Padmé Naberrie - EI - Basic

As handmaiden to the young Queen Amidala of Naboo, Padmé Naberrie is a trusted advisor and privy to many important state secrets.

If you chose not to listen to any rumor or spoiler reports or Episode I, you likely were perplexed if you attended Midnight Madness on May 3, 1999, for the Episode I product launch. Why were there two Natalie Portman action figures each with two different names and no helmet obscuring her face? But once the film was released, we quickly learned that Queen Amidala equaled Padmé Naberrie equaled Padmé Amidala. Padmé Naberrie was the “handmaiden disguise” for Queen Amidala, and it allowed her access to the Jedi and their dealings while on Tatooine. Although she butted heads with the decisions of the Jedi, there was a much more important reason she accompanied them to Tatooine. There she met Anakin Skywalker and well, the rest is Star Wars history. Hasbro provided collectors with a decent action figure of Padmé Naberrie and aside from a slightly awkward pose, the sculpt met collectors expectations. Padmé Naberrie still has a much too round facial sculpt, but they did capture most of the details of her hair rather flawlessly. You’ll be impressed to see what Hasbro was able to accomplish with her hairstyle and overall she succeeds more than she fails.

Padmé Naberrie comes with six points of articulation, but this count is standard articulation for figures in the Episode I lineup. But unlike the exaggerated features of The Power Of The Force “2” line, Hasbro has completely revisited the way the figures’ proportions are. The approach has been streamlined to be as realistic as possible. And the attention to detail and the application of the paint operations have risen to higher quality levels. Many of the figures in the line are some of their greatest efforts to date. Padmé Naberrie may not meet the same level of quality, but she isn’t without merit. You know how we feel about the head sculpt. Let’s talk about the rest of her. Hasbro designed the body of the action figure very well. For one reason or another, they have her posed in a “forward walking” motion. The bottom of her left foot is angled, but there is enough of a flat base to anchor her while posing. Still, it seems unnecessary to include this detail in the tooling. Other than that, Padmé Naberrie comes rather statically to the basic figure line, which is more than fine for us. The texture in her outer shirt looks like a fine burlap, and her bright blue shirt underneath complements it beautifully.

Interestingly, Padmé Naberrie comes with a podracing view screen. We always felt this is an accessory that would have been better accompanied by Shmi Skywalker. But because Shmi wasn’t planned as part of the Episode I line, it makes sense that they included it with the next best character. On the screen is a sticker which shows Anakin Skywalker’s podracer zooming by. The view screen is expertly tooled and detailed. And it too has received a splendid paint job. Sometimes it’s the little things. That certainly applies here. It was smart to include Padmé Naberrie in the earliest waves of the Episode I line. After all, she appeared in this outfit for a good portion of the film. And while she donned this outfit, her secret remained safe that she was indeed the Queen of Naboo incognito. Although she seems a little bit too tall in scale, we believe that most collectors will forgive a smaller faux pas like this because there is a great deal more to appreciate here than criticize. Lately, Padmé Naberrie also comes with CommTech chip which not only allows you to hear lines reenacted from Episode I but also serves as an action figure stand (a functionality most collectors are taking advantage of) for easy display.