This is the way.
Well, Mando fans – the time has finally arrived and we will have NEW The Mandalorian episodes on Disney+ later this week. With season two dropping with much hype and anticipation, you know the time is ripe for Hasbro to unleash new product for all of us to buy up and enjoy. Now, I believe that “Mando Mondays” start later today and are scheduled run for the next couple of months, so I am positive there will be new toys for all of us to enjoy. I need to get me Greef, Kuiil, Gideon, and a (better) IG-11 in the Black Series, along with the Mayfield crew and any new season two guys, so let’s bring it on. SWB has been running at an all-time high in terms of quality, so the more NEW characters in the line, the better.
While we wait for new stuff, though, one of the more intriguing characters from season 1 is arriving just in time for the new season, and The Armorer has gotten her own deluxe SWB figure. This figure was briefly available on Hasbro Pulse a couple of weeks ago, and it includes several weapons/implements, as well as a soft goods collar. If you missed the release, don’t worry as she is also being released in a new standard SWB wave, albeit with a plastic collar (which actually looks better to me) and with her standard tongs and hammer. So, it really comes down to a fancy box, some wooly fabric, and few extra weapons for the deluxe set, though admittedly, the extra accessories are pretty neat.
We were left with a slight cliffhanger at the end of season one when it appeared that (SPOILER ALERT), the Armorer was the only surviving Mandalorian based on Nevarro after they assisted Din Djarin escape with The Child. It makes me sad that Paz Vizsla might not be with us anymore (I am not sure if his helmet was shown amongst the rest in the sewers), but the Armorer is definitely the most intriguing of The Tribe, so I am looking forward to seeing how she is further developed in the new season. It is hard not look at and hold this new figure without saying “This is the Way” in her proper accent, so that alone will likely make this a very popular figure.
If you have been keeping up with SWB as of late, I will say that this figure is pretty standard for what we have been getting as of late when it comes to new characters and sculpts. I mean that in a very complimentary way, and The Armorer joins Admiral Ackbar and Teebo as one of my favorite recent releases. The sculpting work, articulation, and addition of the photo real face printing has brought this line to the forefront in terms of being in the same conversation as the top collector-based lines, and even though you most definitely CANNOT see her face, the Armorer exemplifies those strengths. She is very screen accurate and is able to move well, even with that new SWB knee joint I am not particularly fond of.
I was already a fan of the colors in the costume of this character, as they seem very appropriate for a blacksmith, and Hasbro did a great job with the deco scheme. The colors are mostly neutral and somewhat muted (the character appeared mostly in shadow anyway) but the armored copper breastplate and golden helmet both have a nice sheen to them via the paint work. It is funny, I did not notice the little “horns” on the top of the helmet while watching the show, but the are apparent here, and they kinda remind me of the helmets the “Mauldalorians” wore on the Clone Wars series. It might just be a coincidence, but it is funny they are similar in shape and pattern.
Now, as mentioned there are some differences between what you will get with this figure as opposed to the standard release. This one does include the regular hammer and tongs she uses as tools and weapons, but also a second hammer and and second set of tongs. These are both larger than the standard versions and they have a very cool “hot” deco that makes them look as though there are heated by the forge. There is also a Mandalorian helmet included with the same effect, and the use of paint and clear plastic on these pieces is really, really neat. There is also an impact/spark effect that can be attached to the heated hammer for a cool action effect.
I mentioned the soft goods collar before, and it is different from the plastic version, but I am not such a fan of this. Yes, I am admittedly biased against most soft goods on figures at this scale, but sometimes they work to positive effect. I don’t think that is the case here, however, and the curly string used here just looks like a bad plush cat than anything else. This figure, with its great sculpting, articulation, and accessories would be pretty perfect if not for this, so I am likely going to get the standard version, too, so I get the better looking collar piece.
Overall though, this is a great piece, and it is a perfect primer to get us back into The Mandalorian. Yes, this version was pretty limited, and since the accessories are so cool, I am sad for those who did not get a chance to grab this. I will be watching the first episode of the second season as soon as it is available to view, and I hope that we learn about some new SWB figures from the show soon, I will take EVERYONE.
