Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) - SW [S - P2] - Basic (’03 #04)

Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.

The beautiful Padmé Amidala is a member of the Galactic Senate who strives for a peaceful resolution to the civil strife plaguing the Republic. After narrowly escaping two assassination attempts linked to the expanding Separatist movement, Padmé seeks retreat under the protection of Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker. Soon, the heroic pair are lured to the heart of the Separatist stronghold, where cataclysmic events propel them into the midst of a deadly battle and the explosive onslaught of war.

Take it or leave it, but many of the figures in the Star Wars “Saga” line have incredibly dynamic sculpts. Articulation clearly isn’t everything because if Hasbro can make figures look this fantastic by dedicating the process of ensuring stature and proportions are exactly right, even if that means forgoing super-articulation, then there is little room for us to find fault with them. Take for instance Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase). It is one of the nicest figures in the the Star Wars “Saga” line unquestionably. But we are pretty certain that we wouldn’t want to see Hasbro adulterate its sculpt with a ton of ball-jointed points of articulation. Granted, Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) is an action feature is a relatively permanent action pose. But there is versatility thanks to a healthy 12 points of articulation worked into the sculpt that is seamless and good enough to attain various other subtle poses. Very scene-specific, Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) is a snapshot of a film cell from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. But that’s good enough for us because this is a splendid action figure.

The engineering that went into Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) is not something collectors should take for granted. She was definitely sculpted with an action pose in mind, but the sculptors have cleverly worked in the appropriate articulation so that she can stand in a much tamer static pose as well. The bonus accessory here is the environmental display stand, which is a portion of the conveyor belt as Padmé Amidala attempted to escape Geonosians in the droid production factory. You need it to place her in a running position, but honestly she looks even better with it so it’s no loss at all. She also comes with a beautifully sculpted cape that has been cast in a very bendable and almost rubbery like material. It has wonderful texture and in cast in a flyaway drape. It looks brilliant. She also comes with her petite blaster pistol and a functioning holster to house it when not pointing it an at enemy. Back to the conveyor belt accessory, it can be attached to other platforms in the Deluxe line. Hasbro definitely thought many things through to make figures from different sub-lines wonderfully interactive with each other. There is so much to take in and enjoy here.

Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) is perfectly proportionate and in scale. We understand if you’re not entirely crazy about her portrait, but as we’ve mentioned above, she is inspired from a very specific moment in Episode II. We have to let it go otherwise we wouldn’t be able to appreciate all of the greatness this action figure possesses. Again, she isn’t about being the greatest articulated action figure. She is a small work of art that has articulation. It’s nothing more and nothing less. With so many of the Star Wars “Saga” action figures sourced from Attack Of The Clones, it’s nice to know that Hasbro used the second phase of the line to update some of the characters that were introduced in the 2002 lineup. Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) is definitely one of our favorites in the entire Star Wars “Saga” collection. She is proof that excellence can be tabulated but the total sum of the parts and not a focus of what the action figure may be missing. She actually reminds us of a micro-version of a Star Wars Unleashed statuette: action oriented and beautifully sculpted. Padmé Amidala (Droid Factory Chase) should be a mission you’ll want to complete for your own personal collection.