The Mandalorian is Star Wars at the moment, what with the absence of any new films. That means that Star Wars license holders are focusing much of the new product on Mando and of course Grogu. For Hasbro, that means ensuring that The Mandalorian himself is well represented in the line at all times. Considering Mando has only really sported his original beat up armour, and then his Beskar armour, Hasbro have been using the base figure to create more situational packs based on specific scenes or episodes - which brings us to the current Deluxe release of The Mandalorian and Grogu from Arvala-7, and particularly the Season 1 episode when they faced the Mudhorn.
The Deluxe release is a Target US Exclusive and sold via Fan Channel retailers outside of the US. It features a variant of the original Mandalorian figure along with a tweaked Grogu figure and the original hover-pram from the first half of Season 1.
The Arvala-7 release is number 14 in the Galaxy Collection for The Mandalorian. The box uses the same burnt umber colour tones on the border and artwork, and the box itself is widened for the Deluxe format. The artwork shows Mando holding the Mudhorn Egg with Grogu in front, the Mudhorn itself can be seen in the background. While this set is very much based on a specific scene/planet/episode, the rear character text remains generic.
"The Mandalorian is battle-worn and tight-lipped, a formidable bounty hunter in an increasingly dangerous galaxy who finds a mysterious alien pursued by bounty hunters on behalf of Imperial interests."
Mando takes the original 2019 release with the older beat-up armour and gives it an Arvala-7 makeover. Essentially, this means a new chest piece showing the damage caused by the Mudhorn and an all-over mud-covered paint job. There is a further detail update on the figure in that the right pauldron is updated from the original Shoretrooper piece to the Beskar cast pauldron from episode 1. The original figure did not have this - it has been translated across from the Beskar Mandalorian release.
This mud effect is well treated in parts with a thick covering on the boots that then fades further up the body. The grey of the undersuit is still visible under the armour, and a number of the armour panels do show their original colour. The helmet gets a full mud covering and is almost completely brown with fine splash marks on the visor.
As the Arvala-7 Mando uses the existing figure it does have the same aesthetic issues with a slightly small head, hunched shoulders and a cast cape that does not always sit where you want it to when posing.
Like all the Mando releases to date, he is armed with both the Westar-34 blaster and the Amban Phase-Pulse blaster rifle. Both weapons are cast in a base metallic colour with paint applications over the top for the grip/stock.
The Westar fits into the right hand of Mando where a trigger finger just about slots into the small trigger hole. When not in use it goes in the holster at Mando's side. This feels more robust than the original releases with a tighter and easier to close strap over the top.
The Amban rifle is a little harder to hold and needs a two-handed pose for firing purposes. Once you've angled the right hand around the stock and up against the trigger it looks great and is supported by enough articulation for sniper firing poses. When not in use the weapon is designed with a plug that slots it into a hole in the rear of the figure. Again, flaws are carried over here with the hole meant to line up with a second hole in the over the shoulder strap. There may have been a slight tweak to the plug which does sit more securely in the hole - and I found it easiest to bypass the strap section entirely.
Also included in the set is the Mudhorn egg, a new accessory to the line. It is well sculpted to capture the bedraggled hair around the egg. It is also designed to open with a pop-off lid that exposes the yellow yolk within.
While the yolk is painted or a coloured insert, the rest of the egg is left the base plastic colour and looks out of place with Mando - it is crying out for a simple dark wash to dirty it up somewhat.
The included Grogu is somewhere between a figure and an accessory. He stands about an inch tall and has a fixed body with the arms sculpted as part of the torso and not articulated. On this release, the left arm is outstretched in a 'force' pose - the same body as was used on the Din Djarin Deluxe release from 2020. The body is cast in a sandy brown base plastic with a lighter tone painted onto the collar and cuffs.
The hands and head are cast in green plastic and plugged into the body which gives rudimentary articulation in terms of being able to rotate each of them partially. The head is meant to show Grogu with his eyes closed as seen when trying to use the force on the Mudhorn. Rather than sculpt a new expression the solution from Hasbro is to use the existing head but not paint the eyes. What you therefore get is a Grogu head that looks unpainted. It might have worked had they shaded around the eyes to represent eye-lids, but what you do get looks sloppy. We do get paint apps on the inner ears and on the top of the head as wispy white hair strands.
The hover-pram is the one seen for most of Season 1 and is a welcome addition to the line considering the other one released to date is the one Kuiil fabricated at the end of the season. It is made of white hard plastic with painted internal features in black, brown, and silver. The outer shell includes paint apps to simulate weathering and damage.
We sadly have corner-cutting here too with the pram designed to fit a hexagonal-shaped flight stand, but then packed it with the flight stand from the earlier release which has a round profile. The two do just about go together but the fit is poor and insecure. We also miss out on a cover for the pram. While a working closing cover is possible Hasbro haven't taken that route, nor have they included a clip-on/off cover as we got with the other release.
Grogu sits into the hover-pram well enough and the proportions of both ensure he is still visible when stood in the centre of the pram.
Mando features 19 points of articulation and includes butterfly shoulders, double-joint knees, and the dual joint neck alongside the usual single joint elbows, wrist pivots, thigh swivels, ball joint waist and ankle rockers.
The ankle rockers take a bit of time to work into a flat-footed pose and you may need to turn out the feet via the thigh swivel to get Mando to stand securely. Once that is done there are a wide range of posing options either with or without the weapons. The arms bend sufficiently enough for sniper posing with the Amban Rifle as well as gunslinger poses with the blaster. The legs can kneel thanks to the dual articulation at the knees, or simply take up wider action poses ready for battle.
Not everyone is a fan of situational releases, depicting a character from a scene or episode, and to that end, this muddy Mando will not be everyone's cup of tea. Hasbro have done a good job on Mando considering he could have been a straight-up 'mud brown' repaint. They have gone to the lengths of adding a new battle damage chest and updating the shoulder pauldron so it is episode accurate. Articulation is good and the weaponry included are fine and interact well with the figure.
The set is a tale of two halves, with the Grogu aspects of the set disappointing. Simply not painting Grogu's eyes doesn't make him look like he is concentrating using the force, it just looks like an unpainted head. The pram too has an ill-fitting stand and lacks a cover for both open & closed options. And the Mudhorn egg, while well sculpted, is crying out for a layer of paint.
This isn't the last Mando pack in the Black Series with the Ice Spider version due this year, and most likely more to follow with options to do releases with the Beskar Spear and/or Dark Saber. This is fine as our main character should be well represented, but where there is a re-release we need Hasbro to maintain the character accuracy and give us value for money in accessories and execution of the set overall. I am not disappointed in the Arvala-7 set, it makes a great display piece, I just feel it had the potential to be more.
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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...