Captain Cassian Andor - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (RO02)

An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to kep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources.

Do you recall how brutal 2016 was for Star Wars collecting? Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as 2017 into 2018 after The Last Jedi debacle, but Hasbro went overboard on the Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor action figures in all the various scales. What made their releases painful was that the facial deco was terrible. The action figures didn’t look faithful to the on-screen characters, and getting characters in repetitive outfits didn’t help either. Now that we’re quite a few years out from the Rogue One action figure releases, Hasbro decided to revisit them mainly because they could update them with the advent of Photo Real technology. But they also went a step further, ensuring costume details matched the correct color palette for the best screen accuracy. Hasbro worked on the six main “hero” characters for The Black Series [Phase IV] line. They released them through the Fan Channel for optimal distribution without crowding the assortments retail focused on instead. The results of the updated figures are beyond impressive. Cassian Andor is extra special because the figure was never single-packaged in The Black Series basic assortment. So, not only does the figure get its paint operations enhanced, but it’s also a first-time “basic” figure in the 6-inch collection.

We were not fans of the set the Captain Cassian Andor figure in which the figure was initially released. To us, it felt like Hasbro sold collectors a bridge. It was a wasted opportunity to give collectors a three-pack of characters from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when we already owned two out of the three figures in it. What’s more, the set retailed for $69.99, so collectors felt like they were paying that for one figure. Hasbro’s exclusive program was hit or miss during the Sequel Trilogy and the films in between them. And all we wanted to see back in 2016 was a single release of this version of Captain Cassian Andor. More than five years later, that’s finally become a reality. Instead of the dark blue parka outfit, Andor comes in a Rebel Alliance outfit very similar to what we saw other characters wear in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. We’re happy to report that this version of Captain Cassian Andor’s figure looks fantastic. It’s astounding what the Photo Real updates did for the tooling. You’re going to be impressed. The other paint operations on the figure have received updates as well, and you’ll notice the dramatic differences in colors almost immediately. In our opinion, Captain Cassian Andor shines brightly and is a highlight of all the re-released Rogue One figures.

The figure comes loaded with plenty of articulation, not unlike almost every other figure in the 6-inch line. Essentially a carbon copy of all other figures before, the costume details are expertly tooled and stunningly finished. As you know, Captain Cassian Andor’s rifle breaks down into three parts, and the center part is a blaster pistol that fits into the figure’s holster. The pieces fit together tightly, and the finished gun looks excellent. The transition of blaster pistol to blaster rifle (and vice versa) is seamless, and it’s quite a remarkable design convention. We must applaud Hasbro for thinking this through carefully to ensure the interaction works well. The blaster pistol “section” perfectly fits the figure’s hand and holster. It’s evident that quite a bit of planning went into this detail of the figure, and we think it’s a unique way of outfitting your figure with a weapon. Captain Cassian Andor also comes with a removable vest shell, but the figure looks silly without it, so you should leave the figure wearing it. As far as value, all re-released The Black Series 6-inch figures now go for $24.99, so you’re paying more for this version than past releases. Admittedly, we find some extra value here because of the remarkable deco enhancements, so we don’t mind paying extra when the action figure looks this incredible.