Toybox REVIEW: Star Wars Black Series The Armorer (Deluxe Version)

Release Date: October 2020

RRP: $29.99/£29.99 (Deluxe Edition), $19.99/£19.99 (Standard Edition)

With the cancellation of conventions across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hasbro needed to find a new avenue for all the various exclusives they had planned in 2020 - just as well they had Hasbro Pulse (in the US at least) and the “Fan Channel” (a network of online retailers that stock Hasbro products) to funnel them through. One such exclusive was the Star Wars The Black Series The Armorer, which had a special deluxe release planned for Star Wars Celebration as well as the standard retail version. Leader of the tribe of Mandalorian warriors that Din Djarin hails from, the Armorer is an enigmatic figure that provides spiritual guidance to the clan as well as forging their armour. After surviving the Empire’s attack on Nevarro, it is her who tasks Djarin with reuniting the Child with the Jedi. When questioned why he should return the Child to an order that was once at war with the Mandalorians, she simply utters the show’s iconic words - “This is the way.”

The standard version of the Black Series Armorer comes in the usual packaging, however if you purchased the deluxe version you’ll be treated to a lavish pull-out tray box identical to the similarly exclusive Cad Bane and TODO 360 set. Judging by Hasbro’s recent surveys on the matter it doesn’t look like this is exactly how the Black Series packaging will be when they attempt to go plastic-free, but it’s still a good indication given how much less plastic it uses. Slightly wider than your typical Black Series packaging, the box sports a black slip cover with a big Star Wars Black Series logo as well as the Star Wars: The Mandalorian tagline underneath. This is all done in orange lettering to match the colour scheme given to all the Mandalorian figures. The back of the slipcase is largely identical, just with the franchise logo shifted off to the top corner. One spine is plain, whilst the exposed spine of the inner tray features some great artwork of the Armorer. This artwork can connect with the other figures in the Mandalorian range to create a larger mural, however the differing dimensions of the box might not make it especially neat. Pull out the inner section and you’ll find the figure tied down to the cardboard in one window, and then all the accessories (housed in a plastic bubble) in a separate window next to her. The back features that same spine artwork yet again, along with a short bio on The Armorer and her place in the Star Wars universe.

As attractive as this packaging is, the big downside to is it is that it isn’t that easy to open without ripping the box in some way. The inner section doesn’t pull out all the way which makes the top flap inaccessible, so instead you have to get in through the artwork spine. This involves cutting the tape and carefully lifting out all three tabs without ripping the box. Once that’s open you can get at the inner tray, and free the Armorer from the numerous elastic ties holding her down. To get at the accessories you’ll need to cut at the plastic tray from the back, freeing the tabs that hold the clamshell lid down in place.

Hasbro have really been upping their game recently when it comes to the Black Series, and even though the Armorer doesn’t a photo-real head sculpt to show off or anything fancy like that this is still a really impressive looking figure. The first thing that’s immediately striking about it are the colours, from that dark gold helmet to the metallic bronze chest plate. The under suit looks equally great, with plenty of texture moulded on to the limbs to convey the various types of fabric used. The legs have plenty of sculpted fabric folds, while all the brown areas have also been finished and black-washed in a way that gives off the look of leather. The gloves especially look thick and padded as though they are designed to deal with extreme heat. The only area that seems to have lost a few paint apps along the way is the belt, which still has the most prominent gold and silver detailing on the side. While all those minor details will be present on the forthcoming S.H. Figuarts release, considering that’s nearly double the price of this (and that’s before factoring in shipping and middleman fees), Hasbro are definitely closing the gap in a noticeable way. Interestingly like most of the other helmeted characters (i.e. all the new moulds) released in this new phase of the Black Series, the Armorer does actually have a sculpted head under that helmet. The helmet is glued on tightly so it would take a fair bit of work to get it off and find out what's underneath, but whatever it is I'm sure it's hilariously inappropriate.

