Padmé Amidala (Naboo Senator: Ilum) - 1:6 Scale Figures

Once the elected monarch of Naboo, during the time of the Clone Wars, Padmé Amidala is the revered Senator for Naboo and its associated worlds. Though still very young, Amidala enjoys the respect and support of the many among the Galactic Senate's most influential officials and leaders. Her world's previous senate representative, Palpatine, is now the Galactic Chancellor. Among her friends, Senator Amidala can also count the Jedi, thanks to a close association with both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and of course Anakin Skywalker, with whom she shares a secret love. Though is must be kept a secret to protect both their careers, their clandestine marriage is a source of strength for them both, and a reason to hope for a better future, when the war will be over.

Senator Amidala vocally opposed the war, seeing the conflict as a fundamental failure of the democratic system to which she has pledged herself. Ever a peacemaker, during the conflict she has sought to foster opportunities for negotiation and better communication so that the issues between the Republic and the rebel Confederacy can be resolved without further violence and bloodshed. It is while in the pursuit of these objectives that Amidala's star yacht receives news of Jedi in peril on the planet Ilum.

A sacred site for the Jedi, the temple on Ilum is the source of focusing crystals which the Republic's protectors use in the construction of their signature lightsabers. Having Master Yoda onboard, the Senator makes with all speed for Ilum, where she and the diminutive Jedi Master embark upon rescue operations to locate and free the entombed Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her former apprentice, Barriss Offee. The harsh, frigid atmosphere of Ilum is a perilous place for a battle, with the freezing ice storms and unrelenting wind almost as deadly as the small army of Separatist chameleon droids the would-be rescuers find awaiting them.

Padmé Amidala in her Ilum “snow bunny” outfit must have had the same viral effect on collectors as the Shadow Stormtrooper. We wanted every collectible form of her made in this outfit until we were sick of it, and unfortunately for Sideshow Collectibles, that intensity started to cool right about the time the 1:6 Scale Figure version of her got released. For reasons unknown, Padmé Amidala (Naboo Senator: Ilum) by Sideshow Collectibles should have been a slam-dunk/knock-it-out-of-the-park hit with all collectors. But she didn’t sell out like so many other collectibles, despite being a Sideshow exclusive and limited to only 3500 pieces. What’s more, she was the winner of Sideshow Collectibles’ first online fans’ choice poll which should have ushered her in as one of the most popular 1:6 Scale Figures of all time. Interestingly, there was a lot more fire for her to be made as she won the most votes in the end to become the winner. Things just started to cool the closer she got to becoming released. But there were also criticisms about her portrait and the way the final version of her outfit came out. Still, it was something incredible to get a 1:6 Scale Figure that was inspired from the wonderful Tartakovsky Clone Wars. And not only did we just get Padmé, but we also got two other figures from his flawless vision as well in the 1:6 Scale Figures line. We honestly think Padmé Amidala is an awesome 1:6 Scale Figure save for one small (or big, depending upon your own point of view) problem.

Let’s talk about the white (no pun intended) elephant in the room first. Padmé has one funky (and wandering left eye). We honestly don’t know how this one escaped both Sideshow’s and Lucasfilm’s demanding standards. But it appears as if Padmé Amidala looks like she is either about to snap or she is a deer in headlights and doesn’t know what to do next. This is a crying shame for a figure that sat in development for such a long time. There was ample time to get this just perfect, so we are slightly disappointed with the final production figure (in this aspect only). And we are probably making a bigger deal of this than we should. But the prototype didn’t have this sideways stare and we feel that neither should the production pieces. Also, when Padmé was first showed off to collectors, she was outfitted in a patent leather outfit. You could say that it was a white version of the Catwoman’s suit. That was abandoned for cloth body glove which fits nicely on her sleek form, but didn’t have the same level of sexiness. The hood and shawl are cast in a very plush material making this outfit very believable that it kept her warm in the harsh Ilum elements. And the strings that hold it close to her head end with two large pom-poms hanging below. It just looks incredible. These reasons alone are enough to warrant this figure’s purchase. Still, we understand if some have reservations about this figure's dangling eye.

Padmé comes with macrobinoculars, a commlink and a blaster pistol. Around her waist is a loose fitting belt and holster which can house her blaster. We would have loved to see a belt made with less slack in it, but it does stay at her hips which is all you really need it to do. Her gloved hands and boots are trimmed with the same material as the trim on her hood and shawl. It is extremely soft and the color of all the pieces just looks amazing. While she has been made from a very good short female Art S. Buck body mold, it at times makes her look a bit lanky when you try to pose her in action stances. While it may be interpreted that we are picking this figure apart, we still really like it very much. We think the things that we see as “errors” should have been corrected and for that we only have minor disappointment. Padmé Amidala should make fans of Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars extremely happy. It is nice to know that his micro-series has left an indelible mark on collectors and that they want to see his interpretations of all the famous Star Wars characters made into collectible form like this 1:6 Scale Figure. We don’t expect too much future attention to the original Clone Wars characters because of the new The Clone Wars television series. It seems that Lucasfilm doesn’t want the competition. Less will have to be more here. Padmé Amidala is certainly not “less” of a figure. If you can get beyond the small problems she has we believe she will be an incredible asset to your collection.