Sculpt--5/5
I didn't really expect much from Garindan, but after taking him out of the package, he surprised me with some great sculpt-work. One of the first things that caught my eye was the separately sculpted holster and belt. It's a Han Solo-style hip holster but this time, even the leg strap is molded separately (on recent Han Solo figures, this is part of the leg sculpt). The sculpting on this belt and holster is phenomenal with plenty of small details. The functional holster is also accompanied by a functional comlink pouch on the opposite hip. This is a great place to store the small accessory.

Garindan's outfit is also done well despite its simple appearance. Realistic wrinkles, well-defined edges, and a subtle texture make the outfit more interesting than it actually is. The boots are also a nice area to look at with some sharp looking straps and boot soles. His gloved hands are sculpted to hold his included accessories; the right hand was made to hold the comlink, and the left hand was made to hold the blaster. Garindan's headsculpt looks a hundred times more accurate than the Power of the Force 2 version, with accurate goggles and snout. Since this figure sports a soft-goods cloak, Hasbro had to sculpt Garindan's whole head, which looks a bit like an anteater's. Hasbro did a wonderful job on the sculpting with this figure, and I've got no complaints in this category!

Articulation--5/5
Garindan has twelve points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, angle-cut elbows, wrists, waist, hips, and swiveling boots. I'm all for super-articulation, but not all figures need to be super-articulated. If you're going for movie accuracy, these points are all you need for this figure. He can stand well, hold his comlink to his mouth, look around, and point in the direction of wanted droids--perfect articulation if you want to recreate the movie scenes. But even if your imagination takes you beyond the movie, this figure is capable of some good shooting poses or sitting in starfighter.

Accessories--4/5
Garindan comes with an exclusive mini hologram figure, comlink, blaster pistol, figure stand, and soft-goods cloak. The soft-goods cloak is the only thing that causes issues in this set. Soft-goods in this scale are always a bit unwieldy, and this figure's cloak is no exception. On the bright side, Hasbro has done a good job of minimizing the frustration in getting the cloak to look good on the figure. For one thing, the hood looks pretty good with its folded-in edge--no frayed edges here. The rest of the cloak is decently tailored and fits around Garindan's shoulders quite well. The cloak does flair out a bit at the sides, but this can be minimized with some easy tricks such as taping up the excess fabric in the back, or sandwiching the excess fabric between Garindan's arms and body.

One of my favorite accessories is the comlink. This is a great accessory because it looks just like the comlink C-3PO and Luke use in the classic trash compactor scene. It's got some nice detailing on it despite being very small. Next up is Garindan's blaster, which is new to me. It likewise has good details that are nice and sharp. I don't know if this is based on an actual prop but it can pass as either a prequel or original trilogy weapon. The figure stand is the same kind we've been getting in The Saga Collection, with the movie's logo sculpted into the surface and the figure's name printed on the front.

This wave marks the second versions of the hologram figures. Basically it's the same figures, just cast in transparent red plastic instead of blue. Ho-hum. I've grown a bit tired of these hologram figures, and making them in a different color is not enough for me to get excited about getting more of them. Me thinks it's time Hasbro made some new hologram figures, because I do NOT want to see future waves coming with yellow and green hologram figures.

Paint--5/5
Garindan doesn't need too many paint applications, which is a good thing since it means that there's less to mess up. Garindan's goggles, arguably his second-most defining characteristic besides his snout, are painted well with all the appropriate colors. All the little buttons found on his belt and jumpsuit are painted silver, which is an often overlooked area. The holster, belt and boots all have a nice dry-brush paint app to give them a worn look. Garindan's blaster has a painted handle and sports a paint wash which makes it look pretty darn cool in my opinion. Top-notch job and very thorough!

Packaging--4.5/5
The Saga Collection goes back to a more rectangular cardback and retains the edge-to-edge blister that Hasbro has been using since the ROTS and animated Clone Wars figures. Thankfully, the tape holding the edges of the blister has been reduced, so it is now possible to get the figure out without even dealing with the tape. The blister itself is more rectangular this time, but is still rounded on it's surface. This makes it a bit harder to stack the packages on top of each other, but if you store your MIB figures in boxes then this won't trouble you too much.

As for the actual card back, it tapers off a little at the bottom so that it is not truly rectangular. The front of the card continues the retro feel of the Original Trilogy Collection, but this time the silver lettered "Star Wars" goes straight off to the sides instead of creating a frame around the figure. This packaging also continues the use of a background image that compliments the scene or movie the figure is from. I've always liked this as you can potentially cut them out and use them as a background for displaying your figures. Plus, it just helps make the packaging feel all that more special and individualized. Another nice touch is the color-coded upper left corner of the card front which tells you which episode the figure is from. This helps make it easier to find new figures at the store and it has come in very handy.

The back of the card has a bevy of information. An image of the character from the movie is in the upper right corner while below it is a full body shot of the action figure. To the left is information about the character, plus little bits of data relating to the character such as "Mission: Rescue Han Solo". It's a nice addition and they're kind of fun to read. Below that are cross-sell images of other figures in the line. In the bottom right corner is a window displaying the included hologram figure, which adds to the cool factor of the overall look of the card. What can I say? I like this packaging, and I think it's some of the best I've seen since the Freeze Frame series.

Overall--5/5
This figure isn't perfect, but for a character that doesn't have much screen time, it serves its purpose well and then some. Great sculpting, appropriate articulation, excellent paint job, and all-new accessories make this a figure I'm glad I bought. The soft-goods cloak has some issues, but even this is one of the better soft-goods pieces Hasbro has made. The only reason you shouldn't buy this figure is if you don't really care for the character, but if you don't mind adding another Tatooine denizen to your collection, then I heartily recommend picking up Garindan.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com