Review of Doctor Aphra - Star Wars
The Black Series Action Figure

Introduction

I've been remiss in my coverage of Star Wars Black figures, I admit it. However, I've been collecting the little bastards all along, trying to stay as current and complete as I can. The latest wave is just now hitting stores, and includes Doctor Aphra, the morally questionable archeologist.

Aphra was a creation of the Marvel comics, and is not an on screen character...yet. She started out in the Darth Vader comic, but has since starred in her own title. This latest wave of 6" Black figures also features 0-0-0 and BT-1, her sidekick droids.

She should run you around $20 of course, consistent with the overall series so far.

Packaging - ***1/2
Nothing unique here, and as always, I love the line art drawing of the character on the front. It's all quite collector friendly too for a mass market toy, and you can easily remove the figure and accessories without causing any damage.

Sculpting - ***
I'm a little torn on this one. There are some very good things about the sculpting, and they have one big advantage with the portrait - she's a comic book character, not a real actress playing the role, so they have more latitude with the likeness.

Still, I think the face is off. The jawline is wide, the nose and lips seem too large, even the set of the eyes seems off. It's not horrendous, but it's not quite the character I pictured.

The detail work in the hair is great, even if it is a bit of a helmet head hair style. They had to flatten it out enough for the included helmet to fit and look right, and that affects the appearance when she's not wearing it.

The detailing on the costume is great as well, particularly on the belt and holster. She's a 6" Black series release, so her height of about 5 3/4" seems appropriate.

Paint - ***1/2
Hasbro has really upped their game in this department over the last year. While the tampo style/printing application they've been doing on the eyes can go terrible wrong, when it's on target (as it is here) it looks amazing. The lips are clean and sharp, and even tiny details are well done. The silver on the belt is especially tricky to do, and yet it's quite clean for this scale.

The tattoo on the right arm looks great as well, with straight lines and no waves. My one gripe is with the slightly shiny face. It's not just the lights - even in hand, her shiny skin is quite obvious. Still, it's a pretty minor nit overall.

Articulation - ***1/2
No real problems here, although a couple of the joints could work a tad better.

The ball jointed neck has some lean and tilt, although not quite as much as I like. Of course, the sculpted hair is part of the issue. The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists can take some reasonable arm poses, although you won't get quite as much bend across the body.

She has a good rocker and crunch torso, and the rotating hinge hips, combined with cut thighs, double pin knees, and rocker/hinge ankles, provide plenty of leg stances. The ankles were a little wonky and tight, so be careful when working them loose.

Accessories - ***
Aphra comes with two, both very important. She has her aviator style helmet with googles, and her blaster.

The tiny blaster has a great sculpt and reasonable paint work, and fits neatly in the holster on her right hip. The hat also fits cleanly over her hair, and while it tends to ride further forward than I like, the overall look is good.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Good articulation, decent accessories, and a very unique female figure adds up to plenty of posing and re-posing potential. She also gives you a new character to add to the Vader line up!

Value - **1/2
At twenty bucks, they've kept the price point consistent for quite some time now. With advancements in both paint and sculpting, it's much appreciated. You aren't getting an amazing bargain, but you won't feel ripped off.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***1/2
The smaller 1/18 scale Aphra was a big hit last year, and I expect fans to like this one as well. I have a few minor nits, the biggest being the shiny skin, but they aren't show stoppers by any means. I'm all for getting some of the comic (and Rebels) characters in the series, and I hope Hasbro continues to be creative with their character selection.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
These are just starting to hit stores like Target or Meijer, where they will run you around $20 unless there's a sale or coupon. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the case (which is 8 figures) for $175.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
My last Star Wars Black series review was of Dengar. Other recent Star Wars Black figures include the Gammorean Guard, 4-LOM, and Lando Calrissian.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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