The Good: Decent detailing, Good articulation, Good accessories, Good balance and poseability.
The Bad: Low collectibility, Balance could be better.
The Basics: Of all of the Attack Of The Clones (and other) Padme Amidala figures I've owned or reviewed, the Coruscant Attack one is the best one so far!
It might surprise some of my more regular readers to learn that I have, thus far, only reviewed one Padme Amidala action figure! It's true! That's the Arena Escape Padme from the Attack Of The Clones line and it had a few unfortunate problems which led me to not recommend it. But as I near the end of my Attack Of The Clones action figures, I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala action figure, which I am able to eagerly endorse.
For those unfamiliar with Padme Amidala, she was seen on Coruscant in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Arriving on Coruscant for a vote, she dodges an assassination attempt by piloting a second craft to the landing pad. It is her flightsuit from the escort vehicle that is the subject of the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala!
The 4" Padme Amidala figure from the Attack Of The Clones Collection is the former Queen in her orange, brown and green outfit with a removable helmet that disguises her true identity!
Basics
The Padme Amidala figure stands 3 1/2" tall to the top of her bare head. She is dressed in the brown flightshirt with orange leggings she was seen in briefly at the outset of the film. Most of her drab shirt is covered by a heavier leather-looking green and brown tunic. She has boots, gloves and her tunic ends in a skirt that covers just her butt. This figure is made of hard plastic with a soft plastic skirt which has limited flexibility. This means the figure can be put in a sitting position, though the skirt will resist that. Padme Amidala’s human face is well-sculpted and is entirely recognizable and looks very much like Natalie Portman! Hasbro also gets the character’s hair right by molding in fine lines and having it in bound and braided behind her head, as she did in the movie.
The coloring of the human elements, which is only the face, is very good. While all of the rest of the coloring of the uniform is monotonal - a very clean look for the character - Padme Amidala's face includes slightly pink cheeks and a soft shade of pink for her lips. There is a brown scuff below her chin painted on (at least on mine!) that makes it look like Padme has already been attacked by the bomber. Her eyes are appropriately white, brown and black, so the figure looks better than most. Her hair is molded brown, but has black highlights throughout, giving her a realistic depth and shading to the toy! The rest of the coloring details are adequate. This is a completely clean look for Padme Amidala, though the tunic is primarily green with a brown color brushed on to give it depth and texture. The character's belt is accented with gold and the rest of the figure has a clean coloring to her.
Accessories
Padme Amidala, Republic politician, comes with three custom accessories. She has her helmet, blaster pistol and a radar dish. The helmet is an immaculately-detailed work in both coloring and sculpt. The 3/4" tall soft plastic helmet is a perfect fit for the figure's head and it features a translucent yellow visor section that allows the figure's eyes to be visible through the helmet when it is worn. This keeps the figure from losing the identifiable traits fans might like by having her wear the helmet. The maroon helmet is highlighted with silver ribbing and a gray breathing mask. This looks great and fits the coloring detail of the action figure well.
The figure comes with Padme Amidala’s blaster. The 3/4” long black and gray plastic gun looks exactly like the one Naboo guards use. It features a side-scope and a barrel that is accented with gray-silver paint. This fits either of Padme's hands and looks good there. When not in her hands, it may be attached to her waist as the gun has a tiny peg which is designed to fit into the hole on Padme's waist. My experiences have been that the figure and accessory go together well and stay together nicely once there.
The final accessory for the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala figure is pretty cool and a nice reference to the brief scene. The figure comes with a radar dish accessory and if one looks closely at the scene where Padme avoids the first assassination attempt, one might see a column radar dish that explodes when the explosion rocks the ship Padme has escorted to Coruscant. As such, the 4 1/4" tall gray and rust-colored radar dish assembly is completely solid and features a dish which rotates up and down as well as swivels on its base 360 degrees! What makes this accessory better-than-the-norm is the special play function to it. The back features a lever tab and when one pushes down on it fast and hard, it swings down to launch the core piece of the radar dish up. That causes the five pieces of the radar dish accessory to explode and it's a neat effect! The core, two sides and top pieces of the radar dish may then be reassembled and attached to the base, which is easy to do and pretty much idiotproof, even if it is not always entirely stable.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and this Padme Amidala is very good in that regard. Padme Amidala has good balance. She is molded to look like she may stand in a fairly active pose, like she is running, but flatfooted, she mostly falls over. On the plus side, there is a near-flatfooted position that allows the Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala to stand up and in that position, she is generally stable. She balances remarkably well in more exotic poses like kneeling on one knee. But for straightforward standing erect poses, she is one who benefits from having a playset or vehicle which might utilize the peg holes in her feet for stability.
Padme Amidala has some additional play functions, notably, the right arm features a quick-draw action. When the right arm is down, a button on the back of the figure allows the arm to raise and lower, simply by pushing the button in or releasing it!
This Padme Amidala figure is articulated at the shins, knees, groin socket, waist, shoulders, elbows, and neck, making her one of the most articulated figures of this era of Star Wars toy. Most of the joints are simple swivel joints, though the knees are a hinge joint, which - in conjunction with the rotating shins - allows her to kneel well.
Collectibility
Padme Amidala is part of the Attack Of The Clones line that was released in 2002. She is 2002 Attack Of The Clones Collection figure #41. Padme Amidala was fairly common and demand for her was easily met. She is a fair investment, however, because this version of Padme has not been recast and thus the only way to get this outfit is to buy this particular action figure!
Overview
The Attack Of The Clones Padme Amidala is good, but not quite perfect. Her balance is a little off and the facial coloring could be a little richer. But for the most part, this figure is an easy "buy," despite the fact that it was somewhat overproduced.
For other Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones action figures reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
#01 Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#04 C-3PO
#10 Shaak Ti
#13 Kamino Escape Jango Fett
#18 Zam Wesell Bounty Hunter
#23 Yoda
#26 Luminara Unduli
#27 Count Dooku
#35 Orn Free Taa
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
8/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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