We’re so used to seeing repaints/retools of armored figures like mandalorians, Clones, and Stormtroopers, that it can be a pleasant surprise when Hasbro manages to pump out a few examples for non-armored characters.  Sure we got/are getting new head variants for the troop builder packs of Rebel Fleet Troopers and Hoth Rebel Troopers, but in this case, we got a (partly) newly tooled figure.  Isdam Edian will now join VC233 Helder Spinoza in our collections. 

Despite this being a Walmart exclusive, and tricky for some collectors to obtain, this figure was among many that are now available from Entertainment Earth (Sponsored Link).

Edian can be seen transporting Han Solo-encased in carbonite to Slave I, along with Boba Fett and a pair of Imperial stormtroopers.  I believe this may be his only appearance on camera.  Sadly, his partner, Bislav Merril, does not exist (yet) in figure form.  Merril, Pedar Solardo, Bialar Selis, and…another guy…might make a neat troop builder pack.

Edian and Spinoza are some of the handful of Kenner figures I own (unnamed by Kenner, of course).  These, for a long time, were absent in the modern line.  While Spinoza only cracked the modern lineup for the first time very recently, SGT Edian was made into a figure during The Legacy Collection (Red) line in 2009.  It had some flaws, most notably (and somewhat embarrassingly) the headsculpt is clearly meant to be another character, but Hasbro altered the skin tone to give us Edian.  It made it to market 13 years ago, but it’s hard to imagine it would be acceptable today.  This time, however, Hasbro did things right, and gave us an Isdam Edian with a convincing sculpt that looks a lot like the ESB actor. 

There isn’t much to add here on top of our recent VC233 review, but the recap is that this is a really nice figure, even if it reuses some older parts that aren’t quite up to 2022 standards.  Some folks find the chest articulation jarring.  Still, it’s good enough considering the minor role of the character, and Hasbro can re-use the base a few times and most collectors would be happy to buy up the variants.  There is no removable hat (thankfully), but also skips the baton from previous releases.  The big win for many collectors (not me) is that this basically checks the box for the “O96” crowd, even though the name pill on the card actually has the character’s name, instead of the generic one that appeared on the Kenner card.  This is how it should be, but I’m sure some weirdos out there have a problem with that.

I give the figure an 8.  I’m thrilled it exists.  Flaws and all, it’s a huge leap over previous Bespin Guard releases.  If you didn’t pick one up, you’re a terrible collector.