Cassian Andor (Aldhani Mission) — Star Wars The Black Series #AND 01

Overview

Cassian Andor (Aldhani Mission) at #AND 01 is the opening figure of the Black Series Andor Mural Collection — the version of the future Rogue One pilot at the moment of his first proper rebel operation, the Aldhani garrison heist that ends Andor’s first season’s middle arc and that turns Cassian from a low-level runner into a wanted operative the Empire actively hunts. Released early January 2023 as a single-boxed Walmart exclusive. MSRP $27.99 (Walmart-exclusive premium above the standard $24.99 baseline). One accessory: a blaster. Standard 16-joint Phase 4 articulation. The figure that captures Cassian in his Imperial-uniform infiltration disguise, before he is fully Cassian Andor as Rogue One audiences will eventually meet him.

The Aldhani Configuration vs the Cassian You Already Know

Most collectors who know Cassian Andor know him from Rogue One — the seasoned rebel intelligence operative played by Diego Luna, the man who tells Jyn Erso “rebellions are built on hope” before dying on Scarif. The Andor TV series functions as the prequel to that character, showing Cassian at earlier moments in his radicalisation, and the Aldhani Mission specifically captures him during the heist that the show frames as his first proper rebel operation under Luthen Rael’s direction.

The Aldhani configuration is Cassian in Imperial uniform — disguised as part of the Imperial garrison force, infiltrating their planetary base to rob them of their payroll. This is not the rebel-pilot Cassian. This is not the Yavin base Cassian. This is the early-arc Cassian, the man in cover who is still figuring out whether he wants to be a rebel at all. The figure captures him at this exact specific moment, and the costume reads correctly as “rebel in Imperial drag during a heist” rather than as “actual Imperial officer.”

The Single Accessory

One accessory: a blaster. The blaster fits well into both of Cassian’s hands, and it fits into the holster sculpted onto the figure’s belt — though the holster is a tight fit, the blaster does seat into it without falling out. The figure can hold the weapon two-handed for the firing-stance configurations or holstered for the conversation-and-cover poses the character actually adopts during most of the Aldhani sequence.

The single-weapon loadout is on the lean side for a $27.99 Walmart-exclusive figure. By comparison, the Mural Collection’s Vader and Reva ship with multiple accessories at lower mainline pricing. Cassian’s lean loadout reflects the character’s screen activities — the Aldhani heist Cassian is not carrying multiple weapons; he is carrying the standard Imperial-issue blaster as part of his cover identity — but for collectors evaluating the figure on accessory-per-dollar terms, the value is moderate rather than generous.

The Permanent Imperial Cap and Glued Coat

Hasbro made several non-removable design decisions on this figure. The Imperial cap is glued onto the head or part of the head sculpt — there is no swap-out option for a cap-off or alternate-headwear configuration. The coat is similarly fixed, with the back portion glued to the figure’s body. Neither element comes off, which limits display flexibility for collectors who want to see Cassian in the underneath-the-cover configurations the show occasionally depicts.

This is the right design decision for the Aldhani Mission specifically. The character spends the entire heist sequence in full Imperial cover, and any moment where he removes the cap or the coat would shift the figure away from the specific narrative beat the release captures. Alternate-configuration Cassian figures (the prison overalls, the Ferrix street clothes, the eventual Yavin-base operative gear) are separate releases for separate moments in the character’s arc. The Aldhani figure is the cover-identity figure, and the integrated cover elements are appropriate to that reading.

The trade-off is real, however. For collectors who want a single Cassian figure that does multiple display configurations, the Aldhani version doesn’t deliver that flexibility. For collectors who want the specific Aldhani-heist moment in plastic, the Aldhani figure is exactly that.

The Outstanding Photo-Real Head Sculpt

The head sculpt is the figure’s standout feature. Hasbro used the photo-real print application — high-resolution likeness print applied directly to the sculpted head — and the result captures Diego Luna’s Andor-era likeness with the kind of definition that sets the figure apart from earlier Black Series Cassian releases. The face reads correctly under display lighting, with the specific younger-Cassian facial expression captured cleanly. For collectors who care about Black Series figures capturing live-action likenesses sharply, this is one of the better Cassian head sculpts in the entire line.

The photo-real treatment is meaningfully different from the head sculpt on the various Rogue One-era Cassian Andor releases (the 2016 #14 Black Series Cassian, the Eadu variants, the 3-pack inclusions). Those figures used standard paint application and captured Cassian at the older, more-weathered Rogue One-era of his life. The Andor-era photo-real treatment captures the younger, cleaner-faced Cassian of the TV series, and the visual difference is sharp enough to justify the release as a meaningfully distinct figure rather than as a costume-swap.

The Paint and the Boots

The paint application overall is fairly basic — no aggressive weathering, no battle-grime detailing, no sophisticated shadow-and-highlight work on the uniform fabric. Hasbro applied the screen-accurate Imperial uniform palette cleanly but without elaboration. There is one specific paint detail that elevates the figure: dirt application on the boots. The boots carry the kind of dust-and-wear paint that suggests Cassian has been on his feet across the Aldhani planet for some time, and the detail reads as a meaningful lived-in touch.

The boot weathering is the kind of small paint decision that distinguishes a serious release from a generic one. Most figures at this price point would skip the boot dirt entirely. The fact that Hasbro included it on Cassian — but not, for example, on the simultaneously-released Imperial Officer (Dark Times) at #AND 02, which has clean boots — signals that the Aldhani Cassian was the figure where Hasbro committed slightly more paint budget. For collectors who notice these things, the boot weathering is a small win.

