Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Action Figure Review: Padme Amidala from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

    I cannot believe it has taken over five years but finally, finally, FINALLY Hasbro has given us a figure of Padme Amidala in Star Wars: The Black Series. While Hasbro has definitely been a bit reserved with Prequel based merchandise since the great The Phantom Menace Debacle of 2012 (other than Clones. Clones always sell.), we're finally getting some of the major characters from the films. Padme is part of the newest series of Black Series figures which is interesting in that it contains no Original Trilogy based figures. Padme is one of the big guns from the Prequels and it's kind of cool that I'm reviewing her now as I'm in the middle of reading Star Wars: Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston which is all about Padme's transition from being the elected monarch of Naboo to being an appointed member of the Galactic Senate. Of course, this figure is based on her appearance in Episode II: Attack of the Clones (no longer my least favorite Star Wars film!) when she goes to Geonosis with Anakin in search of Obi-Wan. It's one of her best looks from the film even though it's one of the simplest outfits she wears. Oddly enough, though, the figure doesn't get a designation such as Padme Amidala [Geonosis] or Padme Amidala [Droid Factory Chase]. Hopefully this doesn't indicate that Hasbro doesn't plan any further Padme figures, though. Let's check this one after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 5 1/2 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a balljointed head

Accessories: E-5 Blaster rifle, 2 interchangeable right hands, Q2 hold-out blaster.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 The Positives:



* Hasbro continues on their hot streak as Padme Amidala is another incredible figure that just absolutely nails the character. While this isn't an incredibly complex outfit or anything, Hasbro still did an impressive job of bringing it to life. The fit of the suit looks great and the various details of the material appear to be accurately sculpted. The silver cuffs on her shoulders look great and actually have a bit of a reflective shine to them.

  * Hasbro has now been using the face printing technology on the Black Series figures for over a year now and the results are incredible. It's tougher to tell through photos but in person these figures look amazing. The eyes and facial features are incredibly real. heck, Hasbro even captured Natalie Portman's beauty marks, too. It really is a great likeness.

* The articulation on Padme is nearly as good as on any other figure. She feels solid, well made, and you can get some great poses out of her. The presence of the balljointed neck and balljointed head go even further to help her take some subtler, more expressive poses. While the cape (which isn't easily removable) does affect things a little bit it's not a crazy problem or anything.



* The cape does look pretty nice, though. I can't recall what it's supposed to be made from in canon but the accessory does have a nifty texture to it.


* Padme's boots are really cool, too. Very complicated with an unusual mixture of straps and such.


 * Padme's belt is a separate piece that rests on her hips. It has a couple small sculpted pouches on it and a holster that can fit the included Q2 hold-out blaster easily.


* Padme includes two blasters, the first of which is an E2 blaster rifle. It's one of the Battle Droid blasters that Padme gets her hands on while on Geonosis. The paintwork on this blaster is even better than on the Battle Droid figure, which is a nice touch.


* The Q2 blaster is quite cool as well. It's a really tiny pistol (remember how tiny these were on the original Episode 1 Queen Amidala figure?) that Padme can wield menacingly in her hand or tote around in her holster.


* Since Padme comes with two blasters that have very differently sized grips, Padme comes with two differently sculpted hands. One had a wider grip for the E2 while the second has a slimmer grip for the Q2. They require a little pressure to take out so maybe use some heat or pull with a firm, steady grip.
 The Negatives:


* The hand with the larger grip is actually very loose and often flops around when Padme is gripping the E2. Might just be a molding fluke on mine, but it's worth noting.


* Padme's cloak is not really intended to be removed. It's removable if you remove the head but you might need some heat for that. The head isn't made to be easily removable which is a shame. Having the cape be removable would have been a great feature. I mean, it's still doable but not easily doable.






   Star Wars: The Black Series is one of my favorite lines to collect (definitely in my current top two) and Padme Amidala is another stellar figure. For the price of these (around $20 dollars) Hasbro continues to release some of the best figures on the market. The sculpt, paint, accuracy, and accessories are all top notch. Padme's probably my favorite release of 2019 yet from this series, although the year is admittedly still young. This hasn't been the easiest series to find (I'm still missing Mace Windu and Han Solo in his Mudtrooper gear) but Padme is well worth tracking down. So, anyone think there's a chance we'll see a slight retool of this figure to create an Arena Battle Padme?

I haven't been able to review a lot of Queen/ Senator Padme Amidala stuff on the site. The only other appearance of Queen Amidala/ Padme in any of my reviews is as a non-removable figure in the Micro Machines Naboo Temple Ruins playset and as a Padme Naberrie microfigure in the Royal Starship Repair Micro Machines playset.


For more Star Wars: The Black Series figures check out the following:

442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
4-LOM
Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer
Admiral Piett
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Battle Droid
Baze Malbus
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dengar
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Dryden Vos
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Leia Organa
General Veers
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Hera Syndulla
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Patrol Trooper
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (Throne Room) 
L3-37
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Maz Kanata 
Moloch
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016)
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Porgs 
Princess Leia (Bespin Escape)
Princess Leia Organa 
Princess Leia Organa (Hoth)
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Rebel Trooper
Red Squadron (R2-D2, R5-D8, and R2-X2)
Resistance Tech Rose
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Island Journey)
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Jedi Training)- Crait
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Rey's Speeder (Jakku)
Rio Durant
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (Mimban)
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
Val (Vandor)
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 
Zuckuss

2 comments:

  1. One of the best figures ever. So glad they made this figure and also that they didn't do the torn midriff outfit. This is top notch.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, this is definitely the best first choice. I think the Arena Battle Padme could be a good variant. New sleeves, new mid-torso piece: It could work.

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