Mandalorian (Imperial Base), The - TVC - Basic (VC312A)

With the help of R5-D4 and with Grogu at his side, the newly escaped Din Djarin fights his way through the Imperial Base to find and confront Moff Gideon.

312A? What the frack is that all about now? Is Hasbro so desperate for new action figures in The Vintage Collection that they’re repacking the same figure with new names and slightly revised numbers and reselling them as something new? Yup. This is our lot in life. We’ve been made to suffer. Who isn’t suffering, however, are the barking and clapping seals who undoubtedly love every announcement Hasbro makes, whether it hurts the integrity of the Star Wars brand or not. Regardless, The Mandalorian (Imperial Base) (VC312A) is a new release in The Vintage Collection of an upgraded Din Djarin and a worthy repack, had they straight repacked it into the lineup. Hasbro must be desperate to reuse their molds repeatedly with the line tanking like it is, but at least they’re getting the most popular characters out again with the hopes that they’ll sell over and over again. They reused The Mandalorian action figure that Hasbro packed with The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter, repainted it, changed a few things, and released it as another all-new figure.

Most collectors find it tiring to get the exact action figure with different packaging repeatedly but meant to be a new character version. The Mandalorian (Imperial Base) (VC312A) figure is a revision of 2020’s TVC The Mandalorian (VC181) figure. This time, the figure has different leg parts. Hasbro also wholly repainted the figure, which is unique from the past version. The figure fits into cockpits well, although its soft-goods cape bunches up unless you carefully tether it down before sliding the figure into place. The figure has the standard articulation of all previous The Mandalorian action figures, but this time comes with many new accessories. Hasbro includes a new soft-goods cape, a new jetpack, and the standard blaster pistol for this release. The figure’s tooling has held up well over the last few years and interacts well with the rest of the figures in the line. The wave it’s part of is a glorified “repack and repaint” wave, so you shouldn’t have high standards that you’re getting a lot of newness here. You’re not. The newest “part” of this figure is its packaging, which looks nice.

But admittedly, getting ANOTHER Din Djarin in the line is getting chronically dull. When will it be enough for collectors of The Vintage Collection line? Hasbro also used this figure for The Mandalorian (N-1 Starfighter) released. They included a revised figure based on 2020’s TVC The Mandalorian (VC181) figure. The figure has different leg parts. Hasbro also updated the paint operations; therefore, it is unique from the past version. The figure sits well, especially for cockpits, and it’s best to install the figure without any soft goods for best results. The figure has the standard articulation of all previous The Mandalorian action figures with upgraded hips. The soft-goods cape is untattered, and the new jetpack fits nicely on the figure thanks to a wide plug. We should prepare ourselves that any main character is a likely candidate for re-release in the line, with name changes and new packaging. That’s fine, but they shouldn’t treat a previously released figure as an all-new character. The Vintage Collection has been filled with much repetition lately, and we should probably prepare ourselves for more.