Articulation and the Loose Ankle Issue

16 joints. Ball-jointed neck (single joint, not the two-point neck that some Phase 4 figures use), ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed upper body, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, ball-jointed knees, ball-jointed ankles. This is on the lower end of the Phase 4 articulation count — most late-2022 and 2023 releases ship with 18-19 joints — and reflects the figure’s standing-and-conversing posing requirements rather than dynamic combat configurations.

A specific quality-control complaint flagged by detailed reviewers: the figure pictured had very loose ankle joints, making it tricky to get the figure to stand properly in any pose other than the most basic upright stance. This is a manufacturing tolerance issue rather than a design issue — different Aldhani Cassian units have varying degrees of ankle tightness, and some collectors report no problems while others report significant balancing issues. For collectors buying second-hand or unboxed, worth checking the ankle stability before committing.

The combination of low joint count and unit-variable loose ankles means Cassian is not the figure you buy for dynamic combat poses. He is the figure you buy for the standing-in-Imperial-uniform display configuration, which is the screen-accurate posing the character actually adopts during the Aldhani sequence anyway.

The Show’s Use of the Aldhani Heist

The Aldhani Mission is the Andor first season’s most kinetically loaded sequence — the multi-episode heist arc where Cassian, Vel Sartha, and the rest of the Aldhani team infiltrate the Imperial payroll garrison, rob it during the planet’s celestial event, and escape with the Empire’s funds. The mission radicalises Cassian from a low-level survivor into a wanted operative and gives the Empire its first specific reason to hunt him by name. The show frames the sequence as the moment Cassian commits to the rebellion, even if he doesn’t yet realise that’s what he’s doing.

The figure captures Cassian at this moment of commitment. Not the post-Aldhani Cassian who has fully accepted his rebel identity. Not the pre-Aldhani Cassian who is still trying to avoid involvement. The Aldhani Cassian — in cover, in motion, in the act of becoming. The figure is the right configuration to capture this character at this specific narrative beat.

The Mural Collection Position

Cassian (Aldhani Mission) is the opening figure of the Andor Mural Collection. The collection’s structure parallels the Obi-Wan Kenobi Mural Collection’s structure — a series of 6-inch figures linked by mural-style packaging that creates a single artwork when displayed boxed together, with each figure capturing a specific moment from the Disney+ series the collection references. For Andor, the mural depicts moments from the first season’s primary planets and arcs, with Cassian at #AND 01 anchoring the leftmost edge.

For loose display, Cassian-Aldhani works best alongside the simultaneously-released Imperial Officer (Dark Times) at #AND 02 (Walmart-exclusive companion piece, both Imperial-uniform figures), the Aldhani-mission cohort if Hasbro releases additional Aldhani-team figures (Vel, Skeen, Nemik, Taramyn, Cinta), and the various Rogue One-era Cassian figures for the chronological character-arc display showing Cassian at multiple life stages.

The Walmart Exclusive Distribution

Cassian (Aldhani Mission) was a Walmart-exclusive single-boxed release in early January 2023, alongside Imperial Officer (Dark Times) at #AND 02 (also Walmart-exclusive). The Walmart-exclusive arrangement meant Walmart-only initial distribution, with periodic restocks through 2023 and into 2024. Secondary market prices have generally tracked at MSRP or slightly above, with the Andor-fan collector niche keeping demand steady but not excessive.

The figure is generally available through eBay, Walmart restocks, or aftermarket channels at fair prices. Verify the blaster is included and the holster fit is undamaged. No production variants documented.

Our Verdict

Cassian Andor (Aldhani Mission) at #AND 01 is the right opening figure for the Andor Mural Collection. The photo-real head sculpt captures Diego Luna’s Andor-era likeness cleanly. The Imperial-uniform configuration is screen-accurate to the heist sequence. The boot weathering is a meaningful small paint decision. The single accessory is appropriate to the character’s screen activities even if lean for the price point.

The non-removable cap and glued coat limit display flexibility — fine for the specific Aldhani moment, frustrating for collectors who want one figure that does multiple configurations. The 16-joint articulation count is on the low end of the Phase 4 baseline. The loose-ankle quality-control issue affects some units. The Walmart-exclusive premium pricing makes the figure more expensive than the mainline Mural Collection figures despite the lean accessory loadout. None of these are deal-breakers, but they are the figure’s defensible negatives.

Buy this figure if you are completing the Andor Mural Collection, if the Aldhani heist arc mattered to you, if you collect Cassian across configurations, or if you want the photo-real Andor-era Diego Luna likeness on your shelf. The $27.99 MSRP is fair for the head sculpt and the Walmart-exclusive premium, even if the accessory loadout is lean.

The Cassian who has just committed. The figure that opens the Andor Mural Collection. The Imperial-uniform infiltration disguise that will eventually become the rebel-operative identity Rogue One audiences know. Buy him. Display him alongside the Imperial Officer (Dark Times) for the matched-pair-of-Walmart-exclusives configuration, or alongside the Rogue One Cassian figures for the chronological arc readout. The Andor Mural Collection starts here, and the figure earns the opening position.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 Andor Mural Collection. Related: Imperial Officer (Dark Times) P4-AND-02 | Shoretrooper (Andor) P4-AND-03 | Bix Caleen P4-AND-05.