Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,198: Mandalorian Warrior (Amazon Exclusive 3-Pack, Epic Hero Series)

MANDALORIAN WARRIOR Unite the Clans
Epic Hero Series Amazon Exclusive Figure 3-Pack
Item No.: No. G0311
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Mandalorian Warrior, Paz Vizsla, 2 blasters, fire gauntlet, blade gauntlet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.9
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: These Star Wars toys feature design and detail inspired by The Mandalorian live-action series on Disney+. (Taken from the Amazon description.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Unite the Clans Mandalorian Warrior is one of very few figures in Epic Hero Series that's only in Epic Hero Series. She's a redeco of Bo-Katan Kryze, but on the show she had a mix of her armor and some Stormtrooper bits, and a cape, and possibly other changes. There aren't many great pictures and I don't even think she has an actual name, but you can see her hanging around the Children of the Watch caves in season three of The Mandalorian. She is also the reason you should buy this set.

The figure is not a perfect match for the show, but it looks pretty good. Heck, for all I know there's another, similar costume and I missed it - but there is a costume with a gold chest (the figure is yellow), a green left shoulder pad (figure is also yellow), and a very similar helmet and similarly colored boots - but differently shaped - with the same new blaster, and a cape. I would not necessarily say this figure is good enough that Hasbro shouldn't do a Vintage or Retro one, but it's definitely better than nothing and more brightly colored than almost any other figure in the line. Star Wars toys typically come in muted tones, so a red, yellow, green, white, and gray trooper really pops on a shelf of toys. If Hasbro just made up this figure from the ground up, I'd say she's great and a must-have. Because she doesn't quite match the show, I assume a lot of you will just shrug and wait for something better... and I don't know if something better is guaranteed to be coming anymore.

Since she's made from the body of a good figure, she is also a good figure. She stands and sits, the arms and legs all swivel well, and her ball-jointed head works great. The hands can hold the all-new blaster, and the Sabine Wren knifey gauntlet - now cast in red - fits perfectly well on her arm. You may poo-poo the colors, but the engineering is perfectly executed. Nothing falls off and nothing is stuck. These are low bars to pass, but that was normal in the 1980s and 1990s - action figures were simple, but they just worked. You got your 5 (and sometimes more) joints, and if they didn't move you cried and threw it at the cashier. Well, OK, maybe nobody did that but there was also none of this "use boiling water or a hair dryer so your figure's arm moves" that's more or less accepted these days.

I bought this 3-pack because I wanted this figure. Right or wrong, she looks different than anything else I already own and that is sort of what I like about toy collecting. The set isn't bad for Amazon's $20 price, especially given some of us suckers paid $20 for Deluxe Wal Maul before they cut the price. Sure, she's a repaint - but she's wildly different than Bo-Katan and has a new (technically) blaster. If Hasbro wants to do more colorful Mandalorians, I'll buy one or two. Or several thousand. Goodness knows I've done it before.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,198: December 17, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,197: BB-8 (Holiday Droid Factory)

BB-8 Snowman
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Balances, dome and ball halves are removable
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. 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: Great concept, bad QC (on mine, at least.) The BB-8 (snowman) is a great design, but my sample can't keep it together. The bottom half of the droid slides right off - if you pick it up, it doesn't stay connected. If I swap out the core inner ball with another droid, the parts fit, there's just something about this one where it won't stay together. Your mileage may vary, of course.

This version of BB-8 - not a generic BB droid according to Disney's page - is left mostly white with subtle gray highlights you may not even notice. He has a tiny scarf and a new tiny top hat, which I think is going to be very fun for anyone who likes these kinds of props. One of his sensors has an orange carrot-like ring around it, his central black eye is super glossy, and there are three dots to represent some sort of coat buttons on the torso. It's incredibly simple, but it gets the job done and the BB ball body is perfect for a snowman. I'm kind of annoyed Disney didn't just sell this one carded because it would do well. Having said that, I still need to crack open R6-SN0, Disney's previous snowman robot.

In terms of escaping the trappings of the holiday, just turning around the head and leaving off the gear gives you a mostly plain white droid. It would look fine on any sequel-era display, or serve as great custom fodder. It's useful, it's cute, it more or less fits in - so it's a good design. I just hope yours holds together than mine.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,197: December 12, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,196: Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (The Retro Collection)

JEDI KNIGHT YORD FANDAR (The Kenner Republic)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0386
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, and another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is 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: Hey, it's Charlie Barnet! Yord Fandar was a character on The Acolyte who you were happy to see, and then died. He didn't get to do much - but since he was in the first couple of episodes of the show, we got him as a Retro figure. Because he's a good actor, it's fun to have him as a toy figure, but I can't say I'm thrilled by this set's character selection. It makes sense Hasbro made him - why wouldn't all these cool guys survive the show? Well, now we know, they don't. You get three Jedi in this set, but the thing that kind of stinks about pre-Original Trilogy Jedi figures is that they're all pretty similar. But if you don't have enough Jedi, you should get this one because it understands the premise.

While not a perfect match to the actor - or the costume - it does feel like a step closer to what fans want out of a new Kenner figure. The pose has some nice bends in the elbows, arms out just a bit, and a tiny bit of a curve to the neck. It's a bit more human, still a tiny bit stiff but it's nice to see another figure that just doesn't seem to be repeating the old Bespin Luke pose. Everything swivels nicely, but his center of gravity is a little off - you're going to want to use his cloak to prop him up, or tilt his arms (or torso) ever-so-slightly forward or he falls backward. I'm not crazy about that, I just want to stand them upright and have him stand.

