THE MANDALORIAN (Glavis Ringworld)
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look The Book of Boba Fett Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F9985
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #08 - Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Includes: Cloth cape, Darksaber, jetpack, blaster pistol, knife
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Bio: After entrusting Luke Skywalker with Grogu’s care, The Mandalorian--known to few as Din Djarin--sets off to learn more about the origins of his people. (Taken from the box packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
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Commentary: If we didn't already know that under his helmet,
The Mandalorian (Glavis Ringworld) was Din Djarin, we'd probably be joking that it's Theseus. Since 2019 we saw Hasbro follow the lead of Disney, releasing figures that follow the evolution of the character's costume on the show. Every few episodes we might see a new element added to his costume with something else traded out, leading to potentially endless changes in the evolution of the costume between now and when the series finally is deemed unprofitable by shareholders. I was really surprised they updated his cobbled-together costume to a full blinged-out Beskar suit on the show so quickly, but it makes sense for a variety of reasons - not the least of which being the maintenance of the costume on the show. Did something get stained? Work it in the script.
If you have earlier releases that you're happy with, you probably don't want to buy another one - unless you need a cloth cape, as that's something that this release does particularly well. As of now this is probably the "final form" for the character until the movie comes out, if the movie comes out, and/or if he gets a significant makeover. (I'm surprised the powers that be have resisted the allure of painting him a new color.) Since most of the "full Beskar" suits are very similar, in the box or on a shelf you won't notice a big difference from previous releases. The boot-knife and knee joints, though, provide new elements that change up how the figure functions and that tends to be the kind of thing that makes me say this is worth a look even though it's not a new figure.
This figure looks very similar to previous releases, but the most obvious improvements to me are neat enough to warrant yet another purchase. Or perhaps selling your old version(s) for the new one, because he now has the modern-style knees rather than the old butterfly joints, and a stretchy cloth cape that hangs quite nicely off his back. You also get a great jetpack with places to mount flames in the jets, a Darksaber with removable blade and a hook to hang on the back of his belt, and a blade that fits smoothly in his boot. A character like this is no doubt a dream for all parties involved, given you can keep his helmet on and replace the actor, endlessly tweak the costume, and sell revisions of the figure ad infinitum.
I had no problems getting the figure standing or holding his gear, but the cape does kind of get in the way with the jet pack - you can move it, of course, and it feels surprisingly great. The materials used are all quite nice, as the helmet doesn't give a hint at a nose in the head slug under the helmet, the droid thigh guard has unique decoration and scuffs, and the blue on his knee and hips looks just a smidgen more saturated than other releases. It's by no means perfect, but there's a limit to how good a figure can be before the price tag shoots through the roof - and Hasbro keeps getting closer and closer to perfect with most new releases. The new legs are great, the arms pose quite nicely with the blade, and he seems to be generally better than the other Mando figures I've bought. I have no doubt Hasbro will find other ways to gradually improve the character with a future release, but I don't know what that is - short of charging more and putting more stuff in the box.
If you see this one for $25 or less, and you don't balk at paying $25 for a good figure, get this one. I'm not saying to buy every version of the character, but this may well be the best one until they replace the Darksaber with another new accessory during his next appearance.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,138: May 30, 2024
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