Packaging - ***
It's the usual Premium Format box. There's only photos of the statue, none of the original character, which drops the score a bit for me.

But the pieces are packed tightly and safely in the interior foam, and there's no wasted space. I was surprised that they managed to get the quarter scale Crumb in there, and yet it was smaller than the usual PF box.

Sculpting - ***
This was a very, very tough call for me this time around. I waffled on it for some time before finally settling on *** stars.

Sideshow went for a different look here, and I have to give them credit for that. This is Leia after she's broken free, and getting ready to kick some serious ass. She's wielding a BD-1 Vibro-Axe, and is mighty pissed off. Jabba is going to end up sliced and diced when she finds him.

This is one of those situations where if I were grading only from the neck up, it would get one score, and if I were grading from the neck down, it would be a very different score. That's where the internal negotiations come in to play - and the three stars ended up a compromise between the excellent body work and the weak head sculpt.

The head sculpt is clean, but the likeness is off for me. The eyes are large, and they attempted to get an angry expression out of them, as well as the set of the jaw and mouth. I see where they were going with it...but they missed.

I do like the work on the hair, especially on the long pony tail down the back. The detail is reasonable, although it's not as good as what we're seeing some sixth scale companies producing.

From the neck down, I'm much happier. The proportions are excellent, and she's as beautiful in this version as I remember the original. She's hot without being over muscled - she doesn't (and shouldn't) look like a pilates instructor.

The sculpted sections of her costume are also very well done, including the bra and the front and back pieces of the skirt. They have a hand crafted metal appearance, adding to the realism.

The chain doesn't look quite right to me, although it really IS metal. I believe the original had copper wrapped on each link, but they attempted to simulate that by carving lines in each link. That throws off the color though, and doesn't really approximate the look as well as they'd intended.

I have an issue with PF's that lack a properly dynamic stance. For example, I suspect that the flat footed stance of the T-800 is going to disappoint me. But Leia has just enough 'action' in her pose to signal her intent without overdoing it.

She's also pretty well scaled to other quarter scale figures, standing just about 16 1/2" tall.

Another aspect of the sculpt that helps keep this score up is the vibro-axe. It looks excellent, with a nicely detailed sculpt and scale. The end of the axe is actually a separate piece that attaches with a sturdy metal rod. It only fits one way, so don't force it.

Paint - **1/2
I've said repeatedly for years that great paint can save a mediocre sculpt, and bad paint can ruin the greatest sculpt. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell if the sculpt underlying this paint job is really weak, or if the paint ops aren't strong enough to support it.

It's also true that with the absolutely amazing paint jobs coming from companies like Hot Toys and Enterbay, our expectations for realistic human eyes, lips, eyebrows and other features has risen considerably.

The work here isn't at that level, and I think that it's going to need to get there. The eyes are straight, both looking in the same direction, but a bit blood shot from paint bleeding into the white. The catchlights are present, something sure to disappoint some folks, and the lips are a little uneven. In photos, the thatched hairline might look a little odd, but in person it works pretty well.

On the body, the skin tone is clean and neat, but the copper/brass sections have some poor cut lines. The edges of the bra and the arm bands show slop along these cut lines, hurting the appearance a bit.

The vibro-axe looks great though, with a worn metallic appearance created by the paint.

Articulation - Bupkis
As you'd expect with the modern Premium Format figure, she's just a statue. Some past PF's have actually included articulation, so this is worth noting, but it won't effect my overall score.

Accessories - ***1/2
Remember, I'm talking the exclusive here, so she actually does have an 'accessory'. The regular does not, and would get a big Bupkis in this category.

Usually, the exclusive extra with a Premium Format statue is pretty weak. Sometimes they are an extra head, giving you two looks, but more often than not they aren't worth the extra money.

But this time you get a whole 'nother statue! It's a quarter scale version of Salacious Crumb, done up with a very detailed sculpt and excellent paint ops. He's actually three pieces - the main body, the 'pillow' display base, and his tail. They three pieces fit together easily, and look seamless once connected.

This is one of the better exclusive PF extras we've gotten, and it's actually worth the extra $25. Now I want a *gasp* quarter scale Jabba!

Outfit - ***
Most of her outfit is sculpted, which I discussed in the previous sections. However, the front and back of her 'skirt' are cloth. They are made from a very thin material, and include a wire along the side and bottom edges to allow you to pose the front and back of the skirt as you'd like. That's a nice touch, and really helps get just the right look.

There is one other section of the outfit that's not sculpted - the straps for the bra.

Value - **
At $250, the regular is about $50 too much. While she's more attractive than I expected from early photos (and in person, she's better looking than my photos can communicate as well), but she's not complex enough to warrant the high price tag.

I will say though that the Crumb exclusive extra is well worth the $25 you have to pay over the regular price.

Things To Watch Out For - 
Always take care when attaching the pieces. There's a metal post for Leia's foot to attach to the base, one for Salacious' tail, and one that atttachs the two pieces of the axe together. These metal posts are very sturdy, but much harder than the polyresin they are being inserted in to, and therefore, they can damage it.

Overall - ***
If I were to only consider one aspect of this Premium Format figure for this Overall score - the head sculpt's accuracy - Slave Leia would drop a half to even a whole star here. She's better than she appears in photos, but for me, the first ANH Leia PF is superior.

But when I look at a product, I consider it in its entirety. The sculpting of the outfit, the excellent pose and vibro-axe, and the addition of the Salacious Crumb all bring her back up to a reasonable place. Even with these things, she's not going to crack into my top ten favorite Sideshow PF's, but she's going to look good on the display shelf.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - **1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy -
Options include:

- the regular and exclusive versions were originally available at Sideshow, but both are currently on Waitlist.

- Alter Ego Comics has the regular version for $225.

- Corner Store Comics also has her at $225.

- for the UK collectors, Forbidden Planet has her at 195 GBP.

- or you can peruse ebay looking for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Star Wars Premium Format figures include Boba Fett, Darth Vader, ANH Leia, ANH Obi-Wan, and Han Solo.

Discussion:
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