Paz Vizsla was a surprisingly deep and interesting character, although he didn’t really start out that way.  Aside from his hulking appearance, it didn’t seem like there was much to him, other than being a bit of a bully.  But as the show progressed, he became more complex.  While he was unnamed in his first few episodes (he is noted as “Heavy Infantry” in the close captioning), his name is eventually revealed.  He vacillated several times in his relationship with Din Djarin, but in the end, he always put The Creed ahead of his personal feelings, and the two earned each other’s respect.  Paz was the ancestor descendant of the Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizsla, who created the Darksaber.  As such, Paz challenged Din to a duel for it, but lost.  Paz also had a son who was a foundling.  Eventually, his covert joined forces with Bo-Katan and her allies in an attempt to retake Mandalore.  During this mission, Paz essentially sacrificed himself so that his brothers and sisters could escape, falling to a trio of Praetorians summoned by Moff Gideon.  The character was voiced by Jon Favreau, who also voiced Pre Vizsla in The Clone Wars.

The figure is awesome.  It’s a tremendous, all new sculpt, that accurately captures the on screen character.  It’s hefty, and appropriately larger than other “average sized” figures in the line.  Paz has all the requisite articulation expected of a dynamic warrior figure, including rocker ankles and the newer hips.  There are, by my count, 8 different colors, including a bunch of scratches and scrapes around the armor.  There are even a few dings sculpted here and there.  If you look at a detailed shot of the character’s costume, you’ll see that Hasbro tried to match these scratches and dings, and it all looks great.  The only thing I might have liked to see is a little paint wash for weathering of the armor, but that’s a minor complaint. 

For accessories this Mandalorian warrior comes with a large jetpack, which plugs into the figure’s back.  A removable hose connects to the jetpack on one end, and the included heavy blaster on the other.  The blaster itself looks great, with a few paint touches - particularly the faded silver on the barrel, that bring added realism.  Paz can grip the weapon with both hands as he does on screen, and looks outstanding in a firing action pose.  The huge weapon can plug into the side of the jetpack when stowed, just like it does on screen.  Also included is a vibro blade, which slides into a sheath on his right boot.  I would have preferred some silvery paint to the knife, as it seems unpainted.  There are a pair of fiery effects that plug into the jetpack to show flight, and a third blast effect that plugs into the business end of the barrel to give more of an action feel to the figure.  Finally, Paz’s left forearm has a hole that accommodates a transparent blue circular defense shield.  Paz interacts perfectly with all the accessories.  Perhaps most importantly, the figure has a great center of gravity, so no matter what accessory is deployed or stored, Paz has no problem standing upright.

The big catch here is the price.  In the old days, a figure like this would be in the mainline, and the high cost to produce it would be offset by including smaller and cheaper figures in the same wave, like an astromech or a simple figure with few paint apps or accessories.  But with collector expectations (demand) as high as they are, it seems that including cost-saving figures in the wave wouldn’t go over very well these days.  Plus, people would freak the hell out if an oversized bubble were used on a standard cardback.  Therefore, we pay the “deluxe tax” for a figure like this, which costs $27 (vs. $17 for a basic figure in 2023).  Collectors will probably balk at this price, and it certainly isn’t fun, but I’m not sure how the figure would exist any other way.  My fear is that Hasbro will milk this sculpt like they did in the Black Series, and give us a bunch of gimmick re-releases in order to help offset the cost.

Price is something we try to ignore when it comes to grading figures and toys. So if you put that $28 hit on your wallet aside for the moment, I give this figure a 10/10.  I don’t know what more I could expect from the figure itself.  It’s large, it’s sculpted very well, it’s got top notch articulation and paint apps, and includes some great accessories.  It’s one of my favorite figures so far this year.

At the time of this review, the Deluxe Vintage Collection Paz Vizsla can be preordered on site sponsor Entertainment Earth (CLICK HERE):