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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Princess Leia - Bespin
Star Wars sixth scale action figure

Hot Toys
Date Published: 2020-02-17
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Introduction

Hot Toys has done a nice job giving us the big three from the Original Trilogy - Luke, Han, and Leia. They have had a variety of releases, showing off some of their more iconic costumes, and all done with Hot Toys quality.

The latest in the series is Bespin Leia, wearing her outfit from Cloud City, a perfect companion for your Lando Calrissian. She just started shipping in the U.S. over the last few weeks, and will run you around $205 or so, depending on the retailer.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Packaging - ***1/2
The standard shoe box is spiced up a bit with a cigar band style wrapper on the lid. They also used quite a bit of plastic to ensure the body and clothing stayed separate, avoiding staining, and I was particularly impressed with the packing of the Cloud City backdrop, done in a very collector friendly manner.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Sculpting - ***1/2
Leia is a character that Hot Toys has had far more hits than misses, particularly in this category. Their portraits of her are usually spot on.

The realism is out of this world, once again. The finely sculpted and cut hair looks amazing, and the addition of the soft rubber pieces in front of the ears adds even more to the overall life-like appearance.  The soft, subtle skin texture on the face and lips is excellent as well, and this is one of those portraits that is so realistic, you can get lost in that realism.

If you do, you might not notice that it's not their best Leia in terms of accuracy.  It's the nose - compare her to their work on Hoth Leia for example, and you'll see what I mean. It's a little too thin here, with no roundness to the tip.

The expression works well though, having some life without being too benign. She's not excited, but she's not a zombie either, and considering the most likely poses you'll go with, this expression probably affords the most variety.

There is one quality nit that bugs me. There's a seam running from ear to ear, and it's pretty easy to see. It's not terrible, but considering the quality we expect from Hot Toys, this sort of manufacturing mark can be disappointing. I have a photo that highlights it later in the review.

She stands just over 10 1/2" tall in her flats, and should fit in fine scale-wise with the rest of the series.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Paint - ****
While I might have a couple nits on the sculpt, there's no issue for me with the paint work whatsoever.

The hair line is critical, since the tightly sculpted hair is pulled back away from the forehead. There's a subtle transition, and even a few small hairs on the forehead itself are painted perfectly. The skin tone is slightly freckled, adding a ton of realism, and the eyes are glassy and reflective. Even the make up is subtle, just enough to match her appearance on screen, but done with a light touch.

There's a smidge of bleed into the eye whites, and I'm never a fan of the black 'lip line', but even these two nits are so minor I didn't deduct anything from the score.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Articulation - ****
While this isn't a figure you'll do wild poses with, you can be assured you could, if you so desired.

There's a ton of articulation, and the clothing does not restrict it in any severe way.  In the photo below, there is nothing but her right leg supporting her - no stand or tricks. I was able to get her center of balance over the one foot fairly easily, and the joints were tight enough (including the ankle) to support her full weight.

There's also a wire in several spots around the outer cloak, although I'm going to be complaining about that in the Outfit section shortly.

I wanted to make a special note on the ankles, highlighting a technique I've seen used occasionally but I usually forget to mention. You'll notice that the left foot in the photo below is bent quite far back, something that is usually quite difficult to do. However, they've used a nifty trick to create more backward movement in the foot - the ankle post does not go straight down into the center of the foot, but rather it angles forward toward the toes. Now when you bend the foot back, the ankle joint is actually straight, and the heel moves along the back of the leg without pushing up against the calf.  There's a downside naturally, since it does inhibit some of the rocker movement, but you'll have to decide if the trade off is worth it.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Accessories - **
Sadly, this is where poor Leia takes a pretty big hit.

She comes with two extra hands to go with the relaxed set she comes wearing. This extra set are slight grips. There's a couple extra wrist pegs, just in case.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

She has the standard Hot Toys Star Wars display stand too, with her name on the front. There's a Cloud City floor piece you can place on top of the standard base, and there is a large Cloud City backdrop. This backdrop is made from Styrofoam, a step up from the cardboard backdrops they've been using for awhile now.  It attaches to the back of the stand via a magnet. Don't get too excited - it's still way too narrow to look really good, but it's an improvement over the rinky dink cardboard ones.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Outfit - ***
I'm a bit torn on this outfit - it's very beautiful, and the overall quality is excellent. But getting it to lay flat and smooth is harder than it really needed to be.

The inner pants, shirt, and belt look great, and the tailoring is exquisite all around. The materials are high quality, and the stitching is tight and clean.  The outer robe has a very pretty pattern, which runs the full length.

But this outer robe also has the wires I mentioned earlier. There's several, but the one along the bottom edge and running up the front edge are the two that I find most unnecessary. What, you say? Aren't I always complaining when they don't have a wire, and happy when they do?

Well, no, not when the wire isn't particularly useful, and actually creates more issues than it solves. This isn't a character where you'll be doing a lot of extreme dynamic poses, where the robe should be flipping out or up in a dramatic way. She's going to be standing on the shelf in a very static manner, and the wires actually make it harder to get a natural flow in the robe. Right out of the box, you'll have a lot of wrinkles caused by however they were packed into the tray, and there's no doubt I'll need to iron or steam this robe before she actually stands in the display.

Had they simply skipped the majority of the wires (the one around the collar is fine) and used a heavier material, the roe would have hung much more naturally around her body.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Fun Factor - ***
While you probably won't go nuts with the poses,you do have a number of good choices with displaying this figure with other characters, and in combination you should have a lot of fun creating various diorama scenes.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Value - **1/2
Fortunately, this figure is not the normal $220 we've seen with most Hot Toys. In fact, we're seeing more and more creep back up into the $250 range, often with little to show for the extra cost.

But at $205, Leia is more in line with my expectations. She doesn't have a ton of extras, but she does have a fairly complex costume and the new style diorama backdrop, both of which bring the price more in line.

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Things to Watch Out For -
When unpacking the figure, notice that the second plastic bag around her lower face is between the jaw and the hair extension, keeping them from touching. Don't just pull it off rapidly, as it could damage those extensions.

Overall - ***1/2
I had a few issues with this figure, but none of them were extreme. While it's a very realistic, pretty portrait, I don't think it's the most accurate Leia they've released. The costume is beautiful as well, but could have been designed to hang more naturally. And while I like the new diorama backdrop much better than the cardboard versions, it's still quite narrow.

But the realism of the sculpt is excellent, and the paint is outstanding. While there aren't a ton of extras, they priced it more in line with this lighter assortment, something they don't always do. While it may not be my favorite Leia - that remains Hoth Leia - it is still a terrific edition to the display.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - **
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has her for $205.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other great Hot Toys Leias include Hoth Leia and New Hope Leia.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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Princess Leia Bespin Star Wars sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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