Thursday, January 14, 2021

Wrapping Up 2020: Mandalorian Loyalist from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   The Mandalorian Loyalist is another figure from the Walmart exclusive series of figures based on the seventh season of The Clone Wars that seemed to barely make it into stores last year. The Mandalorian Loyalists are part of the Mandalorian Resistance who fight alongside of Bo-Katan Kryze to free Mandalore from the rule of Darth maul and Gar Saxon. They're troop builders and with Mandalorians being more popular than they've ever been before, these guys should have been available in decent numbers. Too bad they weren't. That's a shame, too, because the Mandalorian Loyalist is a pretty solid figure. He's built mostly from the Phase III Jango Fett body in one of the fairly uncommon instances of a "franken-figure" or a kit-bashed" figure in the Black Series, which tends to favor new sculpts or repaints. Let's take a look at the Mandalorian Loyalist after the break...


The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel forearms, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Jetpack and two blaster pistols.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars







Comparison:

* The Mandalorian Loyalist is on the left while the Phase III Jango Fett is on the right. Overall, the Mandalorian uses most of Jango's mold, though Hasbro did give him new thighs, a new belt, and a new head. It's not bad at all and the guy does feel quite fresh and new. 
The Positives:


* The sculpt is still good (Hasbro's armored sculpts have always been quite good in this line) and the paintwork is what helps set this guy apart. Everything is super neat and clean, doing an admirable job of capturing the look of the Mandalorians from The Clone Wars. There's a nice mixture of paint colors here that really break up all of the different details of the armor. 





* The helmet is a new piece. It's not removable but it looks excellent with lots of battle damage and various scrapes and scuffs painted on.









* The symbols on the Mandalorian Loyalists' shoulder pads are cool and, of course, he's also sporting the same slick vambraces as Jango.

* While the figure is based on an older body with articulation that isn't as impressive or as smooth as on the newer figures, it's still pretty good. He's got most of the standard joints you'd expect from figures within the first 3-4 years of the Black Series plus the extra arm joints that Jango had. he's durable, solid, and you can pose him with no worries about breakage.



* The Mandalorian Loyalists carry dual Westar-35s (which are reused from Sabine Wren). They're slick and shiny!










 


  * The hips are new on the Mandalorian Loyalist and they both have holsters for the Westar-35s. The blasters slide in easily and stay in place securely. They're incredibly efficient!










* The Mandalorian Loyalist sports a JT-12 jetpack with some cool paint details on it. It plugs into his back and stays on quite securely.
The Negatives:

*  My only real complaint with the figure, besides the abysmal availability, is that the range of the motion on the elbow is definitely not impressive. This is an older sculpt, though, and hopefully Hasbro will retool some new Mandalorian parts in the near future to craft more figures from The Clone Wars and more members of the Tribe.






   This guy is essentially a Black Series version of the 2010 Mandalorian Warrior and I loved that figure when it was released! This guy will fit in with the rest of your figures just fine and adds another army builder to the line that's not a Clone Trooper or Stormtrooper. It would have been nice to get more updates on this guy but he's still a pretty effective franken-figure. I'm giving the Mandalorian Loyalist a Great. It'd be nice if he were available everywhere and if he didn't have the exclusive tax added on but you shouldn't too much fault with the figure itself. It's nice to be building an army of Mandalorians in the Black Series, isn't it?

This is the first Mandalorian Loyalist I've reviewed on the site. For more figures from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV check out the following:





5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I agree! I've got another Mandalorian review coming soon, too!

      "It's raining Mandos! Hallelujah!"

      Delete
    2. In a Halo-style game, this could be the default armor for new Mandalorian recruits. As an army-building idea, I envision two squads of Loyalists led by the Supercommando with a Death Watch as his lieutenant.

      Delete
    3. He is nice and basic. I'm always down for more Mandalorians.

      Delete
    4. I wouldn't mind getting the Cuy'val Dar who trained the clone commandos. Give each one a squad of troopers and they're good to go.

      Delete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?