New figures from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV have been very tough to find this year and somehow I managed to stumble upon Asajj Ventress when she was listed on Amazon at a regular price. While she's never appeared in any of the live-action films Asajj Ventress is a popular character with an excellent storyline spanning The Clone Wars animated series and some of the best books in the new canon, particularly Dooku: Jedi Lost and Dark Disciple. This is probably the most classic and recognizable look for Ventress and it was a great choice for her first Black Series figure (I'd love a Dark Disciple "hero" version of Asajj Ventress along with Quinlan Vos, too) and Hasbro did a pretty nice job with it. Let's take a look at one of the popular non-film characters of the Prequel era after the break...
Height: 5 5/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ lateral butterfly hinges, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, a balljointed neck, and a balljointed head.
Accessories: 2 lightsaber hilts with 2 lightsaber blades.
Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
* Asajj Ventress has a fantastic outfit that's fairly colorful (while still being subdued and villain-like) and helps her stand out from the black robes of the rest of the Sith. The wrappings on her forearms and her midsection are nicely sculpted and given some additional paint applications that really bring out all of the detail. Originating in the 2003 Clone Wars series and most famously appearing in The Clone Wars, Asajj Ventress is an animated character who Hasbro has done a great job of translating into a realistic style for the Black Series (though Ventress has been depicted realistically many times before). The sculpt is excellent, capturing her slender, athletic frame nicely. She looks built to excel at lightsaber combat!
* The headsculpt is also pretty fantastic. Her eyes are very intense and the paintwork on the tattoos on her head is fantastic. She's an imposing figure for sure!
* There are some little paint errors on Ventress' dark purple shirt, most noticeably on her right sleeve although you can see them on the cut out chest section of her shirt as well.
* The sculpted decorative flap that hangs down from Ventress' belt is really impressive but it does get in the way of posing her if you do a deep stance. Well, not get in the way so much as just stand around looking awkward in those poses. It's a shame, too, because it's such a cool looking decoration.
* I say this with nearly ever Star Wars: The Black Series release but I really wish Hasbro would just give us a separate hilt rather than these tiny pins for the blades. Yes, they're getting slightly better, but not solid enough that I'm really comfortable with them.
I was really excited for Asajj Ventress and while I thought she could end up being one of the best figures in this series I have to admit that weird little issues like the solid tassel hanging from her belt and some of the messy paintwork brought her down a bit. She's still a Good and a 1/2 figure and I can't imagine too many collectors who love The Clone Wars and the Prequel era would want to pass her by but with a little more tweaking or some slightly better QC she could have been one of the best figures in the line to date.
Never been a fan of this character but I know so little about her. Looks very cool though.
ReplyDeleteThrough The Clone Wars, the script Dooku: Jedi Lost, and the book Dark Disciple Asajj Ventress has a really solid storyline.
DeleteIf only her front tassel could swivel, then that'd fix most of the problem.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been a darn fine design idea! If you decide to apply for a job at Hasbro feel free to put me as a reference. I think you've got what it takes. That absolutely would have been a stellar design choice.
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