Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,352: The Mandalorian and Grogu (The Vintage Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Gear Galorian
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Deluxe Action Figure
Item No.: No. G2532
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #395
Includes: Jet pack, pistol, rifle, knife, sword, Grogu shoulder sitter
Action Feature: Grogu slots on backpack, pistol fits in holster
Retail: $27.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: The Mandalorian and his young apprentice Grogu embark on a thrilling adventure as they travel the galaxy. (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 gets long, but it's the best version of this character yet - and you're charged accordingly. You can pose him with a sniper rifle. His son can hang on his back. He has an extra hand, and an alternate sword, and a knife I assume we'll all lose. Considering version 1.0 was $12.99, $27.99 is a lot to ask. At least you know it has more stuff, and a revised sculpt, and the articulation is as good as Hasbro ever gives us at this scale.

This The Mandalorian and Grogu set for this year's movie occupies a territory between "the best" and "boring." I waited to open it until after the movie. I didn't grasp the significance of the accessories being new or if the armor had many changes until seeing the movie. I can tell you that this seems to have a lot of new sculpted parts, with a chest plate bigger than TVC #312A. The helmet has some added grooves in it. The thigh plates aren't the precise same shape or color. But there's absolutely no way you could tell without a side-by-side comparison, and Hasbro has made so many versions of Mando that I have lost count. I haven't reviewed or opened them all, despite each new release having something unique about it. If what you had was amazing, and what you are being asked to buy yet again is slightly more amazing, it might be hard to spend the money unless you demand The Very Best.

Little tiny details in the Beskar armor are indeed barely changed, but it seems that Hasbro had the budget to do a new mold of a guy and spent it on this rather than tweaking and repackaging an existing figure. It's a very good mold, but I imagine long-haul collectors will not appreciate the fact that they're being asked to spend $28 on a figure they may have six or seven other versions of at home. They might appreciate the chest plate is bigger and covers more of the torso. But they may also not have even been aware the previous one was in any way coming up short. Extremely online collectors who need to have the very best version are going to find it here, while those of us who were happy with what we have at home just wanted something new.

A Grogu figure that comes in the package is arguably the biggest selling point. This little guy has a hole in his chest that fits on a large peg on Mando's jet pack. It would be disingenuous to call it a separate figure as it can't stand and both of them look silly when separated. Heh olds on incredibly well, and Grogu's ear and face paint both look fantastic. The sculpting on his robe looks good, plus his tiny hands are holding specific parts of Mando's armor. Hasbro did a nice job with the assets available to them. Grogu's neck can turn, but he has no additional moving parts.

Mando's new gear is specific to the movie, with a sniper rifle, his classic pistol, a sword from the arena fight, and a knife. I am confident I am going to lose one or more of these over time. He also has an alternate right hand with an extended trigger finger for resting the rifle over his shoulder. The hand is very similar, includes extra paint, and requires assembly - so it adds a fair bit to the cost of a figure. (This is $8 more than a current standard release and you could convince me the extra stuff and Grogu is worth $8 for those needing the very best.)

I don't believe this is a great use of the budget, as a pared-down $20 figure probably would have sold better and fans might not have even realized they were missing the extra stuff. He has no problems holding or holstering any of his parts, and it would seem Hasbro went out of their way to make an exquisitely detailed figure with the best-yet articulation and gear for toy photographers. Is it fun for collectors? I don't think that was ever the intent - they know this item is going to sell on Amazon and would be the most popular character, so we're getting the very best figure set that the price point could warrant.

The sword is perfect for his fight with Rotta the Hutt. (There is no Rotta the Hutt figure to buy from Hasbro right now.) The leg articulation is great and would fit perfectly in a ship. (Hasbro doesn't have any ships scaled for this figure in its product line right now - but you may have an old one at home.) It's a weird place to be in when we're getting the top-of-the-line figure like this, but it's kind of a letdown because there are no dioramas to build, no vehicles to pilot, indeed no toys to play with anymore. This guy exists as a souvenir from a very good movie. I suspect more figures are coming, and sure he can pal around with the forthcoming Zeb, but there's no "collection" of stuff to go with the movie. Which dropped to #3 in week 2. Unfortunate - I really do wonder if a massive toy launch with creatures and ships might have helped capture the public's interest, or if what is effectively a season 5 pay-per-view special of a TV show couldn't muster that level of enthusiasm.

