"Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, fly boy"
Two of the most iconic looks from Star Wars A New Hope were the original costumes of Luke and Leia as worn for the majority of the film. In the Star Wars Black Series, these figures had been previously released in 2016 with the outfits relying on a majority of soft goods to recreate the on-screen looks. While these two figures had some tweaks along the way, including a revised head sculpt for Leia and face print tech for Luke, they still felt outdated vs the current output of the Black Series.
Wave 20 of the Galaxy Collection was released in late 2024 and within it were fully revisited figures of Farmboy Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa from A New Hope. This time round the figures were rebuilt without any soft goods, using sculpted clothing. Both Luke and Leia were part of the wider Galaxy Collection for a New Hope and used the established orange accent colour on the newer format squared-off box with artwork to the right-hand side that connects to a wider montage. Leia is number 08, and her artwork follows on from the deluxe Mowaw Nadon from earlier the same year.
The other side connects to Luke who is number 09. The newer boxes have updated the figure backing card to one using the same accent colour and a background image. Leia’s backing card features a background of the innards of the Tantive IV where she prepares her message and gives it to R2.
Princess Leia is recreated in the flowing white dress she wears for the majority of her scenes in A New Hope. This is almost an entirely new figure, but if you peek under the lower skirt the legs are carried forward from the older 2016 figure but now coloured in white rather than flesh-toned. The robes are all cast in white with the only paintwork on the costume focused around the silver detail of her belt that sits as part of the lower skirt piece. The proportions and flow of Leia’s costume are excellent and a marked improvement on the older soft goods figure.
vs 2016/7 Original Release (right)
The head sculpt is new and a strong representation of Carrie Fisher. It is on par with some of the best Leia likenesses we’ve had so far, particularly the Hoth & Bespin figures. The main hair is sculpted as part of the head and then painted which does leave a very minor unpainted edge where the hair meets Leia’s forehead. The side buns are additional parts, fixed into place to complete the likeness.
You can choose to have Leia displayed with the hood of her dress up or down. This is achieved by including two individual hood pieces - one that lies flat down the back of the figure, and the second to replace it to frame the head. You can only change these by popping off the head and then positioning the relevant hood piece. The raised hood is a bit trickier to engage as the head has to be placed within the hood before connecting it back onto the neck peg.
Leia features two further accessories, both blasters. The first is her Defender Sporting Blaster Pistol, her weapon on the Tantive IV. This is the same accessory as the original releases, cast in black with limited detail. It fits snugly into Leia’s right hand. The other accessory is the E-11 Blaster Rifle she uses as they escape from the Death Star. This is the newer version of the E-11, and like the original figure,e it is too large to fit accurately into Leia’s hand - ideally a second right hand to use this blaster should have been included.
The trade-off with sculpted robes and dresses is the reduction in overall articulation. Leia has 19 points of articulation with the upper torso entirely pin-less, but the lower legs feature double-jointed pinned knees having originated with the older release. The arms are expressive thanks to the butterfly shoulders and Leia can easily hold and wield both blasters or gesture or clasp her hands together. The legs are extensive in their movement options too but held in check by the skirt piece. While the skirt it split at either side to open up some wider stances, Leia will not be kneeling or sitting.
Leia, like Luke from the same wave, showcases exactly what the Black Series is capable of when the soft goods use is abandoned or at the least restricted and supported by sculpted components. Leia is a huge improvement on the older release both in likeness to Carrie Fisher at the time of A New Hope, and in recreating the costume. The ability to display the hood up or down is well-engineered, and the articulation works with the body to support posing - although the lack of kneeling does prevent a true recreation of her kneeling to load her message to R2-D2.
Death Star Plans not included
The accessories are as to be expected, but considering the E-11 doesn’t quite fit in her hand I might have liked to have seen this swapped out for the Death Star plans which already exist in the line. Here’s to further revisits on these older characters and in particular an updated New Hope Han Solo to accompany Luke & Leia.
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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...