Aurra Sing - TVC - Basic (VC73)

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

The opening 2012 The Vintage Collection wave wasn’t the first batch of Episode I-focused action figures planned, you know. We wanted to set that record straight. Way before Lucasfilm gave The Phantom Menace 3D the green light and a release date, Hasbro had four figures already in development for The Vintage Collection: Aurra Sing, Mawhonic (Podracer Pilot), Naboo Pilot, and the Gungan Warrior. Initially intended for a late 2011 release, Hasbro shelved their plans and delayed these four figures for a future release. They became additions to the final wave of The Vintage Collection. Hasbro created an exceptional lineup of basic figures exclusively for Walmart called the Discover The Force collection. It afforded the “adult” collectors all-new premium editions of Episode I characters and some older action figures from previous lines. These specially packaged figures came with 3-D glasses (part of the packaging), a Galactic Battle Game card, an action figure stand, and a playing die – all exclusive to the Walmart release. Moreover, the packaging featured a special 3-D image thanks to the included the glasses’ red and blue lenses.

The figures were a hit, but many collectors passed on many of them so that they could spend their dollars on the ones coming in The Vintage Collection packaging. Coincidentally, the Discover The Force figures are just a pre-release of The Vintage Collection figures, which Hasbro intended to release first. Aurra Sing was a significant figure in the Discover The Force line, but the character never looked better thanks to the gorgeous The Vintage Collection packaging. To show you how long ago Hasbro intended to release these figures, characters VC71 through VC74 all feature the original graphics on the reverse side of The Vintage Collection carded figures released between 2010 and 2011. The artwork shows a nice reference photo and a generic overview or description of The Vintage Collection and its purpose to collectors. A green background and nameplate complement Aurra Sing’s primarily white and red appearance. The combination is visually stimulating to your eyes, and if you had passed on Aurra Sing in the Discover The Force line, you have something to look forward to here with this release.

The well-designed figure of Aurra Sing is, of course, excellent but isn’t necessarily perfect. The Vintage Collection packaging, however, gives the figure an extra positive edge, which is lacking in the Discover The Force line. Aurra is almost super-articulated and well-detailed. The paint job is also excellent, but perhaps the best part about this figure is all the accessories accompanying it. There’s a lot to be thankful for here, and we want to clarify our appreciation for this action figure. But we are stuck on one glaring problem: the head antenna. Hasbro has successfully managed tinier accessories much better than this in the past. Aurra’s antenna is thin and fragile (bendable). Sculpting these things without substance or weight is challenging, but we recall the WED Treadwell Droid from 2009’s TLC Jawa & WED Treadwell Droid (BD 33) two-pack. Why couldn’t Hasbro create a shorter version of this antenna and drill a hole in the portrait that would accept it? Sure, it would have still been thicker than we see in Episode I, but the aesthetics would have improved had they gone thinner. It wouldn't have had a rectangular shape if they’d decided to go this route. Still, Aurra Sing looks fabulous in The Vintage Collection packaging. Just enjoy that visual, perhaps, instead.