I have no complaints about Mando's articulation. It's super easy to get a good pose out of him, although balancing him may take some time. On the bright side, his hands can both grip the rifle and look awesome doing it. Hasbro really did a bang-up job carving out the joints in a way that might make you ask "why can't the other figures do this, too?" and I don't have an answer for you. All I can say is that they really went to town making sure Mando's hip joints, thigh swivels, knees, elbows, shoulders, and wrists all function well enough for an arena combatant with nobody to fight.

If you have no Mando figures, this is the one to get. I'm really happy with the quality of paint, the range of movement, and the amount of gear that you get. I also would like to see if Hasbro could see what they can do to bring costs down so more fans can enter the hobby and participate with the rest of us. In the early 1990s, the secondary market prices would squeeze out fans who weren't in early enough - and we're seeing that again. For those of you seeking incremental steps toward perfection? You need this. For newbies? This is very, very good. But the rest of us know the score - Hasbro will find ways to alter the same costume and improve it, again and again, and we'll probably have another version of this guy if and when a new season or movie see release. That is the way. And if you're happy with what you have at home, keep being happy unless you want to use this specific gear for him to take on the various Remnant figures we got so far.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. I have found this figure at local sellers of Hasbro wares. This is a good thing for new fans wanting to jump in, but given that scarcity (artificial or otherwise) has driven purchases since 1995? Maybe we're seeing the end of mass interest in The Vintage Collection.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,352: June 9, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,351: BDX Droid (Orange with Dorn symbol, Droid Factory, Boxed)

BDX DROID Orange Dorn
Star Wars Droid Depot
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 other droids
Action Feature: Hatless - I repeat, hatless
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu and theme parks

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These four were featured in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I fully intended to skip this set (and indeed, most Disney droids) after some fast sell-outs left some gaps in my collection that exceeded my willingness to pay on eBay - but then there were some restocks, and things worked out with free shipping, so I now have an orange BDX Droid. If you haven't seen the new movie - shame on you - but these guys were just background cameos on a New Republic base. They're blurry and in the background, presumably included to canonize them as something greater than a theme park gimmick. I'm assuming and projecting, at any rate - they look like they came from a different design school. These guys seem more in line with Tomy's 1980s robots and Nintendo's R.O.B. with vestiges of video game droids.

It is incredibly difficult to put a dinger on why some droids seem "Star Warsy" and some don't, and I assume it boils down to novelty. If Star Wars were Pokemon, the BDX is the Raichu to BD-1's Pikachu. I think. Someone correct me if I have that wrong. It's a bigger bot, with what seems to be an opening belly. Mine doesn't seem to open, but the seams for the mold have a big enough gap in it that it's either poorly assembled or maybe it really does open. I don't plan to break it and find out. Stock photography seems to be more cleanly assembled so it appears I just got a figure from (say it with me) the bad batch.

The general design philosophy seems to match some other Disney droids, with colors and shapes that closely match Delta Squad from Republic Commando. The shapes look very much like they come from the era of the original Xbox, with heads that look like a 1980s toy robot, and greeblies that seems unmistakably Star Wars. For half-pint robots they seem a little small, but Disney did try to make them worth the asking price with a couple of neck joints allowing them to look up The head can also fold down to the body. Each leg is jointed at the hip, the knee, and the ankle. For such a small figure, there are a lot of joints here. But for $12.50 a droid, it still comes up a little short. You can get more action poses out of these guys than an astromech droid, but I don't think anyone would have missed it if they just had swappable limbs or static legs. The range of movement is somewhat limited, and you can't really get them to emote outside of the neck.

The paint applications are pretty much the same on each figure. All of them are molded in white (cost savinfs), with the same beige, pink, and black paint applications. They mix it up with the spot colors - each one has a unique icon on the left near the back. Orange has the Aurebesh character "Dorn," which is a D. I suppose this makes it educational.

This is an item that makes sense as a bit of corporate synergy. These little guys have been walking around the Disney parks for a while, and they put them in the movie - so of course it's a good idea for a theme park souvenir. In Disney's shoes I might've put it in a set with a different droid at a lower price point, because $50 for four nearly identical little guys is something that might appeal to a collector more than a child. I think it's a more interesting "toy robot" than "Star Wars figure," if that makes sense, and the kind of thing I'd probably be weirdly more excited about without Star Wars branding on the box. As there are no New Republic ships or playsets which need to be built out with wacky droids, this figure serves no real purpose right now other than to take up some space until a better home for it makes itself evident, or I retire and then just start selling this stuff off or something. I think Disney did as good of a job as they could have done to make this design at this scale, but I am not charmed by the very visible seams or how repetitive the set is. If it weren't for the free shipping coupon at a time there were 2 other droids I wanted in stock, I'd have skipped this set and probably never thought about it again. 

 Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Store's web site. It did not sell out.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,351: June 4, 2026

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

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,349: Captain Enoch (The Vintage Collection)

CAPTAIN ENOCH Gold Face
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Enoch was Grand Admiral Thrawn's Captain of the Guard during his forces' exile from the galaxy on the planet Peridea. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the reasons to buy the Night Trooper set was to get Captain Enoch, a figure that I'm rather surprised wasn't sold on a standard cardback first/instead. The boxed set has three very good trooper repaints with a couple of remolded parts each - and this guy, who has a new skirt/belt, helmet, and torso. The character doesn't have a heck of a lot to do. Heck, a lot of Ahsoka seemed to be more about pageantry than characterization as we've been seeing a lot of stories relying more on recognition than novelty. But that's not why this is an interesting figure. Even if you have a rather blah story on a gray planet where you don't get a lot of personality, that's not entirely a problem for action figures. For over 48 years fans were fascinated by the vibes and the amazing work of the creature shops and costume departments. We're not collecting characters so much as we're hoarding scaled-down replicas of the craftsmanship from Hollywood's finest. And that's OK, this is a pretty neat riff on a Stormtrooper.

Enoch's limbs are the same as a standard Stormtrooper, with a newly-sculpted back piece featuring distinctive deco and greeblies that remind me a lot of the exterior of It's a Small World. It's mostly white with basic shapes and some gold, with little splashes of color - it seems to fit. I was delighted to see the gold patterns on the armor painted quite nicely, and the red fingers and body glove gave the figure a much different feel from an average trooper. Sure, the legs are mostly the same, but you have that whole new skirt which seems to riff on Jedi and bounty hunter elements. A working holster? With a new pistol? That's pretty exciting, too. The unique silhouette reminded me a bit of Captain Bacara (the Clone) too, but the gold keeps it fresh. Hopefully the gold paint ages well, because it looks really good now and you can see a lot of money was spent in painting this guy. And here we are, not even two years later, where one figure with as much (or less) paint costs us $19.99 when in 2024, this four pack was a mere $55.

Given it's a trooper from an army builder set, I had low expectations - but that new back piece and the paint are capped off by an all-new helmet. There's a sculpted humanoid face in there. It's painted gold, with black eyes! It looks a lot like the TV show, so the sculptor or whoever scanned it and adapted it for figures did a great job. The paint choices were smart, but I think we're once again seeing some limitations in what you can do at the size. The prop on the show had a sort of faded quality, and a texture that you just can't replicate on a head the size of a grape. The helmet detail is a little fuzzy, with the Imperial cogs feeling a bit less sharp. The gray painted-in boxes on the back of the helmet are off by a couple of millimeters. If it was the front, it'd be a problem - but here, it's fine. The gold detailing looks good too. It also looks a little too fresh, which frequently happens with budgets for toys in this day and age. Wear and tear make Star Wars feel like Star Wars, and Hasbro did a great job including the patch jobs with the gold paint. But the grit, the texture, that wasn't replicated on this one. (I also assume it'd add $10 to the set if they did it.)

I still feel that if you get a figure (or figure set) for a price that feels fair, it's a good figure. This is a good figure. Figures were closer to $17 when the set came out, and I'd have happily paid it just for this one captain - the fact that he had there buddies makes it a better deal. While his skirt does get in the way of leg mobility, so do the older leg joints which just feel older and older after a dozen or so trooper figures. Hasbro has shown us they can do better, and hopefully they'll take the initiative to make new hips for the next new Stormtrooper variant because these aren't so great. In the context of this figure's release, they were good enough and we were charged accordingly. With just a few parts, Hasbro made an old mold feel like a new figure and that's the kind of smart budgeting that makes this line interesting and, as we seem to be treading water in a stream of trooper and droid repaints, kind of exhausting. But I would have made this same figure, this same way, were I given any sort of project management control at its time of release and I hope Hasbro brings it back to stores (key word: to stores) so fans can buy it when Ahsoka season two hits digital airwaves.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the ">Amazon sponsored link as the price was even more reasonable as I write this.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,349: May 28, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,348: Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios (HasLab, The Vintage Collection)

