So I haven’t had a chance to talk about the Knicks for a while…

...Ha!  Got you!  You guys are a bunch of gullible, naive, unsuspecting, suckers who easily fall for things that are untrue!

What we have here today is something that Banthaskull veterans will probably recognize as an “action figure review.”  Basically, I take pictures of a Star Wars 3.75” toy in various poses, and then post them on this here page which can be found on the World Wide Web (at no additional cost to you!) along with a long and rambling summary of my thoughts on the subject.  It may seem a little archaic to some, but I figured I’d run back the clock, just for old times’ sake.  If you’d rather me write about the Knicks for next time, just let me know in the comments below.  Now, on to the business at hand.

Here’s a figure that’s a decade too old, but probably just as well.  In December of 2016, Rogue One hit theaters, and was celebrated with a huge sigh by the one-two punch of Disney and Hasbro.  By that time, Hasbro had nearly killed the 3.75” line with a series of near-fatal decisions from which the line as not fully recovered.  We were left with mostly sub-par and under-articulated kiddie figures while simultaneously being buried by the weirdly large 6” line.  The few “collector” oriented figures that were available could only be found in the 9th Circle of Hell, better known as “Walmart.”  Meanwhile, Disney was all about the spoiler thing, and was on a campaign to make sure that everything they did was concealed by a veil of secrecy so as to snuff out any merchandising hype that could help generate pre-opening interest and engagement in their property. 

With the meager offerings of the super articulated line, Hasbro managed to squeeze out a solid (for the time) Jyn Erso as well as a decent Cassian Andor, along with a Shore Trooper and a Death Trooper.  All of these figures are showing their age, but despite this, they were all re-released, or repainted in the TVC line over the years, as recently as 2024.  The Rogue One crew itself has gotten the shaft.  While we did get Jyn and Cassian immediately, it must be noted that Cassian is not in his more common winter coat outfit, which he wore during his time on Jedha and Eadu, while he was in Imperial disguise on Scarif.  Hasbro gave us his Yavin garrison outfit for some reason.  Anyway, we waited 4 years to get K-2SO and Chirrut Îmwe, and now in 2026 we’re finally getting Baze Malbus.  Meanwhile, still no sign of Bodhi Rook. 

As for this guy, it should be noted that he was named after the film Bazed and Malbous, which starred a young ensemble cast of future Hollywood stars and told the story of a bunch of high school kids who drank Benadryl, played a bunch of Hacky Sack, and watched Cinemax after midnight through rolling static bars because their parents didn’t pay for the subscription.

The figure itself received some flak due its categorization within the “Deluxe” sub line.  Long gone are the blind boxes of yore, replaced now with a standard 6"x9” TVC bubble card, including a sticker warning you about the higher price point.  While the packaging has been a point of contention amongst collectors for a while, at least equally controversial are the choices made by Hasbro to select certain figures for this category.  Without a hulking physique, a plethora of accessories, or some complex paint job, we are left to wonder why certain figures are labeled as “deluxe.”  So let’s see where Mr. Malbus falls.

The sculpt, of course, is great.  It’s hard to expect anything else from Hasbro at this point.  The figure looks great, as it should.  The articulation system is also par for the course, which is to say it’s excellent - except that the knees don’t bend past 90, while the elbows do, but only slightly.  Again, I can’t see how it costs anything more to just sculpt the backs of the knee and elbow joints to allow room for further range of motion, so it remains a point of frustration for me that it is isn’t standard at this point.

The head sculpt is tremendous.  Coupled with the PhotoReal paint, it looks like a miniature version of Jiang Wen.  The range of motion of the neck/head is a bit limited, but it seems this is due to the unusual neck/shoulder armor that Baze wears.  Aside from the face, the paint apps are solid, but underwhelming.  There is a bit of a dirt wash added to the legs, but the upper body is pristine.

The figure has a soft goods “cape.”  The item is similar to that worn by Boba Fett, inasmuch as you might call that a cape.  It’s really just a shmata hanging off his left shoulder.  For the accessories, Baze comes with his giant MWC-35c “Staccato Lightning” repeating cannon, an ammo belt, and a back-pack cooling tank.  The three pieces connect to form the complete weapon.  The tank plugs into a slot on Baze’s back, the gun fits well in both hands, and the flexible ammo belt connects it all together.  Baze also comes with a shock stick / tazer (which I incorrectly thought was a communication device at first).  He can hold it in his hand, or plug it into a hole in the back of his belt.  It’s totally fine to be included, but I feel this is one of those ultra tiny accessories that I am doomed to misplace.

I’m not sure if I should be frustrated with this, but I am:  The cannon/ammo belt/cooling tank is a minor retool of the same accessories that came with the 5POA figure from 10 years ago.  On the one hand, it would seem that Hasbro did a good enough job with the sculpt bag then that it was able to be repurposed 10 years later.  However, it doesn’t sit well with me that this was a deluxe figure when the accessory, the size of which presumably contributed to it being deluxe in the first place, is actually just a decade-old sculpt. 

The figure looks great, poses very well (but lacks the full elbow/knee range), is well-balanced, has a great portrait, has nice accessories (although the main one is 10 years old), and sports an effective (but basic) paint job.  I’ll give the figure a 9 because it’s just not a perfect 10.  It’s excellent for what it is, but the re-use of the old cannon and the not-quite perfect articulation system hold it back a bit.

I don’t think this figure should be deluxe.  The simple paint apps, re-used accessories, and non-tremendous stature leave me wondering why it was categorized this way.

Baze has been near the top of my want list for a long time, but it’s definitely annoying it’s taken this long to get him.  The result is definitely satisfying, even if it falls short of spectacular.  I hope we get Bodhi soon, and I’d really like the parka version of Cassian as well.