Review of Heavy Infantry Mandalorian
Star Wars Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

While I've pre-ordered many of the more unique Mandalorian related figures from Hot Toys, I really only have the Mandalorian and Child so far on the shelf. And I received those so late, that I skipped doing a review of the pair - fantastic as they are - making this look at the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian my first show related Hot Toys review.

This guy is a big boy, and while he is wearing a similar outfit to both Boba Fett and the Mandalorian, he certainly stands out. He was available to pre-order for around $280 at most sites, but finding him now at retail is tough. The popularity of the show, combined with the popularity of the costume, has led to sell outs most everywhere.

Packaging - ***1/2
The shoe box style package has a nifty cigar band wrapper on the front cover with the name and number. Remember, this is not a MMS figure, but a TMS figure, since the show is considered 'television'. The interior plastic trays hold the accessories safe and sound, and it was all very collector friendly.

Sculpting - ****
As I mentioned earlier, this is a big dude. He stands almost 13" tall if you stretch him out, but in most slightly bent poses he'll come in around 12 1/2", still towering over most of the rest of the Star Wars shelf.

His size isn't the only thing that makes him stand out. The armor is Mandalorian obviously, but with enough difference to stand out clearly from Fett or Mando. The sharp cuts on the sculpted armor give it a metallic appearance, well defined and very realistic.  Adding to the realism is a ton of small surface details and varying textures, with pitting and damage included. This level of detail extends to the various accessories as well, especially the gun and pack.

I have one nit, but it was minor enough that it didn't hold him back on his score. I do think the helmet is a smidge small. Nothing awful, nothing to get worked up about, but maybe 5 - 10% smaller, in hand, than I expected. Remember, he's a big dude, and he has to fit a big head inside that helmet. It seems like it would be an awful tight fit.

Paint - ****
The paint work is stupendous, highlighting the age, wear, and tear on the armor. Combine this amazing paint job with the sculpting, and you get a tremendously realistic set of armor. You'd swear it was actual metal just looking at it, and it had seen years of violent abuse.

You can argue that without a human portrait, it's easier to get the sculpt and paint right. And that's partly true. But don't dismiss the care and accuracy required to create something this realistic, even without the issues of a human likeness.

Articulation - ***
While the sculpt and paint are everything I'd hoped, the articulation and posability is pretty much in line with what I expected. The armor and thick clothing are restrictive, and getting good poses with the weapon can be tricky.

The ball neck works pretty well, since there's no head under there to create an additional obstacle. The arms, especially the shoulders, are pretty restricted, but it's more by the cloth than the armor. The thick material makes it tough to get the hands above the chest, but you can at least get the arms into some good two handed gun poses. The real trick there is the gun, not the arms.

The chest, waist, and torso are pretty much immovable, making any twist or crunch impossible. This was my biggest issue, since getting a little crunch would have gone a long way to breaking up some of the straight lines in the upper body.

The hips, knees, and ankles are similar to the arms in mobility. You can get good medium stances, and the ankles have enough rocker movement to keep the feet flat in these stances. Deep stances are tough though, and he won't be sitting down any time soon.

The snake-like hose on the gun, which attaches to the jet pack, is also very posable, and thanks to this you can adjust the gun and arms quite a bit. It takes some patience, but you should be able to get a decent two handed pose without putting too much pressure on the hose connections. There's some articulation with the gun as well, particularly the two handles, and this will aid you in posing him.

Accessories - ***
Considering the almost $300 price point, H.I.M. doesn't have a ton of extras.

There's six additional hands, from fists to grips, and they swap pretty easily with the relaxed set he comes wearing. There's an extra set of wrist pegs just in case, but it didn't seem likely that you'll need them.

The jet pack is really part of the outfit, but I'm going to break it out here since you can go without it if you really feel the need. It attaches to the back tightly and easily, and the gun attaches to it. The gun hose - which you can supposedly remove from the gun, but which I didn't attempt - attaches to the pack, and there are two pegs to hang the gun on the side. Read the instructions, as they are very useful in this case.

There are two flame effects that can also be attached to the pack, for those cool flying poses. The included stand has a long, metal, bendable support rod, perfect for those landing poses.

Finally, he has his 'blade', a funky knife that you can fit inside the armor on his shin. That's pretty light for a figure in this price point, but most of the cost is going toward the costume.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit includes multiple layers, and lots of detail. It's quite impressive, although I do have my nits.

The pack, how it attaches to the body, and how the gun attaches to it, is the real engineering feat with this figure. The connections are tight and sturdy, and less prone to damage over time then some of their past designs. Don't even get me started on their early Troopers and their packs.

The tailoring on the underlying cloth layers is great, but I don't always love the look of the armor as it is attached to this cloth. In particular, the armor on the legs looks a little loose and frumpy in hand. Again, this is a very minor nit, and is really only an issue because of the price point. When you're up in the $300 range, expectations are pretty high. This outfit is great, especially with the sculpt and paint work on the armor, but the fit does seem just slightly off.

Fun Factor - ***
While you won't find a lot of poses with this guy, you should be able to find two or three with and without the gun that makes you happy. While that's not enough to be reposing him constantly, it's enough to change things up once in awhile.

Value - **
Hot Toys have been raising their prices this last 12 - 24 months, and this guy came in at around $280. Without a light up feature, with no human portrait, and nothing unique in terms of extra accessories, it's hard to justify that extra $50 - $60 over the usual figure. Yea, he's got a big gun...but is that a $50 gun?

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Do pay attention to the instructions when it comes to attaching the gun to the pack, but otherwise things are quite straight forward.

Overall - ***1/2
I've been avoiding picking up 25 versions of the Mandalorian, but when it comes to the unique characters, I'm all in. This guy is different enough to stand out on the shelf, even if you already have three Mandos and 12 Fetts. His size and bulk are only part of it - the armor is quite different, and the huge gun is truly unique.

In fact, he came out so nice, I'm rethinking my position on the Death Watch Mandalorian. Damn you, Hot Toys!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
This guy is pretty much sold out. He was originally around $280 at most retailers. Your best bet now may be searching ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Surprisingly, while I have been picking up most of the Mandalorian related Hot Toys figures, this is the first one I've reviewed.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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