Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,027: Cassian Andor (Aldahani Mission, The Vintage Collection)

CASSIAN ANDOR (Aldahani Mission)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F7329
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #267
Includes: Hat, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: April 2023
Appearances: Andor
Bio: In an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue, Cassian Andor embarks on a path that will turn him into the rebel hero who will challenge the evil Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Hasbro Pulse. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Hasbro really phoned in Cassian Andor (Aldahani Mission). The Black Series one - which I skipped - is a bit better. The Vintage Collection release is a retool of a retool. You can see the mold marking on his foot for The Black Series 3 3/4-inch Shoretrooper C0665, so you can immediately tell that they reused those boots - and they're the wrong boots. The arms and torso are reused from The Mandalorian Morak figures Migs Mayfeld [FOTD #2,972] and Din Djarin [FOTD #2,971] from last year. Only Cassian's head, "skirt," and hat are new - he even lacks the blaster he had on the show. I know cost cutting is a thing, but this is ridiculous and somewhat insulting. (And I didn't even enjoy Andor all that much.)

Let's start with the good - if you're forced to reuse parts, other than the legs, they made sensible choices. You don't get the over-the-shoulder strap seen on the show, but the chest and shoulder armor are repuposed from previous series - it's good enough. It's just that without the strap, and the colors seeming off, it starts to be a problem. The older, not-as-good hip joints are annoying as getting them to move at all requires a lot of effort and makes this toy much less fun than newer releases since last year... or the old ones from the 1970s. The boots are completely wrong, but I guess they're counting on you not shoegazing during the murky, dour, shouty and sad episodes of the show. It reeks of "good enough," which is acceptable for a repaint wave. It's acceptable when figures were under $10. But this is $17, and if you're telling me Hasbro can't make a new figure when necessary for $17, perhaps they shouldn't be making collector lines. Even if the reason was to get this figure out the door quicker, it's important to remember that mediocrity is forever and there's a lot of forever mediocrity showing up lately, and what's so infuriating is the brand new figures are all excellent. Given how much money we're putting into collecting these things (and their repaints) I don't think asking for screen-accurate action figures is a lot to ask.

The face looks good. Cassian shaved during this part of the series, so he has a lot less scruff which is more or less picked up well by this figure. The new skirt pieces more or less matches the show, with the holster on the correct side of his body - they did a good job there. Also notable, his hat fits extremely well. That's a big plus. Over the years, helmets or hats that are too big, or heads that are too small, were frequently an issue. Hasbro's sculptors got it right here - it looks good and while it's a smidgen big, it fits well and it's not a hassle to get it to stay on. They did a good job here.

He has a short blaster which fits in the holster, but lacks the distinctive rifle which was called out on the show. There was even a whole scene on this slow-paced slog of a story making a fuss of how to hold these rifles. Given how important it was to the show, and that it appears on the cardback, its absence is a problem for me. I'd be more willing to overlook the wrong boots if he had the right blaster, and if he had the right accoutrements hanging over his torso.

When it comes to clones and droids, repaints and recycling parts are a sensible thing to do. In this case, they cut corners a lot and it shows. Just because you have existing tooling you can use, you shouldn't necessarily use it. The first two Andor figures are lingering on pegs off and on here as of early April 2023 when I write this. My hope is they'll all sell, as will this one, but I'm not going to lie to you - this is a half-assed figure. If you don't care that the colors don't quite match, that the armor isn't quite right, that the boots are wrong, and that he's missing a key accessory, you should happily buy this figure. So if you are a carded collector that never watched the show in the first place, go ahead and buy this figure, because clearly you are not a discriminating buyer. If it were 2006 or 2007, I'd say "wait a few years, they'll make a better one." Now? I doubt it. It's this or nothing, and given how much other, better things you can buy from Hasbro in this scale? Consider going with nothing.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,027: May 9, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,008: Vel Sartha (The Vintage Collection)

VEL SARTHA Figure Debut!
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F5624
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #262
Includes: Blaster with removable back
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: February 2023
Appearances: Andor
Bio: In an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue, Cassian Andor embarks on a path that will turn him into the rebel hero who will challenge the evil Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Amazon. There is no bio for Vel - this is the same copy used for both figures.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Have you ever picked up a figure and had to look at it and go "I don't know if this is good or not?" That's where I am with Vel Sartha, a figure that was clearly developed in a time between Hasbro keeping to a $14.99 price point and the new $16.99 price point. Generally we've been seeing some "collector" figures come out missing a few paint applications for budget reasons during these transition phases, and Vel certainly seems to be one of them. Also she's a little weird in other ways - not bad, certainly not terrible, but disappointing relative to other women recently made by Hasbro.

