Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,183: The Mandalorian (Arvala-7, The Vintage Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN (Arvala-7) & Blurrg
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0302
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Cape, pistol, Amban phase-pulse rifle, Blurrg
Action Feature: Holster holds pistol, bandolier holds rifle
Retail: $39.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: With help of the Ugnaught vapor farmer Kuiil, The Mandalorian learns how to tame and ride a blurrg on the desert planet Arvala-7.. (Taken from The Mandalorian figure's cardback inside this set's box.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

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Commentary: Expectations can be a problem when you're dealing with collectors. Since we got a few price increases - a The Vintage Collection figure today is four whole dollars higher than when this character made his debut - we expect improvements. The Mandalorian (Arvala-7) is another proud entry in the "Just Different Enough to Make You Mad" hall of fame, in that the toy's functionality was improved, but his deco was not. It's also somewhat essential, given that the one-silver-shoulder look was only very briefly on the series and as such, armor completists will likely pick it up. It's very similar to the 2020 The Mandalorian [FOTD #2,680], which was actually quite exciting at the time. It's funny to look back at the review and see my complaints of "Hasbro doesn't make a lot of new 3 3/4-inch figures" and here we are, 4 1/2 years later, and Hasbro still doesn't make a lot of new 3 3/4-inch figures. This one is a pack-in pilot, though, so I guess we're allowed to look at it with cost-cutting. And boy howdy did Hasbro cut some costs here.

The good: Hasbro took a colorful costume and brought it back, with improved hip joints for greater mobility. To get this guy to sit on the Blurrg, you need hips that can go sideways - which the original can do, but the 2024 figure can do better. There is a functionally good - but annoying - hip joint that Hasbro had been using in the back half of the 201Xes, which got upgraded to a much smoother ball-and-socket joint a couple of years ago - and this new Mando has it! That's good, because you don't have to do as much careful positioning of the legs to get him on the Blurrg figure. You still need to move around the knees and all, but in the end you can make it look like he's sitting back there and it's not a big hassle. The figure's overall functionality is similar to the 2020 figure, as he can holster his weapons and be posed nicely. A new cloth cape also looks very good, and was a great upgrade for a "driver" figure like this. When it comes to using an old mold with just enough tweaks to make it work for this specific purpose, Hasbro did a good job. No notes. It would be foolish to do an all-new figure since the original was nice.

I don't like the deco, though. (I know, I know, it's always something with me, I'm sorry.) The 2020 figure's coloring is a bit more saturated, with bluer blues, tanner tans, and browner browns. Accurate or not, it just looks snappy. The new one is more muted, but also loses a lot of the character - the rusty dirt on the helmet is gone. Hasbro left out all of the silver "damage" on the chest, left shoulder, and left thigh as well as the damaged bits they forgot to paint the first time. If this were a single-carded figure, at $16.99 I would rate it a disappointing downgrade from the original. However, it's not - you get this carded figure packed in with a Blurrg figure and he's really hefty and pretty good. The entire package is arguably worth the asking price, especially if you love the show, adore creatures, and need every last Mando variant. His Beskar left pauldron is what makes this particular The Vintage Collection figure unique. I hesitate to call it a "must-buy" for that reason alone, because it's such a minor tweak, but I admit I've been wanting it since it was a good character moment. Confidential to Hasbro: since you guys reuse and reissue figures with minor (and annoying) changes anyway, if/when you put this guy out again for a 10th anniversary or something, please give him the silver battle-damage. Please and thank you.

Toy budgets are a tight thing - you can't get everything, and those pennies go somewhere. With this specific toy I think Hasbro got it wrong - the money used to make carded packaging (and extra cardboard to protect said cardboard packaging) was a waste, especially on a closed-box figure. Hasbro should have pocketed the money, spent a couple of cents per figure on the silver paint, and carded this guy as a separate release down the road because it really is an excellent sculpt with lots of places that could benefit from the added decoration. I may be too picky here, but after four years I want either a cheaper figure or a better figure, and this is arguably neither. The improved legs makes it a sideways move, as neither is completely superior, but I would favor the 2020 figure as something I just have standing on a display. This 2024 Mando is, of course, better as a beast rider and I'm sure it is frustrating to hear me say "and who cares, I wanted the Blurrg so I was going to buy it anyway." It's just when you have a format that's priced as a premium product, I know it can't be perfect but it would be nice to see it be just slightly better than the previous release.

That's where expectations come in. If Hasbro made this in a "kid line," or Retro, all bets are off - 5 joints and a trapdoor Blurrg? Sure, that's fine, it's a kid toy at a lower price so a toymaker can take some shortcuts and I'll say "it's fine, because it's a toy, and priced like a toy." Thi is $40. And because I am a fanatic, I think this set is arguably worth the $40 just for the creature - but I would really to get back to a product that doesn't make me have to make charts and graphs to determine if what I got was worth the money. When I buy an $8 Epic Hero Series figure, I'm immediately charmed. With The Vintage Collection (especially with remakes) I have to go back to the well, compare them, take notes, and really ask if what I have is the same, or better, or if it's missing anything. With the new cape and hips, it's better. With the desaturated color and lack of battle damage, it's worse. All together, it's about as good and as a figure riding a creature most fans will never notice - and again, that's why I wish they dropped the carded packaging inside the box entirely. That packaging positions it as a fancy collectible, and if they just tossed it in with a tissue paper wrap I think my reaction would be "hey, clearly they had to take some liberties to make the budget given how awesome the blurrg is" rather than "I find this $16.99 carded figure in my $40 beast to be lacking." And again, I also could just be a monster with unrealistic expectations since I am still recommending you buy this at full price with a smile. Collectors make no sense - I know, I'm one of them - but gosh, wouldn't it be great to have a helmet that's at least as good as the cheaper one you bought a few years ago?

Confidential to Hasbro (again): I'd buy this armor configuration in Epic Hero Series tomorrow for $8. I'd buy it for $20-$25 if you threw in a kid-friendly Blurrg. Like I said, I know I'm a nut.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,183: October 24, 2024