Thursday, March 3, 2022

Action Figure Review: Princess Leia Organa (Yavin 4) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 



   For years my absolutely favorite Princess Leia Organa figure was the Power of the Force 2 Yavin 4 version of Princess Leia from the Princess Leia Collection. I loved that figure as a kid and it's one of my favorite Princess Leia outfits in Star Wars. Not only is that scene one of the best, most emotional scenes in all of the Star Wars saga but Carrie Fisher is absolutely radiant in it. I passed on the Flashback/ Retro carded version of this figure last year, opting to wait for the standard release. Well, here she is! I'm always excited to have a new version of the main Star Wars cast, especially when it covers a major costume variant from the Original Trilogy. Let's take a look at Princess Leia Organa (Yavin 4) after the break...



The Facts:

Height: 5 1/4ths inches

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

Accessories: Medal and belt.

Non-Scalper Price: $23 dollars






The Positives:



* This is a gorgeous figure. While there are a few parts from the classic A New Hope Leia reused here, most of this figure is new. This is a very realistically designed and proportioned figure and I think it captures Leia's outfit nicely. There's a mixture of sculpting and soft goods that is extremely effective here, much more so than on many Black Series releases. Little details like the bracelet on her right wrist, her silver high heels, and her silver necklace show a fine attention to detail by the Star Wars team.

* This is an excellent headsculpt with a great likeness of Carrie Fisher. Hasbro/ Kenner has always had trouble capturing Carrie Fisher's likeness as Princess Leia but they've been doing really well in the Black Series over the past few years. The face shape looks excellent and the face printing/ paint applications really do a great job. I do wish they had captured the smiling expression she has in this scene, perhaps as an alternate portrait, but I feel like I can detect just the hint of a smile in her facial expression. 





* The hair is really well sculpted. It's gorgeous work with a lot of detail in the braids wrapped around the crown of her head and hanging down her back.

* The outfit uses two different types of cloth for the dress. The skirt part/ bottom of the dress is very elastic and thicker, allowing for some leg movement. It's not really removable but the belt helps to hold it in place and aid in the transition from the sculpted top to the soft goods bottom. the sleeves are made from a much thinner, sheer material. They drape realistically and look fabulous!



* The articulation is really good overall. This isn't the most action oriented Leia figure by far but you'll still want to get some expressive poses out of her upper body. The articulation is definitely up to the task. the lower body is only slightly inhibited by the soft goods robe. Overall, it's a very solid effort. 


* Leia only comes with one medal, presumably for Han since Luke Skywalker (Yavin Ceremony) came with his own medal. I wonder if we'll ever get a Yavin ceremony version of Han? Then Chewbacca could get this medal! And yes, I'm aware he was actually awarded the medal, just there was no way to "gracefully" have Princess Leia put it on him. 

   Princess Leia Organa (Yavin 4) really turned out to be a Great figure. It's clear Hasbro put a lot of effort into capturing her dress properly and I'm thrilled by the results. It would have been to give her an extra smiling portrait or at least an extra medal, but for the most part I'm satisfied with what we've got here. She's quite stunning and an essential part of an Original Trilogy collection display in the Black Series. What OT Leia's do we have left, now? Her fancy red dress from Bespin and her Endor celebration/ Ewok dress, right? I think the Ewok look was in a pipeline reveal so hopefully we'll here more about that soon.



 If you love Princess Leia Organa check out some of my other Leia reviews on here including the Black Series classic Princess Leia OrganaPrincess Leia (Slave Outfit)Princess Leia Organa (Endor)Princess Leia Organa (Boushh), Princess Leia (Bespin Escape)Princess Leia Organa (Hoth), and General Leia Organa as well as the micro Leia from the Micro Machines Classic Characters 2nd edition pack, the Leia as Boushh from the Bounty Hunters pack, and Leia from the Ice Planet Hoth Playset, as well as the background Leias from the C-3PO and Jabba the Hutt mini heads and the Star Wars: Micro Force Princess Leia Organa from the 2018 Advent Calendar.


For more Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV reviews check out the following:
332nd Ahsoka's Clone Trooper













2 comments:

  1. Yeah, customizers can really work with a figure far more than a company mass producing something can. This is definitely one of the best Leia/ Carrie Fisher likenesses they've done.

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    1. No worries. Feel free to comment about whatever on here. Comments are always welcomed!

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