Mara Jade - Mini Busts

By the time 2006 arrived, Gentle Giant Ltd. had a healthy supply of exclusive Mini Busts released. They kept the trend going hard and strong in 2006 as well with quite a few exclusive Mini Busts reserved for summer conventions. One Mini Bust, Mara Jade, was a long-awaited character that fans of the Expanded Universe were chomping at the bit to see released. She specifically came in the form of an Indianapolis Gen Con exclusive which not only frustrated Gentle Giant collectors, but its overall availability was nearly nonexistent to those that didn’t attend the convention. Not everyone is a fan of Mara Jade, but those that do lean more to “loving” her than just casually “liking” her. As you can imagine, a Mini Bust edition size of 2000 just wasn’t enough to meet demand and she sold out immediately both at the convention and on the secondary markets. As usual, Gentle Giant reserved some pieces for members of their Collectors’ Club, but it just wasn’t an ideal situation because not everyone who wanted one was able to secure one.

The Mini Bust of Mara Jade is actually not bad. Clearly modeled after Shannon McRandle, the Mara Jade Mini Bust favors her likeness. The sculpt chosen for Mara Jade is interesting. She is looking off in the distance to her left and her hair is windblown in the same direction. The details are excellent as you would expect, but it seems that one or two of the finer accents have been left out as the Mini Bust seems to need a thing or two to be considered perfect. Don’t get us wrong, Gentle Giant Ltd. did a great job overall with the Mara Jade Mini Bust. The paint job is excellent, the sculpt is excellent and while we’re not 100% satisfied with the sculpt, we would have to say that is excellent as well. She has been sculpted with a long flowing cape and she has her right arm extended wielding a lightsaber hilt that you attach a purple lightsaber blade to that she is holding in her hand. This completes her look very nicely. They even sculpted goggles around her neck that contain clear lenses you can actually see through – these details are very impressive.

We have always preferred the comic likeness of Mara Jade over the human likeness imitated by model Shannon McRandle. That is just our preference. But if you are a fan of hers, than this Mini Bust has been designed for you. As we’ve mentioned, the paint job on the Mini Bust is excellent. If you examine the details in her face, you’ll notice that her porcelain skin is accented by her large green eyes and burgundy colored lipstick. It’s a very nice complement to her flowing red hair. Based on her appearance from Heir To The Empire, Mara Jade is wearing a tight-fitted black outfit. She is also wearing black gloves. We do like the fact that Gentle Giant has decided to add characters from the Expanded Universe into the Mini Bust line, but if they don’t keep on releasing more and more of them, Mara Jade might feel more like a misfit than a welcomed addition to your own Mini Bust collection. If you have been successful grabbing this Mini Bust then we offer you congratulations for doing so. But those still looking might get more and more frustrated as she becomes increasingly more difficult to locate.