Princess Leia (In Boushh Disguise) - Mini Busts

By the time Revenge Of The Sith came to pass, Gentle Giant Ltd. really started to step up their game when it came to the characters designed fro their Mini Busts line. They were already a couple years into making fully realized versions of characters from the waist up (including arms and other details), but the level of detail was becoming more and more unprecedented as time moved forward. Princess Leia (In Boushh Disguise) was a favorite pick by those who collect this line, so Gentle Giant Ltd. ensured that she became part of the 2005 lineup. Modular Mini Busts are nothing new to Gentle Giant Ltd., after all they released the phase I clones with many interchangeable parts, but in a rare yet logical move they decided to include an interchangeable portrait of Princess Leia for this release. But what if the “extra part” affects the accuracy of the piece? Do you know what we’re talking about here?

Admittedly it’s nice to have this versatility, but technically the inclusion of the alternate “human” portrait of Princess Leia indirectly creates a screen inaccurate version of her. Sure, if we’re talking “off screen” here or some moment before she arrives at Jabba’s Palace or even some unknown scene in Shadows Of The Empire, then we could say that this isn’t any big deal. But those who cherish movie accuracy to the point of compulsion may be disinclined to utilize the face of Princess Leia on this Mini Bust. In a very smart move, Gentle Giant Ltd. has also included a removable “portion” of the blaster staff. It’s only about 50% of its normal length obviously and slides in an out from her grasp with relative ease. It’s crafted out of plastic and should remain a durable accessory to wonderfully accompany this Mini Bust. Because this piece comes with interchangeable heads, both the helmeted and human versions can move left and right (but not 360 degrees). So you can attain some extra poses thanks to this flexibility.

The paint job of Princess Leia (In Boushh Disguise) is impressive to say the least. It’s dull where it needs to be dull and shiny where it needs to be shiny. There is plenty of weathering and aging apparent throughout the piece, and since this character is mostly wearing earth tones, that palette works extremely well for a polystone statue. There are some impressive details that Gentle Giant Ltd. didn’t neglect here. For example, the Boushh helmet was the piece in Episode VI that references the 1138 number. It has been subtly applied to the right side of her helmet, yet diminished to blend it with the rest of the paint job. There are other symbols and a few Aurebesh letters here and there on the piece as well and overall we have to say that Gentle Giant Ltd. did this version of Princess Leia extremely well. Her face is pretty and it looks like her. This isn’t an easy feat in any line, so we’re happy Gentle Giant did it justice. Let's hope future versions of the princess look this good!