The Armorer

*Me, showing someone at the grocery store where the produce scale is*: "This is the weigh." The Armorer plays a vital role in keeping the culture of the Mandalorians alive. She forges beskar armor in the ancient tradition of her people. She's also perhaps the most mellow and pragmatic leader Star Wars has ever seen. As evidenced by her monniker, she makes gear for the Tribe, but that also seems to make her their leader, not just a worker: she quashes fueds without even raising her voice, she recites tenets of their culture with the cadence and confidence of a high priest, and she doesn't hold pointless grudges; if anybody with a large enough force behind them (Rebels or Empire) had been that level-headed, they'd have taken over the galaxy in a week. The Armorer dresses like a cross between a typical Mandalorian and a real-world blacksmith. She wears a copper-colored breastplate with the long hexagonal shape in the center, and darker padding over the shoulders. There's a leather kilt, because the existing armor precludes the need for a full apron, and the thick cloth on the arms and legs suggests it's chilly down in their sewer covert, even when she's tending the forge - an idea furthered by her fur shawl. As is the way of all the Children of the Watch, the Armorer wears a Mandalorian helmet at all times. Hers is golden, with much rounder eyes than usual. The style of it is more ornate than an average helmet, with more intricate linework. There are also five small horns on the top, which make her feel like one of Maul's crew. Interestingly, it appears Hasbro has done the helmet as a separate piece over a faux head beneath - if you look under the chin, you'll see an unpainted jawline. That's new. But why? Why do that? How is this better than just making a solid helmet? The colors are dark and earthy: gold and bronze armor, brown padding and protection, grey bodysuit, etc. The articulation is what you expect from Black Series figures, with joints at the ankles, knees, thighs, hips, torso, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and head. You wouldn't think that someone whose main job is to hammer chunks of steel would need a ton of movement, but then a group of Stormtroopers wander in and find out how wrong that assumption is. There are additional pec hinged behind the shoulders, though they're set so far into the body that you may not see them until you're moving them. This Armorer only has two accessories: a hammer and tongs. You know, so she can go at it. They're fine inclusions, but we again face the Cad Bane problem, where Hasbro is selling us an incomplete toy and expecting us to be happy about it. Just as Cad was sold through Hasbro's site with his sidekick droid, the Armorer was sold with a softgoods shawl (rather than the molded PVC one this figure has), and alternate versions of the hammer and tongs done in translucent orange plastic to suggest they're glowing hot. There was also an in-progress version of Mando's helmet for her to labor over, plus a "flying sparks" effect to really make it look like she was hammering the beskar. Naturally, this thing was announced at an online event held in the wee hours of the morning, and sold out before any sane people were awake, leaving us with only the inferior mass-market version. Stock! More! Things! Has! Bro! The Mandalorian has a great collection of badass female characters, even in little incidental roles, and the Armorer is definitely counted among their ranks. This version of her is fine, but it's hard to ignore the knowledge that there's a better one out there we're all denied. -- 05/16/21

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