Bio: Once a Jedi apprentice trained by the mysterious Jedi Master known as the Dark Woman, Aurra Sing left the Jedi order before completing her training. Aurra Sing now utilizes her prowess as an experienced bounty hunter. Terse and paranoid, Sing is a formidable adversary who despises Jedi. (Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: One of the biggest letdowns in the recent history of Star Wars was how Aurra Sing was developed. As a character, she was added to Episode I at the last minute and interviews in official Lucasfilm publications indicated she would have a greater role in the sequel. She didn't. The character was kept as a comic villain and appeared in numerous books over the years, basically acting as an important antagonist in an era where the real big bad was kept secret and few agents were out and about. The figure was also a little disappointing, as she has only 5 points of articulation and what you see is pretty much what you get. She has a v-crotch, making it difficult for her to sit normally. (It is worth noting that she can sit on a Swoop Bike, though.) There's no waist joint or wrist joints, which is somewhat disappointing for a character of this nature. Bounty hunters are popular figures and it's great to see them done right the first time, and this figure certainly wasn't. At least she has a holster for her pistol, but overall the figure is more of a statue than a toy. She holds together nicely, but she was designed to stand around and look cool. There's certainly room for improvement and if Hasbro decided to do a new version, odds are this one would be completely disposable. Since you have no other choice, get this one.

Collector's Notes: Released initially in early 2001, this figure did really well. She was rereleased in the Saga-era in a bounty hunter gift set for Toys "R" Us, which-- so far-- has been the final release of this particular movie version of Aurra Sing. The mold was repainted and tweaked, sold as a "comic" version in early 2007. The 2001 release has a number of minor-- and I hate the word in this context-- variations. The paint applications were fairly inconsistent, so you can see a figure with a little lipstick or a lot, or a lot of eye makeup, or a little, or in the case of one figure I own, none whatsoever. If you see one, look her over-- if she's different she may be worth snagging if you like unique figures.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 772: June 16, 2008