The Second Sister, from the 2019 EA video game Jedi Fallen Order, was released on the 4th October 2019 - Triple Force Friday. She was part of wave 22 of the Star Wars Black Series alongside Cal Kestis, the main character from the game, as well as figures from The Mandalorian and Episode 9 The Rise of Skywalker.
We compare the standard and carbonized editions through this review, but you can click through for the full Carbonized release review.
Packaging 4/5
Wave 22 is a continuation of the black and red wave 3 packaging. The Second Sister is release 95 in this 3rd phase and as usual the numbering is shown on the bright red side spine as well as on the rear of the box.
The character is named as The Second Sister Inquisitor, adding her role within the Empire to the character name. She is illustrated, as usual, with Gregory Titus art work of her sleek helmet. And under this is the logo for EA's Jedi Fallen Order. While no other Black Series releases carry any form of logo for the movie or series in which they appear, we assume the inclusion of this logo is part of the licencing agreement between Lucasfilm, Hasbro and EA.
The logo is repeated on the back of the box along with a larger version of the Titus artwork and a very short piece of non spoilery text about the Second Sister.
"A vengeful warrior of the Empire tasked with tracking down Jedi survivors, the Second Sister Inquisitor is driven by her all encompassing hatred of the Order."
On unpacking the figure I found elasticated ties back in use - something I hadn't seen on the range for a while. The figure is also packed with the cape slid through the plastic tray and out the back. Removing it is tricky as it drags the cape through a relatively sharp plastic edge and if you are not careful your do risk scratching the inner red paint work or the two Imperial shoulder decals.
The standard Second Sister arrives in the Phase 3 black packaging with red side spine and figure backdrop. Apart from the circular insert and the colours, the boxes are identical in dimensions, wording and layout.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
The Second Sister is an imposing figure out of the box, with a brilliant recreation of that angular and menacing helmet she dons in the game. The helmet is cast in a gloss black plastic with the visor section painted in red.
The body borrows elements from Imperial Officers and includes a tunic, long sleeved gloves and boots. The body is cast in a dark grey and is highlighted with a red stripe down the arms and legs and with silver panels on the chest section. The boots and gloves are black gloss to match the helmet.
The Inquisitor wears a skirt section which is cast as a separate piece in a softer plastic. This includes a belt with bright silver buckle. It i shere the painting gets messy as the skirt is meant to have a crisp red lining and a line to differentiate where the black outer area begins. This is poorly painted with the red bleeding over the moulded line where the colour should stop and makes the whole hem section look patchy.
The Second Sister also comes with a full length cape. This is cast in a softer plastic rather than soft goods. It is cast in black with the red lining painted. Again this line between red and black is messy, but is hidden more than the skirt by the way the cape wraps around the figure. The cape is finished by two Imperial logo's on each shoulder - applied as decals.
The cape sits on the figures shoulders with two plugs on the cape sitting into two sockets on the figures shoulder.
The paint difference between both Second Sister versions is clear on these side to side images. The Carbonized version has clear metallic shading across everything bar the cloak. The standard version does appear to have neater decals.
Accessories 2/5
If you choose to display your Second Sister without her cape - most likely for more dynamic poses - then you will find two small shoulder segments included in the set for this configuration. Each gloss black piece slots into the same holes as used by the cape, hiding the hole and finishing the shoulders. With these in place the Inquisitor is just as imposing.
There is a problem though, in that the fit on these shoulder segments is poor. They do not stay in position very well - popping out with the slightest of arm movement or when the figure is moved or posing. It is all very frustrating after a while, and I would imagine many collectors will simply leave the figure displayed in her cape. Why Hasbro couldn't have dispensed with this particularly fiddly setup and simply glued these pieces in place and then given her a soft good cape as has been done with recent figures such as the new Palpatine, Mace Windu and the Jawa from the same wave?
There is no difference in the shoulder pieces between the Carbonized and Standard releases. This is a shame as to match the rest of the outfit the Carbonized figure shoulders should be metallic graphite grey.
The more traditional accessory is the Inquisitors weapon. This is the circular mounted double lightsaber, as previously seen in Star Wars Rebels. The hilt is cast in black with silver detail added around the rim of the circle and the two emitters. Red paint has been added to the centre piece to represent switches or lights. There is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use.
Like all Black Series sabers, the Inquisitors weapon has blades that can be removed allowing you to display the figure with just the hilt, or with one or both blades lit. Each blade is cast in a harder translucent red plastic with a plug on the end that snaps into the hilt.
While previous sabers in the line have been a good tight fit, this one is particularly poor and neither blade slots securely into place. The wobble considerably and it is diffucut to get a clear horizontal line - as would happen if the saber was lit - and instead we are left with a sagging blade on either side.
For those who are wondering, there is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use. Oddly, the figure has a trigger finger hand for her right hand, as though she should be holding a blaster rather than a saber. The left hand is more of a traditional saber hand. I wonder if either the figure was going to come with blaster at some point, or if the hand is reused from another female figure that I cannot as yet put my finger on. Both hands are difficult to prize open to get the saber hilt posed, the left more so than the right.
The standard saber has a darker silver ring and slightly darker blades. These blades are poor fitting and sag away from the main body. The Carbonize dual saber is a much nicer piece.
Articulation 4/5
Our Second Sister is well articulated and is quite poseable once her cape has been removed - with 16 points of articulation in total.
Head : ball joint pivot neck
Body : waist ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
On arrival the ankle rockers were fused on my figure and she had to have a hot water bath to get them moving. Each joint, once freed, has a full range of motion - the legs being a little restricted by the skirt, but not by much.
The waist feels like a ball joint more than just a swivel, but it seems to be restricted somehow and while it can lean forward and backward it doesn't hold the position and springs back to neutral?
She would benefit from double jointed elbows for fighting poses, but that is something not really offered in the Black Series line, and what we do get does work for a number of lightsaber poses. As I talked about earlier, the biggest frustration when posing without the cape will be those shoulder panels pinging off in every direction at the slightest movement.
Summary
The Second Sister is a good looking figure, well sculpted but poorly painted - particularly as the figure is predominantly cast in her final colouration and the messy red is about the only colour applied on the whole body.
The cape works, but the shoulder panels for the uncloaked version are frustrating. The lightsaber too isn't well executed and suffers from saggy blades that do not hold a true line out from the hilt.
While articulation is standard, the waist is restricted somehow and with only single joint elbows weapons posing is not as great as it could be.
I score the Second Sister, from Jedi Fallen Order, a 3 out of 5.
