Aayla Secura (Jedi Master) - Order Of The Jedi - 1:6 Scale 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.

During the early fall of 2005 (right after the spring and summer of everything Revenge Of The Sith), Hasbro released two female Jedi in their 1:6 Scale Figure line. And it also marked the end of an era for Hasbro 12” figures, unbeknownst to us at that time. But collectors quickly were told that they would be last two ever and it saddened many of us. For some reason, the 12” Hasbro Star Wars line in general just wasn’t able to grasp the attention of enough fans. This was even true during the vintage era as that line was canceled long before the entire line was. But even though the line was coming to a close, there was no denying that it got a lot more attention in the modern line. In fact, many were used for stores’ exclusive programs for years and years. Hasbro saw the interest in the line was waning however, and they decided to close out the line with Barriss Offee and Shaak Ti. And for $19.99, they really offered great detail and authenticity and remain two of our favorite. While they can’t hold a candle to Sideshow’s impressive line, they don’t look half bad when posed next to them. As with any canceled toy line, rumors ran rampant of two that were canceled but received consideration for the 12” line. One of these was Aayla Secura, a very long overdue Jedi Master in our opinion. When Hasbro licensed the 12” line to Sideshow Collectibles in 2005, Sideshow made it a mission to include these two “canceled” figures candidates for their own line. (The other figure was an Episode III version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.) Aayla Secura became the exclusive for 2008’s San Diego Comic Con. And she sold through almost immediately.

Right out of the box, Aayla Secura will make you very happy. She is everything you would ever want for a female Jedi and her coloring and outfit is perfectly accurate. She came to collectors with her signature blue skin and long head tails. Being a Twi’lek with an agile and sexy body, Aayla Secura also comes with a revealing outfit that complements her body frame (for the most part, it isn’t without issues). Because the female Art S. Buck body was used for this figure, there are some unfortunate inaccuracies and minor problems with the fit of her costume when you examine this figure at a higher level. Slightly suffering from having a “big head” (something that is notorious with many portraits placed on an Art S. Buck body type), Aayla Secura is indeed a fair representation of the character, but a little more tweaking could have made her closer to ultimate perfection. We absolutely do love her head sculpt. It has been excellently constructed and beautifully painted. Conversely, the straps along her lekku are often sloppily painted in spots and we aren’t sure why there is such precision on the face, yet obvious quick brush strokes on these head tails. This is a very small setback in the grand scheme of this amazing 1:6 Scale Figure, but it is something we noticed. Aayla’s demeanor on her face captures a tranquil sincerity and slight wariness all in one expression and we truly acknowledge the talent artist(s) who designed this amazing portrait. While we don’t expect all aspects of the figure to impress us beyond belief, we think some things could have been revisited and improved, even if the improvement was subtle.

Her costume is very accurately woven. But again, due to the “established” Art S. Buck body frame, her chest is a little bit too big and works against creating a nice sleek silhouette against her frame. As a result, the leather portion of her half sleeveless top is bulky. A closer fit would have done this figure wonders. Her body has lots of articulation and you can see the joints rather vividly, especially since everything is cast in blue here. This is technically unavoidable with these types of figures with limited clothing. But Sideshow managed to raise the bar on the parts and sections they could really enhance, like her pants for example. They fit her like a glove and couldn’t look better on her. Her leather belt, dyed in a tan color, is incredible and the front and back codpieces hang exactly where they should and add a whole new level of authenticity to the figure. Aayla Secura’s boots are another high point. Designed with ample lift, they give her the extra height she needs to battle the various Separatists on Geonosis and Felucia (and wherever else she has fought and battled). Overall, Aayla Secura should make both Expanded Universe and movie fans very happy. She has been designed from head to toe very well and she has been a long desired candidate for the 1:6 Scale Figure line. Aayla Secura comes with a robe, lightsaber hilt, lit lightsaber and interchangeable “Force push” hand. We think the robe hides some of the very small imperfections quite well, but we are assuming that she will be displayed with a lot more skin showing in your collections! Limited to only 3000 pieces and long sold out, Aayla Secura is catching a bit of a premium on eBay. Female Jedi are gaining popularity with strong momentum so it is our suggestion not to pass on them as they go up for pre-order. Time has showed us that Sideshow’s edition sizes are getting smaller and smaller. And that means that these pieces will be harder and harder top locate as time progresses.