The cast of Rogue One continue to trickle out in action figure form, and I was recently able to track down the two 2-packs from the second wave of 3 3/4" figures that are on my huntlist - Baze Malbus and Imperial Stormtrooper, and Captain Cassian Andor and Imperial Stormtrooper for $14.95US ($20.79NZ) each.
Baze is entirely new to the 3 3/4" line, while this version of Cassian has only previously been available with that blasted Nerf-firing U-Wing. Instead of releasing these popular characters as single-carded figures, Hasbro went with the rather transparent marketing strategy of releasing them exclusively in two-packs and requiring us to fork out a little extra cash. This could be annoying, but thankfully Hasbro paired each of these characters up with a figure you can never have too many of - the Imperial Stormtrooper.
The Stormtrooper that accompanies Cassian is a straight repack of that exquisitely sculpted single-carded figure from wave 1. The paint application has been slightly improved, however, with his ab buttons now picked out in black. The Stormtrooper that accompanies Baze is a slight variant on that same base figure, now sporting a pauldron and ammo pouches on his chest. Together, they make great additions to any collector's growing Imperial army.
As for Baze and Cassian - well, these two really represent the extreme opposites of the current state of Hasbro. Baze bears an uncanny resemblance to his on-screen counterpart, and features all kinds of intricate detailing including a backpack/cloak combination that nicely links up to blaster rifle. Cassian, on the other hand, is largely plain - being armed only with a pistol and bearing little resemblance at all to the actual character. Nevertheless, he's a vital component of any Rogue One display, and from a small distance away he can do a manageable job of passing off as the Rebel Captain.
Now the only character missing from my gang of rogues is Bodhi Rook; so I'll be on the lookout for him as wave 3 hits stores in the coming weeks!
