“She's Mandalorian. You knew what you were getting into.”
Sabine first appeared in the Star Wars Black Series in 2016, a release based on her appearance in Star Wars: Rebels. This figure would get a photo-real update in 2020 with a re-release under the Galaxy Collection banner. In 2023 Sabine’s live-action debut in the Ahsoka series has brought us a new Black Series Sabine figure replicating this older New Republic-Era Sabine Wren.
Sabine was part of Wave 13 of the Galaxy Collection, released in the Autumn of 2023 and dedicated in its entirety to the Ahsoka series. The wave received a disjointed UK release in particular with Ahsoka herself held back from any UK distribution and stocks of Sabine and Ezra were in high demand, while Morgan Elsbeth and her HK droid didn’t quite sell so well. The wave arrived in the revived window box format and using a new turquoise blue hued colour scheme aligned with the Ahsoka source material. Sabine is number 03 in the Ahsoka Galaxy Collection with her side art connecting to Ezra and Morgan Elsbeth.
Sabine is a brand new figure and the look is based on her Mandalorian armour as opposed to the more casual New Republic flight jacket she wore in the earlier scenes. Like other Mandalorian figures, the construction of the figure starts with an undersuit - in a deep brown base colour - and the armour is overlaid on the top. As we expect from an artist like Sabine the armour is coloured in vibrant purple, red and orange with various stripes and patterns and a differing look on each armoured segment. The two pauldrons each have a decal applied with the Rebellion symbol on the right, and a Purrgil symbol on the left - accurate to the show and a nod to Ezra and the quest to find him.
The head sculpt is a wonderful likeness to Natasha Liu Bordizzo and one of the best the Black Series has offered to date particularly as the waxy gloss look has been dialled back so the features of the face are more visible. The hair has a purple hue and is an individual piece connected to the head which makes the hairline crisp and natural without any over or under-painting issues.
Sabine comes with a removable helmet that initially looks and feels too big, but when compared with the live-action prop is pretty much spot-on in its proportions. Like the armour this is painted with various colours including some deep red framing around the visor and a pair of twin white lines off over the head. The visor retains the Nite Owl shaping and is painted in gloss black. A range finder is fitted to one side of the helmet and this articulates to come down over the visor. The helmet is a looser fit to others we have seen, but not so loose as to wobble around too much - this level of fit will also protect the paint apps to the head.
Accessories include a pair of Mandalorian Westar Blasters, each painted slightly differently. One blaster has a silver body and blue trim, while the other has a deep yellow. Both then feature painted gloss black grips. The blasters can be holstered in the included belt piece and will also fit in either hand, with Sabine given dual trigger-fingered hands.
She also features her/Ezra’s lightsaber which comes with a predominantly black hilt with silver detailing and a translucent green blade. The saber hilt has a loop at one end that connects to a hook on Sabine’s belt for securing that away when not in use. The blade swaps in and out easily and the saber can be held in either hand - or both thanks to the articulation.
This articulation comes in at 17 points in total with the thigh swivels removed and the knee granted an additional swivel motion to compensate. The loss of the joint isn't something you miss, and it does help the overall look of the figure and alleviates some of the older issues where upper and lower thigh could be two different finishes. The legs and arms have a full range of motion with the shoulders featuring a butterfly joint under the chest armour as well as a feature where the shoulder pauldrons withdraw under the same chest armour to allow the arms to raise upward. The neck features two joints, extending movement while removing another unsightly joint.
Sabine is probably the best of the Ahsoka Wave 1 figures and has few faults other than her apparent availability issues. The look of the figure is exceptional and a good match to what we see onscreen. There are sufficient accessories, all of which interact well with the figure, and articulation to suit wielding any of them in a variety of poses. A highly recommended figure and one that will certainly be a focal point of your New Republic Era collection.
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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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