"I've never met a real Mandalorian. Heard stories. I know you're good at killing.”
As a character, Cobb Vanth originated as a character from the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy of novels a piece of work bridging the gap between the Fall of the Empire and the start of the First Order. He would then make his live-action deputy in 2020 in The Mandalorian played by Timothy Olyphant. In the events of The Mandalorian, Cobb Vanth is now the Marshal of Mos Pelgo and is wearing the armour of Boba Fett, scavenged from the Jawas. It is this iteration of the character that Hasbro has translated to the Star Wars Black Series badging it as a Deluxe release on the level of paint application and complexity of the design rather than the figure sizing or volume of accessories. Cobb Vanth as the Marshal is a Galaxy Collection release and number 18 in The Mandalorian series. As a deluxe release, he wasn’t released as part of a wider wave but the artwork still combines with the figures on either side for a bigger montage image. Cobb fits in between the deluxe release of Mando and Grogu on Maldo Kries and the single release of Ahsoka Tano.
The Marshal is a full newly developed figure with some elements of the Boba Fett armour shared across the New Republic era Boba Fett figures, and initially that of the Tython Ruins Fett which was also released in 2022. Those shared elements appear to be the helmet, backpack and forearms with everything else new for Cobb Vanth and aligned to his outfit. The base costume is a plain torso in orange-red which is then covered over with a softer sleeve for the Boba Fett chest armour - complete with a decal emblem on the right-hand side - and with the shoulder pauldrons attached so they sit over the shoulders. The arms are the same colour of red plastic and extend down past the elbow joint and to a section of the forearm that then slots into Boba Fett’s bracers. Vanth is then wearing a pair of plain brown trousers with lighter brown boots and with the knee of the right leg incorporating Fett’s rocket launcher. The Marshal has two belts an upper tan-coloured piece and a lower orange-red gun slingers version. This second belt also features a hook that we might see morally for a lightsaber. There is no obvious use for this other than to allow the helmet to be secured when its being held under Cobb's arm which is in itself very clever. The ensemble is completed with a red scarf using a deeper red than the costume and sitting as an individual piece - although it can’t be removed without popping off the head first.
The paintwork, the main driver behind the deluxe status, is impressive in terms of the weathering and battle wear across the various elements of Fett’s armour but the rest of the body lacks any weathering or detailing aside from a beige clip on the figure’s left leg. The backpack is the most decorated item of the whole figure with varying shades of blue, red, white and sandy yellow as well as more wear and battle damage. It connects to Cobb Vanth in the same way it does on the Fett figures with a central peg and two aligning pegs above. While the Boba Fett figures do have some issues in keeping the jetpack connected the fit on Cobb Vanth feels a touch sturdier. The jetpack features a removable rocket if you want to display the figure after firing the weapon, and articulation on the jets.
The head sculpt is a decent likeness to Olyphant with a sculpted beard and hair all included in the head sculpt. Facial printing is ok but only picks out the eyes and doesn’t add any depth to the skin tone or other features. The helmet, another shared part, is cast in green with the usual Boba Fett decor of the burgundy trim and black visor and the same battle damage as the rest of the armour - including the dent on the left-hand side. It also features an articulated range finder in silver with a black tip that can swing down over the right-hand side of the visor. The fit over the Cobb Vanth head is good, not too tight and not so loose as to fall off or look misaligned when posed.
Cobb features two blasters, a smaller pistol in plain black that can be holstered in the belt or wielded in the right hand. There is then a larger blaster rifle which features more paint apps over the black body with the cloth-wrapped grip and barrel section painted out in white paint.
Articulation is extensive with 21 points in total with both butterfly shoulders and a dual joint neck. The extra couple of joints are a rotation on the forearms as a result of the way the Boba Fett gauntlets connect to the Cobb Vanth body. You can also add in the body articulation the rang finder joint and the swivel on the twin jets of the jetpack. The arms have a full range of motion with the flexible pipework and the shoulder pauldrons moving with the arms. Similarly, the legs have a full range of motion including natural kneeling poses.
As a release, the Deluxe Cobb Vanth has minimal flaws. He is a well-designed figure, a good replication of The Marshal’s look on screen including the proportions of the body so that he doesn’t just look like a replica of Boba Fett with a new head sculpt. I like how his taller frame changes the aesthetics of the armour, but the armour doesn’t conform to the body shape and is still consistent to how it was originally meant to be worn - looking ill-fitting in places as it should. The weathering and battle wear is impressive and a pretty good match to the corresponding Boba Fett figure from the Tyhhon Jedi Ruins who is essentially wearing the exact same armour. The accessories are OK, with the helmet and backpack, in particular, working with the overall figure to good effect. The only issue is whether the paintwork detail justified the Deluxe price tag and the answer to that was potentially no in terms of the collectors voting with their wallets with the figure remaining readily available at the time of this review and at a significantly reduced RRP.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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