Garindan, also known
as Long-Snoot, is a Kubaz informant who trails Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan
Kenobi as they make their way from the Mos Eisley Cantina to Docking
Bay 94. This dark cloaked spy used his comlink to summon Imperial authorities,
directing a squad of sandtroopers to the fugitives.
Garindan
tends to be a character that you are either indifferent about or love
a lot. We favor the latter, because he is a unique alien and a spy
and had a significant role inStar
War Episode IV: A New Hope. He functioned
as a rat that put our beloved heroes in jeopardy with the Imperial
sandtroopers and then was never to be seen again in the Original Trilogy.
His mysteriousness has a lot to do with why we like him more and more
every year. The 2006 TSC Garindan (SAGA 034) action figure by Hasbro is incredible
and it is likely the definitive action figure (and remains one of our
favorites to date). We don’t think Hasbro will update it (at
best he will be a reissue), so it only makes sense that other interpretations
of the character through different mediums are expected. Gentle Giant Ltd. stepped up to the plate and created a simple but beautiful Mini Bust of this Kubaz spy. The Garindan (also known as Long-Snoot) Mini Bust is actually quite better than we initially expected and it seems
that technology is getting better all around (for every license) including
the digital process at Gentle Giant. Nearly every detail of the character
has been forever immortalized in polystone and painted to beautiful
and exacting standards.
We
believe that even the most discriminating collectors will admit that
the Garindan (Long-Snoot) Mini Bust is a triumphant success. And
while you might be impressed or inspired to add this Mini Bust to
your collection, the availability of it may be quite a stumbling
block for you. Released in a very tiny edition size of 1500 pieces,
Garindan comes close to and even rivals some edition sizes of the
most sought after Mini Busts. For example, Commander Neyo, Commander
Bly, Commander Bacara, Darth Malak and Mara Jade have equal or greater
edition sizes to Garindan. Almost immediately selling out at online
shops and distribution centers, it is clear that Garindan will be
commanding a pretty price as time moves forward. By simply gauging
how tiny the latest edition sizes have been for Gentle Giant Mini Busts, we think it is a direct result of all the fans dropping out
of the hobby or becoming burdened by the glut of general Star Wars
product out there. This is bittersweet, because we would like all
fans to have ample time and money to purchase these Mini Busts at
their leisure, but it appears that in order to obtain them for your
collections, pre-orders are the only way to go.
The
Garindan (Long-Snoot) Mini Bust is one solid collectible. It has
a significant weight to it. This is always a happy notion for a lover
of things polystone. The more mass these things have, the more impressive
they seem to be. Gentle Giant Ltd. seems to have upped quality control
standards on the paint applications. Because these collectibles are
hand-painted, it would make sense that larger edition sizes would
lead to or result in sloppier paint jobs (and they have – just
look at the Episode III clone troopers – they are certainly
lacking in a few ways). Garindan doesn’t have a color or line
of detail out of place and the pose in faithful to the film. We love
Mini Busts that look like a screen shot from the film so much more
than the more interpretive poses. If you recall the Luke Skywalker
Jedi Knight Mini Bust, well, that was not the best Mini Bust by any
means. The pose bordered on being silly. Garindan comes complete
with his comlink and beautiful cloak. The details on his “nose” are
incredibly textured and colored flawlessly. His goggles are shiny
and reflect any light attempting top penetrate them. Garindan succeeds
in every way and is a champion in Gentle Giant’s very impressive
Mini Bust line. We hope future releases have the same quality that
this piece delivered.
