Koska Reeves, as seen in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, was released as a Star Wars Black Series figure in the winter of 2021 as part of the 5th general wave of the Galaxy Collection. This wave had significant distribution issues with figures like Aurra Sing and Lando Calrissian shipping a good couple of months ahead of the Reeves - with Tech and Q9-0 shipping midway between them.
Koska Reeves is the 12th release in the Galaxy Collection for The Mandalorian and the box features the burnt umber colour accent on the nameplate and side art. The side art connects directly to the art for Q9-0 before her, and the Artillery Stormtrooper immediately after. The same illustration is repeated on the back of the box to the side of the background text.
"A master of hand-to-hand combat, Koska Reeves is loyal to Bo-Katan and is a member of a band of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant"
Reeves is a direct re-use of the Bo-Katan figure from the previous wave (Wave 4) repainted to the deeper blue armour that we see Reeves wear in the show. This in itself is not an issue as Mandalorian armour is fairly standard, and even the repainted Bo Katan body is a good match to what we see Koska Reeves use on-screen in her Mandalorian appearances. There are some variations to the Bo-Katan figure to ensure the figure aligns with the on-screen costume. These include an updated belt section with only a single holster and some variations in the helmet particularly at the side and rear vents & panels.
The bulk of the body is cast in the grey of the undersuit, with the bright blue painted on top. The blue is then weathered in places with added dirt and wear added, and this includes some chipped silver on the chest plate and the helmet. We get further silver additions on the belt buckle, and on the flame thrower on her left wrist. Decals give the finishing touches with the Nite Owls logo on either shoulder, and these are again weathered with some damage and scratches included in the application.
The jetpack is an individual piece, packed on its own in the box. It is the same as used for Bo-Katan and attaches via a shaped socket on the rear of the figure. The pack includes some blue panels added on the base grey plastic, in an ideal world it could do with a darker wash and some metallic paint.
Like Bo-Katan the helmet is removable and underneath we have an unmasked head of Mercedes Varnado (WWE's Sasha Banks) complete with her crossed headbands. The likeness is adequate without being spectacular and it does suffer from being slightly too waxy looking. The face print tech gives good realism to the eyes and around them, and the lip colour is a match to the episodes. The hair is braided and includes some loose bangs down either side and comes round the back to a short ponytail with a silver fastener.
Despite being a slim and slightly softer plastic, the helmet fit over the head is good without being too tight and the helmet retains its shape well when not in use so it can be tucked under Koska's arm.
The single holster is accurate to the series, where Koska Reeves wields a single blaster in battle. The Black Series release has however given us two versions of the WESTAR-35 Mandalorian Blaster - the same weapon as first included with Bo Katan. The weapons are cast in grey with some brown added to the grip. Having been translated from the Bo-Katan figure, both hands-on Reeves can wield a blaster with individual trigger fingers on each. When not in use one of the pair can slip into the holster where it sits securely.
Purists will certainly put one of these blasters away as a spare and ensure Koska is accurate to her character in the show - while the rest of us will simply pose her looking 'bad ass' with two blasters like her boss.
Articulation starts with the helmet and the range finder which is hinged and can be swung down over the visor.
The figure then has a total of 19 points of articulation and includes joints at both top and base of the neck for added head articulation without an unsightly hinge, and butterfly joints tucked into the shoulders for a little bit of added arm movement.
All of this makes Koska Reeves highly poseable. She can shoot or holster her blasters, with the shoulder pauldron of the armour designed to withdraw under the chest piece rather than restricting arm motions. She can also sit and kneel, and will look good on a flight stand too, making the most of the Jet Pack.
After a number of months of wishing for more weathering and real-world effects, Koska Reeves certainly delivers on the paint and decor element with a very good level of weathering and damage to that blue armour. The sculpt may be borrowed, but there are enough variances to Bo-Katan to make the release worthwhile and a good new head sculpt to boot. Hasbro only needed to include one blaster, but they included two - and the only thing I could possibly think to include aside from her weaponry is that cloak she wears early on in her appearance in Season 2 as she observes Mando on his arrival to Trask.
Koska Reeves was my last Star Wars Black Series figure of 2021 and a great one to finish on. And probably a figure that may have made my Top 5 had I managed to unpack her earlier.
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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...