Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) - EI - Portrait Edition (3 of 3)

This finely crafted Portrait Edition doll lets you savor the magic of a special Star Wars: Episode I movie moment. It is faithfully replicated and vividly brought to life through highly detailed sculpting, rich fabric attire and choice accessories.

Queen Amidala wears a red velvet robe adorned with embossed rosettes and golden triple-braided soutache. Her pleated undergown features woven iridescent taffeta and golden applique. Her exquisitely unique hairstyle is enhanced with matching tassels, headpiece, hairtips and hairbands.

In her Red Senate Gown Queen Amidala is a vision of majesty, benevolence and beauty.

Everything changed when it came to Star Wars collecting in 1999. The first new Star Wars movie in 16 years meant that the Star Wars toy line, affected by the audience, technology, and buying habits of longtime collectors, would never be the same. And Hasbro proved that to us with the edition of premium collector-focused sub-lines like the 1999 Portrait Edition collection. For years, Hasbro provided collectors with a rich and entertaining Collector Series/Action Collection line. Still, with the release of The Phantom Menace in theaters, they wanted to produce higher-quality collectible to engage a more sophisticated collector base. They did this through the Portrait Edition line. For the Episode I product line launch, they prepared three exquisitely styled 12 Inch Figures with premium mixed media and incredible on-screen likenesses. Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) (3 of 3) was one of the figures released, and it is an impressive effort by Hasbro. Unlike the Action Collection line, the costumes on the Portrait Edition dolls should not be removed. That's not the intention of these dolls. These are “display ready” and intended for adult collectors – the packaging advises as much. Based on a costume that had a shorter amount of screen time than others, Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) is a blessing to the Episode I line, and it still fits in well with the rest of the characters produced in the Action Collection lineup.

Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) is a beautifully designed collector doll. Hasbro mixed multiple types of fabrics, which in our opinion, must be based on the costumes from the film. Hasbro had access to true reference materials to recreate this costume so beautifully and realistically. The outer gown is a thick velveted outerwear type of garment. It’s plush and luxurious to the touch and has a "moleskin" feel to it. It has orange trim with orange piping along its perimeter that has a gold amoebic shape throughout it to provide texture and contour. The outer garment is a heavy fabric, so it has a natural flat drape that embodies the other gowns underneath as well as stays closed to hide the Queen’s body underneath. The next layer is an orange pleated dress. The pleats in the lower portion are quite rigid. But they provide structure to Queen Amidala’s outfit. We love the combination of fabrics here because they work remarkably well. The sides and back of the orange dress are not pleated and have a texture similar to silk. Hasbro adorned the dress in frilly gold strands, gathered together by a button-like ornament, and they provide a distraction from the rest of the gowns. Finally, underneath everything is a netted “slip” (for lack of a better word), and that is the last layer of clothing that the figure wears. The entire gown is finished off by two red shoes. The red and orange work together beautifully here.

The portrait of Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) is very nice. It’s a tad too doll-like, but it does resemble Natalie Portman well. The hairstyles that accompany the outfits are just as ornate, and this is true for this doll. Atop the figure’s head is a helmet of gold that provides support for the “arms” that extend left and right from it of MORE hair. These extensions of hair are supported with gold rings, and as they begin to bow down, they’re anchored by long ornamentations in the shape of tubes that provide extra weight. Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) has a very natural Asian vibe, both in appearance and in costume. It seems as if the inspiration for its design came from the cultures of the East and then worked into the Star Wars universe. Overall, Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) is a stunning addition for any Star Wars collection. You shouldn't ignore this collection of dolls so quickly because they’re stunningly made. The MSRP of this figure is shockingly high. Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) will set you back $49.99. Please remember that a lot went into producing this doll. And all of the materials required to produce it and so eloquently is not to be dismissed. We’re impressed that these were mass-produced in a factory in China, yet they all look beautiful and well made. It must have taken more time than we realize to produce them. We encourage you to consider the Queen Amidala (Red Senate Gown) (3 of 3) 1999 Portrait Edition figure for your collection. It’s beautiful!