Tuesday 12 November 2019

Toybox REVIEW: Star Wars Black Series The Mandalorian (Carbonized Collection)

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Release Date: October 2019
RRP: $20/£20

This year’s Triple Force Friday was a particularly special time for Star Wars collectors because not only did it debut product from the forthcoming Rise of Skywalker film, but also the Jedi: Fallen Order video game and Disney+ series The Mandalorian. With anticipation for all three instalments at an all-time high, Hasbro knew exactly how to entice fans and produced a number of different variants of the new Black Series figures. As well as being available in both standard and First Edition versions, a select few were also released as part of the Carbonized Collection - sporting metallic paint jobs and premium foil packaging. Undoubtedly the most anticipated of them all, the Star Wars Black Series The Mandalorian (Carbonized Collection) figure was released exclusively at Target stores in the US and through StarActionFigures in the UK. Today, on the US release of the Disney+ and the premiere of The Mandalorian, we take a look at this mysterious new bounty hunter with no name.

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If you wanted any indication that the Carbonized Collection are a particularly special set of releases than look no further than the packaging, which rather impressively manages to be even more shiny than the figures themselves. Though the shape and design of the box remains the same, these releases swap out the drab black and white colour scheme for a shimmering foil finish - with each figure having its own unique colour. The Mandalorian’s is a bold bronze colour that nicely correlates with the colour of his armour, wrapping all the way around the box with the exception of one silver spine. Though both these and the First Edition variants (which comes in their own unique white boxes) are special editions, they retain the same number designation as the main range versions. As usual the back also features a small bio of the character, though naturally it’s just as vague as the rest of the promotion we’ve seen in the lead up to the series itself. Open the box up and the figure, along with its two accessories, is neatly stored on the usual moulded plastic tray.

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As you'd expect from a character named "The Mandalorian" this mysterious bounty hunter wears the familiar body armour popularised on film by Boba and Jango Fett, although there are a few tweaks that immediately set it apart from the Mandalorian armour we're used to. The instantly noticeable one is the absence of the range finder antennae on that iconic T-visor helmet, but the whole ensemble has a much less uniform look to it that suggests the Mandalorian has replaced parts as he goes on. Hasbro have rather faithfully recreated this look on the Black Series figure, so much so that you can even see a Shoretrooper shoulder pad poking out on his right hand side. Despite obvious similarities to the Fetts the figure is an all new mould, as a side by side comparison shows size and moulding differences in all the key areas. Curiously Hasbro have opted for a soft plastic shoulder cape, which is quite unlike them as in almost every instance (especially in recent times) they've opted for cloth goods instead. It's implemented well and doesn't break the figure by any means, but does feel rather odd amongst a lot of the other figures in the line. The colours are accurate to the onscreen armour even if the glossy plastic has a toyetic charm to it that doesn't quite convey the materials in some areas, but the paint apps are sharp and of a particularly high standard for the Black Series. The one big let-down is the helmet, which has been given splashes of brown paint to presumably simulate rusting. Not only is this some bizarre toy addition that doesn't seem to present on the actual helmet whatsoever, but the overall effect really isn't that impressive and spoils what's otherwise a striking, if simplistic, helmet.

As previously mentioned the Carbonized Collection variant gives the figure a slightly modified paint job, with almost the entire body now covered in a metallic finish. While it isn’t necessarily more accurate than the standard edition, it definitely gives the air of a more premium product and enhances the look of certain areas such as the helmet (rust effect notwithstanding) and brown armour panels. Whether it’s enough to double dip on the figure depends how much of a hardcore Star Wars figure collector you are, but as unique piece done for Triple Force Friday (that didn’t cost any more than the standard one no less!) it’s definitely worth a look. It’s also one of the best looking figures in the (relatively small) Carbonized Collection, second only perhaps to the Sith Trooper - which perhaps only works so well because it’s one colour.

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The articulation on this figure includes a ball joints in the head, neck and torso, along with swivel and butterfly hinge shoulders and standard swivel hinge elbows, wrists, hips and ankles. The knees are double hinged, and then the thighs and gauntlets have additional swivel cuts for even more motion. There's a lot going on here and for the most part the figure is really able to take advantage of all these joints – the lower half of the body has a particularly good range. However there are a few issues to raised, some of which are due to design while others are more a common QC complaint. To start with, Hasbro really need to do something about their shoulder pad implementation. Much like it does on the trooper figures, eventually raising the arm brings the arm in contact with the joint cut and movement comes to an immediate halt. But it isn't so much the restrictions that are the issue here, it's that the contact between the two areas could very easily lead to the paint getting scratched on this figure. Similarly a lot of the joints are particularly stiff (at least on my copy of the figure), which I do wonder could be down to the extra paint on the Carbonized version. Basically there's more worry about paint rub than usual on that particular version of the figure, which is a little disheartening on something that's meant to be posed. Finally, while there isn't any issue with the torso joint itself pegging the gun into the back properly does limit it, as the holes in both the back and the strap hovering above it have to line up perfectly. To do this you have to arch the torso back a little further than natural, which may not be noticeable from the front but does immediately limit how much you can do with it while the gun is attached.

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The Mandalorian comes packaged with two accessories, one of which is a basic blaster pistol which can be stored in the figure's holster when not in use. The second of his weapons is the far more interesting one however – the long, two-pronged rifle that closely resembles the Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster wielded by Boba Fett in the much maligned Star Wars Holiday Special short. The reappearance of this weapon has been a hotly discussed topic since the very first image of the character, highlighting how Favreau and Filoni really have scoured all corners of the Star Wars universe for this show. Both weapons have been accurately moulded to faithfully capture their sci-fi Western aesthetic, and their colouring further enhanced by the Carbonized Collection's metallic paint jobs. But as great as they look, getting the figure to hold them just highlights further issues in the execution of these premium variants. The grip of the hands is horrifically tight, so getting the weapons into them is a really struggle without warming them up beforehand (either with hot water or a hairdryer) to loosen them up. But even afterwards there's still the risk of the paint rubbing off in its grip, either just from contact or the friction of taking them on or off the figure. For proof of this just look no further than the tab that pegs onto the back of the figure. Using this will IMMEDIATELY remove the metallic silver finish from the inserted area, leaving a rather uneven and unattractive area of black plastic that completely spoils the "premium" finish. It's my understanding that this is also the case with the standard version of the figure too, though I would imagine at least there's it's less noticeable. Paint rub isn't a new problem for the Black Series but you'd think for a release like this Hasbro might come up with a better way to avoid it, rather than stick to usual practices and risk damaging these limited edition figures. The weapons themselves look so amazing, but it really dampens the enthusiasm to switch up poses on the figure or even simply store the rifle the way it's meant to be stored.

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Judging by the great job Hasbro have done with the other Mandalorian characters in the line, the Star Wars Black Series The Mandalorian figure should have been a similarly impressive release. However while the figure may certainly look the part, I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by it in comparison - though some of the issues may be solely unique to the Carbonized Collection version. Minor quibbles about screen accuracy aside the colours and finish on this variant really elevate the figure in terms of looks, but the trade-off is the constant worry of damaging that paint job. Articulation hindrances, stiff joints and stubborn hands are a problem right across the Black Series, but they all seem so much worse when just moving the parts like they should can result in marks or scratches. Ruining the paint on the gun tab isn’t a possibility, it’s an inevitability. But with the character set to slightly alter his armour over the course of the series, even if this one doesn’t meet your expectations fans are hardly going to be spoiled for choice - especially if other toy companies decide to get a piece of The Mandalorian pie as well.

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