An additional feature exclusive to the deluxe version of the figure is a soft goods cloak, which admittedly is a little messier than the onscreen version but gives off that almost-medieval pelt feel far better than a sculpted one does. It really adds to the whole ensemble, and for me was an even bigger draw to the deluxe version of the figure than the packaging or extra accessories were.

If you were to take one look the Armorer's attire it's understandable that one might not think it would fare well in figure form. The skirt section especially, which has been moulded in soft plastic as soft goods really wouldn't have been able to convey its thick, leathery look in quite the same way. Straight away you'd assume that sitting down poses are impossible (which they are), and that the hips and overall leg articulation would be affected pretty significantly as well. But Hasbro are full of surprises and this is another area where The Armorer has turned out particularly well. Altogether she features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, waist and hips

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Swivel hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists and ankles

- Thigh swivels

- Hinged knees

Now there are some restrictions, there's no getting around that. The brown shoulder pads naturally prevent the arms from raising up straight but you are able to get around that thanks to the combination of butterfly, swivel and hinge shoulders these newer Black Series figures have. The skirt however isn't anywhere near as bad as you might think. The slits on either side are a big help in getting the soft plastic to stretch outward, so while it isn't the range of motion you'd get without it the legs are still able to bend forwards and outwards. The skirt stretches, but it doesn't feel like the plastic is stressing either which is a huge plus. Granted we haven't seen a whole lot of the Armorer in action on The Mandalorian yet, but those key scenes we do see her left a HUGE impression that the figure had to live up to. Even with a few restrictions here and there, it's done that pretty darn well.

The Armorer’s standard accessories are a hammer and tongs, tools that she uses in the forging of the Mandalorians’ Beskar armour. Both tools are cast in silver plastic and nicely moulded, despite not having any distinct detailing. The tongs are not articulated, but are made of a soft enough plastic that they can be held with either one or two hands. Both tools fit in the hands of the figure very comfortably, and immediately give the Armorer some fantastic display presence. They can either be used practically for their intended use, or as weapons to viciously beat down any Stormtroopers that try to stand in the Armorer’s way. There are a couple of other minor accessories it might have been nice to see the Armorer come with (such as Beskar bars for example), but these have since been covered elsewhere in the Black Series so its no huge loss. For a reasonably price collectors’ action figure, these tools were the right choice of accessory.

However if you did splash out for the deluxe version of the figure, there are also a number of additional accessories to bolster the Armorer’s tool kit. These include a second hammer and extended pair of tongs, instead cast in translucent orange plastic (with the bodies painted silver) to give them a glowing metal effect. Interestingly this hammer is also the more screen-accurate one too, since it has the extended area dropping down from the end. It’s worth noting that the silver paint can flake off easily, so be careful when putting the pieces in and out of the figure’s hands. On top of that there’s also a translucent yellow effect part that can plug into the hammer designed to look like the sparks of clashing metal, as well as a newly forged Mandalorian helmet with glowing yellow and blue sections. The helmet has been cast in translucent plastic, with the bulk of it painted over in silver. It can be held in either pair of tongs or directly by the figure itself. It’s an interesting set of accessories since they don’t really correlate to any specific part of the series, but extremely cool and work really well with the figure. Hasbro have really stepped up their effect part game lately, and the glowing tools and spark effect part will make those Stormtrooper takedowns look all the more brutal. While arguably they aren’t “must have” accessories in the same way TODO 360 was with Cad Bane, for the general collector I’d say that’s actually better. It makes the standard version feel like less of an inferior product, but still give the deluxe version that extra bit of allure.

When Hasbro are producing figures as good as the Black Series The Armorer, it really is hard to see the need for more expensive options like S.H. Figuarts or MAFEX. Hasbro have really been bringing their A-game to the line in the last year or so, and the Armorer is another example of the Black Series at its very best. Then as if the base figure wasn't already good enough on its own, you have all the added touches of this deluxe version to really elevate it into something special. Despite her limited screen time the Armorer proved to be one of the most popular characters of The Mandalorian season one, and this figure definitely does her justice. If you're a bit tighter with funds the standard edition will suffice, but if you don't mind spending a little bit extra then you won't regret hunting down the deluxe version.