With Bo-Katan Kryze and Fennec Shand, hasbro loaded up the figures with painted detail, at least two accessories, alternate heads, and even slightly more articulation for about the same price. Vel has only swivel wrists, so she was designed to hold the blaster like in her cardback photo - and that's it. Her hip joints are great, the bends in her elbows are better than average, her proportions look more "human" than "toy,"and the sculptors did a bang-up job with the garments and her face. She's just a little tiny, and there's not a lot in the package for the money. This would be a very good $8-$9 figure from another manufacturer. At Hasbro's 2023 pricing, especially since she's not part of a bigger line, it's hard to be enthusiastic. I also hate the mid-torso joint, especially at this scale. Vel has two places around her belt where you could put a joint and it wouldn't be an eyesore - so why put it smack dab in the middle of her chest? What's the benefit?

I love how they sculpted and painter her hair - her face was printed nicely, and the parts of her they elected to paint turned out well. You can see a little paint under her jacket collar, but her boots are all the same brown. Multiple shades of brown are on her coat in the show, but all they painted were rings around the cuffs of her sleeves. I assume Hasbro cut corners for budget reasons and assumed we wouldn't notice - and are probably, on the whole, right if that's the case. If you just display her on the package and call it a day, you won't notice, nor will you care - but the general engineering of the figure also teeters between "excellent" and "meh," so it's hard to know for sure what their intent was. Her hip joints let her sit in vehicles well, with a great range of leg movement - I couldn't ask for it to be better. And yet, her arms seem designed mostly just to point a blaster down. She's mostly excellent, but it's weird to see the tiny, specific wrists combined with the perfectly good leg joints.

As the only Vel Sartha in this size, and generally a good figure, I'd recommend her - but at $17 I would assume Hasbro is probably just dealing with a feedback loop of this scale's sales slowing a bit, so they drop features and raise prices, which cause sales to slow, and so on and so forth. Her blaster has extra silver deco hits which really pop and look gorgeous - also the butt of it pops off, so be careful. If the figure had those extra couple of paint jobs like her gun, I'd be praising it, but the all-the-same-brown coat looks pretty blah on a $17 figure. On the other hand, if Vel was a $10 Retro figure I'd say "perfect, don't change a thing." These competing expectations probably sound hypocritical, but I've got a lower barrier to "success" when it comes to cheaper, simpler figures. The Vintage Collection are premium priced and really should be premium quality - I should be impressed, and while Hasbro comes close I'm not amazed by what we got. Also she's tiny, and it's a little painful to know that if we get little guys like Yoda or a Jawa or R2-D2, there's a good chance they too will be expensive and underaccessorized.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,008: March 2, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,007 Cassian Andor (Andor, Coat, The Vintage Collection)

CASSIAN ANDOR (Unnamed, but coat-ed)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F5522
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #261
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: February 2023
Appearances: Andor
Bio: In an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue, Cassian Andor embarks on a path that will turn him into the rebel hero who will challenge the evil Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Amazon. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: If only one or two figures drop from a series, does it make a sound? It would've been great to have this Cassian Andor figure out while the show was streaming new episodes - or delayed until season two - but that's not how things go. Synergy is, weirdly, out as things feel increasingly corporate - heck, Mr. Andor knows all about that from fighting jackboot cosplayers from the Corporate Sector. While this is an excellent figure, it loses a little shine due to Hasbro's "less is less" strategy where we get generally insignificant quantities of characters from a new project since 2019. If we're lucky, we'll get a trickle over time - and if we're not, well, tally up the size of your The Rise of Skywalker collection.

