I’ve told myself a hundred times since getting the Black Series Slave Leia that I would only ever get another Leia if she was in her A New Hope white dress. So, of course, I go and get the next Leia that comes out. I’m weak.
Star Wars is a cruel mistress of mine. I watched the movies as a kid when they released. I begged my mom for most of the toys at that same time, and my brother and I had most of them. When the re-releases and new toys hit in ’95 I was bit again. I was a completist for years, I had every single release. Carded. Loose. Customs. I was knee deep in the Star Wars marsh. And then a couple of things happened somewhere between Episode I and Episode II: One, I realized that I didn’t really like the prequels much, at least not as much as a I felt I should. I was buying toys just because they had the Star Wars logo on them, not because I had an emotional attachment to the characters. That’s never a good road to go down. And B, ToyBiz kicked out Spider-Man Classics and then Marvel Legends. Holy… another childhood fascination brought to life in a new scale (to me, at least) that I instantly fell in love with. It was 6-inch all the way for me.
Hey, eyes up here.
So to say that I was a plastic crackhead in a toy aisle back alley when the 6-inch Black Series was announced is an understatement. Two of my favorite great tastes, tasting great together? IN! It’s been a rocky road, but I’ve enjoyed most of what we’ve gotten. Even the Emperor. Sure, I’ve replaced some of the released figures with Bandai’s model kits, but that’s because I want the best versions of characters to which I have an emotional attachment. Hell, years later I even have a Jedi Anakin on my shelf, being older and (hopefully) wiser and coming to terms with the prequels for what they are: just another way of telling a story within the Star Wars universe. Not my favorite, but I’m okay with them now. Anyway, toys.
Boushh Leia comes in the all-too-familiar Black Series packaging. I have to say I like the bigger window and blue highlights more than the original orange. Right out of the mailing box, though, I noticed something off and we’ll get to that further down, but doesn’t she seem to take up a lot of real estate inside the package? Yeah, you see it. Package, be gone!
To get the most obvious thing out of the way, the cloth cape doesn’t bug me at all. It seems a little stiff and is stuck in the folded position, but I’m sure a little TLC would make it hang more natural while still not detracting from the figure itself. It’s sewn around the back strap of her bandolier, so it’s secure but removable if you so desire.
The sculpt itself is fantastic. Lots of little details to look over, and the helmet looks great, if not a bit large. Just a bit. It’s noticeable but not distracting.
Sticking with the helmet for a moment, it actually has some nice paint apps on it. There is a rust color on both sides that makes it look weathered and used. The “undervisor” as I call it, the lens below what looks like the helmet’s main visor, is a gloss black to simulate tinted glass. The greenish “overvisor” is clean, as are the silver bits.
Her backpack even has nice tampo work, revealing some kind of lettering or logos. I have no idea if they are accurate, and, if they are, then it’s something of which I was unaware. Either way, they are nice little details to see thrown in.
The helmet is, of course, removable. It’s a tight fit and I worry about some paint scuffage, but, as you’ve seen, it looks good when in place while not showing much skin of the head and neck underneath. Removing the helmet…
It’s not as bad as I feared. The sculpt isn’t quite Carrie but we’re used to that in a mass market retail line. But it’s close. The hair is nicely sculpted with the hanging down loose hairs and you can even see a hint of braid in the back where it’s tied. The paint makes her look a little buggy eyed but I’m not sure if the paint or the sculpt. But at least there is a little rose in the cheeks, that’s a little more than we’re used to.
Moving down, her glove spikes are painted, but otherwise she is molded in the colors shown. And those colors are not accentuated with any paint work, making her a little plain. Just a basic, bland look to most of her clothing. Her upper torso does have some color, but, again, they are just straight single apps. Oh, and a little on her belt/bandolier combo, which is a separate piece and not glued down. It will move up and down but it’s easy enough to put back in place.
Articulation is standard Black Series fare. Notably, the skirt is a very stiff plastic. There is a slit for the right leg to get some forward movement but the left is basically stationary because of the skirt. You can check out the rundown in my video review.
She comes with two accessories: her staff and a thermal detonator.
The staff always seemed odd to me as a kid. Just a stick with a lot more crap hanging off of it than necessary. But it is perfectly reproduced here. And the thermal detonator has a lot more detail than it should for its tiny size, with its sculpted bits and even a silver paint app. The detonator just rests in her hand and is not secured in any way even though it has a hole in it. It took me a minute to figure out that she has a peg on her belt that fits the hole in the detonator, which makes me a little more comfortable that I won’t lose it.
I mentioned the flat paint, but let’s get to my biggest nit.
