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.
Kuill is packed 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 illustrates Kuill with his arms folded and behind him in the backdrop of the image is an image of both Mando and Kuill atop their Blurrgs with Grogu in his pram to one side. The same illustration is used on the back of the box with a short piece of text that reads
"A vapor famer on Arvala-7, Kuill came to seek peace in an out-of-the-way world, which is now being trespassed upon by criminals and mercenaries. He has worked a lifetime to be free of servitude, and offers valuable skills for those willing to meet his place."
Kuill is number 07 in the Mandalorian Galaxy Collection following on from Greek Karga, and leading into Moff Gideon who are both from the same wave as Kuill.
4.0
Straight out of the box it is clear that Kuill is a really strong sculpt and a very good likeness to the prosthetics seen in the show. The head of the Ugnaught incudes the projected jaw and upturned nose, framed with the facial hair that Kuill sorts. All of this is enhanced further with the face print tech, with the eyes in particular so expressive from behind the pronounced brow.
Kuill stands a head or so shorter than a standard Black Series figure and comes up just short of Mando's shoulder. While this may seem a little tall to the Ugnaughts we remember from the Kenner line, it is about right to the scale seen on the show.
Kuill's outfit is made up of a brown tunic with olive green arms, darker brown gloves and with brown trousers and boots. Each piece is cast in their base colour and includes the appropriate texture as well as folds/creases and fastenings as appropriate. The belt includes a large ornate silver buckle, with pouches either side. There is then a scarf/wrap section that is separate to the figure and that sits round the neck and includes an attached backpack. The head keeps the scarf in place on the shoulders and would need to be popped of to take the scarf /backpack off the figure. I wasn't brave enough to pop Kuill's head, but doing so would provide an alternative look for the figure.
Like a lot of current Black Series figures, Kuill is well coloured with neat painted detail like the belt buckle, but lacks that worn in look we expect from the character and is crying out for a wash or some weathering to recreate his lifestyle on the desert like planet.
The flight helmet and goggles is cast as a separate part to the head and in a soft brown plastic with painted black goggles with silver rims. The piece is removable, which did surprise me when I unpacked Kuill, and there is a full head sculpt underneath complete with pointed ears and recessed hair hairline round the back. It gives Kuill a variant look and also potential opens up options for future Ugnaught characters with retooled features or helmets/goggles.
4.5
Kuill is armed with the projectile rifle he uses in Season 1 to fire the electro stun darts. This is a new piece in the Black Series and is cast in black plastic with limited detail in the sculpt. There is a flexible rubber strap that can actually be unhooked from the rear stock.
Like the Jawa rifles, the fit in to Kuill's hand is more to allow the weapon to be held in a neutral position and not in any form of firing pose. When not in use it can be slung using the strap and this works best over the left shoulder due to the shape of the tunic. It will work on the right but gets pushed out by the shoulder.
We looked at the helmet earlier, and this is really well shaped to fit around the sculpting of Kuill's head, so much so that once engaged it is not initially obvious that it does come off. This level of fit is achieved by the smooth bald head of Kuill, but also the recessing of the ear compartments to fit over the ears sculpted beneath.
It perhaps would have been great to have the goggles on the helmet something that could be employed over Kuill's eyes as an alternative look - perhaps coupled with the inclusion of some tools to reflect his engineers background.
4.0
While Kuill is a shorter figure, he does retain a fairly standard set of 16 points of articulation. He is missing newer joints like the two part neck and butterfly shoulders, but everything else is executed as you'd see on a full 6 inch figure.
Head : ball joint neck
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 rockers
With smaller arms & legs there are restrictions with these joints, mainly the elbows which are shaped so its not quite possible to get a right angle bend. The other issue is at the waist where the joint on my figure removes to move more than a few mm's before springing back. It is not something I want to force in case the inner joint breaks.
All the joints are fine and secure, with the neck feeling a little loose but the head is kept in check by the scarf. Kuill stands fine with the ankle rockers tight and supportive of his weight and posing. I would doubt that as it stands this articulation is enough to ride a Blurrg, if one were to get released.
3.5
Kuill is a fantastic looking figure with a wonderful head sculpt that is enhanced even further by the face print tech. The costume is a good match to the onscreen look and is perhaps a wash or weathering application away from perfection.
The removable head gear was a welcome surprise and is very well engineered to fit over the head and ears without looking oversized or sitting too high on the head.
The gun accessory works in some poses, but I'd have rather seen the goggles be useable on the headgear and Kuill come with some tools or similar that would fit more with his character. I'd also have liked an easier option to remove the scarf and backpack than the requirement to pop off the head.
The only other issue with Kuill I guess is the fact he comes as a single release, and not perhaps as we might have hoped as a Deluxe or Vehicle release along with a Blurrg mount. The articulation on the figure will need work if that sort of release is planned in the future with elbows, hips and the stuck waist needing some tweaks.
As he stands, I score the Star Wars Black Series Kuill figure from The Mandalorian a total of 4.0
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, kuill, black series, hasbro, galaxy collection