LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship’s Padmé is disappointing

One of the minifigures in LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is impressively detailed – and one is a huge letdown.

Despite being greatly impressed by the attention to detail on Palpatine, Brick Fanatics‘ Matthew was let down by the Padmé minifigure that accompanies the Senator when he got his hands on LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship for a review. By comparison to the carefully printed lines and wrinkles on Palpatine, Padmé’s face is a blank and quite frankly boring canvas – but Matthew has a theory as to why.

In the past, Padmé has been instantly recognisable in sets like 9515 Malevolence and 75021 Republic Gunship by the distinctive mole on her left cheek, a mark that actress Natalie Portman has and that has even carried through into animated versions of Padmé.

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However, the head used in 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship appears to be the same head as that used for the Mighty Thor in sets like 76207 Attack on New Asgard. After all, Natalie Portman plays both of these characters, so it’s an easy and accurate leap to make…right?

Well, the only issue with this decision is that the Mighty Thor is designed to always wear her helmet. No hairpiece is included in the set so unless you want to pose her bald, she should be wearing a helmet that covers much of her face, therefore making an authentic mole entirely pointless. It works for the Mighty Thor in the LEGO Marvel sets, but over in the world of LEGO Star Wars, we’re left with a lacklustre Padmé that looks nothing like the character – or indeed anyone other than a miscellaneous woman.

“The cheek mole is the easiest way to make a Padmé minifigure look like Padmé,” points out Matthew. “Its inclusion would also have helped towards the LEGO Group’s goal of having more diverse and inclusive minifigures.”

This follows a frustrating trend in female minifigures where their identities are marked largely by, as Matthew notes, ‘some eyelashes and pouty lips’. Comparing this Padmé to the Palpatine included in the same set, he has far more definition around the chin, cheeks, and forehead to express his character and face shape, while Padmé is left rather expressionless.

You can watch Matthew’s full review via the embedded link below, ahead of LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship’s release on September 1, retailing for £129.99 / $139.99 / €149.99.

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