MANDALORIAN WARRIOR Rocket Firing BackpackThe Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 94743 No. 19681
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistols, Gauntlets, Backpack, Rocket, Display Stand, Game Card
Action Feature: Firing Rocket
Retail: $24.99
Availability: September 2010
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: The Mandalorians who belong to the Death Watch work in secret to return Mandalore to its past as the greatest warrior society in the galaxy. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' kitchen.
Commentary: This one is particularly interesting. In 2010 Hasbro is going Mandalorian Warrior crazy and, as of this very article, you can buy about six figures based on the core mold. (Pre Vizsla, Speeder Bike Mandalorian, and this 4-figure set.) All of these figure share the same body-- which is to say, Hasbro's best articulated body in this scale to date. This great release has 14 points of articulation as well as ball-jointed hips ideal for vehicles and swivel and pivot wrists all on a fairly cartoony body with working holsters* and a generally great design. I really like these figures.
This one is the "special" figure in the set because Hasbro packaged it wearing all the extra gear. Included are two removable gauntlets with what I presume are supposed to be twin blades on each, plus a rocket-firing backpack which gets pretty good distance and also matches the non-firing figures fairly well. The range of movement is great, and the only real oversight in this pack is the odd blasters. Hasbro included 4 figures but 10 blasters, 2 of which are oversized versions of the standard Mandalorian pistol that are too large for the holsters. The other, smaller versions of these guns are included and fit in the holsters perfectly. I'm not sure why the extra alternate guns were included, but hey, here they are. This figure was packaged holding one standard sized holster-friendly blaster and one that looks a bit like one of Jango's weapons, only a little frumpier and lacking in chrome.
If you're anything like me you've always wanted an army of Mandalorian Warriors, and this is actually pretty much what I pictured the prequels to be like-- with lots of these guys running around. Kudos to Hasbro for making a gift set one of the earlier releases rather than putting out single figures we'd all have to trip over. I've already got my army, now I just have to get the basic carded one to see if it's different in any meaningful way.
Collector's Notes: All 4 Battle Pack figures in this set come with identical game cards with the same stats. The 4 figures in this gift set-- including this one-- all have the same paint job, but are significantly different from the Pre Vizsla and aforementioned Speeder Bike Mandalorian figures. These ones are a much lighter blue, with light grey armor rather than so-dark-it-may-as-well-be-black armor. If you're a fan of Boba Fett and his ilk, you will want to get all three releases as each one has something unique. At press time we do not know what the individually carded Mandalorian trooper will be like. Hasbro stated at Celebration V that some of the gear in this set would be exclusive to the pack-- we'll soon see which specific items won't be released elsewhere, but if it's like anything else it'll probably make it out somewhere, some day. For now, just get this one. This mold is one of the best Hasbro figures of the animated line as well as one of the best of 2010.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,379: September 27, 2010
A figure good for riding bikes and some creatures, but sitting a chair...he's somewhat awkward. The ball joint hips are something Hasbro seems to have trouble with on Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteThis mold, like the ARF Trooper, has the hip joint inserted at an angle. To get the figure to sit, like say a Star Wars figure from 30 years ago, you have to rotate the thigh, which means the knees won't necessarily bend in at a right angle.
IIRC, the AT-TE Gunner from ROTS didn't have that problem (he had his own problems).
They won't use the 3 3/4" GI JOE style of joint, with the t-bar and leg screws, probably for asthetic reasons.