This is one of three The Clone Wars-sourced Mandalorians being released in the next two waves.  The other two are the upcoming Mandalorian Super Commando Captain (i.e. the commander of these commandos) and the Death Watch Airborne Manadlorian.  When this trio of figures was announced, I said I was getting “Mando’ed out”.  I was wrrrr-wrruh-wrong.  It’s not just because this Mandalorian Super Commando is a fantastic figure.  It’s because in very quick succession, Hasbro is giving us many of the figures needed to recreate the Darth Maul Mandalore arc of Season 5 of The Clone Wars.  This is something that is not only appreciated, it’s something Hasbro should prioritize.  When too much time passes between the release of interrelated figures, sometimes the line’s aesthetic changes over that time can be jarring.  Here, we can be assured that the figures from the “Takeover of Mandalore” arc will share a common visual lexicon.

Within a calendar year we will get the abovementioned three Mandalorians to go with the VC201 - Darth Maul (Mandalore) and VC226 - Bo-Katan Kryze figures we already have.  There are three more figures that seem like easy partial retools that could further build out this arc.  They are Obi-Wan Kenobi in Super Commando disguise, Pre Vizsla, and some generic Night Owls.  The Obi-Wan feels like the perfect option for a store exclusive, Pre Vizsla would do well in main line, and a Night Owls troop builder pack seems like a home run (have you seen the leaked Mandalorian season 3 trailer?).  We also need a Vintage Collection Savage Oppress, which would likely have to be a deluxe figure, but it would sell.  Finally there are two more characters we need, but the chances of getting them are statistically zero.  They are Duchess Satine and Prime Minister Almec.  Fifteen years ago, those would have been dark horse possibilities to crack the line, but in 2022, their odds are about as good as Yerka Mig.

After Maul kills Pre Vizsla in open combat making him the ruler of Mandalore, much of Death Watch honors their creed and pledges allegiance to their new leader.  They repaint their armor from the blue and black of Death watch to one infused with red in honor of the Sith Lord.  Maul’s commandos did not all adopt the same exact armor style.  This figure appears to be based on the trooper who interrupts Obi-Wan’s jailbreak of Satine:

(click for the full sized image)

You can tell by the angled hand print on the helmet and the black paint running down the cheek of the helmet.  Other commandos have the hand print aligned vertically with a white accent on the well of the helmet’s cheek:

(click for the full sized image)

The latter seems to be the much more common configuration on the show, so it’s a little curious that Hasbro didn’t go with this more generic design.  Regardless, I don’t think it’s going to prevent anyone who is army-building inclined from ordering multiples.  I’ve been gushing about these modern releases lately.  Ah this point it’s going to get pretty boring for you to keep reading about it.  If a figure is newly tooled or partially retooled based on 2022 tooling, you know it’s going to be a hit, especially if it has the new t-bar style hips as this does.  I highly suspect that these new hips are actually less expensive to produce so it’s a win/win (sort of like how the ball and socket heads were less expensive than swivel heads, which is why 5POA retained the supposed “premium” point of articulation).  I’m not good at the forensic work involved in these matters, but I suspect this incorporates parts from the recent VC186 - Boba Fett and VC219 - Death Watch Manadlorian figures together with some unique new tooling to make this Mandalorian Super Commando.

The results are what you’d expect.  For the most part, this figure poses like a dream.  The lower body, thanks in part to those heavenly t-bar hips, flows from stance to stance like butta! The arm articulation is almost as good with the exception of one pose I was trying to achieve.  If you look at the card, the commando is staring directly down the sights of the blaster in a very CQB-ish appearance.  I could never manage to get the rifle directly in front of the helmet.  I think this is due to the sculpt of the chest armor impeding the shoulder articulation ever so slightly.  This is the reason I’m deducting one point for a 9 out of 10.