|
Who sent Jane Lane to outer space? Find out next, on Sick Sad World!
Sabine Wren was a Mandalorian warrior,
explosives expert, and talented graffiti artist - qualities that came in handy as one of the first to rebel against the Empire.
Yes, some more than others. I mean, obviously artistic talent is important, but when you're fighting against people who are gleefully evil and nakedly power-hungry, you're probably going to need something a little more forceful than some eye-catching tags sprayed in hard-to-reach places. You can deface all the TIE Fighters you want, but what's really going to give the Empire problems is an army of Mandalorians. But on that note, remember when Boba Fett was supposed to be the last Mandalorian? And then before that, Jango Fett was (although he was only adopted by them, not one by birth)? Then came Clone Wars with its Pre Vizsla and its Duchess Satine and its entire thriving planet of Mandalore... you get the feeling that, just, nobody bothered telling Boba he wasn't the last because they didn't like him? He was kind of a moody teen.
Before Sabine's mother was introduced in Rebels Season 3, there was a popular fan theory that said Satine and Obi-Wan were her real parents. This could have been easily shot down by the fact that neither of them are Asian. Space Asian. Space Indian? Either way, Obi-Wan and Satine are both white enough to be Space British, so what were those fans thinking? Knowing that her voice actress is of Indian descent,
the face really shows touches of that lineage (just slightly untooned from the show).
Since Sabine is an artsy chick, her design has changed a little each season. She re-dyes her hair different colors, and changes some of the images painted on her armor. Because of that, we can very easily and confidently say that this toy represents her Season 1 look: her hair is purple with orange bangs, and her armor's underlying color is maroon. She has a black and white dejarik pattern painted on her right shoulder, and an orange
field with a deep red anooba head ("Tenné, an anooba's head couped gules," if it were a heraldric symbol) on her left. Her breastplate features two pale, angled stripes and an orange representation of her chosen symbol, the starbird (which, since she tended to paint it on whatever she could, would eventually grow to become the symbol of the Rebellion). Her right kneepad has a matching stripe, and her boots and gloves are covered with an expertly applied speckling of paint in various colors, truly making her look like she's been painting things herself. Beautiful!
Logically, Sabine comes with her Mando helmet. Apparently she inherited it from a member
of the Nite Owls (the team, seen during Clone Wars, that supported Pre Vizsla and was led by Satine's sister Bo-Katan), but rather than the Nite Owls' blue-and-white colorscheme, it's done in grays and marroons to match the rest of her armor. Also, it has the moveable viewfinder that Boba and Jango were denied, for some reason. Tell us again why this basic feature that should have been on every toy couldn't have been done four years ago? Sabine's nose makes the front of the helmet bulge out a little, so the trick is, like Boushh, to tilt her head down slightly before putting it on.
Sabine stands 5¾" tall, and has the same
articulation as the other Black Series figures: balljointed head, hinged neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows and wrists, balljointed torso and hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, and swivel/hinge ankles. Unlike Jyn Erso, her joints all enter the body at the proper angles, so that's nice. Like Jango, Sabine carries two blasters in holsters on her hips; the earliest shipments of this figure had the holsters peg into the thighs, while the later shipments leave them free so they don't limit the movement at all. (There are also some paint changes, but nothing major.)
Beyond the helmet, her accessories include the pair of MandalTech Jai'galaar blasters that fit in her holsters. Technically they should have some paint on them (she customizes them just like she does her armor),
but all the toy gets is some nice weathering. Maybe she's preparing to give them a new design? She also includes her painting tool, a handheld device with five controls on the side that allow her to adjust color, intensity, spray pattern and pressure on the fly. Both her hands are open to hold the gear, though there's nowhere to stash the airbrush if she's dual-wielding her pistols.
Hasbro's certainly taking their sweet-ass time getting these Rebels toys out, aren't they? Show's been on the air since 2014, and yet the only member of the team we have so far is Kanan? Nothing against Kanan or his toy, but hurry the frick up, already! And maybe see about getting the ones you do make into stores? If you're one of those people who believe a toy is "out" when a single random person finds a single early shipment, then Sabine here has been available since last November, and yet you still won't be able to find her in any stores. At least the Obi-Wan and Leia she shipped with were eventually given a real release in the 40th Anniversary line; Sabine has no such luck. And don't even get us started on Darth Revan! The Black Series has been running since 2013, and Hasbro still hasn't managed to hit the distribution bullseye. Sabine is a good toy, and it's nice to build up our Rebels collection, but getting her is a pain in the butt.
-- 07/30/17
|