If you want a 3 3/4-inch scale Cassian from Andor, go get this one before it gets expensive. Hasbro did a good job here. If you want to wait and see if Hasbro will give you the other characters from the show whose names you already forgot, I wouldn't hold your breath for a complete suite in every scale. I like how this one turned out though - the elbows bend more than 90 degrees! The jacket has the little hood on the back! He can even stand with a little fussing - he has the newer-style hip joints and more modern elbows, but the joints are a little stiff in spots. Not so stiff that he'll be a problem, but stiff enough that you may not just be able to plop him on a shelf and he stays upright.

The browns are a little richer and less muted than the photography of the costume, and I'm fine with that. I like the highly-detailed boots and the belt buckle is excellent. One thing that surprised me was that the costume seemingly has no holster - who knew? (Not me, is where I'm going.) He also has no problems holding his blaster - sadly, his only accessory. Given that this figure may be $16.99 at some stores due to Hasbro price increases, it's a stretch. When Vader has alternate hands, simply including one accessory feels insufficient at this price. It's a nice, unpainted blaster, but Kenner frequently gave us at least two per figure for $5 or $6 in the 1990s. Hasbro can come up with something.

The Diego Luna head sculpt is excellent. The beard color looks almost better here than on the shows, with a plastic "wig" that fits perfectly. The eyes are shiny and bright, the skin tone isn't nearly as pale as some figures, and he actually looks like who he's supposed to look like. Maybe I'm just more forgiving to Disney+ talent, but Luke doesn't always look like Mark Hamill and Han doesn't always look like Harrison Ford - but Cassian Andor sure as heck looks like Diego Luna.

Given there may not be much of a collection from Andor at this scale I am hesitant to suggest anyone collect it - three or four figures does not a collection make. But if you just want some one-offs, and an example of some of Hasbro's finest male human work at this size, get this figure. He looks good, the hands are sculpted well, the costume is complex and the joints are nicely hidden in the creases and folds of his various garments. Short of the accessory deficit, this is a quality figure - it just might not be worth the asking price now that we're inching toward $20 for something of this size.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,007: February 28, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,896: Captain Cassian Andor (The Black Series)

CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR Second Edition
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Green Rogue One: A Star War Story Packaging
Item No.: No. F2890
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #02 - Rogue One: A Star War Story
Includes: Blaster, front end of rifle, back end of rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $22.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star War Story

Bio: An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: When The Black Series first started, the figures were considered pretty good. The heads looked sharp! But by the time Rogue One came out, some of the new heads looked... OK. You can tell the sculpt was good, but the paint job didn't necessarily deliver the goods - some were better than others. This Captain Cassian Andor (2021 rerelease) is an example of one that finally nailed it. Looking at the Target exclusive 2016 3-pack release... just throw it in the trash. It's dead to you now. You can see the sculpted stubble with a brown line painted over part of it, and it looks like garbage. The 2016 figure's body was perfectly good, and the sculpting job was perfectly good, Captain Cassian Andor [FOTD #2,319] turned out to be a poor deco job of a good figure. I wrote "I dislike the head. It looks like the sculpt might actually be pretty good, but the iffy plastic, terrible facial hair, and not as good as they could be eyes bring it down."

The new figure is less pasty, has more lively eyes, and the facial hair actually looks like the actor. It's good! It's amazing to think it's the same sculpt, and just a few pennies of paint transforms it into something that's really, really good for $23. It's not Hot Toys good, but it's probably one of the very best human heads I've ever seen at this price point.

As to the body, it's 2016 chic - the arm joints don't have quite the range we have today, the double-jointed knees are pretty good, and the hips have an excellent range of motion for the time. The costume itself is fundamentally the same paint job we got last time, so if you like the original portrait there's no need to upgrade. (The figure. Your sense of aesthetics would have to be truly broken if you can't see how much better version 2.0 is.)

The 3-part gun is great - you get a pistol that fits in the holster, and two pieces to slap on it to make a sniper rifle. It's fun and easy and it works. Not only does it fit in the holster with no fuss, but assembling the "super mode" is easy.

