Toybox REVIEW: Star Wars Black Series Axe Woves

Release Date: October 2022

RRP: $24.99/£25.99

Back in the day, the Star Wars toy line was known for giving an action figure to pretty much every character or alien no matter how long they appeared on screen. That isn't quite as true anymore, but if Hasbro can get an easy figure out of existing mould they will. Calling Axe Woves a background character as such might be a little much, but compared to fellow Mandalorians Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves he didn't really stand out from the crowd as much. Nevertheless, the arrival of Black Series Axe Woves completes the Nite Owl trio from season two of The Mandalorian.

"A skilled warrior, Axe Woves is loyal to Bo-Katan and is a member of a band of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant."

Among the last of the windowless Black Series figure boxes, Axe Woves is the 25th release in the Mandalorian range - noted by its additional orange colouring. The sloped side of the box sports some great artwork of Axe Woves with helmet removed, which is repeated on the backside of the box alongside a short bio about the character. Naturally the bio itself is pretty generic, not just because Black Series ones always tend to be but also because there isn't exactly a lot to say about poor old Axe is there? Inside the figure and accessories can be found stored on the usual moulded plastic tray. 

Black Series Axe Woves is a very confusing figure. Not because it came out badly or anything, rather that it's just downright bizarre that Hasbro this much effort into (what's for all intents and purposes) a background character. The figure is a reworking of the previously released Death Watch Mandalorian figure, which makes sense given that their armour is largely the same onscreen. However there are a few key differences between the two other than paint job - namely the new belt piece with a silver buckle, numerous pouches and a single holster on the right-hand side. The figure isn't 100% accurate to Woves' appearance on The Mandalorian as it lacks the leather piece that extends down underneath the chest plate, but overall it's pretty close - probably closer than the Koska Reeves figure was (which was a slight remould of Bo-Katan). The other big thing Axe Woves has over the Death Watch Mandalorian is of course a proper head sculpt and removable helmet, since this is a named character as opposed to a faceless soldier. Like Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves the head sculpt here is great, with a good likeness to actor Simon Kassianides - though I fully admit I had to go and revisit the episode to remember what the character looked like in the first place.

The new Mandalorian body looks great, but what really makes it special is just how posable it is. Years of wheeling out that dated Jango Fett mould really makes this thing feel extra special, even if it doesn't have that much over a standard modern Black Series figure. Altogether Axe Woves features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, waist and hips

- Swivel hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles 

- Thigh swivels

The shoulder pauldrons being free-moving pieces rather than moulded onto the arms makes a world of difference, allowing the arms plenty of movement even without additional butterfly joints. The various ball and swivel joints only further enhance the poseability, allowing some fantastic action poses when both grounded and in flight.

Accessories include the usual Mandalorian fare of a jetpack and helmet, as well as a single WESTAR-35 blaster pistol. This means he comes with one less accessory than both the Death Watch Mandalorian (who also had a rifle) and Bo-Katan/Koska Reeves (who had twin blasters), but given that's he's both less memorable than those and didn't really have any iconic scenes a basic accessory count is forgivable. he blaster pistol is perhaps a little small for the male Mandalorian sculpt but it does the job well enough, and when not in use can be comfortably stored in the soft plastic belt holster. Features on the helmet and jetpack include a moveable range finder (which still feels a bit of a novelty given how long it was missing on the Fett figures) and moveable nozzles respectively.

I will be continuously baffled how who is easily one of the most forgettable named Mandalorians in the current Star Wars canon has a figure this good. Black Series Axe Woves takes everything that's great about the amazing Death Watch Mandalorian figure, and adds that personal touch with a photo-real head sculpt and removable helmet. Of course whether you can even remember how Axe Woves looked onscreen is another question entirely, but as far as the figure is concerned this pretty much ticks every box even with some (very minor) accuracy gripes. It might not have the army building potential of the Death Watch Mandalorian, but completing Bo Katan's little trio is satisfying enough in itself. Hasbro can release as many Mandalorians with this body as they want, I'll happily buy them all.