Padmé Amidala - TSC - Basic (SAGA 067)

Padmé Amidala loosely based on her appearance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones is one of the more controversial figures in The Saga Collection. We understand why many collectors determined that this figure is technically incorrect. But if you watch the film, you’ll see that it is the events that transpire in a matter of less than a second that make this figure inaccurate. Right after Padmé makes her way up the pillar in the Geonosis Arena, the Nexu is right on her tail to attack her. In one frame, Padmé is fully garbed without any tearing in her costume and then instantly with one swipe of the Nexu’s claw, it tears her right sleeve off and scratches her back. So the battle-damaged look of Padmé is not accurate with two full sleeves, making the 2002 SW Padmé Amidala (Arena Escape) ('02 #02) figure the correct version. (Too bad the 2002 figure’s wounds aren’t bloody like this one.) Some have also argued that Padmé didn’t carry the droid blaster at this point either. That’s debatable. If the figure is incorrect by the outfit alone, does any other discrepancy matter at this point?

Padmé Amidala literally doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Hasbro obviously attempted to make Padmé look new and fresh, but their efforts fall short. This figure is kit-bashed by using the head from 2002’s SW [S - P1] Padmé Amidala (Arena Escape) ('02 #02) and the rest of 2003’s SW [S - P2] Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) ('03 #04) figure. Unfortunately, the reuse of the 2002 head hasn’t worked as well as Hasbro may have thought. Perhaps some shrinking occurred during the process of making her, but for some reason the head looks extra elongated and narrow to distorted proportions. The open-mouthed version of her (from the 2003 figure) would have worked much better here. Padmé Amidala can best be described as awkward. She has a bizarre stance and her included articulation is not overly helpful for posing. But we understand why Hasbro felt compelled to get another Episode II version of Padmé out to collectors. Attack Of The Clones didn’t get that much representation in The Saga Collection and Hasbro really need to get out a few main characters because the wave they did release (wave 3) had a lot of background characters in it.

We argue however that this figure may have been left in the parking lot and not revisited because this is a character that needs super-articulation. (Editor’s Note: Hasbro answered collectors’ prayers by releasing The Padmé Amidala Legacy which included a phenomenal “Geonosis Arena” version of Padmé Amidala. The figure was slightly altered in the Legacy Collection as BD35 where the fabric was changed and minor changes to the paint job were made as well. They made this EXACT version in The Black Series line as the Padmé Amidala (#01) figure) By the time the last three wave s of The Saga Collection were released, Hasbro has trouble at the factory level with the stands. Errors were made left and right on the factory choosing the correct source of the character, and Padmé Amidala was one of these victims and she comes with a The Empire Strikes Back stand. It should be obviously Attack Of The Clones. Unless you’re a “one of everything” collector, Padmé Amidala may just be a figure to skip. It isn’t that necessary, technically inaccurate and despite an ultra cool scratch on her back, it just isn’t a great action figure. Of course, that is for only you to decide.