Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,319: Padmé Amidala (The Vintage Collection)

PADME AMIDALA That white outfit, before it gets torn
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. G2611 No. G2612
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #383
Includes: Two blasters, cape
Action Feature: Blaster goes in holster
Retail: $19.99
Availability: January 2026
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: The brave Padme Amidala fought for peace as Senator of Naboo - but her forbidden marriage to Anakin Skywalker would prove to have dire consequences for the galaxy. (Taken from the figure's cardback, spoiling the picture.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: The $19.99 figure price point does sting a bit, but when Hasbro makes actual all-new figures you can sometimes say "yeah, I can see it." If you compare this 2026 Padme Amidala to the ripped-shirt version from 2002 ($4.99) or the "Droid Factory" version from 2003, which also had the cape, you can see some real changes. The figures in 2002 and 2003 employed 3D scanned likenesses in the product development, with more realistic proportions and face sculpts that looked eerily similar to the real people. Paint hadn't yet caught up, but it was a radical departure from the 1990s where Kenner and Hasbro could capture personality and character, but the likenesses had a ways to go. Those 2002 and 2003 figures started to add articulation, but they were usually still given the same shoulder, neck, and hip swivels as Kenner's originals from 1978-1985.

I bring up the 2002/2003 figures because those things are almost as much of a dinosaur in 2006 as Kenner's original figures were in 2002. We've seen steady improvements in most figure likenesses, and Hasbro has delivered a Natalie Portman likeness that's about the size of a couple of peas with slightly exaggerated deco so real it seems to spit in the eye of life itself. And of course, in 20 years, we'll call this figure garbage because Hasbro will invent something even better. Padme's wig is separately molded, perfectly placed, and a consistent brown. Her eyes glisten a bit, Hasbro gave her a little much eye make-up - but at this size, it helps the peepers pop. The lips are painted pink, and Hasbro even put the smallest, intentional dot on her check for Ms. Portman's mole. Her eyebrows are also excellent. Sure, she's not screaming like the 2003 figure but it's realistic almost to a fault. The 2023 The Retro Collection figure was also very good in its restraint. This figure has none. I'd love to say something snarky here about how the head sculpt somehow doesn't seem worth the $16.99 it was designed at, or the $19.99 it costs because politics. But I can't. It's really something, and it's a shame our eyes are degrading with age so it's harder to appreciate.

And that's just the head. The body feels like it keeps the same basic outfit we've gotten over and over and over, with more articulation. The figure improves on the 2013 The Black Series 3 3/4-inch Padme with Nexu rips [FOTD #3,281], which was also amazing and very similar. I assume Hasbro has been trying to find new ways to make the same basic joints better, and has. The hips swing forward all the way without the belt getting in the way. The knees have a little bit of an overhang, hiding the ring joints. The ankles rock. Her wrists swivel, and her waist joint pivots just behind her belt. The jointing is a massive improvement, better than we'll likely ever need given most previous figures were good enough. But it's the very best, so far at least.

She has two blasters. The small one fits in her holster, the big one doesn't. She can hold it with no real problems. The cape's texture looks incredible, and being plastic it hangs nicely. It limits the poses you as a fan can do in your dioramas, and if I really felt like there were a ton of Attack of the Clones Tatooine dioramas being built that would matter. I assume this figure will mostly stand around on a shelf in a row with other figures, or maybe stay carded. In that respect, it's perfect. The sculptor nailed it, and should be asked to do more plastic versions of cloth things that hang off a figure in the future.

Could the accessories be better? Sure. I'd love them to have included her deleted scene hat/cloak parts, especially given that Qimir got a few more parts in his figure. Most of Padme is molded in color, so the deco budget has got to be lower here - but Hasbro did paint teh blaster grips. That's nice. This is a pretty great example of Hasbro's evolving an action figure from "a thing a kid can afford and play with" to "a collectible for adults to nitpick, photograph, and in some cases store in a box in a storage unit." She's a technical marvel, and like a lot of the women in The Vintage Collection feels like another figure that I could tell you may be one of Hasbro's very best. Most figures are "fine," and this one only gets more and more impressive as you compare her to other previous releases.

Prequel fans or fans of impressive action figures, get one. It exceeds expectations, and is somewhat eerie. Also, Hasbro has shown us just how well they can do a human face now. It makes a few classic figures from last year, like Han and Obi-Wan, look a little worse by comparison. Maybe it's just that her face is more conducive to being reduced in size and cast in plastic, but Hasbro did a great job and I am excited to see what we'll see at Toy Fair this weekend.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,319: February 12, 2026