Hot Toys - TMS051/2 - Mandalorian and Grogu (Season 2)

[shadow_wolf]

**** damn you HT! I am going to PO this grrrrrrr

 

[Asta]

Bag lady Mando.

Seemed like a good idea yesterday, but not so much after a good night's sleep.

I'll wait for the next big change in his appearance, because at the moment this one is largely a repetition of what I have and what I've pre-ordered. Apart from the sculpt and the knitting needle.

The historical failure of chrome-plating on plastic, which was pointed out all over the place yesterday, put me off. Not something I'd considered before.

EDIT:

I just conducted a little bit of research.

The net didn't throw up anything immediately useful. So I sat and pondered, and looked around the room. On shelves there are over a hundred vehicles from the James Bond Car Collection, displayed in their plastic boxes. There's what appears to be masses of chrome-plated plastic - bumpers, hub caps, wheels, roof racks.

Nothing's flaked, nothing's faded.

Then I went up into the attic and checked on the two DX13 T-1000 statues that were wrapped in their original grey plastic foam cloth. They seemed all right, they just pick up a bloom from handling.

The head from one of them has always been on display with my Terminator figures. It's still shiny, and no signs whatsoever of deterioration.

The DX13 exclusive head with hair was likewise still in perfect condition.

On conclusion, Wor-Gar might've hit the nail on the head with the suggestion it was a humidity issue. In my own environmental conditions, even in one room that has no dehumidifier, there's no deterioration and the chrome-plating has remained as good as it was when new.

The issue is then similar to pleather. Historically I've not had any trouble with it that wasn't caused by other factors, i.e., a thin pleather jacket caught in its own zip and tore.

In more humid parts of the world maybe chrome-plated plastic is as much a ticking bomb as pleather?

Failure may also be down to the quality of the application process, which for plastic is called physical vapor deposition (PVD).

 

[Ramatuelle]

Honestly, 99% of the time when people report costume issues it seems like they are in Asia - with no air conditioning...? only once have i ever had a degradation issue, and it was not with a HT item. The item was a gold pleather doll's corset that had the metallic gold flake off. One day i will repaint it with waterbased fabric paint.... Other people with issues never took the figure out of the box until five years later. Yup, you are gonna have big time problems with that strategy.

 

[Ramatuelle]

**** damn you HT! I am going to PO this grrrrrrr

View this as a Zen moment. You are gonna buy this just like all the rest of us. Accept your fate.

(lol)

 

[Zurdo95D]

Oh dang it has the detonator from when they blew up the krayt dragon!!

 

[MasterRazzerr76]

You are literally going to be watching your figure from close enough while it's on display see his facial expression...

Yes when i pose a figure i like to observe my work and adjust it

 

[MasterRazzerr76]

Thinking about Airbrushing my Season 1 Beskar with Chrome paint

 

[chrisstbh]

The one not on the Swoop looks to be like the previous figure, just with a new thigh plate? I guess they couldn’t bash out 2 prototypes in time, but strange choice.

 

[Asta]

Honestly, 99% of the time when people report costume issues it seems like they are in Asia - with no air conditioning...? only once have i ever had a degradation issue, and it was not with a HT item. The item was a gold pleather doll's corset that had the metallic gold flake off. One day i will repaint it with waterbased fabric paint.... Other people with issues never took the figure out of the box until five years later. Yup, you are gonna have big time problems with that strategy.

The fears raised yesterday do indeed seem like a false alarm for those of us in more temperate climates.

What it did do was make me question whether I really wanted the figure. The initial hobo look initially grabbed my attention, but I gradually began to realise that to set him up like that, fully laden, practically converts him into a statue.

It represents a fleeting moment between Vanth giving up the armour, and Boba reclaiming it. When I see the helmet hanging in the net it conjures up images of how good it's going to look worn by its owner.

Then I go back to thinking about the regular version as an upgrade to the currant beskar Mando.

Ngai Hang Tse's photos capture the effect of the chrome plating:

The real screen used Mando armour apparently used Alumaluster paint to achieve a fully polished aluminum chrome finish, but this is too reflective for some shots so had to be dulled down.

So, a dulled down beskar is what Hot Toys gave us with the last version.

It's shiny under lights, but more gun metal than chromed.

I'm tempted again, but when I get tempted I think of the Deluxe (as I usually do), and it brings me back to square one.

 

[MasterRazzerr76]

Was hoping they implanted hair on Grogu but i have to do it myself again with the new one.

 

[MyenShi]

I'm tempted again, but when I get tempted I think of the Deluxe (as I usually do), and it brings me back to square one.

