Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,126: The Mandalorian (The Book of Boba Fett, The Retro Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN Kenner Take Three
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8563
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Darksaber, blaster, cape
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has 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! 

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I was rewatching The Book of Boba Fett last year, and much like anything that came out after 1983 it's something of a guilty pleasure. Episode 5, "Return of The Mandalorian," remains a favorite and I caught myself smiling constantly while watching the unusual protagonist infiltrate a butcher shop, hang out on a ring planet, duel for his honor, build a new car with Jerri Blank, and outrun Appa driving an X-Wing. That's a spectacular hour of television, and to honor it, Hasbro brought back a figure and swapped out an accessory. This new figure has the Darksaber from 2021's Moff Gideon [FOTD #2,821] replacing the Amban rifle from The Mandalorian [FOTD #2,941] from 2022. Considering both figures sell for under retail price now, it will not surprise you that I consider Hasbro blowing one of its precious slots on this to be a massive waste of resources. We could have a Remnant Biker Scout or maybe R5-D4 or something we didn't already own. But I've never seen this wave of The Retro Collection The Book of Boba Fett figures in a store, so does it matter?

It's good. If you have the previous figure, it's the same figure. He's got the same basic detail, and he looks just as good. It would be great to see a shinier, lighter silver armor paint variant, or perhaps a vac-metal take on the figure. The coloring is a little drab, and had they thrown in the Beskar Spear or some other extra I would probably encourage absolutely everybody to buy it. I assume he'll sell if he makes it out to shelves in the wild. The figure's head swivels nicely, the cloth cape hangs a little awkwardly, and all four limbs swing forward nicely. He has the same SKU mark as the previous release, but such is life. Half of this wave is corner-cutting with a variant Tusken, Grogu with a backpack, and Luke with one less accessory.

While he doesn't have a holster loop for blaster storage, Mando does have a sculpted-on rocket pack. He also fits in The Vintage Collection N-1 Starfighter, but it's a tight squeeze.

I complain, but I assume the reuse of parts was done to get the line made. Reusing existing tooling saves money, and having a The Book of Boba Fett wave of Kenner figures - even if it's missing Pelli Moto or a Boba Fett with his post-Hammer pants phase - is still something of an unthinkable miracle. The sculpting is a little soft, but he still looks like something Kenner might have sold us in the late 1980s had Star Wars not burned out in a blaze of $1.00 Droids and Ewoks cartoon figures at Kay-Bee Toys. It pushes my nostalgia buttons, but it's also completely redundant if you've been collecting these as you probably swiped Gideon's Darksaber and handed it to Mando as soon as you had the figure.

While some nonbelievers may disagree, the original Kenner line is what brought most of us here. Hasbro can make fancier, more expensive figures, but they're not always as fun. This is fun. And if you don't already have Mando in a Kenner format, you really ought to snag one. But if you're a carded collector, go ahead and get 'em all.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  I have yet to see any of this wave in a store.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,126: April 18, 2024