If you missed the first release, this is essential - skip the original. If you have the original release, go ahead and take your comparison photo and sell or give away the 2016 release. It's trash. I didn't think I'd really like these photoreal upgrades - I really rolled my eyes when K-2SO showed up in the mail and the first announcements left me shrugging - but dang if Jyn and Cassian didn't turn out to be some of Hasbro's very best work and upgrades that are actually worth the money. (Haven't got Baze as of my writing this, Chirrut is not bad.)

I skipped Hasbro Pulse's Luke and Han upgrades on 1995 The Power of the Force cardbacks so far, but now I'm wondering if I should give them a look. $27 per seemed too steep for me, but if you got any hi-res head shots to look at I'm all ears. But I digress. Go buy the Andor upgrade.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,896: February 3, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,329: Captain Cassian Andor (The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch)

CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR You Used To Wear It In The Rain
The Force Awakens The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Figure Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. B4054 No. C0664
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, stock, scope
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.83
Availability: December 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  There are at least three ways to get a Captain Cassian Andor in his brown jacket, but only this one is super-articulated.  5-jointed versions are sold with the U-Wing or with the Toys R Us Cassian Andor and Stormtrooper 2-pack, but this one is sold boxed by his lonesome.   It's a worthwhile upgrade.  I liked the U-Wing Captain Cassian Andor [FOTD #2,282] enough, but it was a little goofier for whatever reason.  The 2-pack has better paint, and this one is even better.  It's not perfect - nailing facial hair seems to be Hasbro's new challenge - but the sculpt is good and so is his expression.

If you liked the improvements made to Jyn's articulation, Cassian is slightly better.  Not only does he have the mid thigh swivel, but he has bend-and-swivel wrists for a whopping 28 points of articulation - all that's left is for Hasbro to cram in double knees at this point, or perhaps a return to rocker ankles.  (Why those were left out, I'll never know.)   As with Jyn, you can swing both legs forward - but the holster is glued down.  This is good for people who stand/pose, but for sitting in vehicles it could result in breakage.  I advise caution.  I'd also love it if Hasbro could use a tab and a hole so you could pin the accessory in place, and un-pin it so the figure can sit.   But what do I know? 

The facial hair is good, but not perfect - Cassian now has a goatee and some scruff.  It's not terrible, but it could be better.  Getting facial hair or any detail at this scale requires careful exaggeration or understating of certain features, otherwise dark things seem too dark or light things seem too light.  It's a perfectly nice action figure, but as many of us buy Hasbro products in lieu of busts or statues we have very high expectations.  I don't doubt Hasbro will find a better way to do this in the next few years, but for the time being I'd say get this one and repaint it if you have the skill.  I don't.  The rest of his costume is perfect, with the jacket represented as a "vest" that's a little loose with sleeved arms.  It's really wonderful.

Most impressive is his  blaster.  In the early hushed buzz days of this movie, we were being told how guns would be a big part of the movie and merchandising with fancy new features that would be great for toys. I think this got downplayed a bit by the movie, but thankfully Cassian's blaster does have cool features which made the cut.   The pistol fits in his holster just fine, and as an added bonus you can add a butt to it and a sniper scope.   It's configurable!  At this scale, that really impresses me.  The deco is good - Hasbro has done a good job on blasters at this scale - although there's nowhere for those extra parts to go if you're not currently using them.  

I like this figure, but I'm fond of the costume - it's like Han and Luke's Bespin jackets.  I'd buy those pants.  I'd wear that jacket.   I'd probably swap out the Rebel rank pins with Iggy and the Stooges or Somerville Speakout, but it's a nifty costume and a great action figure.  I like this one much more than the other versions, including the 6-inch one.  Hasbro got the skin tone right for the size, and the deco is totally on the money.  Nice work, fellas and/or ladies.  We salute you.
 
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart by way of pal Matt.  Thank you Matt!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,329: January 5, 2017

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,319: Captain Cassian Andor (The Black Series 6-Inch)

CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR Jacket
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure Target Exclusive Set
Item No.:   No. B9609
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, scope, stock, 2 other figures with weapons
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Hasbro can't seem to get hispanic dudes right.   Humans in general seem to be tough to nail, especially when Hasbro's factory pick a wonky plastic for the skin tone and iffy facial hair paint.  The outfit, pose, articulation, and gear for Captain Cassian Andor are great, but the head isn't as Diego Luna-tastic as you might want.  He looks like any of a number of other people, but not quite this guy.

