Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,775: The Mandalorian (Beskar Armor, The Vintage Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN Second Version - Full-Beskar Armor
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1095
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #181
Includes: Jet pack, Amban phase-pulse blaster, cape, blaster pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: December 2020
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: Din Djarin, commonly known as "the Mandalorian" or "Mando" for short, was a human male Mandalorian who worked as a bounty hunter during the New Republic Era.(Stolen from Wookieepedia. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: If you ask me - and you should - The Mandalorian should be the 21st century's Batman. We should have a rogue's gallery, various figures with specialized armors and action features, "wonderful toys," and the whole bit. It's the best Star Wars going right now, and people love it - and product is in rather short supply. There are still only a handful of figures from this series in this scale, and it looks like there are going to be a lot of similar-but-different-ish Mando figures.

This is the second 3 3/4-inch Mando - and he's got a lot of new parts. The shoulders, torso, left thigh, left lower leg are obviously new. I'm squinting at the other parts and pieces, all of which have been given new paint. It seems like they did a better job upgrading the 3 3/4-inch figure than they did the 6-inch figure, as I totally missed Hasbro kept the knee pad for the big guy but retooled it out of the little guy - which matches many of the photos. (I also realize I don't have the best visual reference for this show just yet.)

While the number of points of articulation are impressive, getting the figure to stand is a pain. How this is done, I don't know - he's hard to get standing up straight and the joints are not conducive to standing there, or sitting really, thanks to all the accoutrements hanging off his person. (Yes I am saying I wish they also did a 5POA figure.) The deco is gorgeous and this shiny silver figure is even shinier than the 6-inch one, a beauty on the 6-inch by 9-inch cardback that you dare not miss. The smudge on the thigh looks great, the little details are gorgeous, and there are so many moving parts if you have a lot of patience to pose the figure. Needless to say, I am not a patient poser - I like my figures to stand the first time, and this guy fell over a bit during photography. It's still beautiful, what with the cape, the bandolier, and the removable jet pack.

It's worth noting the weapons are painted surprisingly differently - the coloring on the Amban phase-pulse blaster uses different paint masks and brighter colors. The pistol is also brighter and shinier. The jet pack is a duller grey, but it still seems more chipper than The Black Series accessory. The cape can be nudged out of the way for a unique tab/slot for the jetpack, and there's a slot on the bandolier to hang the aforementioned rifle if you're so inclined. Due to how two objects cannot occupy a single space, you can't hang both the jetpack and rifle at the same time.

In terms of appearance this is my favorite season 2 version of Mando. (So far they haven't made the post-upgrade pre-signet figure, or the slight-upgrade armor.) The decision to make the Beskar nice and bright was a good one, rather than the duller metallic grey of the 6-inch counterpart. If you want a packaged figure to display in your (home) office, this is it. I'm glad the upcoming vehicle pack-in has a cloth cape - I'm gonna need it - but this one isn't bad either. I assume we'll be getting another variant with a spear, or other versions eventually, but I'm also hoping we see Lava Armor or Night Attack or Ice Combat editions because I am the devil on a toy company's shoulder. Actual toys I can play with would be most welcome, but this figure scratches all the collector itches. Minus the Beskar Spear.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,775: February 4, 2021