Asajj Ventress - TCW [B] - Basic (No. 15)

Asajj Ventress communicates via a holographic projector to her mentor, Count Dooku, as they twist events against the Jedi. Ventress can wield a lightsaber with devastating skill and precision and is fueled by the power of the dark side and her hatred of the Jedi.

Asajj Ventress. Where do we begin? Since this review is about the action figure that is based on her animated appearance from the television show, we will try to stay on topic here. This will prove difficult because she is an expanded universe character that has transcended the standard fandom and has become popular even with Prequel and Original Trilogy purists. As a result of her success, we must credit Asajj with this amazing feat and credit her for her victory as a beloved Star Wars character. Very few characters have this staying power and it is pretty cool thing to accomplish (we can probably count on our two hands how many other EU characters that arrived to this extreme status). Asajj Ventress is a truly memorable character and so far all of the collectibles interpretations of her that have been released to date have been masterpieces, from great to small. The Clone Wars version of Asajj is quite unique from the rest in that she has tattoos on her head and a unique outfit, both in a style we have not seen until this point. But, the new designs work very well and the action figure is a pleasure to add to our collections. One thing is for certain and that is her personality hasn't changed from the way we first saw her interact on screen. This tends to be a very wise thing since fans identify with the way a character is first introduced to us.

But Asajj Ventress certainly looks a bit different from her appearance in the Tartakovsky inspired Clone Wars as well as her appearance in the comics. In order to look at this action figure objectively, it would be best to almost pretend that you have never seen her before (we admit this is difficult) because her appearance is so unique to what we have been familiar with to date. She is wearing quite a revealing keyhole top that is just as open on the front as it is in the back. She is also wearing fingerless long gloves that end right above her elbow and this design really pulls together and completes the complex design of her shirt. She has a double belt that wraps around to a long thin loincloth that is very ornate in design and visually colorful. The buckle has a plug on the back of it that goes through the belts and into the body to hold everything tight and in place. Asajj comes outfitted in a soft-goods dress which is very soft and fuzzy. Her overall outfit gets high ratings from us. It is apparent that Hasbro put some effort in recreating her very distinct costume. Her accessories including a miniature holograph of Count Dooku in addition to two red lightsabers (which look an awful lot like the ones we saw in the Tartakovsky version of the character ironically). The lightsabers attach to form one large menacing weapon and again, we are amazed by the level of engineering put into these accessories to make them stay together well while still looking lean and delicate. Kudos to Hasbro on a job very well done on this action figure!

Asajj Ventress is loaded with a ton of articulation and the joints are very well hidden. Just like her accessories, her body has been engineered in a most excellent way and we have to say we are ultimately thrilled with the results. While we would have loved to see a more familiar look for Asajj, this design is so new and refreshing that we can't help but love it too. Small but important details like her being able to hold her lightsabers very tightly and having great range of movement with all of her points of articulation all add to the splendor of this action figure. On top of all that, she is lean and delicate without looking wimpy. She has an imposing glare on her face and Hasbro has ensured that her appearance looks threatening and foreboding. We still prefer the Tartakovsky look of Asajj better, but it doesn't mean that this version of her doesn't hold her own. It is a very strong figure and it clearly is a favorite for both kids and collectors. Apparently, Asajj has struck a very strong chord with collectors because she has been a fast paced seller and hasn't sat around at retail. "Sith" villains are always cool and then on top of that she is another striking female character and fan boys absolutely love their women. Asajj Ventress satisfies all the requirements and possesses all of the traits to what makes an excellent action figure. And that is what she absolutely is!