“But these are my friends. Threepio, tell them they must be set free”
Princess Leia, as seen in the Ewok Village scenes during Return of the Jedi, was released in the Star Wars Black Series in 2022 as part of the Galaxy Collection Wave 8. The Wave was predominantly focused on Kenobi but as well as Leia it also included single releases for A New Hope and The Mandalorian. Leia is number 09 in the Return of the Jedi collection and utilises a window box with green trim and artwork. She sits between Bib Fortuna and Chewbacca from Jabba’s Palace.
Ewok Village Leia is wearing the simple dress she is provided by the Ewoks when they take her to their village. This is executed as an upper torso in light olive green with sculpted tied strings at the front. The exposed section of the neck and chest are painted over in flesh, but neatly with no issues on paint bleed or unpainted edges. The arms use the same green colour for the top then translated to white sleeves down through the elbow joint and to the flesh cast hands. The legs are also skin-toned and finished in simple green-tied sandals. They are covered with a skirt section in a softer plastic attached at the waist. Like the torso it features sculpted detail - this time a sash-tied belt - but no further paint apps.
The head sculpt is a new serious look for Leia with lips that are pursed and a focused intense expression, like the recent head sculpts for Hoth Leia, Bespon Leia, and Boussh Leia the likeness is excellent and enhanced with face print technology. The hair is sculpted into the head at the front fringe and painted - again neatly - with the longer plaited hair an added piece plugged into the rear of the head. The hair probably features the most paint apps of the entire figure with light brown ties painted across the tied front sections. The hair is shaped to flow over the shoulders and this does have a small impact on articulation.
Articulation is relatively basic with 16 points in total and none of the newer joints. Leia is devoid of butterfly shoulders but still has good arm movement with elbow joints also well disguised into the folds of her sleeves. The head is a single ball joint, not a dual joint neck and this is probably for the best so not to add an open joint in what is an exposed neck and upper torso section. Legs are held back a little by the skirt but still feature the usual hip, thigh, knee, and ankle joints. The ankles are the most problematic of the joints as they do not feature any substantial ratchet and arrive quite loose meaning Leia is a difficult figure to retain standing without a stand.
In the scenes of the Ewok Village, Leia had no weapons or accessories that would make scene-specific sense to include in the set. Hasbro has therefore been creative and thrown in the Ewok spear originally packed with Teebo - a potential nod to the POTF2 two-pack release which also featured a spear although that was for Wicket - and the slim blaster she uses in A New Hope. The latter makes little sense as that weapon was no longer used by Leia by the time of Return of the Jedi. It originates with ANH Leia and is a slim black weapon with a painted silver end to the barrel. It fits fine in the hand with a trigger finger option to hold it in place.
We are at a point in the Star Wars Black Series where the main Original Trilogy character releases are either updates to older figures or are reaching more limited scene-specific looks as seen also with the recent release of Chewbacca from Jabba’s Palace. There is no problem with that and it has been a staple of any Star Wars line for years. This particular look for Leia is not as iconic as perhaps the Bespin Gown which many are clamoring for, and therefore while well made and finished it does not appear to be overly desired by collectors with good availability some 2 years after release at up to 50% off. This is a shame as the figure features another wonderful Carrie Fisher likeness and an outfit design that is one wash away from looking stunning. The accessory choices could have been better, perhaps something more diorama released to the Ewok village like the cub in a basket?
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
ning. The accessory choices could have been better, perhaps something more diorama released to the Ewok village like the cub in a basket?
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