Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,795: Din Djarin (The Black Series 6-Inch)

DIN DJARIN (The Mandalorian and the Child)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Orange Star Wars: The Mandalorian Packaging - Target Exclusive
Item No.: No. F0874
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #05 - Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Includes: Jetpack, pistol, rifle, cape, Beskar ingots (5), pram, lid, Grogu, tracking fob
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $34.99
Availability: November 2020
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: The Mandalorian as a battle-worn and tight-lipped, a formidable bounty hunter in an increasingly dangerous galaxy who finds a mysterious alien pursued by bounty hunters on behalf of Imperial interests. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I missed out on Din Djarin and had to call in a favor to get mine much later - and it's pretty good! It's the same figure as The Mandalorian [FOTD #2,748] but with more accessories and a retooled head under a removable helmet. It doesn't fix other quirks - a cloth cape would'e been nice, and the kid doesn't have jointed arms - so it's probably not "worth the money," as it were. But it completely sold out and it's impossible to get, which sort of shows the changing nature of this business - right now the character of Din Djarin is so popular, it doesn't matter. The basic figures are so underserved that Hasbro can pump out more of the same figure, or barely changed figure, or a slight redeco, and it doesn't matter if completists want it or not - there are hundreds of thousands of fans who would likely buy one if only they ever saw one in a store.

The figure's body, rifle, pistol, jetpack, and cape aren't different enough to warrant comment. If it weren't for the head or the new SKU/Date stamps on the foot, I wouldn't consider this a new release. The single, non-exclusive figure has a slug head glued to a now non-removable helmet, while this one has a Pedro Pascal head pushing up against a slightly too-small helmet. My sample had a helmet with a protrusion where his nose sits, and his nose may have been pushed in the tiniest bit. The face is dynamite, expressive, and captures much of the features on his noggin. The mustache isn't quite perfect, but it looks like it would be difficult to replicate - so I don't knock it. The hair seems a little off-color, but depending on the referene photographs you look at it might be perfectl fine. I hated how the hair looked in publicity photos, but in my hands I don't have a problem with it.

As mentioned above, the helmet is a tight fit and I would probably say you're better off displaying with it in his hands or on the shelf - the bump just plain doesn't look good. If you have the previous version of the figure it's not a huge deal, but if this is the only one you have it's somewhat disappointing that the face/helmet fit was anything less than perfect. Given the significant upcharge ($15 extra) it would've been nice to not have to nitpick things like the nose being smooshed in the helmet (although, I have the same problem with Hasbro's The Black Series prop helmets and my own nose) or the lack of a cloth cape to hang off to the side of the rocket pack. This means there's ample reason for Hasbro to try again, unfortunately.

Additional gear include five beskar ingots with no storage container, so you'll either lose them or store them in the pram. The rifle and pistol store on the figure perfectly fine - or at least just as well as before - as does the backpack. One of the more compelling accessories is the first-ever Hasbro tracking fob, and he can hold it just fine. It's a pretty good gift set, but given that you're paying for nearly two full-size figures and not getting anywhere near that much stuff, this is a tough pill to swallow. (Also we'll review the kid and his pram next week.)

As a gift set, this is great - you get a lot of stuff in here and for $35, it's cheaper than the secondary market going rates for these two characters. You could get this Mando and skip the previous version and not feel like you're missing anything, other than the issue with Pedro's nose rubbing the inside of the helmet. It's all here, it's just as good, and you get a little more. While I would've loved to have had the beskar container, I don't work in their approval or budgeting department so I don't know why we got five card-sized metal blocks that aren't really any fun and serve no purpose other than "easily lost extra." But the fob, the kid, the pram, and the unmasked head? This thing could probably be run several more times and sell out. I've yet to see it in the stores myself, so what I think doesn't really matter. The market has spoken, and they love it. And they're right to love it - but if Mando had shinier armor or a cloth cape, this would've been the best thing ever. Instead, it's just pretty good and enough new stuff comes in the box - like the head - to make you not feel like a putz for giving Hasbro and Target another $35. If you luck into it, you may as well buy it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine my pal Scott since Target was always out. Thank you Scott!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,795: April 1, 2021