New LEGO Star Wars Princess Leia takes one step forward, two steps back
LEGO Star Wars fans are picking up on an awkward but no less valid criticism of the updated Princess Leia minifigure included in the UCS Sail Barge.
Following the reveal of LEGO Star Wars 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge, some LEGO Star Wars fans have noticed an update to Leia’s minifigure design that we’d normally welcome. Princess Leia now has dual-moulded legs, a rarity in the LEGO Star Wars theme – but the end effect isn’t as impressive as you might hope.
The character is based on Leia’s look while being held prisoner by Jabba the Hutt, the iconic gold bikini that became a symbol for the character. Alongside the metallic bikini, Leia also wears a draped skirt that leaves the sides of her legs exposed – an element of the outfit that has unfortunately been missed in the LEGO version.
“It may technically be a type of skirt, but the new Leia figure has a way more conventional skirt look than the proper screen-accurate loincloth or draped curtain look,” points out DaSecretPower on reddit. Another redditor on the same thread, DrunkenMasterII, agreed: “[Leia in 4480 Jabba’s Palace] looks more like what she has in the movie. With the sides red, it looks like shorts or a full skirt.”
Therein lies the issue. While however much skin a minifigure might be baring is not a concern we ever thought we’d be discussing, the updated Leia minifigure with dual-moulded legs is just not as accurate as ones that came earlier.
In a set primarily geared towards adult collectors as this UCS set with a price of £429.99 / $499.99 / €499.99, accuracy surely has to be one of the primary concerns. It’s certainly one that fans care about – and rightly so, when parting with so much of their hard-earned cash.
It’s pretty ironic that we even need to point this out. After all, dual-moulded legs are a rarity in LEGO Star Wars. We’d love to be able to welcome dual-moulding with open arms and probably would do – if it was used for virtually any other appropriate character.
As it stands, Leia is left with a look that’s closer to if she were wearing a traditional skirt or perhaps a pair of basketball shorts. With how iconic Huttslayer Leia’s gold bikini look is, it feels especially galling. It’s the moment where Leia saves herself, rather than needing to be saved by others. It’s a powerful moment where she’s fighting just as hard and well as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, holding her own in an era where strong women were not the norm in movies.
You can see why the LEGO Group went down this route, with Star Wars firmly in its Disney era. Plus, it’s not all bad. The back of the legs of the minifigure are a marked improvement, with the dual-moulding from behind looking much like the draped skirt folds did on screen, rather than entirely bare legs as in 75020 Jabba’s Sail Barge.
Some fans aren’t bothered about the skirt-looking legs either – although the negative opinions are admittedly much louder.
“The Leia minifigure is gonna make it hard for folks to pass up because they just don’t depict her in that costume much at all these days,” commented kazuma001 on the same reddit discussion as above. Judging from the 23 upvotes and other users adding that they’d be prepared to pay secondhand prices just to get the new minifigure, the dual-moulding is not a deal breaker for everyone.
However you feel about Huttslayer Leia’s new look, the character isn’t going to be readily accessible any time soon. 75020 Jabba’s Sail Barge’s Leia averages £74.95 on BrickLink, while the 2024 update is soon to be locked to a set priced over £400.
So long as the design for the Princess Leia minifigure hasn’t put you off, 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge is available to buy from October 3 for LEGO Insiders and October 6 for everyone else, priced at £429.99 in the UK, $499.99 in the US, and €499.99 in Europe.
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