Friday, June 3, 2022

Action Figure Review: Death Watch Mandalorian from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   I'm a sucker for Mandalorians and I was pretty excited to pick up the Death Watch Mandalorian from the most recent series of Star Wars: The Black Series figures. So, who is this guy? This appears to be a member of Death Watch similar to the unnamed Mandalorian who rescued the young Din Djarin on the planet Aq Vetina. So far this character doesn't have a name but since he's a cool looking Mandalorian who played a significant role in Din Djarin's life and also doubles as an army builder, Hasbro went ahead and released him. He's a great figure with a fantastic sculpt that, surprisingly, seems to be completely new. Seriously, he seems completely unique from the other Mandalorians released in the line. I'm impressed Hasbro went all out for a more minor character but I guess they'll end up getting more use out of this with repaints and such. Let's take a look at the Death Watch Mandalorian after the break...



The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed mid torso,  swivel/hinge shoulders with lateral "butterfly" hinges, swivel/ hinge elbows, forearm swivels, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, a ball jointed head, and a hinged range finder. 

Accessories: Blaster rifle, blaster pistol, and a jetpack.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars







The Positives:

* The sculpt and colors on the Death Watch Mandalorian are really impressive. I love the mixture of blue, purple, and grey here. The darker colors really make the white paint applications stand out, too. The armored elements are mostly separate pieces (though not removable) attached to the base body. It really sells the effect of this being a heavily armored figure. 













* The Death Watch Mandalorian's helmet is pretty basic but still very, very cool. The color scheme is excellent here and the paint applications are crisp and clean. 




* The range finder is functional too. It rotates up and down into position over the Mandalorian's right eye. 




* The leg plates and kneepads are separate pieces over the main sculpt. I'm just very impressed by the build of this figure.




* There's some nice sculpted detail and a few rather crisp paint applications on the Death Watch Mandalorian's vambraces. Lots of deadly goodies are surely hidden in those!



* The articulation is excellent. Not only does this Mandalorian have all of the joints you'd expect but he's also sporting the "butterfly" pecs. Little things like the flexible, movable shoulder pads and the fantastic knee hinges really make this an amazing figure to pose and play around with. He's one of the best Black Series figures I've owned.



* The figure comes with a JT-12 jetpack with an excellent blue and silver color scheme. The jetpack fits into the armor on the figures back via a plug and two tabs and stays on securely. 



* Like some of the newer jetpacks, the thrusters are also articulated. They can pivot and can hold a blast effect. Two bad this figure doesn't come with any jetpack effects. 



* The included blaster rifle kind of looks like a heavily modified EE-3 carbine but it's definitely a different model or very heavily modified. It's a great looking accessories with a scope, a forward grip, and an interesting stock attached to the grip in two places. 








* There's also a WESTAR-35 included with a nice wooden grip. 












* The WESTAR-35 stores securely in the holster on the Death Watch Mandalorian's right hip.
The Negatives:


* The WESTAR-35 looks great but it's pretty small and difficult for the figure to hold. This sculpt originally came with Bo-Katan and it was clearly designed for the smaller female hands. It wiggles around and falls out of the Death Watch Mandalorian's hands. 

   The Death Watch Mandalorian is, so far, the most impressive Star Wars: The Black Series release of the year. This is a fantastic new build for a Mandalorian trooper and the paintwork an color scheme really make it pop. I'm sure we'll see this body reused in the future but it's a great base body, so no worries there. The articulation is smooth like butter and this guy looks awesome no matter how you pose him. Other than the WESTAR-35 being a bit too small, this guy is perfect. This is an Epic figure and definitely a Black Series figure worth picking up if you run across him. 


   

   If you're looking for more Mandalorian troop builders I've also reviewed the Black Series Mandalorian Super Commando and the Mandalorian Loyalist. 

For more Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV reviews check out the following:
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10 comments:

  1. Ink'd Kaiju DudeJune 3, 2022 at 3:45 AM

    This figure looks great. Some of those Black Series figures have really great articulation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17June 4, 2022 at 10:12 AM

      They really do. When Hasbro builds these new bodies from the ground up instead of using older figures as a base they really come up with some fantastic articulation schemes.

      Delete
  2. Wayward KnaveJune 24, 2022 at 2:49 PM

    He looks chunkier or bulkier in his uniform and armor. Plus the combination of blue and gray just works well for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17June 26, 2022 at 5:13 PM

      Yeah, this guy is still just one of my favorites released this year in the Black Series.

      Delete
    2. Wayward KnaveJuly 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM

      Another thing I've come to like about this figure: he can fit in with both animated series and live-action Star Wars figures.

      Delete
    3. Barbecue17July 17, 2022 at 11:26 PM

      Hasbro has done a fantastic job of keeping all of the Black Series figures in a consistent style, and I appreciate that. There are one or two that look a bit more animated, but overall I think they blend nicely together. It's cool to be able to have the Rogue One crew, the Ghost crew, the Bad Batch, and the OT heroes stand together and all look like they belong in the same line.

      Delete
    4. Wayward KnaveJuly 21, 2022 at 1:54 PM

      I snagged a Sabine Wren for my goddaughter when it miraculously appeared at a Toys R' Us here. To this day, she's wondering why she never saw Sabine in any of the live-action movies. I just tell her she was in The Ghost in Rogue One.

      Delete
    5. Barbecue17July 26, 2022 at 3:40 PM

      I believe she'll be in the next season of the Mandalorian, too!

      Delete
    6. Wayward KnaveAugust 4, 2022 at 3:08 PM

      Is that right? So at least she survived the Civil War. I wonder what she's been doing all that time?

      Delete
    7. Barbecue17August 5, 2022 at 3:47 PM

      The last episode of Rebels showed her continuing to fight with the Rebellion until after Endor. At some point her and Ahsoka went looking for Ezra, so maybe we'll see how that turned out next season.

      Delete

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