Padme Amidala

This is another one of the figures that has been released this year I never thought we would see.  The scene this version of the former Queen of Naboo is taken from is probably the most "adult" themed in the entire trilogy.  There is little doubt left in any of the viewers in their teens or above what is going on in that portion of the film.  Couple that with the fact that Hasbro has tried to keep the Star Wars line balanced between kids and older collectors, she seemed forever to be a customizer's dream.

But with the figures we've seen this year, I think Hasbro has realized the long term importance of collectors.  We've got Hermi Odle and CZ-4 this year.  Heck, we even got a Vaporator as an accessory.  Why not "Fireside Evening" Padme?  Well, okay, they call her "Naboo Senator"  Padme Amidala.  I doubt that she would ever wear that outfit in the Senate chambers. 

First pass, Padme doesn't look too bad.   In the package, she has her shawl on to cover her shoulders to keep her warm.  Padme wore the shawl in the early part of the scene when she is dining with Anakin.   The shawl itself is a decent piece.  It's actually even textured on the inside.   Obviously by the way it fits, the shawl is meant to be used with her with her arms down.    As her arms move up, the shawl rides up.

The scarf around her neck is split in the back to let you get it off easily.  The shawl then slips up.  I popped her head off to do this before I realized how her scarf came off.   The pony tail in the back is easier to manage that way.

With the shawl off, Padme is in the costume shown in her fireside chat with Ani.  Bare shoulders and a tight corset are now readily visible.  The first thing I immediately noticed was how visible the ball jointed shoulders were on this figure.  Yeah, I know we all want more articulation in our figures.  In this case, I'd have been fine without it.  The elbow joints are pretty well disguised by the gloves an would have worked fine for a number of poses with just cut joint shoulders. 

The gloves also hide a cut wrist joint.  Attached to that wrist joint are some odd hands.  They are both pointing with the index fingers.  The right also has the pinky extended slightly.  Put this  hand in the air and a lighter in the left and you have rock concert Padme.  (See Bottom Picture.)

I might as well get another of my dislikes out of the way.  I hate everything from the neck up on this figure.  It's close, but could be a far sight better.  While Padme's film hairstyle wasn't the greatest, this makes it worse.  It looks very flat from the front.  The ponytail in the back isn't bad, but the top looks more like something for a Daughter of the Revolution, not a Mother of the Rebellion.

Next, whoever approved the paint scheme for her make-up needs to apologize in person to Natalie Portman.  While the scene is meant to be about passion, I don't think this is what GL had in mind.  The cheek patches of blush are huge.  I've watched Carmindy on "What Not to Wear" enough with Mrs. Nerd to know that much.  Let alone the shade looks lie she borrowed it from Boy George's night stand.  The lips are a shade too dark as well.  (I'm going to skip over any blushing or flushed cheeks comments.  Please feel free to make your own.)

That aside, her nose and chin are disasters as well.   The nose is the right shape just too big.  While her chin is pointy, it's not that pointy or long.  To me at least,  it seems as if the everything from the cheekbones down is pushed out and down a little too far.  Combine the big schnozz with the make-up and she looks more like a guy in drag trying to be Padme than anything else.

The way the skirt was sculpted for this figure is probably my favorite out of all the Padme's.  It flows in a natural way.  The texture  on it looks pretty decent as well.

The corset is snug.  However, it doesn't appear quite as severe as the film version.  You have to wonder what Ms. Portman thought when she saw this costume.  Or what George was thinking when he told the costume designer about it.

Fun?  I'm not sure that this is what you would consider a "fun" figure.  Like I said above this figure seems to be directly targeted at the collector (read as, ahem, older) market.  I doubt many ten year olds want sultry Padme flying a Naboo fighter against the trade Federation.

As for her being able to fly that Naboo fighter, she cant.  Below the waist has no articulation.  There is a cut joint at the waist, but if you twist it more than slightly there is mismatch between her body halves. 

Now, I know some of you are wondering what is under the skirt.  This Padme carries on the tradition of having legs under a sculpted skirt.  The legs are present to slightly above the knee it.  Also, both legs and feet are closed up tightly to one another.

 She doesn't need the pillar like legs to stand, however.  The skirt supports almost all her weight.  If you are using her in a display, she does have foot pegs as well.

Accessories are mostly just that, accessories in the fashion sense.  She's got the shawl and scarf mentioned above to complete her outfit.  I really wish the scarf wouldn't have had the split in the back.  Since she has a ball jointed head, it would have been easy to make it solid.  It would have looked much better from behind.

Padme's other accessory is an empty glass or vase.  It has an odd design.  Straight at the bottom and kind of like a wine glass at the top.  It might be meant to be that way so that Padme can easily grasp it.  Either way it's empty, so make it what you want.  I don't remember her drinking out of a glass of any kind while wearing this outfit.  The pear Ani cuts for her  would have been a much more appropriate item to pack in with her.

Last, but not least, her coin.  This one has a picture of her on the font and the Senate logo on the back.  Nothing spectacular.   The picture of her is probably one of my least favorites of the coins I have.