In terms of the costume, it's pretty good.  You get a nice jacket, a nice pair of pants, and a decent shirt.  He has no problem holding his gun, which is handy - even with the clip-on sniper's gear, he can still hold it in both hands.  The figure's range of motion with 27 joints, although some are a little stiff.  The bend-and-swivel wrists are somewhat blocked by the jacket, as is his neck.  The way the jacket piping lines up is a little funky, but it basically works out pretty well.  It feels like a dry run for a Bespin Han Solo figure, complete with working holster.

I dislike the head.  It looks like the sculpt might actually be pretty good, but the iffy plastic, terrible facial hair, and not as good as they could be eyes bring it down.  The actor is my age and vaguely adorable - just like me - with a little bit of scruff, a mustache, and a soul patch.  The figure seems to have a goatee and really bad chin line scruff which is unpainted in spots.  I don't think they've quite mastered that look yet - look at all the Poe figures - but it comes off better as a 3 3/4-inch figure than as a 6-inch figure.  Even the Eadu version looks a bit better than this, but it's still not perfect.  I expect customizers will prove that better paint would have saved this, and/or someone will start cranking out bootleg Diego Luna replacement heads.   It's sort of frustrating that Hasbro's human heads are all over the map, and in this era of 3D-scanned likenesses the last mile at the factory is giving us product that just isn't great.  It's not terrible - but it's just kind of frustratingly sub-par.   It's clearly a well-designed figure, executed poorly where it counts the most.  I could live with less articulation if this figure looked perfect.

As part of a 3-pack which infuriatingly includes another identical Jyn Erso (also sold at SDCC, also individually) it's unfortunate that we were asked to pay a $20 tax just to get this Cassian Andor and another, more special Death Trooper.   I do not anticipate more or better versions of this character as an action figure, so I'd say get one when the price is right and hope someone can improve the head for you.  If it's you who improves it, even better.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,319: December 21, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,307: Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu, Rogue One)

CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR (Eadu)
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. B9841
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, zipline
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: We don't know why we should care yet, but here's a better looking Captain Cassian Andor.   The vehicle pack-in has a cool jacket, this one is in a swell parka with a better head design.   At first glance, it looks like a pastiche of Han and Luke's Hoth outfits.  It looks like this at a closer glance, too.

Much like Jyn Erso looks like a pastiche of 1970s lady movie stars and modern lady action heroes, Cassian takes the shortcut by putting on a jacket that's kind of like Han's with pants and a hat (with scarf) that are kind of like the old Luke figure.   A pistol fits easily in his holster or his hand, and the outfit itself has pretty good deco.  If you like such niceties as ornaments on a glove or a belt, this is your figure.  Multiple elements on his head are decorated too - a scarf, goggles, lenses, scruff, and a nice clean paint job on the face make this one of the better figures in the line so far.  I'm not crazy about snow/rain figures in theory, but this one looks nice.   Lots of creases and folds in the costume are nicely brought to life, and you'll note the fuzzy hood on the jacket too.   When you get in close to the gloves and squint, you'll notice some amazing fine detail that I'm just not used to seeing on figures of this size.  With only 5 joints, it's an impressive figure that cuts a notable presence on my desk.

His accessories include a silver-painted blaster that looks pretty cool and a zipline you can set up on your desk.  I had Cassian hanging around for a few days with no problems, and while the rope is short it was long enough to hang around in my office.   I doubt it'll be used in the movie and look exactly like this, but it's good enough to be marginally worthwhile.

