Star Wars Black Series Padmé Amidala
There’s nothing like a new Black Series wave for me as a collector. I could just patiently wait for a pre-ordered set to arrive at my door, but something about me cannot resist hitting the road and visiting every Target in the surrounding area when I get an early store sighting report. I was semi successful this weekend, so let’s take a look at Padmé Amidala!
Padmé comes in the standard Black Series box with a particularly cute drawing of Natalie Portman as Padmé.
Padme is in her adventure gear from Attack of the Clones before that thoughtless Nexu ruined it with her claws. I was very happy that they chose this version because it is my favorite Padmé look from the films and a big part of that was the super comfy looking sweater cape she wears with it. The sweater cape that the Figuarts Padme did not have.
To my eyes the sculpt is pretty darn near flawless. I think the figure is probably a little skinnier than Natalie was in the film, but it’s pretty darn close. All the costume details pop and the sweater cape has a lovely texture.
She comes with two blasters and an extra hand. The extra hand basically has a bigger grip so that the figure can hold the Battle Droid Blaster. The other hand has a smaller grip so it can hold the tinier Naboo Blaster tightly.
The Naboo blaster is pretty tiny and has more of a classic ’50s sci-fi feel to it. I have a soft spot in my heart for this gun because I love the sound effect in the movie, so I’m glad to have it. The gun also fits tightly in the holster, so I’m less worried about losing the tiny accessory.
The Battle Droid blaster has a decently sharp sculpt and is a solid chunk of plastic with a nice metallic drybrush to bring out those details.
I think the head sculpt is great and my photography isn’t quite doing it justice here. To my eye on the shelf, the likeness is perfect, but close up pictures highlight the dot matrix effect that you sometimes see with these face printed figures.
The eyebrows do seem a little light for my taste, but otherwise it’s good. The paint is fairly simple without any real washes or drybrushing as most parts are cast in the final color. I think the taupe of belt and shoes could stand to be a slightly warmer color, but it looks good.
The cape is removeable, but I had to pop the head off with some heat in order to do it.
Articulation is pretty much Black Series standard, but there is a change that affects poseability. Padmé has:
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, hips, wrists and ankles
- Double hinged knees
- Ball and socket neck, head and mid-torso
- Thigh swivels
The big change is that the swivel/hinge at the hip extends from the body at a 45 degree angle. It’s a big pet peeve for Marvel Legends collectors who are familiar with it, but it basically hinders the leg movement so you can’t have her in a sitting pose unless the legs are spread wide apart. The below picture shows how the peg is attached to the body.
It’s not an issue for a lot of poses, but it makes some really awkward and the figure less fun to play with, so I hope they NEVER DO THIS AGAIN! The cape hinders arm movement slightly. The cape is soft, so the arms can move, it’s just the fit doesn’t always look good if the arms are moved too wide.
Besides that articulation flub, she’s pretty much perfect for my taste in Padmé figures. Here’s a comparison shot with the SH Figuarts Padmé, which isn’t fair to do really because these two figures are in vastly different price ranges, but I think the Hasbro figure actually compares pretty favorably.
The cape does fit on the Figuarts Padmé if you want to do that.
Overall, even with that articulation change, I like this figure a whole heck of a lot. Even already owning the Figuarts Padmé, I’m still glad to have the pristine white uniform and sweater cape from this version. Just don’t do that to the articulation again, please Hasbro, I’m begging you.