GARAZEB "ZEB" ORRELIOS (The Ghost Pack-In Figure)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Pack-In Figure
Item No.: No. G0040
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: HAS 006
Includes: The Ghost ship, expanded bo-rifle, compressed bo-rifle, 2 energy effects, 3 additional figures
Action Feature: Store staff on back, plug energy blasts on staff
Retail: $499.99
Availability: December 2024
Appearances: Star Wars: Rebels

Bio: During the time of the Empire, the Ghost served as a mobile base for General Hera Syndulla's small band of rebels working to aid the people of Lothal and other planets in need. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: While I opened The Ghost immediately, I dragged my feet opening the pack-in figures. I wanted to see if we'd get retail versions, and I guess technically we did. This version of Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios was based on his end-of-the-show costume from Star Wars: Rebels, making it a desirable addition to a collection of toys from a pretty good show with a pretty good toy line. I dare say Rebels was one of the two best toy line-ups since Disney took over, the other being Solo: A Star Wars Story for its pretty decent vehicle selection which mixed "amazing" (TIE Fighter, Han Solo's Landspeeder, AD-DT Walker) with "trash" (Kesssel Run Millennium Falcon, don't argue, I'm right.) If you liked The Clone Wars you have hundreds of great LEGO sets and Hasbro figures to buy. If you loved Rebels, it's a smaller collection - but pretty rewarding. The 6-inch figures? Good. The kiddo cartoon line? Wonderful sculpts, plus some of Hasbro's best vehicles since the line returned in the 1990s. Even The Vintage Collection delivers the goods, just not a lot of them. These guys were handled with care - even a retool like Zeb.

And with The Mandalorian and Grogu opening over the weekend, why not look at Zeb? I'm writing this before I see the movie, so if he does anything weird I am currently unaware of it.

As a figure that shares parts with a season 1-specific version [FOTD #3,161], this Zeb is still a solid figure with nearly identical accessories which, by modern standards, make it seem preposterous that the first release was sold as a "deluxe." You get bo-rifles in extended and packed-in modes, plus desaturated pink energy nodules. If you mixed them up in your personal collection, you might not easily be able to tell the difference - they were good before, and they're good here.

The figure itself has an all-new head, no shoulder armor, a new belt, and new neck armor. It looks different, the colors are a little different, but it's functionally the same figure. That is to say, Hasbro did a good job with articulation and wisely said "don't change it!" The legs swing forward nicely, the knees bend cleanly, the ankles rock, the wrists bend and swivel, and there's a rocking waist pivot joint too. With thigh swivels, knee joints, and elbow joints, plus the obligatory neck joint, I have no reason to make one complaint about articulation. He stands, he sits, he crouches, he's pretty much perfectly engineered and one of those figures you could hand someone as an example of Hasbro doing what they do well. I'm sure you can thank Lucasfilm too - with no skirt, no coat, and no unsightly dangling fabric, everything just works.

But how does he look? Great. Hasbro did a nice job here. Unlike the previous release, there's no "cartoon" version of this costume as an action figure. This is it. He has the red stripes on his shoulders, the yellow lights on his belt, the revised communicator colors on his wrist, and even that blue circle with a white triangle in it. He even has what seems to be Sabine Wren artwork in the form of the Big Bingo from earlier in the series - a nice detail, to be sure. The colors are all in line with how the cartoon model looked, but maybe not the brightness or contrast. The purple fur all seems darker, so the stripes are harder to see. However, this seems to make the smirking, sneering face look better. His smile really pops and his eyes are posed perfectly so he can elbow Ezra and needle him in your dioramas. It's a little bit of personality, but it goes a long way and makes this figure way more fun than his peers. It's rare that a modern The Vintage Collection figure has real personality - photorealism, yes, but not personality - and it really was a good choice here. It's kind of a shame they locked him behind a crowdfund, because I believe fans would clear this guy off the pegs if they ever put him out in an assortment in stores. At a reasonable price.

