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The Mandalorian on Disney+ has provided us with lots of new content surrounding the Mandalorians and their armour beyond that established by Boba Fett and lately Jango Fett in the prequels. Within the Star Wars Black Series, this expansion of the Mandalorian context has seen us move from the basic figure configuration of Boba & Jango to a myriad of Mandalorian armour options and characters - one of the latest of which is Axe Woves as seen in Season 2 and Season 3 of The Mandalorian. Axe was released in 2022 as part of Wave 9 of the Star Wars Black Series Galaxy Collection. He comes in a window box with the slanted side artwork that is specific to the Galaxy Collection releases, using the deep orange accent colour for The Mandalorian. Axe is number #25 in the collection, following on from Greef Karga and preceding Grogu in the connected montage created by the side illustrations.
Axe utilises the many Mandalorian parts that now exist in the series, borrowing heavily from the Death Watch figure released a couple of waves earlier in 2022. The figure is made up of brown cast parts for the character's undersuit, over which is applied a mixture of grey and blue armoured panels most cast in their base colour with the chest armour the only key piece that is painted in full. The colour transitions are therefore neat and tidy with no paint overspill. There is no weathering as such, but battle damage is added with silver scratches on some of the armour edges and across the face of the chest section.
Axe comes with a fairly standard Mandalorian helmet that is cast in blue and with grey added in two tones to the face plate and top trim. The visor is coloured a gloss black and the same scratched silver damage is added around the visor. An articulated range finder sits to the right-hand side and articulates down over one side of the visor. Beneath the helmet, the Axe Woves head is a brand new sculpt with an adequate likeness to actor Simon Kassianides. The face print tech is not as beneficial as is usually the case with good detail around the eyes, but a messy application of the facial hair. Like many head sculpts currently, the finish is also overly glossy.
The blue JT-12 jet pack is a removable piece cast in blue plastic with silver trim and articulated thrusters that have limited movement to rotate within the confines of the main jet pack. The pack connects to the body by three connecting sockets and like most proceeding Mando figures, the fit is poor and the pack is prone to dropping off unless secured by some kind of tack - or glued in place if you want to have a more radical fix.
Axe features a single blaster, a WESTAR-35, cast in black with silver trim to the main grip. It lacks detail as is the design of the Mando WESTAR blasters, fitting into the right hand of Axe neatly when being wielded. It can also be secured away in a useable holster on the right hip where a flexible rubbery strap comes down over the top to secure it in place. Unlike a lot of other straps of this nature, the one on Axe is more robust and the fit of the plug into the holster to hold the strap closed is quite snug and secure.
Articulation is 19 points in total, and all pinless with joints worked into the design of the clothing and armour where possible which does give the figure a cleaner look. Axe has no particular restrictions with his movement with the shoulder pauldrons moving with the arm as needed and the legs moving freely. All the joints are tight and secure with the satisfaction of ratchets at key locations to keep the joints in one place once posed.
Axe Woves completes the trio of Mandalorians we first met in Season 2 and looks brilliant alongside Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves on display. With Season 3, Axe also becomes part of a larger Mandalorian tribe which can be expanded with the likes of The Armourer, Paz Vizsla, and the Death Watch Trooper if needed and the incoming Mandalorian Fleet Commander figure - and these are unlikely to be the end of it as the Black Series continues to grow with a specific focus on the Disney+ content. A recommended purchase with great execution and those minimal flaws centered around the face decor are easily hidden by the Mandalorian helmet.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...