I WANT TO SEE THE BABY! It’s May the 4th, and we bring you prezzies!
Well fellow fans of the The Mandalorian, it took some time, but the inundation of merchandise based on the break out character of the hit Disney+ series has started to arrive. Keeping The Child under wraps so tightly required very little, if any, designs or information being sent licensing parters, but I think the impact was worth it, and all it took was a little patience. Merchandise of all shapes and sizes bearing the likeness of the adorable little asset is out there now, so there should be something for just about everyone at this point. Since Hasbro’s Star Wars Black Series is the primary SW action figure line I collect, I have been waiting for this new SWB version of The Child since it was announced. Thanks to Dorkside Toys, I am all set now, so let’s take a look at the little one.
I say “little one” because this figure is TINY. I know that might seem obvious based on the size of the character on the show, and the 1:12 scale of Black Series, but I was still pretty shocked with how small this truly is up its arrival on my doorstep. Sometimes seeing pictures online, or even in person but from afar, just doesn’t justify the actual scale of something, be it large or small, and that is certainly the case here. This figure is no bigger than about an inch-and-a-half tall, and even next to the SWB Yoda, it is teeny tiny. Like, not eve close to being as big as the chicky nuggies associated with character’s memes. Don’t get me wrong, the scale is correct (as least as far as I can tell), but it is no wonder that it was easily able to fit within the packaging previously used for the porgs.
That said, this figure is not without the detail you should expect from the Black Series, and it does have some articulation. Actually, it is more articulation than I was expecting, but it is still pretty limited simply due to the size of the figure. It features ball joints at the neck, shoulders, and ankles, as well as the wrists, so all things considered that is not bad at all. I mean, aside from some head tilts to show emotion, or raising of the arms for Force powering, the figure is mostly just here to stand or be carried. On its own, that is not a big deal, but as you start to take the accessories into consideration, it shows off some of the limitations.
I am glad that accessories were included in this release as they are important pieces, and they even have their own little case to store them. The latter is pretty much essential as the tiny bowl, frog, and especially the gearshift knob are all bound to be lost to the carpet jungle with one misstep. Like I said, I love all of these, but they are really only here for the sake of the inclusion because the figure cannot really interact with any of them in a relevant way. Sure, you can balance the ball and bowl in one of the hands, but not really in a natural pose. The lack of elbow joint make holding bowl impossible, and honestly, I think the only way the joystick ball could be held is if it was attached to a swappable hand. I am positive that we will many future iterations of this charter in SWB, so maybe swappable arm/hand pieces are more the way to go. Because of the limited use for the included accessories, I would have traded them all for the hover pram instead. I know that would have mucked with the packaging and likely made the cost go up, but that is much more functional and more closely associated with the character. Maybe next time, but I am glad I have the amazing one from Amaro Studios.
Finally, I think the likeness of the sculpt is solid here, and the proportions seem mostly correct. At first I thought the head was really undersized, but when I started looking around at some of the production stills and show screen captures, it seemed to vary depending on the shots. For the enduring and expressive shots, the head and eyes seem bigger than usual medium shots, which is not surprising as that is an old Hollywood trick. So, I think for a straight off the design page, the proportions here are likely correct. The sculpt is all there, too, from the lines on the face to the hair, but I had to bring out the old macro lens just to see some of it, so I think that much of it will actually be lost to the naked eye, which is kind of a shame.
The Chid is here, you guys, and it is ready for the next adventures in your Star Wars Black Series while we impatiently await season two. I think it is only hitting the online retailers so far, but be patient because I can assure that Hasbro is not going to be underproducing this little one. Hopefully Kuiil, Greef, and others are not far behind because there are a lot of cool characters from The Mandalorian to get to, so Hasbro is going to be busy for awhile.
