Saturday, January 16, 2021

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

 


   I've reviewed two of the Walmart exclusive Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV figures based on season 7 of The Clone Wars and today it's time to get to the third: The Mandalorian Super Commando! Take some Darth Maul, mix it with a Mandalorian, and what do you get? The Mandalorian Super Commando! Led by Gar Saxon in allegiance to Darth Maul's Shadow Collective, the Mandalorian Super Commandos have modified their armor in tribute to the Sith lord. Can you believe that Hasbro decided to take this army builder and make him an exclusive? That's crazy! This should have absolutely been a double packed figure in a standard case. I don't understand some of Hasbro's decisions these days! I had to resort to the secondary market for this guy, unfortunately, but thank goodness he's an excellent figure. Let's take a look at the Mandalorian Super Commando 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 Super Commando (center), like the Mandalorian Loyalist (right), is based on the Phase III Jango Fett figure (left). Overall, the Super Commando uses most of Jango's mold, though Hasbro did give him new thighs, a new belt (which he shares with the Loyalist), and a new head and shoulders. It's smart reuse and makes for a really cool figure.



The Positives:

 

* This guy is sharp like a tack! Seriously, this is an incredible looking figure. Jango Fett's armor was a good sculpt already but adding those black and red Darth Maul inspired paint applications really makes this fellow stand out.

 

* The helmet is a fairly standard Mandalorian helmet but the Super Commandos have adorned the top with the Zabrak inspired horns for extra intimidation value. Seriously, these guys look pretty menacing, don't they?

 

* The new spiked shoulder pads on the Mandalorian Super Commando's shoulder pads are very cool loking and, of course, he's also sporting the same vambraces as Jango. There are a few paint applications on the vambraces, too, and they really help bring out the details.





  * 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 Super Commandos also carry dual Westar-35s (which are reused from Sabine Wren). They're darker than the other Westar-35s we've seen in the line, but so are the hearts of the Super Commandos.

 

* The hips are new on the Mandalorian Supr Commando 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 Super Commando sports a JT-12 jetpack with a few paint details on it. It's not as intricate as the paint work on the Mandalorian Loyalist but it's still customized to match grey and red of the Commando's outfit. 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.

   The Mandalorian Super Commando is a Great figure and definitely one of my favorites from 2020. I'd love another accessory or two and some updated elbow joints would have been nice but, as it stands, this is still a very desirable figure. How cool does this guy look? Considering that Mandalorians and Darth Maul are always very strong sellers I'm amazed that Hasbro hasn't tried to put out every variant of the Super Commando they can. The female variants, the troops with slightly different helmets, Gar Saxon; they'd all make great figures!

 

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





3 comments:

  1. "Your head is on....oh, those are horns. Beg pardon. Carry on then."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You gotta be careful taking one of these helmets off! Definitely the potential for something worse than a paper cut.

      Delete
    2. If Sauron ever needs a replacement for the Witch King, this guy might make a good candidate.

      Delete

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