What the blue milk??!! Boushh Leia is obviously bigger than Slave Leia, but it’s not just height, it’s overall proportions. I was one of the few who felt that Slave Leia was nearly accurate size-wise, but I don’t like the hunched neck and odd face, whereas I do like Boushh’s proportions. I could have let it slide if the heads were the same size, chalking it up to some heavy padding and platforms, but this is like “Brienne of Tarth” bigger.
Yeah, I just made a Game of Thrones reference in a Star Wars review. That’s how bad this size discrepancy is. It’s making me cross my wires.
Beside Luke she is like normal woman size, and the extra height makes them look more like actual twins, but it just isn’t right for Carrie Fisher.
But I’m a silver lining kinda guy. At the end of the day I like the figure well enough as Boushh, who I will use as a bounty hunter along with Boba Fett, Greedo, Bossk, and, soon, IG-88. But as Leia in Boussh disguise… not so much. She passes in the helmet, and beside Chewbacca, maybe standing in front of Jabba, but as soon as the helmet comes off my brain fries.
But it’s not all bad with the Leia head. With some work I think she’d work as Kitty Pryde.
Okay, maybe more of a Kate Pryde. But I think with a little paint it can be made to look younger.
Silver lining, y’all.
Man, we need a Gamorrean Guard…
I want a GOOD Gamorrean Guard – at least as good as the old TVC one.
I just think the PT were badly made films. The IT isn’t perfect and most would agree with that, but they had an irrelevance and a sense of fun that pervaded them, even Jedi that the new films didn’t. They were amateurish, clinical, sloppy, nonsensical and just downright boring.
Despite what GL said SW the PT was designed to sell toys and prop up the merchandising empire. He made up the films in the hood, they’re like dodgy first drafts. He was even too lazy to not contradict the OT and he was completely seduced by digital technology. He could do anything he wanted and did do. He sucked the life and soul and fun out of SW. Midiclorians my ass.
Except the Obi Wan’s head is far too small.
The Stormtrooper helmets still too big for Han (on the side view mostly), they could do swappable parts. The neck ball joints the same so all they’d need is create a new Han head – which they’ve done. They do it with the Marvel stuff no problems.
They just hate putting effort into their SW stuff.
Lovely figure but just too tall. According to the answer they gave JTA they said our feedback said Leia needed more ‘presence’. I think Hasbro have been sniffing the fumes again.
When you say you didn’t like Star Wars as much as you should – why should you? If the PT left you cold – as it did me for being so lazily made/sloppy/contradicting the previous films, there’s nothing wrong in that. I find them absolute garbage. I far prefer SW and Empire and Clone Wars and The Clone Wars TV series.
I respect the validity of your perspective. I would just like to add ,that most of those critiques could be applied to the “original trilogy” also. I can’t help but think of the interviews of the original cast commenting on how strange the project seemed,and uncertain they were about George Lucas and their careers. LOL 😉
Objectively,I get it. It looks silly from”a certain point of view”
Enter the devices of Imagination,and The Suspension of Disbelief,(something we are all familiar with) and the error of silliness falls away.
Granted that every type of story telling can be quantified and measured by certain paticular standards. Just look at the MCU adaptations and other movies from literature like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey?!
Any-Whoo,
I believe that even in this case of the prequels a lot of what causes an unfavorable account other than incongruous lore, and style or flair is expectations and nostalgia. Like stated here;”emotional attachment” is needed and a lot of us expected to go home again after growing up and leaving Peter Pan, or Luke Skywalker behind in our childhood homes. There was a little bit o time that passed between the two trilogies. Things change. IMHO that’s the reason for the strong dislike and strong opinions between fanboy factions. Why haters laugh at me for being bold enough to embrace the Star Wars backstory that is the “prequels”. But “Hate leads to suffering.” Steve,this has probably been one of the better civil discussions I’ve had on the topic. You are cool.
I find it curious that even in a community of outcasts there are those would-be bullies that would dare to treat their own as outcast. Please excuse my verbose post. I wrap this up;
I can see the forest(that is ep 1-6) and each individual tree + the foliage that is extended universe. No,it isn’t perfect,but one’s focus does indeed determine one’s reality. Anything can be taken apart and nitpicked into nonsense with effort to that end. Parodies like Space Balls and Robot Chicken accomplish that in hilarious fashion.
I was not a fan of quantifying the Force in Ep1. So, I love the joke made about it on RC! 😀
Family guy SW specials made some wonderful comedic points too. I can take a joke. Just not all the hate. Lucas got to tell his WHOLE story and I like that. 8yr old Ric likes that he got to see what a “clone war” is after wondering about it when old Ben told Luke he used to fight in them alongside his father.
Clone Wars is actually where I started collecting SW. Big fan of Clone troops and the idea of an army of ONE. That they are ALL Jango/Boba Fett! Lol
I usually remind the jarjar prequel haters that if so hateful are you,then give me your Jango Fett,Darth Maul,Count Dookoo and Capt.Rex & 501st troopers toys–lol
Cheer up, Steve. It’s all good, capt! No regrets,no turning back. I’m looking forward to the above guys in SWBS 6″! “May the Force be with you.”
