Princess Leia Organa (Hoth) - Mini Busts

Seeking refuge from the Empire, Princess Leia Organa and the Rebel Alliance establish a secret outpost on the frozen world of Hoth. When Imperial forces discover the Rebel base, Leia escapes danger and flees with C-3PO, Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon.

It took long enough for Gentle Giant Ltd. to produce characters from The Empire Strikes Back in the Mini Bust line, didn’t it? But now Princess Leia Organa (Hoth) gets released alongside a complimentary Princess Leia Organa (Mynock Hunt) inspired Mini Bust (they’re almost identical except fro a few key features). As with any human likenesses in the Mini Bust line, Gentle Giant Ltd. has some difficulty in nailing exactness, but Princess Leia Organa (Hoth) is an admirable try that succeeds everywhere but the portrait. The costume, her shape and the silhouette her clothing casts against her frame is excellent. And we would be remiss to not mention that her hairstyle is nearly flawless as well. It’s just her likeness in the face that’s off a little. Limited to 1750 pieces, both this Mini Bust and the Princess Leia Organa (Mynock Hunt) Mini Bust (limited to 1550 units) are long-awaited additions to the Mini Bust line. We have to admit it’s great to get so much Episode V love lately.

There is some artistic license taken with this piece. Princess Leia wasn’t wielding a blaster in this outfit in The Empire Strikes Back. Likewise, she wasn’t holding a blaster in the “mynock hunt” scene either. We would have preferred to see her without any weaponry in her hands, but many collectors feel that a Mini Bust is a little too boring without the character holding a gun. We are pro-authenticity ourselves, so we would have to echo those sentiment too. But if you can look past this small error, you’ll find that Gentle Giant Ltd. did a very fine job on Princess Leia Organa (Hoth). She is definitely in an action stance, but she looks a bit startled (which is perfect for the Princess Leia Organa (Mynock Hunt) variation). She seemed a little more confident in Episode V, but we’re honestly nitpicking here. You have to give Gentle Giant credit for mastering her outfit. Look at the waffle patterns for example. It’s flawless. And the pale, off-white coloring is perfect too.

Princess Leia Organa (Hoth) is the standard release while Princess Leia Organa (Mynock Hunt) is the Previews Exclusive. But since their respective edition sizes are almost identical to each other, you likely won’t have difficulty acquire both for your collections. “Previews Exclusive” is a little misleading anyhow because any retailer or online store who has an account with Diamond Select has access to these said exclusives. (If you recall, this is why many Hasbro exclusives could be found in malls across America.) Obviously the Princess Leia Organa (Hoth) Mini Bust isn’t earthshattering. It’s a decent effort, but if you asked us which one is better (the “Mynock Hunt” version or the “Hoth” version), we would have to be honest and say the “Mynock Hunt” version is done better, and that’s because the gas mask covers up a big portion of her face. That may sound terrible, but until more effort is given to make incredible likenesses, Gentle Giant Ltd. may have to accept and endure the criticism so it will act as a catalyst for them to seek improvement in this area.