You’re watching Attack of the Clones for the first time.  You’re on the fence.  So far in the film there’s been some dodgy CGI as well as some stilted acting, but that chase scene wasn’t half bad.  Ben Burtt’s team has been crushing it with the sound design.  Then the movie takes you to the Outlander Club with its reminiscent callback to the Cantina.  Now you’re thinking this movie is going to be pretty darn good after all.  Shortly thereafter:

It’s a shame that Attack of the Clones, as whole, gets undermined by Attack of the Clones the Hallmark movie of the week. There truly is some peak Star Wars contained therein, but it can be difficult to appreciate.  It’s a bit like tasting a filet mignon in the middle of a garbage dump.  Regardless of how I feel about Episode II in its entirety, I do love the figures from this source.  They have been some of the best we’ve ever gotten. 

With respect to Ayy Vida, she can barely be seen in the movie.  She’s one of the “blink and you miss it” characters.  In the immediate aftermath of Obi-Wan Kenobi performing his patented barroom lightsaber amputation, Ayy Vida and her table mates cast a curious eye upon the proceedings.  Ayy is grinning for some reason.  What a psychopath.

As you all know, that’s Ahmed Best (the actor who portrayed Jar Jar Binks) as Achk Med-Beq, to our right.  So how did this barely on-screen character rate a figure?  Well, it’s the case of a very attractive actress playing a Twi’lek in a skin-tight bodysuit, and a good 75% of the fanbase is made up of creeps.  It’s action figure gold! The figure dates from 2003, so bake that into your expectations.  The articulation is both ahead of and behind the times for the era.  It lacks a waist joint, but more than makes up for it with hinged knees.  This Ayy Vida is purpose-built to sit on the included stool, which is a pretty nifty environment building accessory. I would seriously buy every single Star Wars chair that Hasbro made, but they should start with Tarkin’s Death Star throne.  I get the impression that Vida is standing in the scene, so the stool is a bit of fancy, but it makes for a more compelling Outlander Club display.

When the figure’s knees are engaged to sit, the heels of the feet draw in together with the toes pointing outward.  It’s a bit odd, but not damning.  With the stool, this is a passable entry into the lineup.  If you want to pose her standing, woe betide you.  The narrow ballerina-like stance, and the fact that one leg appears much longer than the other, combine to make standing the figure an absolute chore.  Additionally, if you look at the back of the package, you will notice that the right arm is sculpted with a roughly ninety degree bend at the elbow.  That would allow for a natural “holding a beverage” pose.  The production figure has two straight arms, with nary a point of articulation, save for the swivel shoulders, to display it any other way.  This makes poses holding the glass look silly.  Ayy is permanently extending her goblet to offer “cheers” to her mates.

My last gripe is that the deco is upsetting.  The actual costume appears to be more yellow with flashes of red.  The figure is reversed with red being the predominant color.  This makes her look like the model for the flayed man on the sigil of House Bolton. It’s a little disconcerting to have a figure that bares a partial resemblance to something out of Hellraiser. 

All these gripes would compel me to a score of 4, but I’m adding one more point for the included stool.  5 out of 10.