Figure of the Day: Day 485: Aurra Sing

AURRA SING Jedi Hunter
The Saga Collection Wal-Mart Wave
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87205
Number: 070
Includes: Lightsaber, pistol, rifle, display base, removable soft goods
Action Feature: Blaster pistol fits into right holster
Retail: $6.76
Availability: Spring 2007
Appearances: The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing (Comic)

Bio: Once a promising if headstrong Padawan, Sing now trades in dark professions: pirate, assassin, and bounty hunter. She specializes in hunting down Jedi under the mistaken belief that they abandoned and betrayed her, and she brandishes the lightsabers of her victims as prized trophies. During the Clone Wars, her quest for vengeance once took her to Bespin, where she met a young Boba Fett. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: Sometimes Hasbro puts out a repaint, we roll our eyes, and hope the next figure is better-- not so with Aurra Sing. A little paint goes a long way, especially when you aren't afraid to accessorize. Not content to merely repaint the 2001 figure with a little black, Hasbro painted a "hood" on her head, added a cloth scarf, painted on some arm bands & gloves, enhanced the face a little, and generally made you feel like you're getting a new mold. It's not easy to take an old mold and make it feel new again, but hey, there's a good reason we keep coming back for more figures every year. The figure has limited articulation-- technically, only five points, which is very low for the modern line. You get a normal neck, v-crotch legs (that's Ewok style, kiddies), plus two ball-jointed arms. (Well, close enough to ball-jointed, anyway.) The eyes on the figure vary-- so watch for that-- and overall, the figure is a little more "realistic" than she should be. In the comic and in the movie, Aurra had a lot of makeup, virtually taking it to raccoon levels for Tim Truman's The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing one-shot in 1999. With the added accessories and display stand, this may be the best bang-for-the-buck individual Aurra Sing money can buy, but if she ever gets a super-articulated release (and she probably will), odds are those of you who are particularly picky will want to wait for a new, better version.

Collector's Notes: Hasbro doesn't do a lot of comic book-style figures, aside from a short burst in 1998, and a couple of token releases during Power of the Jedi. In The Saga Collection basic figure assortment, there were roughly 8 figures from the comics, games, and novels, which helped pave the way for the abundance of non-movie figures we see in 2007. This includes comic book two-packs, an entire Expanded Universe wave, numerous gift sets, and exclusives we probably haven't even seen yet. While Aurra may have made for a particularly exciting comic book two-pack, I'm glad they made the figure in the first place, and who knows-- since she was somewhat hard to get, maybe we'll see her in a new comic two-pack some day.

Day 485: September 3, 2007