Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) - SW [S - P3] - Basic (’03 #22)

Added: September 17th 2013
Category: Star Wars [Saga - Phase III]
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony)
Collection: Star Wars [Saga - Phase III]
Number: '03 #22
Source: Attack Of The Clones
Availability: July 2003
License: Hasbro

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With her life threatened by assassination, the young Senator retreats to her home planet of Naboo. Assigned to protect her is Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker, who stirs feelings within Padmé that she is quick to deny – feelings that if realized could lead to a destructive course. Yet, when the Separatist threat erupts into war, Padmé and Anakin choose to defy his Jedi vows and unite in a forbidden marriage – one destined for a tragic end.

Many collectors stopping chomping at the bit for the action figure that was going to complement 2003’s SW [S - P2] Anakin Skywalker (Secret Ceremony) (‘03 #07) action figure. But Hasbro was faithful to us and finally released Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) just a short while after, much to the appeasement of the collecting community. The Anakin Skywalker (Secret Ceremony) (‘03 #07) figure was an aggressive action figure for Hasbro. They added a ton of articulation to the action figure, and gave Anakin a likeness so close to the actor that it truly impressed us all. Thankfully, i t appears that the excellent delivery of Anakin Skywalker (Secret Ceremony) put some undue pressure on Hasbro and as a result they crafted a marvelous version of Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony), to accompany Anakin. Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) is wonderful. She is attractive, screen accurate and comes with an environmental display stand that defies expectations. You’ll feel like you have secured a miniature version of the set from the final scene of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. We’re not exaggerating here at all folks. Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) is so wonderfully created that we personally feel that Hasbro has mastered this iteration of Padmé Amidala that there’ll never be another need to revisit her again in the future.

The way Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) was approached can best be described as masterfully. From a certain point of view she can be declared a work of art. We believe that she is done so well that articulation junkies will find it in their hearts to appreciate this action figure. Keep in mind, how much articulation does this version of Padmé need? We feel that would be zero to none. But Hasbro was gracious enough to include movement in the head shoulders and elbows. Trust us when we say that this is more than enough articulation. She is able to “hold” Anakin’s hand during marriage vows, and she can hold her bouquet of “broccoli” as needed. Other than that, there isn’t much more need for articulation in our opinion. What else do you want her to do? Shall she wield a lightsaber? Do you want her to hold a droid blaster on bended knee? (That is all sarcasm by the way.) The drape of her linen/lace gown is beautiful and it’s accurately colored. Even the covering on her head has been accurately recreated with great care. For those of you who are concerned with what Hasbro did under her dress, yes, they did indeed give her underwear. As a whole, Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) is a truly beautiful action figure. And perhaps the best part is that she is perfectly in scale to the matching Anakin Skywalker (Secret Ceremony) figure.

Now, let’s talk about her environmental display stand in greater detail. It’s beautiful! There is really no other way to express it. It is the absolutely most perfect complement to the action figure. We are extremely thrilled that Hasbro took the time and effort and spent the money for this tooling to include here. They could have easily just given us the Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) action figure by itself without the display stand, but it wouldn’t have had the same effect, so please don’t take this for granted. Modeled after the real balcony seen in Attack Of The Clones, cherubs have been sculpted into the frame which perfectly accent the event going on around them. This was a testament of Anakin and Padmé’s love for each other, so having these symbols incorporated into the railing is just the perfect backdrop for both characters. Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony)’s bouquet has duality. While it obviously is used to be the handheld bouquet while exchanging vows, it can additionally be used to decorate the balcony railing too. In the stills from the film, a different type of plant was used, so it would have been awesome if Hasbro have us a completely different plant accessory to plug into the balcony railing, but we count our blessings that they thought about adding a hole to place the bouquet. We again have to utter what a fantastic action figure Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) is. She has exceeded all of our expectations.

Collector Notes

Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony)

Status: Padmé Amidala (Secret Ceremony) is an all-new figure.

Articulation Count: 5 points

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (inhibited movement), 2 swivel shoulders, 2 swivel elbows

Accessory Count: 2

Accessory Details: ceremonial bouquet, environmental display stand (Naboo balcony railing)

Date Stamp: 2003

Assortment Number: 84989/84861

UPC: 076930849897

Retail: $4.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.





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