 While those colors aren't perfect, I'm always going to give Hasbro more of a benefit to the doubt when making realistic figures out of a stylized design, or a retro figure off of any design. So maybe his shoulder paint isn't as bright as the cardback art - that's fine. It still looks cool, and the figure has plenty of detail and articulation. The only thing missing is a "Rebel" version of Kallus with the nicer hair and jacket from the end of the show, and maybe Hasbro will get to that someday. It's been a slow clip of new releases from Rebels, but at least when we look back at the run it's mostly very good. Get this one if you see him at a fair price, and if you don't, ask Hasbro to reissue him. I'll support you.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse. The set hasn't really held its value over time, which may be good news for you - you might be able to pick up the vehicle and all the figures for $100 or so more than I paid for mine as a pre-sale. And others may be willing to sell just the figures, or just the ship, if they're so inclined.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,348: May 26, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,346: Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk (Green and Yellow Chest Armor, Blue Right Shoulder, The Vintage Collection)

MANDALORIAN SHRIEK-HAWK Green and Yellow Chest Armor, Tam Scarf
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Amazon Exclusive Special Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G0265
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Four figures, four jet packs, four knives, five blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: The Shriek-Hawks are a team of Mandalorian specialists skilled in jetpack operations as well as scouting and rescue missions. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: It's kind of a bummer that the lady Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk and her pals weren't bigger hits. Hasbro did a pretty good job with the set, riffing on its existing figure molds much as Lucasfilm iterated on its existing armor molds to make new costumes. Heck, I'll even say I'm mildly annoyed people weren't bigger fans of the third season of the show - I rewatched it not-too-recently and had a pretty good time. Really the only thing that bugged me was a big Mandalorian showdown for leadership of a clan in what seemed to be a Los Angeles park. Otherwise, we got a pretty solid little show filled with new faces and the faceless, nameless armored dudes. Really, the only thing anybody did wrong here was wait this long to make this kind of a show. In the 2020s, we've had a lot of Mandalorians so making a nameless $65 gift set for characters with little personality and few appearances may make for tough sells. At least they also make for cool figures.

The leftmost figure in the box has no given name as far as I can tell, so really all we have to go from is the packaging phhoto, some stills, and the "wow" factor. I think this figure would've been a hit in stores, even if she is a modified Bo-Katan Kryze costume. The holsters, skirt, and scarf are new with the rest being mostly reused elements. New paint goes a long way, and with her colors resembling a pastiche of Boba and Jango Fett suits there's a lot to like. The slightly scuffed helmet looks good, and the scarf seems less like an affectation of a film professor wearing such a garment in Tucson when it's 100 degrees out. (You know who you are.) The figure doesn't have the rifle from the illustration per se, but she does have a cool blaster pistol and a knife. She has no problems holding the gear or holstering the blaster, and the jetpack fits in her back socket nicely. I'm not exactly a fan with a super high bar to clear here, if the figure has the correct colors and can use her accessories I'm a happy camper.

The tiny jetpack is amusing in light of current global fashion trends, where tiny Loungefly or other bags have supplanted the purse as a popular go-to can't-miss accessory for about half of the population. I can't help but wonder why the other half of the Mandalorians wouldn't want less weight, but maybe there's something about fuel efficiency I don't know. It is cast in green with an orange stripe and some silver enhancements.

I really dig how the coloring of a lot of these guys seems to just barely nod to things like Kenner's original Boba Fett, what with the orangey/yellow gauntlet, the red gauntlet, the green chest plate, and the blue body suit. It's a subtle nod, and the mishmashed armor seems to be consistent with what we've seen with a lot of other not-rich armored characters on the show. Articulation is on par with other modern figures, complete with the improved ball-jointed hips. Sure, the skirt sort of gets in the way, but I don't think she's in much danger of having a vehicle in which to sit at this point. For a figure that'll look cool standing around, Hasbro did a great job. I wish there were more toys for her to mess with, but apparently someone decided "adult mature collectors" want their little plastic men to be all serious and in packaging and not leading around weird flying monsters inside vehicles or other cool stuff, which is unfortunate. Hasbro did a bang-up job here, and I'd see no reason for them to go back and give us a do-over other than to appeal to that ever-diminishing "I only want single-carded figures" contingent. If you just want a figure that will look awesome in nearly any display, this is a set worth your dollars. Especially since it seems to be marked down on the regular.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,346: May 21, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,346: Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper (Standard, The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT STORMTROOPER (Unenhanced)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Exclusive 4-Pack
Item No.: No. G32115
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $67.99
Availability: April 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: Figures inspired by the live-action Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. (Taken from the web site description. They're really not trying hard for this movie.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: In the four-pack there are always guaranteed to be a plainer version of a trooper, like the Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper you see here. Other ones add unique armor or other adornments and this one is your basic fellow. It still reuses that body that's increasingly long in the tooth, but it's also the very best one we have at this size. I was surprised I was able to get some pretty amusing poses out of it still, especially given restrictions on the hips and shoulders.