Brilliant, Patrick R. I forgot about SWAP Out heads!
That fixes the big head helmet syndrome.
Yeah! Frak! Hasbro does it for Marvel Legends IronMan. They did it for Anakin,they can do it for everyone else! Man,how disappointed I was upon realizing Boba,and Clones don’t have Jango heads. It’s the same head. The helmet head would get made anyhow,and like I said,their clone heads! It wouldn’t cost them squat!
Tighten up, Hasbro! 😀
I agree – I want a gamorrean guard!!
But there’s telling a story well and there’s style over substance with nonsensical plots and dialogue, badly directed 2D characters, jarring CGI, contradictions to lore already established (Padme’s death for example) and just a general atmosphere of superficial plasticness, bereft of the charm and heart of the originals. I wouldn’t judge anyone for liking the prequels for I once did too but now I am older, perhaps wiser and out of necessity; more fickle. If I had the chance to do it all again, I wouldn’t buy a single prequel related product.
The helmets don’t give complete coverage on Stormie Han and paint rub worries me. I’d rather have swap out heads, but with the unique sculpting required for each character, that’s not damn likely to happen.
I’m ok with the blanker look on slave Leia, since mine is sitting chained to Jabba. When Luke first arrives Leia’s got this look of resignation on her face and that’s what I think of. Just looking wistfully into the distance wondering how she’s gonna get out of this one. Boussh to me isn’t an iconic Leia outfit as much as many others, so I actually kinda prefer the helmet on regardless of her headsculpt. I’ll (hopefully) have Buns Leia, Hoth Leia, and Endor Poncho Leia on my shelf someday, so she will be well represented.
Hehe….Buns Leia.
“Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gon Jinn: But not at the expense of the moment.
“years later I even have a Jedi Anakin on my shelf, being older and (hopefully) wiser and coming to terms with the prequels for what they are:
just another way of telling a story within the Star Wars universe.”
My sentiments exactly. To me,IMHO, it was ALWAYS a sci-fI serial. Bedtime stories. Modern myth of Greek epic stylings.
Lol, don’t worry, feel free and clean over the whole Star Wars multiverse, friend.
I tend to agree on that. Plus I don’t hate either one, but slave Leia has the better likeness to Carrie, it’s just the blank expression on her face can be distracting. This new one has a determined look that I really like.
Hopefully by the time we get her iconic hair buns A New Hope ep I look the CF sculpt will be perfect.
Btw: cool new avatar, dude.
Indeed.
Not here. I like her pissed,stern, they-took-my-man-I’m-getting-him-back looking face. I was concerned I would dislike her face after what we saw on eBay, and now I’m relieved and happy to FINALLY have a figure in this line whose helmet is removable(looking@you BOBA FETT/ PROTO FETT) and clone trooper sergeant!)
“I was buying toys just because they had the Star Wars logo on them, not because I had an emotional attachment to the characters,” ah man, tell me about it. I felt so dirty getting all that prequel crap.
I’m almost certain the bulky part on the staff is like a battery pack that runs an electrical charge through it. Was in the RPG sourcebook.
Yeah, I’d recognise that hand anywhere, ha.
Glad im not into this scale. I would be pretty damn annoyed over this. If someone was obsessive enough, they could buy this Boushh for parts and just resculpt the entire uniform on the slave leia..haha hulk as a gammorean guard.
Not to mention yoda.
The headsculpts seem to be good, it’s just that the paint apps are horrible. Take a look at the “Building a Better Obi-Wan” feature on here, the sculpt is great, right down to the mole on Ewan McGregors forhead… I’m thinking the slave Leia may be okay if eye paint wasn’t spat on there. I think the shininess of the plastic hides the sculpt a little, too…
They just don’t care.
HASBRO just suck big time!
always thought that boushh was a separate character till it turned out to be lei in disquise . guess next on hasbro list will be her in her hoth out fit then her normal white one.
The height difference is weird, but it’s not bugging me as much as I thought it would. I think it’s because the real-life height difference between Mark and Carrie isn’t as pronounced in the films as it is in real life.
I don’t understand why Hasbro is having such a hard time with heights in the 6″ line. R2 was a complete mess.
You know, everyone rags on Slave Leia’s headsculpt, but I think its a hell of a lot closer than Boussh Liea’s and actually one of the more accurate Leia sculpts in any size. It’s a softer likeness, but compared to a lot of figures it’s much better.
Ay yoto!
The size is weird. I always used Boushh as Boushh as a kid, so the helmet will stay on anyway. Whoo boy will that helmet stay on.