Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,382: Garindan (The Retro Collection)

GARINDAN (Kenner Flavor)
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G2554
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, communicator, soft goods shawl
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Rediscover the classics with The Star Wars Retro Collection - inspired by the Kenner originals! (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the few aliens I would say felt missing from the original Kenner Star Wars line was Garindan. This has nothing to do with design or relative cool-ness, but this guy was an actual antagonist that ratted Luke and pals out to the Empire. He did something. I like Snaggletooth and Hammerhead a lot, but it's weird that Kenner skipped the character that metal miniature makers would make, even without a license. But Kenner also skipped Peter Cushing for 20 years, around the same time we got a Garindan.

I don't really have any complaints here. I wasn't sure about it when I first saw the renders, but the actual figure is quite nice. The whole set makes me extremely happy, except Wedge is a little mid. You could just stop reading here, there is no reason for me to write so much about Garindan. Garindan is good and feels a bit more modern in spots.

 Since I can't quite make out precisely where they drew their inspiration for each element of the costume, I find the pastiche to be charming and worthwhile. If I want a theoretically more accurate one, Hasbro Pulse has me covered - this is someone trying to make a 1980s figure, and largely succeeding. If I want something that looks like someone shrugged after getting a look at the movie and a couple of stills (and I do), this is it. If I had to nitpick and give it a running change, I'd ask Hasbro to make the nose grayer and lenses darker. That's it. If the shirt was bright blue or otherwise wacky it'd be a solid fit for the 1970s, but the earth tones feel like a 1980s or 1990s interpretation of the character. So why does this review go on so long? Enthusiasm, my dear fellow. I am excited, and happy.

At first fans sort of flipped out over the figure. It sparked debates over how we perceived the costume, notably its hood. The "current" approved look look that Sideshow and Hasbro using are a completely full-head-masked alien with something of a shawl worn on the head, with pants and what seems to be some sort of surplus uniform. That's what we're getting in The Vintage Collection in a few months. Kenner's 1997 and Hasbro's 2006 figures had a hooded cape that's a little more Red Riding Hood. Both riffed on a uniform-with-pants and some form of cape look we all saw in the movie. In my imagination, the film costume was a little baggy but I don't know that I ever got a close enough look at it to say "this is right!" or "this is wrong!" Also, Kenner-stylization is a blanket license to do whatever you want, and it seems Hasbro did.

I took for granted that the alien species was an aardvark-esque creature in sunglasses. Now, I'm not so sure - looking at hi-res close-up shots, it seems that maybe the nose is the alien's face and maybe it's just a distinctive mask like a plague doctor had. The picture in Wookieepedia seems to have seams, just like the Retro figure where the snout seems to be separately molded and glued in. Sideshow's figure most definitely seems to treat the head as completely covered in a mask, complete with stitching. Sure, Disney's new canon says they eat bugs with their noses but we've seen authorial intent ignored before and fans (or licensing departments just sort of roll with perception. Look at Max Rebo, who we all agree has legs, and who the cartoons show his species as having legs, but the puppet? No legs.

This Garindan has a lighter colored snoot, like the 1997 Kenner The Power of the Force figure. His shawl seems to be movie-accurate, and Hasbro's factory sourced textiles very similar to the 1983 Kenner Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker figure. I'm impressed. It hangs on his head, and is easily removed if it offends you. His goggles are red tinted, which I think is maybe a nod to one of Ralph McQuarrie's paintings for a book. I don't believe the prop had red lenses. Our spy's snout has more subtle rivet divets than the movie, and I think Kenner would have exaggerated them some more or ignored them completely. The hood feels right, but it doesn't match Sideshow's figure - which has a round, hooded head with what is very obviously not a biological snout. Teach the controversy! It seems Hasbro went with a take based on 1990s interpretations or their own imaginations. And that's what Kenner probably would have done in 1979, so I'm all for it.

The Sideshow shirt - and possibly the movie shirt - are a very dark blue. This one wears a couple of shades of gray. Retro Garindan's torso seems to be made by someone that recognized the basic form of the shirt and belt, but made it looser and more like a robe. Neat! The movie costume's cape around the shoulders is gone, because there's an actual full robe covering the figure's body - and no other officially licensed figure had that. All the others had fully visible boots, and some of the figures had holsters for their blasters. This one has signs of different boots, and also straps around the leg that may well be for blaster or commlink holsters. Hasbro went for a vibe closer to 1984 mail-in Anakin Skywalker, except Garindan's legs can swing fully forward. This may not mean much to you, as I just assume literally everybody has a full Kenner set handy.

Hasbro's sculptors did a very nice job with the pose. Garindan's body language feels like an old Kenner figure with a more pronounced slouch, a slightly bent left arm, and a very bent right arm so he can talk on his communicator. The gloves look fine, and each hand can easily hold the blaster, which is notable for having a different sculpt from the blaster from Dr. Evazan. I expected Garindan's communicator just to be the Cloud Car Pilot one, but it's not - it's a new design. It's not from the movie, and it's not from the McQuarrie painting. I don't immediately recognize it. I like it, it feels authentic and fabricated over lunch.

The sculpt feels like one of Hasbro's best attempts to Kenner things up due to all the changes and off-model (or possibly on-model, depending on the model) design choices. This doesn't match my other Garindan figures except for things like color, goggles, and snout - it's a unique take on the costume. I'm all for it. I think the face paint is a little too modern, with red circles slightly printed off-center in the goggles plus a nose whose paint reminds me a lot of the 1997 figure. Maybe that's my fault. The figure is glossy in spots, and it really does feel like something that's using Kenner's design language in or before 1983.

But how is he as a vehicle pilot? Not great. I spot-checked mini-rigs and some others, and his pants are so big he can't fit in most vehicles. I was surprised to find that if you bend him down a bit, he's one of the best figures for the CAP-2. His pants keep him from falling all the way in, and he can be made to look as if he is crouching in a cramped vehicle. He also fit well in the INT-4, One-Man Sand Skimmer, Side Gunner, and Endor Forest Ranger. He did not pass the Landspeeder Test.

It's a good action figure. I would have absolutely adored it as a child. It's functional, the hands can hold the accessories with zero reservations, and the shawl stays on acceptably. (It also falls off.) His big feet make him easy to keep standing, and his heavy legs insure he won't fall over if you knock the table. It's by no means the most Kenner-y figure of the wave, but it's satisfying in a way few super-articulated figures can match. I know some people were dying for a vinyl cape, but I don't feel like Hasbro misfired here. This is a good experience and I would absolutely love to know who sculpted which figure(s) because this guy did a great job. And I will laugh incredibly hard if I ever found out this sculptor also did Cad Bane.

That's it for The Retro Collection in 2026. Hasbro tells us the line will grow to 28 figures and 3 bigger items in 2027, so start saving and clearing some shelf space.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target at a store, where they seem to be widely available right meow.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,382: September 22, 2026