The Mandalorian's Hasbro Vintage Collection N-1 Starfighter Is A Stellar Star Wars Toy
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Ever since "Star Wars" introduced the Black Series line of action figures, I've mostly left the traditional 3.75-inch figures, in what is now called the Vintage Collection, behind. While those figures are cheaper and fit in with the original roster of "Star Wars" toys a bit better, there's just something a little more appealing about 6-inch figures with more detail. That also means missing out on one of the coolest aspects of the Vintage Collection, which are the "Star Wars" vehicles scaled to the smaller figures. Sure, there have been a handful of vehicles scaled to the Black Series, including a huge TIE Fighter from "The Force Awakens," but the Vintage Collection is where the best vehicles can be found, and the latest comes from "The Mandalorian."
Actually, Din Djarin's N-1 Starfighter — a customized version of an old Naboo starfighter from "The Phantom Menace" era of "Star Wars" — technically debuted in the fifth episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," which focused on the return of the titular hero from "The Mandalorian" and his reunion with Grogu after the little guy departed the second season finale for Jedi training with Luke Skywalker. Looking like a deadly, hot rod version of Naboo's signature craft without the taxi cab yellow paint job and shimmering chrome, the modified N-1 starfighter would have made George Lucas proud. Now, it's been turned into an awesome collectible toy in the Vintage Collection. In fact, the new vehicle has me reconsidering my "Star Wars" collection choices entirely.
First, the action figures
Before we get to the star of the box, let's take a closer look at the included figures that come with the N-1 Starfighter. While many vehicles aren't going to give you the figures intended to fit in the ship you're buying, the N-1 Starfighter comes with a carded action figure that includes both Din Djarin and Grogu on the traditional retro-style packaging inspired by the original 1977 roster of Kenner action figures.
Din Djarin (or The Mandalorian) is dressed in his upgraded Beskar armor, and he comes with a great assembly of accessories, including his jetpack, a trusty blaster, and a small knife. But he also comes with some of the weapons he acquired in his later adventures, including the Beskar spear and the Darksaber. Attached to the figure is also a tattered, soft goods cape. The detail on the figure is fantastic, especially for the 3.75-inch line.
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Included with the N-1 Starfighter is also a tiny Grogu figure. He doesn't come with any removable accessories, but this version of the figure does come with the little chrome ball from Mando's ship controls molded into his hand. He's just a cute little guy, and when positioned in his secondary cockpit of the ship, he looks like he's having a blast.
Plastic but pretty
The Vintage Collection's recreation of The Mandalorian's sleek ship is just as sharp as it appears in the series. The chrome parts of the ship have a more metallic paint job than the rest of the ship, and the body includes great details that show the ship's wear. The only downside is that the more dull gray part of the body doesn't show nearly as much wear as you can see on the ship in "The Mandalorian."
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But there are faded yellow stripes, black carbon streaks, and even burns on the back of the twin engines. Speaking of which, each of the engines have included the unique details rather than phoning it in. The exposed interiors of each engine have various plastic details, though the paint inside isn't quite as detailed (aside from some prominent red and copper flourishes). The bottom of the engines and the top of the body also have pieces to snap into place that add some enhanced touches.
Looks aren't everything though, and the N-1 Starfighter also has some great functionality, both as a toy and a collector's item.
A cockpit and a closet
Since the N-1 Starfighter comes with both Din Djarin and Grogu figures, it should come as no surprise that the ship opens up to fit both of them. The cockpit opens just as it would in the "Star Wars" universe, by sliding down just enough to allow Djarin to enter and exit the ship. However, getting the figure into that cockpit isn't so easy if you're only going to open up the cockpit that much. Thankfully, there's a secondary way of opening of the cockpit that makes it much easier to fit Mando into the ship.
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But that's not all! In addition to the cockpit, there's a hidden compartment right behind the cockpit seat and underneath Grogu's cute little observation window (which can also be swapped out to put in the head of R5-D4, though you'll have to get that droid figure separately in order to put its head on the ship). This is where you can store all of the accessories that the Mandalorian figure comes with. The Beskar spear, the Darksaber, pistol, and jetpack all fit in this sneaky little compartment.
If you only get one vehicle...
When I say the N-1 Starfighter has made me reconsider whether I want to stick with collecting Black Series figures over the Vintage Collection, I mean it. The smaller figures are now have much more detail than they used to, thanks to better sculpting technology. Plus, having certain vehicles for these figures is rather enticing, at least for display purposes. The variety of Vintage Collection figures is also bigger, not to mention being cheaper than the Black Series line. But I digress.
Even if you haven't been keeping up with the Vintage Collection, grabbing Hasbro's N-1 Starfighter is a good idea for any "Star Wars" fan out there. It's sleek, sharp, and looks awesome on a shelf. The price is a little steep, currently priced at $115 on Amazon, but considering you get the ship and an exclusive carded Mandalorian figure, it's not outrageous.