Like the other troopers in the set, it has very impressive weathering. Whenever I see the 6-inch version of this trooper from The Black Series I marvel at just how much better the deco and the plastic on the 3 3/4-inch one turned out to be. Good for us, I say. Deco is really clean, except where it's filthy. Every bit of white armor looks like someone never, ever bothered to run it through a car wash. I love that. The black body suit and soles of his shoes are painted black, with lenses that look black or at least, very dark gray.

This is not a flashy trooper - but it's one I wish they sold individually. It's subtle, and every element looks perfectly fine. You're not getting the most modern articulation. I wish it could be a hair cheaper, but at least it's a sturdy figure with some of the best paint Hasbro has given us for a filthy post-Death Stars Stormtrooper. I've previously recommended the set, and I still do - until Hasbro makes a better base Stormtrooper mold.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,346: May 19, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,345: IG-11 (Nevarro Marshal, The Vintage Collection)

IG-11 (Nevarro Marshal)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. G2786 No. G2616
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #388
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: The Mandalorian returns the blasted fragments of the assassin droid hero, who undergoes a total rebuild - complete with reprogramming and marshal stripes that denote IG-11 as Nevarro's protector. (Taken from the 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: IG-11 (Nevarro Marshal) is one of those ideas that just makes sense from a production standpoint. Back in 2021 IG-11 [FOTD #2,871] formed the basis for at least three versions of the character - and that one currently sells for a bit of a premium. The most recent version of the character (a very nice figure, with two smaller buddy figures) was blown out at Ross for $4.99 this one has the advantage of different colors and accessories. Its success will probably have to do with the size of the production run, so if it comes and goes quickly you might not see it on markdown shelves. I sure as heck haven't seen many of it in stores yet as it seemed to sell through almost immediately, but I assume more shipments could be coming.

This 2026 release uses the same basic body as the 2021 version, but replaces the vest with a belt and adds some more color. This figure matches The Mandalorian season 3 finale, where the droid gets his repaired torso back as well as a holster and a vest. He has red and cream markings on his body now, plus a matching belt buckle to denote his status - somehow being the marshal of an entire planet. The various hoses and greeblies are pretty much the same as the previous version of the droid, with deco more or less perfectly matching the TV show. The one element that isn't a perfect match - and I wouldn't have noticed if someone hadn't pointed it out to me - is on the chest. On the cardback photo and TV show reference, the red stripes go a little above the nub on the center of the chest. On the figure, they stop at the nub. Would I ever have noticed were it not pointed out to me? No. I don't assume we'll ever see a variant (as virtually nothing gets a second production run under the same item number in The Vintage Collection anymore), but it's an interesting thing to note if you're wondering if you got a bad one. You didn't - they're all like this.

Articulation is quite good, with the spread-out fingers and ankles that both bend and swivel. The hips have a good range of movement, and the ball joint in the arms is pretty great at allowing him to have numerous poses. The head is multiple swiveling parts, too, allowing him to be posed as you see fit. Hasbro did a real nice job on this guy the first time, so they're able to reap dividends from its reuse as needed. The new blaster and holster fit really nicely, and it's quite amazing how so many of the color breaks on the mold just happen to fit the mold breaks on the plastic figure. I wonder if it was planned accordingly when they were redesigning IG-11 for the show?

It's funny to me that Mando himself keeps changing his outfit, but it's largely the same after the end of the first season. Sure, he swaps out parts, but still looks effectively the same. IG-11 has had several looks - his first appearance, partially exploded, a statue, a T-800 skeleton trying to kill Grogu, a mobility device for Grogu, and now this new version with new colors - and they all look surprisingly different. How toyetic! I am a little burned out on all of Hasbro's trooper variants, but for some (admittedly hypocritical) reason I'm still interested in deco changes on droids, or Han's jackets, or stuff like that. I would recommend checking this one out if you're a fan of the TV show. I would also recommend re-watching season 3 of The Mandalorian, because I found it held up nicely on a rewatch last year. I have no idea if he'll appear on the movie, but I'm not currently betting on it. I am, however, expecting Boba Fett might have a cameo.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,345: May 14, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,344: Imperial Droid (With Probe-Mate Hyperspace Pod, Droid Factory, Boxed)

