As the second season of The Mandalorian arrived on Disney+ a series of product reveals commenced under the Mando Mondays header, and one of the first reveals was a brand new Black Series set containing a Speeder Bike, Scout Trooper and The Child as seen in the finale of Season 1. The set is exclusive to Amazon globally.
The set is the first vehicle release in the new Galaxy Collection packaging. The shape and design remain consistent, including the angled side panel, but the set is extended both in width and length to accommodate the Speeder Bike, while the height remains the same. Like the older 2014 Speeder release, space has been saved by angling the Speeder in the box which does look odd - but of course reduces the packaging and shelf space.
The Speeder Bike set fits into the Mandalorian releases of the Galaxy Collection, and uses the burnt umber colour scheme on the thick border that runs around the box, the set name, and round into the side artwork. While the angled side lines up perfectly with the other releases in single or deluxe boxes - Hasbro have chosen not to make this release part of the wider montage for The Mandalorian, or for that matter give the set a number. Instead, the art panel is made up of three separate images. The top one is the Scout Trooper standing next to his bike, the middle one is him riding it with The Child in the bag beside him, and the final image is a close up shot of Grogu.
The back of the box doesn't repeat this illustration, but follows suit with previous vehicle releases with a shot of the actual product with some labels around the side to highlight the features included - specifically pointing out The Child and the included piece of junk used as target practice. To the side of the artwork is the usual background text, which focuses only on the Scout Trooper and their role in the wider Empire and not their role in The Mandalorian and the capture of The Child.
"Scout troopers were lightly armored compared with other Stormtroopers, which allowed them to move more quickly and easily in a range of environments. They were also trained for more independence and adaptability than most Imperial troops. The Empire used scout troopers for a range of missions, including reconnaissance and infiltration"
The top of the box carries additional artwork with a further image of the set. And across the base, next to the copywrite and safety info, is an illustration of the bike and the stand and how the two fit together.
The box opens via one of the side flaps, the flat end is the easiest so not to damage the imagery if you intend to keep the box. The figure sits into an inner tray and is well strapped in place with clear ties. There are further ties holding the figure onto the bike around both wrists and the leg. The backdrop for the figure initially looks like the base grey of the Galaxy Collection but as you open up the set we find a view of Nevarro from a distance in a similar illustrated style to the side artwork.
3.0
The Scout Trooper utilises the 2014 sculpt which is a good recreation of the on screen Scout Troopers. The helmet and armour are cast in a off white with an applied layer of weathering and dirt to the parts to represent the damage and grime accumulated from the Scout Troopers time on Nevarro.
The under suit parts are cast in black and the only issue this presents is where white has to be painted on top for the elbow and knee pads. Here the coverage is not defined in the edges and the tone is just slightly off from the rest of the armour.
If you compare the new 2020 Trooper to the 2014 version you can see they are identical in sculpt but vary in the paint décor - both in terms of the yellowed armour on the new figure but also with areas of detail being dropped on the helmet.
The Speeder Bike is a also based on the 2014 release with a new white paint job over the gun metal of the main body and engine parts. This off white is then weathered further with mud streaks over the front steering vanes and the main body of the bike, round the sides and over the back just beneath the tan painted saddle bags.
The stand for the Bike has been updated since 2014 and like the Heroes of Endor Set (2020) it uses the newer clear stand with the rippling air effect and single height with ball joint top. This was first used in the Enfys Nest Speeder. While it looks more dynamic and still allows the bike to pitch and yaw - it doesn't allow the height the Speeder sits to be adjusted like the older pyramid stand.
4.0
The Scout Trooper is armed with the EC-17 hold out blaster, another carry over from the original 2014 release. It is one of the smallest guns in the Black Series, cast in black and with quite a bit of detail across the barrel and down the grip. It is so small it does not fit into hand and allow all four fingers to hold the grip, instead the Trooper's hands are shaped so the top two fit into the handle and create the grip. When not in use it slots into a molded holster on the right shin. The fit here is OK, but not overly secure and is certainly at risk of being dislodged and lost.
The second accessory is the "junk" component that the two Scout Troopers in the finale of Season 1 of The Mandalorian use for target practice. This is quite intricately cast with wires running out of the top part of the piece and down into the lower section. It is cast in grey with no other paint apps.