If you can get your hands on this one, do so.   Maybe we'll see a better version later, but as the sculpt goes it will be tough to make a nicer one.   I wouldn't have minded having leg joints unrestricted by a "skirt" piece, but at least this figure appears nicely.  He can sit, he can stand, and he's really sharp.   This is a figure that looks like he should have a specific vehicle dedicated to him, but at this time I don't know what that would be - or if I already have it.   He looks like he'd be right at home on a Tauntaun.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,307: November 15, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,282: Captain Cassian Andor (Rogue One)

CAPTAIN CASSIAN ANDOR Jacket
Rogue One Vehicle Pack-In
Item No.: No. B7101
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: U-Wing Fighter, 2 Nerf darts, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99-$59.99
Availability: September 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: A sturdy troop transport and gunship used by the Rebel Alliance, the U-wing starfighter is a well-armed, swing-wing vessel that must penetrated heavy fire zones to deposit soldiers onto battlefields and then fly air support during dangerous missions against the Empire. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This ain't bad. The vehicle in and of itself is a fun toy with a massive - massive - wingspan at 36-inches wide when sticking out at the sides, which makes you understand why Captain Cassian Andor's vessel was downsized a bit to fit only one action figure, rather than serve as a troop deployment device.  (I also assume it might have something to do with being shown the design before anyone could see the script and full functionality of the vehicle in the film or in the script, combined with how big most Rebel Fighter toys are and how much you can charge for them. But I digress.)   The figure pilot is a good one - as a figure.  In terms of awesomeness it's not bad, but if you compare the toy head which looks a lot like a doll version of actor Diego Luna to the box photo which really looks like him, it doesn't hold up as well.   If you look at it, though, with its big and wide eyes you'd probably say "Hey, it's that guy from the trailer whose name I don't know yet" or "Is that Bret McKenzie?"

I kid, but it's pretty good.   The hair looks good, the expression isn't bad, and the skin tone is far less pale than other figures in this line so far.  Since Diego Luna isn't a pale white dude, this is a good thing - but it's not uncommon for action figures of any and every race to be slightly lighter than their real-life counterparts.   His hands have a little overspray on the wrists - unintentional shades of Kenner ca. 1980-1982 (see: Lobots) - with a great pose that's very much like those original action figures.  He has a working holster and has no problems standing, sitting, or fitting in the ample seating area of this vessel.  Hasbro even added an elastic seat belt to hold him in place.  He has 5 joints, nice and skinny and perfect, giving you a nice shot at a real modern take on a "vintage" Kenner figure.  Heck, I'd say that's a theme of the line - the 3 3/4-inch figures and vehicles all seem to owe a lot more to the 1980s.

Cassian's jacket has a nice yellow stripe with a silver rank pin, a light brown shirt, tan pants, a working holster, and brown boots.   The face has big white eyes - perhaps too big - with a brown beard that seems about as well as the factory could paint this kind of scruff at this size.  In other words, it isn't perfect.  It's good, though.  This isn't to say it couldn't be better, but I quite like it and I love that Hasbro molded the jacket to his body rather than making it a separate, removable piece.  It looks better and feels much more sturdy.

I know you're already down on the ship, and odds are you're going to grouse before you buy it on sale if at all.  I've found the Nerf dart launcher to be hidden away, no more obtrusive than a battery compartment cover on a vintage toy.   Two rings store the darts on board, which is nice.  The wings swing out nicely, as do all four kickstands for the landing skids.  Assembly was kind of a pain, but it was quick with no labels to apply.   The swinging wings are a little flexible, but there are "shelves" on the body to prevent them from sagging over time.  Whoever designed this - my most sincere thanks for this feature.  Sagging wings on X-Wings can be a problem, so seeing prevention engineered in the ship means a lot to me as a long-term toy collector.

While having a cargo hold, a trooper container, or a bigger cockpit for two would be nice, vehicles have to make adjustments just to fit within the price point.  I bet it could be cheaper if they left out the figure and the launcher, but you'll be glad to know Hasbro didn't skimp on the quality of the plastic.  The windows are nice and clear, with the plastic looking as lovely as ever - not waxy like The Force Awakens' X-wing fighters last year.   I assume fans will hope that Cassian is sold separately, because taking (what I assume is) a fairly important character and making it a pack-in with an expensive vehicle seems like a tough sell for many fans.   Maybe he'll get a helmet later - or maybe this is it.   Either way, it's a nice figure and I like the U-wing itself enough to say you should get it if it's on sale for $40 or less, and even at regular price it's not bad given what inflation gets you in 2016.   It's good.  It may not be totally accurate, but if you're a fan of toys-as-toys it's neat.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,282: October 1, 2016