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Introduction
You can count me among the fans geeked up for the next Star Wars film. I am forever the optimist, and I'm far happier with the last several movies than many others.
Of course, Hasbro and other companies are gearing up hard for the new film, releasing more toys based on characters old and new in anticipation. The latest set of 8 Star Wars Black Series action figures hit on the 4th (along with many, many other goodies), and tonight I'm looking at one of the wave - the Second Sister Inquisitor.
You can find her at most major retailers, and I don't expect it to be too hard. There's also a 'carbonized' version of her that is a GameStop
exclusive, I believe. She will run you around $20 at most retailers.
Packaging - ***
Nothing new here, but they did take a hit on the collector friendly aspect due to a plastic tie around her waist that you'll need to snip.
Otherwise, you should be able to remove her and the accessories without any damage to the packaging.
As always, I like the line art drawing of the character on the front, and there's a reasonable bio on the back.
Sculpting - ***
These figures are 1/12 scale, and this bad ass woman comes in at right about 6" tall. The cape is a separate piece, but comes wrapped around her
shoulders in the package.
The overall sculpt is great, with plenty of nicely sculpted 'cloth' texture detail on the uniform and cape. Small details like the belt buckle or symbol are well defined, and the helmet has sharp, clean lines. If you like the design of the character, there's not much to complain about with its translation into plastic.
However, the cape and swappable epaulets are extremely annoying, and pull this score down for me. The cape does fit neatly over the shoulders and looks great when it is in place. But getting the two soft rubber posts inserted and keeping them there while you're working with the figure is frustrating at best.
Take off the cape, and there are two armored epaulets you can pop on. Maybe. Eventually you'll get those posts in the holes on the shoulders as well, but keeping them there is even worse than the cape. They fall off constantly, and I suspect most people (i.e. kids) will pick one way they like her and just glue the preferred outfit piece in place.
Paint - ***1/2
There's not a ton of detail work here, but what they'd added looks quite clean. There's some red areas, including the 'eyes' on the visor, and the
smaller silver bits are nicely done. I also like the use of various matte and gloss finishes to highlight different pieces of the costume.
Articulation - *1/2
This is a category where she should rock the house, and to be honest, your mileage may vary. If she works the way she was intended to work, you'll
give her a much, much better score in this category then I did.
The neck rotates and leans forward and back with a reasonable range. The rotating pin shoulders, elbows, and wrists can take plenty of good fighting poses, and the arms can hang naturally as well. The torso turns at the cut waist, and the ball hips and double pin knees allow for deep stances and shallow, natural poses.
So where does she go wrong? Mine has a wonky left ankle. These ankles should be able to move all over the place, and the right one works great. But the left can't tilt back, not even to a normal flat position in relation to the leg. I had no luck freeing it up, and feared breaking it. I may try the freezer trick as a last resort, but the only thing more annoying for me than wonky joints is broken joints.
Accessories - ***
She has her double bladed, specially designed light saber, and both blades are removable for an 'unlit' look. She also has those two armored
epaulets I mentioned earlier, but that's it. Thanks to the great arm articulation she can do some great battle poses, assuming you get ankles that
work.
Fun Factor - *1/2
Because of the big articulation issue with mine, she takes a hit here as well. If you can't pose her reliably, you can't have much fun.
If you get good ankles - and good joints through out - I'd boost this score another two full stars. She has a lot of potential!
Value - **1/2
At $20 a pop, she maintains the usual Star Wars Black Series price point. While she doesn't have a ton of extras, she does fall within the average
value range for me.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. You can lose an epaulet if you're not careful, but other than that you should be good to go.
Overall - **1/2
This figure would have scored another full star higher Overall if not for the whack ankle joint, and annoying attachment for the cape/shoulder
armor. I like the sculpt and paint work, and the articulation teased a much more fun figure. Hopefully, you don't have the same issue with
yours.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - *1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - *1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has this individual figure for $21.
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Black Series figures include Doctor Aphra, Dengar,
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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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.