I am not sure the "junk" piece is needed in the set and seems like an unnecessary newly cast piece that took up cost that could have gone into enhancing the final accessory...
This final accessory is The Child aspect of the pack. While The Child is listed on the box as a character, what we get is a satchel with a head of Grogu plugged into it. There is no body tucked into the bag, and what we are left with is a static piece with limited use.
The satchel itself is well done in a tan brown to match the saddle bags on the bike. There are Imperial-esque insignia badges on the front flap and this is a softer plastic to allow it to fold over and close by way of the two plugs that push into the two provided holes.
The bag piece does a job, sitting on the shoulders of the Scout Trooper and allowing the figure to be displayed with Grogu hidden in the bag, or revealed by opening up the front flap - although the way this second option sits is not too natural with the bag flap sitting bolt upright and defying gravity.
I would have preferred to see the junk piece scrapped (pun intended) so to develop the Grogu and Satchel into something more impressive. Maybe a soft goods bag with a full Grogu figure - even if it was a repack of the existing 1 inch figure.
3.0
As the Scout Trooper is based on the 2014 body, he comes with the same articulation as the original figure. In this case, this works in our favour as the original Scout Trooper was significantly articulated to allow him to ride the Speeder Bike and the figure has a total of 20 points of articulation.
Head : ball joint neck with pivot
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, boot swivel, ankle rockers
The arms and legs move well, with the arm shoulder pauldron sliding over the chest armour when the arm is raised. The legs can be raise dup to a sitting position to allow him to ride the Speeder Bike, and this also allows the Scout to kneel.
The chest joint is not too mobile, being blocked from forward leaning motion by the two pouches on the stomach section of the Scout. This does leave the Scout sitting a little too upright on the bike, and just a few mm of lean forward would have helped considerably.
That aside, the arms articulate into a grip on one or both handlebars, with the legs bending and sitting on the foot pedals, with a peg on the pedal lining up with a hole on the foot to secure the riding position.
The head is quite extensive in its movement allowing for the Scout to look up and forward while riding. The neck joint is super loose though compared to the older figure, and the same is said of the legs
The Speeder Bike has the ability to lean and pivot on the ball joint of the stand, but sadly the fit is not great. This must vary by pack as the ball joint works fine on my Heroes of Endor Speeder, on this one the connection pops off with even the slightest movement.
The Bike also has moving joints on the thrust flaps, and the undercarriage mounted blaster can also rotate around into different firing positions.
I do like how the set components combines, not only in the riding position but in posing the Trooper casually with the bike or sitting sideways on the seat like we see in the early scenes of the Season 1 finale. This gives us other options for display rather than simply having the Scout Trooper ride the bike.
4.0
The Speeder Bike Scout Trooper exclusive set is another potential army builder (there were of course two Scouts in the episode and more in Season 2) handed off as an exclusive set. The new bike colour and weathering the Trooper are well executed and articulation is fine other than a very loose head.
The Child, as promised on the box as a named include character, is underwhelming when you realise it is just a head and there was certainly scope for Hasbro to play with this idea and go with a much more extensive option such as a soft goods bag with full Grogu figure or similar. The bag itself works fine when closed, but is a little clunky when opened to display Grogu due to how the flap sits bolt upright when unclipped.
There was also an opportunity missed in the packaging. While the Galaxy Collection has been inclusive of Standard, Deluxe and Exclusives to date with the montage artwork and numbering (Convention Exclusives excluded) this vehicle release is given neither a number or a slot in the montage - with a very different artwork panel used with three individual images rather than a larger illustration.
Considering this is a repainted 2014 set with two new parts - the junk piece being one I could have done without - the RRP is relatively high and at time of writing the set is already set as unavailable on Amazon UK.
Taking all of this into account, I score the Speeder Bike Scout Trooper and The Child a total score of 3.5
Figure Hacks
If you dont want to use the Grogu head and Satchel with your Scout Trooper, it will of course fit perfectly well on other figures from The Mandalorian to recreate scenes.
Din Djarin works really well - although the same issue exists with the open flap of the bag. You can also swing the satchel over the body of IG-11 for a Nurse-Droid look, although IG-11 has no where near enough articulation to actually ride the Speeder Bike.
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...
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