The good thing is that there’s plenty of time to think about it (unless you’re buying it from a Sideshow authorized retail partner).

You can always wait for in-hand impressions. Not so much biased first looks on YouTube, but folks here can give a brutally honest assessment which is good.

I did bring up concern for the finish early on, and I do still maintain it. But I believe Hot Toys is capable of improving on techniques so there’s a chance this will turn out okay as far as durability goes.

Who knows. Season 3 will be out before this figure so there might be something that happens that makes the inevitable Season 3 version even more appealing then the Season 2 version.

 

[Asta]

The good thing is that there’s plenty of time to think about it (unless you’re buying it from a Sideshow authorized retail partner).

You can always wait for in-hand impressions. Not so much biased first looks on YouTube, but folks here can give a brutally honest assessment which is good.

I did bring up concern for the finish early on, and I do still maintain it. But I believe Hot Toys is capable of improving on techniques so there’s a chance this will turn out okay as far as durability goes.

Who knows. Season 3 will be out before this figure so there might be something that happens that makes the inevitable Season 3 version even more appealing then the Season 2 version.

Trouble is I always like to pre-order early, both for the feeling of securing the figure, and for fear of missing out on the better deals. You have to get in before the pre-order window closes, or the pre-order allocation fills up - which is how it is with the places I order from. I generally now buy Hot Toys from a UK retailer's FB group, with prices that sometimes match or get close to those in Hong Kong, but without the added complications of buying from Hong Kong.

I don't think there's any doubt the chrome-plated Mando will look more appealing than the current painted beskar. Though both are valid interpretations of the screen armour.

Some photos grabbed from a Facebook post talking about the issue:

And yes, there's always going to be another Mando.

I fully expect he'll end up with fully painted armour, because the temptation in terms of merchandising would be too great not to.

 

[Asta]

So the two versions of this new figure cover the first two episodes of season 2.

Chapter 9: The Marshal...

Chapter 10: The Passenger...

After his Swoop crash his armour and helmet is still covered in Krayt dragon juice:

Before he set off on foot he must've cleaned it off somehow.

Hobo Mando is first seen through a shimmering heat haze:

Back to the mechanic, his beskar is clearly free of Krayt dragon juice:

 

[chrisstbh]

I just want them to start putting "Din Djarin" on the box and the display base already.

 

[Asta]

I just want them to start putting "Din Djarin" on the box and the display base already.

It is about time.

Even the brat is now referred to as 'Grogu' by Hot Toys!

 

[shadow_wolf]

Was hoping they implanted hair on Grogu but i have to do it myself again with the new one.View attachment 529404View attachment 529405
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He has dust on his head, you need to clean him up a bit mate

 

[Nine Inch Nails]

I’ll be getting this, but I’ll wait till it’s actually in stock.

 

[jal76]

I feel genuine sympathy for anyone who spent their money on the other figures, especially with Hot Toys using their mistake as part of their advertising for the figure.
With those side by side comparison pictures, they’re basically saying we finally perfected the figure and our other versions simply fell short…too bad we charged some suckers full price for them.
They need to allow the poor folks who funded the development of the real figure by buying the practice ones to send them back for trade credit to go toward the purchase of the new one.
They’d never do it, but that would be the only way to begin make it right.

 

[Auel]

I feel genuine sympathy for anyone who spent their money on the other figures, especially with Hot Toys using their mistake as part of their advertising for the figure.
With those side by side comparison pictures, they’re basically saying we finally perfected the figure and our other versions simply fell short…too bad we charged some suckers full price for them.
They need to allow the poor folks who funded the development of the real figure by buying the practice ones to send them back for trade credit to go toward the purchase of the new one.
They’d never do it, but that would be the only way to begin make it right.

Why would you feel that way?

I'm getting this to display 3 versions of Mando, it's very obvious that all 3 are different periods in the show.

 

[Spanbauer]

I feel genuine sympathy for anyone who spent their money on the other figures, especially with Hot Toys using their mistake as part of their advertising for the figure.
With those side by side comparison pictures, they’re basically saying we finally perfected the figure and our other versions simply fell short…too bad we charged some suckers full price for them.
They need to allow the poor folks who funded the development of the real figure by buying the practice ones to send them back for trade credit to go toward the purchase of the new one.
They’d never do it, but that would be the only way to begin make it right.

The chrome plating comes at a significant price increase over the previous figure, which was not “defective” and in need of exchange. Rather, Hot Toys is now offering the option of an even more premium product at an even higher price. No different than when they moved to diecast for Iron Man.