Aayla Secura - Premium Format Figures

Born into an influential Twi'lek clan on Ryloth, Aayla Secura became the apprentice of Quinlan Vos and was raised as a Jedi from a young age. Her athletic build and Twi'lek grace serve her well as an intelligent and even-tempered Jedi, and though she developed great skill with a lightsaber, she favors cunning and wit over violence, choosing to use her weapon only in times of great distress.

Quinlan and Aayla were captured and robbed of their memories by Aayla's wayward uncle, Pol Secura, while she was yet a Padawan learner. Under Pol's possession, Aayla's dormant and uncontrolled Force abilities were unleashed in her confusion, killing Pol and rendering young Aayla a fugitive. Terrified by the incident, Aayla fled from pursuing Jedi and fell prey to Volfe Karkko, a Dark Jedi detained on the Kiffexx prison moon. She unwittingly freed him from captivity, spellbound and manipulated by his sinister power. Even after she attacked Quinlan in the scuffle that followed, the wise Jedi Council deemed her misdeeds forgivable, seeing that the Jedi Code was still lost in her confused mind when the Dark Side's strong influence took its toll. Able to regain her memory, Aayla soon recovered fully and was reinstated in her training under Master Tholme. Overcoming the Dark Side's touch would lead her to become a true and devoted Jedi Knight.

Aayla Secura has proven herself one of the boldest and most skilled Jedi through the twilight years of the Jedi Order. During the Clone Wars, Aayla earned her place as a key intelligence-gatherer and task force operative, integral in the Republic's campaign against the Separatist movement. In the fierce battle to rescue Anakin and Obi-Wan on Geonosis, Secura was one of the few Jedi, still standing when the Geonosian and droid armies surrounded the surviving Jedi. But when the tide of the battle turned, and the few survivors were suddenly joined by scores of clone troopers lead by Master Yoda, the stalwart Secura was given command of a squad of the trained infantrymen. Later honored as a general in the Grand Army of the Republic, Secura would go on to lead squadrons of clone troopers on a number of campaigns throughout the epic Clone Wars.

We admit that we more often than not provide our readers with sugary sweet reviews on many Star Wars products released across the many licensees who make them. We’re easily pleased and we air our zeal for all Star Wars items with equality. While we do our best to itemize the pros and cons of each and every item we review, we still try to find a bright side to the universe for even the biggest bombs. As you can imagine, we really struggle to find lofty words of praise to describe gorgeous collectibles that knock us to the ground just simply by how awesome they are. That is what truly applies to Sideshow Collectibles’ Aayla Secura Premium Format Figure. We knew it would be good, but not this good. A masterpiece on every level, Aayla Secura is the exact definition of what a Premium Format Figure is and always should be. Culled together from weighty high quality polystone, soft-goods clothing and a real light-up lightsaber feature that even makes critics like us smile (we normally despise electronics in this line for the record), we couldn’t have hoped for anything more with the Aayla Secura Premium Format Figure than what Sideshow Collectibles delivered. One insignificant aspect of the figure “bothers” us a tad and we’ll get to that later, but aside from that this piece is truly remarkable and one of the finest executions in the Premium Format Figures line in years. It’s no secret that the characters in this line get progressively better as technology improves, but Aayla Secura may have jumped Sideshow ahead of the curb so much that we hope it doesn’t make future releases look like they’re needing more. Aayla Secura is normally a standout character. Her colorful skin and sexy body are immediately eye-catching. So obviously the first thing you’re going to notice is the brightness in the shade of the color blue Sideshow Collectibles utilized to bring the Aayla Secura Premium Format Figure to life. You may debate if she was this bright in the film, but we can't help love the final results. Be confident in knowing that Sideshow ensured a shade of blue was implemented so that this could be the most authentic collectible form of Aayla Secura out there from their perspective. (And it is.)

Forget about Gentle Giant Ltd.’s Aayla Secura Mini Bust. It pales in comparison. Even the stunning 2012 TVC Aayla Secura (VC58) figure doesn’t do the Aayla Secura character justice in comparison. Oh, and even Sideshow Collectibles’ own Aayla Secura (Jedi Master) 1:6 Scale Figure doesn’t come nearly close enough to how accurate the Premium Format Figures has brought everything home to complete satisfaction and unequivocally the premiere Aayla Secura collectible on the market today. Some of you may ask us how we can compare apples to oranges when discussing the same character across all collectible formats (and very different scales). We’re actually not trying to do that at all. But if you want the most accurate interpretation of the character that is as close to her appearance in the films as possible, then you have to hand it to the Premium Format Figure version of Aayla Secura. The figure is based on her appearance from Revenge Of The Sith as evidenced by the Felucian base (which is gorgeous by the way) and for exclusive collectors, a 327th Star Corps clone trooper battle-damaged helmet. What we especially love is the attitude of the exclusive setup. Is Order 66 actually happening before you and she managed to behead one clone before her demise? Or is the clone just a casualty of the Clone Wars? You decide! We really can’t imagine getting the regular version and missing out on the exclusive piece. For regular collectors, you’ll receive an additional piece of the fungal life on Felucia. it’s not nearly exciting as the “severed” clone head. Again, that’s our interpretation of it. Yours may vary. Also on the base of this piece are “Venus fly trap” looking vegetation. They made us very nervous. One wrong slip of the figure or grabbing the base in the wrong place will absolutely snap them off, so be very careful. You don’t want to damage this beautiful piece. As a whole, we are really finding it difficult to find another Premium Format Figure that will top this. Sure. Boba Fett is excellent, Aurra Sing (Bounty Hunter) is excellent. But this one tops them all.

Aayla Secura has an amazingly incredible likeness to actress Amy Allen. We don’t think another licensee will be able to do a better match. We wont’ say never, but this is going to be a difficult likeness to outdo. Aayla possesses an extremely athletically sexy physique with low cut pants and and a halter that reveals all of her attractive curves and very smooth and blemish-free skin. Extra fine details have been incorporated into the paint job for her body. For example, her head tails have a subtle “scaly” pattern (almost looks like some sort of netting) that is really only visible when looking very closely at it. (You’ll have to check out our close-up photos to see what we’re talking about here.) Her eye and face makeup is perfectly applied and Sideshow has added a little gloss to her eyes to make them look a real as possible. The shade of her pink lipstick is flawless as well. Her lean tummy area looks fantastic and she has an adornment above her navel. The soft-goods used include close fitted cotton pants that come with a great deal of elasticity and a leather/cotton mixed “halter top” that completes her very well. Her boots are made from polystone. The loin cloth is a separate non-removable accessory and is also designed from some sort of leathery material (real or synthetic). It looks stunning, however, it doesn’t stay at her hips the way it should. We found we had top forcibly pull it down like we were trying to rip it off of her. It made us a bit uncomfortable so we stopped. The lightsaber technology is the same that was used for their very impressive Cyborg Darth Maul (Darth Maul With Mechanical Legs) Premium Format Figure. The color runs up the blade slowly when turned on and the blade is vibrant and bright. It works well here. The only issue we encountered is that it’s a bit difficult to attach her arm because her top gets in the way at the connection point. So we’re left with telling what that small issue is that bothers us a bit. Her head tails are “blowing” much too aggressively for the pose she is in and it doesn’t look entirely natural. We would have much preferred to see them hanging slightly more at ease. Other that that, Aayla Secura is amazing. We hope that all that want her find a way to add her into their collection!