Figure of the Day: Day 427: Leia Organa with Bail Organa

Infant LEIA ORGANA with Bail Organa
Separation of the Twins Collection
Item No.: Asst. 87011 No. 87013
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, removable cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.24
Availability: November 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: After assisting the last of the Jedi in escaping the murderous rampages of the clone troopers, Bail Organa has a meeting with Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Faced with determining the fates of the newborn twins, Yoda instructs Obi-Wan to deliver Luke to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine, while Bail volunteers to adopt Leia and raise her with his wife on Alderaan. There she will be loved and cared for as one of their own. Obi-Wan and Yoda agree that allowing the trustworthy Senator Organa to care for the child is the best option for young Leia. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Revenge of the Sith Heroes & Villains shelf.

Commentary: So, what's the deal with Bail Organa and Leia Organa? Well, it's the same basic 2005 Bail figure, minus the display stand, but with a baby. We're treating this as one figure as Leia really is an accessory, and she's the same mold as Luke-- it really is amazing what a little paint can do. Bail is nicely done, with ball-jointed shoulders and knees plus a gun holster ensuring that this is a figure that has been well-designed. He's just kinda dull-- after all, a grey jumpsuit and a toga don't exactly scream "fun" at your average collector. The figure itself (and when sold by itself) wasn't too special, initially being a bit of a slow seller in many stores. The added bonus of a baby and new packaging made this a red-hot figure, especially at the low prices at which Wal-Mart was selling it. If you don't have Bail, get this one. If you do have Bail, this one is almost worth it just for the baby.

Many collectors will tell you this is an important release because of the scene on which it is based. It isn't-- it's just a figure that didn't sell well packaged with an infant. It's a nice figure, and a good infant, and it does have a golly-gee factor that made us excited to rebuy it in 2005... but to pay a premium for this release seems a little doofy to me. But hey, for five or seven bucks? I'd be lying if I said this wasn't an appealing release.

Collector's Notes: Depending on where you live, this was a really hard-to-get figure. It's being tweaked, repainted, and reissued as a Wal-Mart exclusive in 2007, but this "original" version seems to be the best version of Bail-with-a-baby... but this could change. This upcoming Twins comic 2-pack has both Obi-Wan and Bail Organa, but both figures have soft goods and the babies have been redecorated, meaning these versions from late 2005 will still be unique and, as the kids say, "collectible." The figurer came on unique hybrid ROTS/TSC packaging that, we must say, we very much dig.

Day 427: July 7, 2007