Shae Vizla [(Old Republic Bounty Hunter)] - TVC - Basic (VC101)

The power of obscurity! Or is it the power of beauty, femininity, and sex appeal? We should be used to this by now in the Star Wars universe. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before when a background female character forges to the forefront of the collective consciousness, and all we can do is wish to see more. Look what happened to Aayla Secura. The Twi'lek was relatively unknown in the comics and became one of the most favorite and revered female Jedi. And it all happened faster than lightspeed. We expected something similar to happen with Shae Vizla, a character who has features strikingly familiar to the fan favorite Mara Jade character. Still, there is more intensity with Shae Vizla by comparison. Maybe we can attribute it to the instantaneousness of social media, but Shae Vizla burned into collectors’ minds the second most glimpsed this character. Moreover, Shae Vizla is a Mandalorian bounty hunter who we see in two ways: with or without a helmet. Star Wars fans fond of the Expanded Universe can’t get enough of these types of characters. We see why Shae Vizla is popular at this high level. Redheads are gorgeous, and the character is tough, wears tight, fabulous outfits, and has an arsenal of weaponry. Being sourced to the Expanded Universe doesn't hurt things either. You might find that the outfit comes across as slightly too “Rocketeer” for some, but this allusion happens when you wear close-fitting metal-plated armor of a similar type. To summarize, Hasbro has designed a masterful action figure here. Shae Vizla is a gorgeously sculpted action figure from head to toe and will no doubt remain a sought release. It will stand the test of time. Hasbro reissued the figure and added an all-new portrait that takes the character in a new direction. The likeness is more beautiful and flawlessly merges what Hasbro accomplished in 2012 with the technology of 2022. It's brilliant what they could do a decade later. But both head sculpts have merit. And now it's a Fan CHannel exclusive, so this figure should have excellent availability.

Making a first appearance in the Star Wars universe in the “Deceived” trailer for the upcoming video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, released June 1, 2009, Shae Vizla is a character that didn’t speak lines or have too big of a role in anything. The sheer look and attitude made this bounty hunter popular with fans. Although sharing a similar name to another Mandalorian, Pre Vizsla, there is yet to be any connection made between the two, and doubt is substantial if there ever will be since the “s” is missing from Shae's surname. But Vizla stands strong amongst male counterparts in the Star Wars universe because of the unique battling technique, the adventures in the video game, and the remarkable beauty of this character. Even Darth Malgus is impressed by Shae Vizla's skill, strength, agility, and overall attitude, and we know how much those words mean from such a powerful Sith lord. Shae Vizla has a similar mindset as Malgus, so their interactions are fascinating. In the action figure world, Shae Vizla looks fantastic next to 2012’s TVC Darth Malgus (VC96) figure, and it seems they could be equal rivals of each other, despite their opposing statures. Hasbro shows us again that they spare no expense in The Vintage Collection because they deliver fantastic all-new sculpts with a wealth of accessories to accompany them. There are some exceptions, of course, as we’re generalizing here. But we think Hasbro proves what we're saying with a figure like Shae Vizla. The figure is sculpted with many “individual” armor plates with the finest details, including wires, buttons, and functioning gears – all with beautiful paint jobs. And the artful aspect of the action figures is equally matched by their functionality. Shae Vizla comes with 23 points of articulation across 14 areas. Ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, torso, knees, and ankles join a ball-socket head. The only swivel articulation this figure comes with is wrists and hips. Many action figure lovers will be counting themselves very fortunate as a result.

The paint job is stunning. Both the 2012 and 2022 versions of Shae Vizla have remarkable deco. You will find differences between them, but both are excellent. Hasbro utilized a full palette of colors to decorate Shae Vizla. A picture is worth a thousand words, so check out our 100-image Photo Gallery to see what we mean. Hasbro loaded the figure with accessories. Shae Vizla comes with two matching blaster pistols: the 2012 versions have multicolor deco, but the 2022 versions are only silver. The standard silver, black, and baby blue details are on the 2012 release. We wish Hasbro included them in the 2022 version. The jetpack is removable, as is the tubing that follows around to the front of the chest and plugs into a hole. The figure also has two brilliantly sculpted fireballs that attach nicely to both gauntlets. The plastic gets very thing at the point of connection, and we’d expect gravity to take its toll and force them to bow over time, so don’t permanently leave them in there. Lastly, perhaps most important, Shae Vizla comes with an alternate head attachment that sports the Renaissance-inspired helmet. We think Hasbro goofed a bit on the colors chosen to decorate the helmet (compared to the reference stills), but overall it looks excellent. Overall, this figure is extraordinary! We don’t want to appear unfavorable in a positive review for a perfect action figure. Still, we would be remiss by not pointing out that an obscure character like Shae Vizla gets an alternate head sculpt, yet a classic action figure like 2012’s TVC Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) (VC95) (who desperately needs an alternate one) doesn’t get one. Now Shae Vizla has three portraits, so it's probably safe to assume that the 2022 update is now the definitive release of Shae Vizla. Oh, and speaking of the character's name, they dropped the subtitle for the 2022 reissue. Still, it doesn’t affect our affection for Shae Vizla. EU fans: Hasbro was good to you – embrace Shae Vizla. She’s a beauty, just like that song by The Tubes.

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Shae Vizla [(Old Republic Bunty Hunter)] (VC101) figure in July 2022 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) all-new portrait with new likeness (2) new paint operations/deco including Photo Real, (3) different color palette of armor and armor details (4) different deco applied to blaster pistols, (5) refreshed 2022 packaging, (6) character name change reflected on nameplate, and (7) different placement of action figure and accessories in bubble

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is July 3, 2012. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on August 21, 2023 after Hasbro reissued the figure.