The figure's sculpting is pretty good - a bit chunkier, a bit less elegant, with colors that probably aren't quite right and a head sculpt that's just a bit off. In other words - arguably, they nailed it. The gold armor is a bit more saturated than the other figures, with a face that seems a hair too tall (with tall hair that's fine and a face that can't capture Barnet's stare) and enough landmarks that show Hasbro had decent reference. The boots seem a little more wrapped than the other figure, but hey, at least it looks interesting. The belt has a lot of sculpted bits with no painted highlights - which is how Kenner would usually do it - and perfectly nice boots. There's nothing particularly special about the pose, and the colors seem a bit saturated - it feels like someone put him through a toy compression process, and there's just enough of a lack of the actor likeness to make it feel old. It's not perfect to what old Kenner would have done, but it's got the spirit right - by getting it a little wrong.

Hasbro made the hands rather tight, so he's in no danger of dropping his lightsaber. The robe fits pretty well, but we're back to a hood that's kind of hard to fold down - just like the old days. I don't think I'd have done things particularly differently were I asked to chime in, so I would rate the gear as a success.

I think Hasbro did a good job with the character, the format limitations, the deco budget, and what I assumed was no useful information as to the character's fate. If you told me I could pick only 100 figures to make (or reissue), Yord wouldn't be a top contender - but he turned out fine, I probably would have argued about Prune Face too. Now that these figures seem to be exclusively based on non-classic sources and sold only in boxed sets, Hasbro is really hitting their stride - I hope they consider bringing them back to physical stores some day, but for now, this guy is a fine shared online Fan Channel exclusive.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,196: December 10, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,195: B2EMO (Holiday Droid Factory)

B2EMO Present
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Feet move forward and back, wheels roll, body telescopes up
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. 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: The B2EMO (Present) has all the same features of the regular droid from last year. The whole body telescopes up, the head turns, and the feet can pop forward and back. The green droid is painted with a red ribbon design, and it almost looks like it could blend in the background of an episode of Droids. The black optic looks cool, and the yellow interior guts look great too. If they made the ribbons a little worn or added a little grit, I think it would be at home in a number of alley, street, or other displays.

There's not much to him - he looks neat, and you have to pop his feet in. I think I may have somehow stressed the plastic doing so, so be careful. He's packaged in 3 compartments - left feet, right feet, and head. You can use these pictures to make sure you put them in the right places.

The little guy has wheels under his feet, but they don't roll particularly well. It's very much "better than nothing," but I doubt most fans would miss them were they left out as they don't roll freely. Given a lot of fans liked - but did not necessarily buy - the original release, you may want to get this one since you may not be swimming in options. (Although it is worth noting The Black Series release is, unsurprisingly, kind of cheap.) Anyway, worth a look if you like colorful droids!

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,195: December 5, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,194: X-Wing Pilot (Human Woman, The Vintage Collection)

X-WING PILOT (Human Female)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 Pilot figures with 3 Rebel Blasters like the Troopers and 3 Rebel Blasters like Luke's Pilot blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $54.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: ???

Bio: Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Listen to me people she's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa whoa she's a lady
Talkin' about the little lady
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
She's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa lord, she's a lady.
I can't live without that
She's a lady
Ooh ooh she's a lady. (Taken from Tom Jones.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The X-Wing Pilots continue with a representative of the Human contingent! I was ready to roll my eyes and grouse about how we're getting an old mold again with a new head of an (as far as I can tell) anonymous extra or Hasbro employee... but she turned out pretty well. Maybe it's the bright lights bringing out her best, maybe it was the pizza I had at dinner, but the figure is fine. Your socks may not be knocked off, but for whatever reason tonight I was impressed, even by the imperfections. The unpainted silver greeblies in her sleeves are sharply sculpted, and even in orange they show Hasbro did some nice work. Molded separately in color, the white vest looks sharp. The panels on her chest look great, the buttons are nicely painted, and the suit is mostly orange with black gloves and boots. The separately molded hoses and straps look far superior to the unpainted, tightly-sculpted ones we got in 1979 and other than the old, outdated hip joints the body is still pretty decent.

Her helmet is the same basic template as the entire set, which borrows a look from the Ahsoka series. Two stripes run down her helmet, one of which is super wide. The colors don't necessarily correspond to a specific show character that I noticed, but perhaps your eyes are more eagle than me at my old and increasingly impatient age. I seem to recall Hasbro saying these are original pilots. There's no weathering or damage deco, but for a made-up figure that's fine. I can add some if I want.

I don't recognize the face, which may prove awkward down the line. I've met a lot of people from various companies involved with these toys and I look at a wonderfully tight hair cut, sharply painted eyes and lips, and excellent eyebrows... and I also hope she isn't reading this and going "dude, we met at the party with the Jenga thing remember?" Hasbro's ability to make a human head seem eerily real yet small enough to shoot out of your nose is incredible, and also, not recommended. But I can say that whoever this is, I hope she's happy with the results because I absolutely believe that this is an actual person somewhere.

Given Hasbro's anxieties about SKUs and tooling budgets, I'm genuinely curious why we got an anonymous pilot in an era where vehicle play isn't really a thing anymore. It's a very nice figure - a magnificent demonstration of Hasbro's capabilities in head sculpting and facial detailing that, at this size, is unbeaten in the business. But given the sprawling franchise, the split focus between "classic" and "new," and a massive lack of support of new entries in the series, it seems like an odd choice. If you can get this set for a fair price I think you'll be pleased and impressed if you're looking to add new Rebel pilots to your collection, and of course to see Hasbro prove that they could make more amazing characters from the original trilogy were they so inclined.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,194: December 3, 2024