IMPERIAL DROID with Probe-Mate Hyperspace Pod
Star Wars Droid Depot
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Droid, stand, pod
Action Feature: Removable dome
Retail: $29.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These two were first featured in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging. Wait... these two?)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The Empire Strikes Back was released 46 years ago! This Imperial Droid would probably better known as a Probot or Imperial Probe Droid by most fans, but hey, that's what the box says. The main figure mold is the Viper Probe Droid [FOTD #2,980] from Obi-Wan Kenobi, released in 2022. I consider it to be a pretty good figure, and almost identical. Disney tweaked the silver highlights on the droid in a few spots, but they're largely very similar. It would seem the silver paint is much brighter, and the red is a little brighter, but otherwise? It's more or less the same figure. If you have one, you may not need the other. And I use the word "may" because the Kenobi Probe came with 3 other droid figures, and this The Empire Strikes Back Probe comes with what effectively amounts to the first all-new The Empire Strikes Back vehicle mold in over 15 years and the first all-new classic trilogy ship since - someone correct me if I forgot something - the Sail Barge. Yes, we really haven't had many new original trilogy-era vehicles from Hasbro in quite some time.

Is the droid the right size? It's hard to say - the measurements on Wookieepedia say 1.5-1.6 meters, which means about as tall as Leia, probably. But where you you measure from? The longest leg? Hover height? Do you count the antenna? It's hard to tell, and looking at behind-the-scenes photos frequently have the droid hovering, elevated on a stand, in front of other characters or actors making it difficult to get a straight comparison with a normal sized person. Hasbro has made their Probe Droids bigger, and fans tend to react strongly to "corrections" even if they're correct. Things like Han's jacket or Jabba's height seem obvious to some and beyond argument to others. For the sake of brevity, let's say it's close enough for jazz.

That last probe droid sold for $50 in a 4-pack, which was a pretty decent deal. Give or take inflation, let's say he'd be about $15 today, making the Probe-Mate Hyperspace Pod about $15 - an excellent price. For me to consider something worth about $20, it needs to be roughly Speeder Bike size. And it is! According to Wookieepedia, the hyperspace pod is about 3.4-3.5-meters long. The toy is about 7-inches long. Ballparking 3 3/4-inch scale figures as 1:18 scale, that means the pod is about the right size. Functionally, it's a little tight. The droid fits inside with his display stand, but the interior panels nudge the antenna. If the antenna could telescope, I'd say it's perfect - but it's not. I do not recommend storing your droid in the pod.

The pod itself is kind of remarkable. As a kid I could never make it out in the movie, as it was small and blurry. Looking at Jazwares' Micro Galaxy Squadron toy or Wookieepedia's image, it looks like it's closer to the latter. Is it right or wrong? Let's say it's good enough, as I don't have sufficient reference handy that I can recall. The toy is a base, a lid, and 5 identical fold-down panels. It's incredibly efficient, and you can see Disney has effectively made a whole ship out of 3 fairly simple parts that can be assembled by hand with no screws or fasteners. Is it cheap or brilliant? I'd say both. The light paint on the panel is really all I need, and while weathering would be nice I can't argue with the price. Even with the theme park mark-up, it's a decent ship and I don't know if a Hasbro equivalent would be under $50. The plastic feels nice, and it has a nice hollow "chonk" sound to it that reminds me of Kenner's old mini-rigs.

Would Hasbro be held to a higher standard? Probably, because fans expect too damn much and Hasbro really wants to sell top-of-the-line stuff. Disney seems to be going for more of a middle ground, and I'm thrilled to have an all-new Hoth figure-scale toy for the first time in decades. It's so rare to see anybody pull out a figure or especially a ship from the original trilogy that hasn't been done one or two (or 14) times, so I would say this was worth my while of calling in a favor so I could get it after missing the initial sale. I'm sure your model maker buddy could do a better job painting it, but for a theme park souvenir I couldn't ask for much more. Given the typical 3 3/4-inch figure at a store is $20, $30 is fine for something like this and I hope Hasbro considers making some slightly compromised but cheaper toys in the future. I don't need perfection - I just need something cool and fun.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Greg (hi Greg) who stopped by a Disney park to get me one in Spring 2026. It sold out online almost immediately, so thanks much for the help there.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,344: May 12, 2026