Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,350: Baze Malbus (Deluxe, The Vintage Collection)

BAZE MALBUS TVC Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Deluxe Action Figure
Item No.: No. G2533
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #397

Includes:Heavy repeater cannon, cable, backpack, detonator
Action Feature: Heavy repeater cannon, cable, backpack, detonator connect to figure
Retail: $27.99
Availability: May 2026
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: The harsh reality of his Imperial-occupied home world has hardened Baze Malbus into a pragmatic soldier and a crack shot with his heavy repeater cannon. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Baze Malbus figure walks the line between perfect and eye-rollingly expensive. It's a good figure - Hasbro's best Baze Malbus yet. They did a great job with deco and articulation, did a bang-up job with the accessories, everything in terms of the actual product is above and beyond previous toys - including the very good The Black Series figure (and its improved repaint.) Every artist, craftsman, and nitpicky person should be very proud of the finished product... which is a 3 3/4-inch figure that costs the same (actually, technically more) than the equivalent 6-inch figure. It is better - but a lot of fans don't realize that this is a new-for-2026 figure, and the previous one was a 2017 ForceLink figure. As a 10th anniversary release for Rogue One, I'm particularly pleased that I can't find anything bad to say here - heck, it showed me that I had misconceptions about the costume that even Hot Toys seems to have wrong.

I was under the impression that his gloves were all fingerless - every figure or collectible that I've seen has shown them to be that way, except this figure. Hasbro made this figure with the right index finger on the glove intact, and when I look for reference photos that sure as heck seems to be how it actually was in the movie. Pictures of the costume from various exhibitions seem to show this too, but it's hard to tell given a lot of the mannequins have black hands (or no hands) plus nobody was really focused on shooting gloves. So, kudos to Hasbro for finding something that was wrong, fixing it, and having less ego than I'd have had by seemingly not taking a victory lap about the correction. (Or if you did, I missed it.) Reference on the left index finger seems to vary, so I've got no reason to say that it's not accurate.

Textures look great. Skin is about as good as it gets at this size, with perfectly good plastic wig hair. The plastoid armor has some very subtle panel detail, and the cloth body suit looks great. Textures look different, and that's great to see. The cloth cape is also a very nice touch, as Hasbro's previous Baze capes have all been plastic. (I assume cloth is cheaper, but I don't know this for a fact. I don't get to see their contracts.)

The hip joints are really good. I've come to appreciate the new-and-improved joints, and Hasbro's taking cues from G.I. Joe by carving a little more of the torso out so they can swing forward for any poses you may need in the future - like sitting in a vehicle. Thigh swivels, ankle tilts, and everything else you might expect are about as good as they always are. They took their time making sure the backpack fits, the blaster can be held in both hands, and there's no fighting, or "not quite there" with the elbow bends. This one got a little more time in the oven, which is crucial because every single fan (myself included) will look for an excuse of how to say it wasn't worth the 40% upcharge over a typical The Vintage Collection figure, which is already quite expensive.

But there is a place to nitpick, and it's deco. It's very good for the size, but once we pass $25 I don't think anyone is expecting anything less than perfect. The face paint is very good, but seems a little cross-eyed and the eyebrows are a little thin. The body suit's color is good, but it's lacking some of the stains of the costume, and the off-white armor bits are a little too clean. If it sounds like I'm picking nits, I am only doing it because of the price. If I'm paying for 1.4 figures, I expect 1.4 figures' worth of paint.

The price is the figure's biggest flaw. With "basic" figures at $20, this figure simply doesn't have another $8 worth of value. The part count isn't far off from an Emperor's Wrath Darth Vader, and while this figure does have extra deco I think they really needed to cap this one at $25. $28 is "I've got one at home" price, even though it is very good - but it's not perfect. That's a tall order, but when you're paying twice what The Vintage Collection figures cost five years ago, I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation to be flawless.

Should you buy it? If you don't have a Baze, yes. If you're in the future when it is on sale because people balked at $28 for it? Also yes. If it's over $30 because, for some reason, the future gave it a price increase? No. Hasbro did a real nice job here, but I think there has to be a limit on what you can charge for a single figure before fans need to get bonuses in the packaging (coins, sidekick aliens, etc.) This doesn't meet the standard of good value right now, and I hope Hasbro considers a price cut if it is sitting on inventory. This is a very good figure, and at $25 I'd begrudgingly say you'll feel you got a quality item for the price. But $28 is the price we should be paying on Amazon after it sold out and is now collectible, so vote with your wallet here. Just be aware if you skip it, you'll be missing out on one of Hasbro's best figures.

Confidential to Hasbro: if you can't bring prices back down, throw us a bone and consider throwing in a cheap unpainted plastic display stand behind the figure in the bubble. It won't cost you much, and it might earn back some goodwill on the cheap. (We got them when figures were $6.99.) That, or maybe some figures just can't be done in the current economy and would need to be reconfigured to a non-super-articulated model. (Super articulated wasn't the standard until 2010 - before that we'd have gimmicks, swappable limbs, figure 2-packs, and other variation on what a figure could be.)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,350: June 2, 2026