Wave 3 of the Star Wars Black Series Galaxy Collection was made up of four figures, with three of them part of The Mandalorian collection in the shape of Greef Karga, Kuill and Moff Gideon as seen in Season 1. The wave also included the first figure from The Rise of Skywalker, the Dark Side Vision Rey. In the US the wave began to turn up at the end of 2020, while UK supplies were delayed until February due to Covid 19 and Brexit delays.
Greef Karga arrives in the angled sided Galaxy Collection box under the burnt umber colour accent used for the Mandalorian figures. The front bar confirms the source material as the Disney+ show with the character name underneath.
The side art features Greef in his Season 1 outfit and in the backdrop of the image are the Mandalorians flying overhead with Jetpacks as per the final scenes of Episode 3, The Sin. The same illustration is used on the back of the box with a short piece of text that reads
"As an agent of the Bounty Hunters Guild, Greef Karga secures bounty hunters in pursuit of valuable and rare quarries in the galaxy"
Greef is number 06 in the Mandalorian Galaxy Collection following on from the Deluxe release of Din Djarin and the Child, and leading into Kuill who is from the same wave as Karga.
4.0
The likeness to actor Carl Weathers is not instantly impressive as is the case with some face printed heads in both the Black Series and other Hasbro properties. Looking closer the sculpt is not the culprit here, but rather an overly glossy and overly harsh face print application which doesn't bring out the moustache all that clearly and has a funny look around the eyes as though they were bruised and puffy?
The costume is an odd one, with the half cloak, but it is reflective of the look in the episode. Each element is cast in the base colour with dark brown for the tunic, light brown for the sleeves and a mid brown for the cloak which itself is an individual piece in a softer plastic. The cloak is held by a single strap that goes under the left arm with a painted clasp. It is not designed to be unclipped so the cloak can be removed. If you wanted the cloak off you'd have to squeeze it up and over the left arm/elbow which may put strain on the slim strap - its not something I wanted to try. If the cloak is removed the body is fully sculpted and painted underneath.
The legs are textured and painted in the same way as the tunic and are separated at the waist by a belt with painted gold clasp. The boots are one tone with straps that could have been painted to add some variation - but that have been left in the base plastic colour. Like many Black Series figures, Greef Karga feels like a wash/weathering application away from being a much more impressive figure.
3.5
Greef is packed with a pair of blaster pistols which are a new piece into the Black Series line. They are cast in black with some detailing down the barrel and to the grip which is painted in a metallic bronze colour. Greef has trigger fingers on both left and right hand so can wield blasters in both. When not in use he is also equipped with two working holsters on his belt. The right hand side is obscured by the cloak, but there is enough movement in the softer cloak plastic to push it out of the way gunslinger style ready for the draw.
Considering the previous release of Din Djarin has added Beskar ingots and tracking fobs into the line, these would have would have been a nice touch to include with Greef also.
3.5
Greek Karga is inclusive of all the new articulation joints in the Black Series and weighs in with an impressive 19 points of articulation including the new two part neck joint and the butterfly shoulders.
Head : ball joint neck base and head connection
Body : ball joint waist
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single joint rotating knee, ankle pivot
Every joint does its job although the butterfly joints are held a little in check by the outfit and cloak. They do allow the gunslinger poses with the holsters and blasters that I think works really well with the figure. The cloak does prevent kneeling or sitting poses, although without it they would be achievable with the movement built into the legs.
Every joint is tight and secure and Greef stands perfectly well without any support.
4.0
Greef Karga is one of the few figures recently that have not nailed the likeness by way of the Face Print tech. The application is too shiny and has issues with the eyes and moustache that does throw off a very good sculpt. The costume is well done and coloured well, but to match the lived in Star Wars Universe and what we see on Nevarro a weathering application would have been an excellent final touch.
Articulation is great, and there is nothing wrong with the accessory choices - although I always do think about what else could have been included and a tracking fob and/or Beskar ingot would have fit really well with the Season 1 appearances of Karga.
I score the Star Wars Black Series Greef Karga a total of 3.5
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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, the mandalorian, greef karga, black series, hasbro, galaxy collection