the Hasbro toy. Similarly, the arm stripes are thicker - and raised higher - but this seems to have been done to account for the new elbow articulation. Any lower, and they might get cut off on the back somewhere. The belt also matches nicely. All I can say here is that I have no legit complaints about the body deco, they did good.

While I would have been perfectly good existing tooling, Hasbro did a new one to show off its new "let's hide the joint pin" mentality. In that respect, this figure is perfect - you really can't see them! Everything is inset like the 3 3/4-inch figures, with things like thigh swivels nicely hidden by where the armor meets the body glove. I don't believe the figure has the motion where the shoulders can swing forward a bit, but mine might just be stuck - it looks like the parts there there, but they're not moving. The bend-and swivel wrists are great, as are the rocker ankles. The hips and shoulders have a good range of motion, and the ball-jointed waist joint seems to be a much more mobile area than previous releases. So what don't I like? The knees and elbows. They're jointed like the 3 3/4-inch guys, but the elements capping the knee and elbow are semi-floating pieces - they get in the way, and the color is a tiny bit off from the other white. I'd rather they be molded to the other pieces, as they sometimes get in the way and look like they contain thin plastic pieces that, if treated roughly, will snap over time like your old Dewback or Tauntaun reins.

The figure's weapons seem to be newer and a little different. The big long DC-15A blaster rifle is either a new mold, or has experienced shrinkage. It's incredibly close to the previous release, but sharper and the tiniest bit smaller. Without comparing them side by side, I don't think I'd realize they were different molds. The smaller DC-15A blaster carbine is also included, and I'm not crazy about it. The movie design has a couple of cables on the front end, while this one has something that looks like more of a nub. It's very close, but smaller than, the original smaller blaster's release for The Black Series.

I am smitten with the Entertainment Earth and Amazon exclusive Phase II clone armor - it's so shiny, with glossy black visors and exquisite paint damage. The Kamino Clone is a new mold that needs some work - the warped helmet, non-glossy armor, and weird knees and elbows (which have an excellent range of motion, minus the floating piece) make it interesting. But it's not my favorite. If Hasbro could just keep using the existing armor bodies I'd be pretty happy, but if they made a better helmet for future releases of this new mold I'd be happy with that, too. Weird elbows and knees aren't a huge deal, but a wonky helmet is the difference between "good figure" and "bad flea market bootleg Clome Tooper."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,749: November 5, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,748: The Mandalorian (Beskar Armor, The Black Series 6-Inch)

THE MANDALORIAN Beskar Armor
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Orange Star Wars: The Mandalorian Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9358
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Includes: Jetpack, pistol, rifle, cape
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: His body shielded by beskar armor, his face hidden behind a T-visored ask, and his past wrapped in mystery. No one is quite sure who this well-equipped stranger is. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This The Mandalorian is, like many figures in the wave, a retool. Last year's figure has been upgraded with a small number of new parts - there's a new jetpack, a new torso, new forearms, new shoulder armor... and paint. Lots of paint. The thigh guards seem to be pretty similar, with the left one being replaced and the right one seeming the same - but with more silver damage.

Articulation is largely unchanged, and the previous version was fine. Other figures had slightly better range of motion in the elbows, and Mando could really benefit from more motion due to his weapons and the action-packed nature of the streaming show. He still stands well, and there have been a couple of improvements - the arms seem to move a little more smoothly, and the hole in the back for mounting the rifle is a little less tight, no longer scraping off paint. That's a huge plus.

The pistol is shinier, with brighter silver paint and a lighter brown grip. The rifle is similarly brighter, although not significantly so. His cape is the same tool, but more grey - the last one was more brown.

This figure gives you a bit more, with the jet pack being the main new upgrade along with the retooled torso, which has a hole so you can mount it. Getting the cape off the figure is difficult, as the head in the helmet is incredibly tightly joined the body, so when I popped off the helmet it took the neck element along with it. I would say this amounts to excessive force, but at least you can get it on there. Once the cape is removed, the backpack fits perfectly through the use of three pegs and three slots on the figures back, with another slot in the bandolier getting sandwiched in the middle like some sort of meat puzzle sandwich. It's snug, and the form fit is right on the money. Hasbro did a good job here.

They seem to have skipped the meat of the first season's shiny new armor, which is easily distinguished my a lack of a mudhorn signet on the shoulder. That dates this 2020 figure as season finale/new season look, but that might be ideal depending on how long they keep this particular look on the show. It wouldn't surprise me to see constant changes over the run of the series, since Hasbro and Lucasfilm have shown that Boba Fett deco variants do extraordinarily well whenever they're introduced as toys. Demand for Mando hasn't been close to getting met yet, so hopefully this one will help people fill the void of a Mandalorian figure - and if the rumors are true, maybe there will be one with more swappable parts so fans can customize their preferred version. For now I can say that this is a very good figure, but if Hasbro could improve the range of motion or maybe give us shinier armor you'd have ample reason to buy yet another version of this character. For now, the new armor and jetpack are probably enough to warrant buying this one, even if you have the previous release.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,748: November 3, 2020