Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) - Lords Of The Sith - 1:6 Scale Figures

Darth Sidious is a diabolical Sith genius, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen. Through deceptive arts and subtle maneuvering, the Sith Lord has quietly engineered a grand scheme to steal rule of the galaxy right out from under the noses of the Jedi, the supposed protectors of peace and stability in the Republic. While they remain blissfully oblivious to his machinations, and indeed, unaware even of his existence, the cloaked Sith Lord carefully and patiently maneuvers the pieces of his grand game into position, each phase in the master strategy meticulously crafted in advance.

Among the evil mastermind's pawns, Sidious has recruited the power-hungry leadership of the Trade Federation. Lord Sidious has become a shadowy council to the Neimoidian inner circle at the head of the Federation. Ambitious and vain, Viceroy Nute Gunray, has become frustrated with the restrictive Republic bureaucracy and their taxation that stymies the commercial giant's ability to rake profit in the Outer Rim. Goaded into a rash and uncharacteristically aggressive action by their secret benefactor, Gunray and his settlement officer, Rune Haako, intend to force the issue by imposing a blockade of the small and peaceful world of Naboo.

Cowardly and skittish by nature, the Neimoidians require constant direction to prevent them from mishandling the blockade and invasion, and to permit the Sith's true purpose to play out according to plan. Sidious gives the Viceroy a prestigious and expensive mechno-throne and a mobile Sith holoprojector, a mechno-chair, each equipped with a remarkable Sith hyper-wave transceiver that permits secret conversation over the vast distances of the galaxy. Gunray foolishly accepts these gifts as his due, a boon reflective of his status, though the true purpose of the secure communications devices and their holographic projectors is to permit Sidious to better direct and control the actions of his weak-willed minions.

For 2007’s San Diego Comic Con exclusive, Sideshow Collectibles got a little more clever. Instead of a standard 1:6 Scale Figure release, they thought outside of the box to release what can be interpreted as more of an accessory than a 12-inch figure. The Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) is a “thing” Star Wars fans have wanted for a very long time, and Sideshow Collectibles is the first licensee to deliver it in collectible format to the Star Wars collecting community. It looks great, but it lacks in quality somewhat. Constructed out of what we consider a weaker form of plastic, it doesn’t appear it will possess enough ruggedness to last throughout the years, that is of course, if you overwork the joints and bring them to the breakage point. As a display piece this set is gorgeous. It’s priced right at less than $40 and it has an electronic feature that should last over time providing it’s treated with care and also not overused.

Holographic Darth Sidious is a well-designed sculpt. Unlike what Hasbro can do for their own holographic figures, Sideshow Collectibles is able to texturize these characters with multiple colors to recreate the differing levels of color from the various frequencies of the holographic transmission (or whatever causes that) since they make these figure in a much larger scale. More detail gets translated better of bigger things, and the Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) perfectly exemplifies how easily and with great impact it can be done. When fully assembled, Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) has a tall stature, but it isn’t nearly as tall as the regular 1:6 Scale Figures in Sideshow Collectible multiple lineups. Yet is still is proportionate to these other characters. Sideshow Collectibles doesn’t seem to release the characters in the 1:6 Scale Figures line with any rhyme or reason, but their rhythm is good and they quickly get out characters from many different backgrounds and introduce unique items to hint at where they’re going. Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) definitely helps embrace this line of thought.

One feature we must talk about with the Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) figure is that it comes with a light-up feature. It doesn’t work all that well, but it does give enough illumination to make the inclusion of it worthwhile. Released as 2007’s San Diego Comic Con exclusive, Sideshow Collectibles ensured that all collectors of the 1:6 Scale Figures line had an opportunity to purchase this item, whether they were attendees or not. With an edition size of 5000 pieces, Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) will undoubtedly be around for ages to come. It seems that about 2500 pieces (aside from really popular Star Wars characters) is about the going number to accommodate collectors of this line. This may not be a necessary purchase for your Sideshow Collectibles collection, but it is definitely unique and provides a truly special take on what can be brought into this scale. Holographic Darth Sidious (With Mechno-Chair) is a good collectible, it just isn’t fantastic. Unless we get more figures to complement it who are also from Episode I, you may want to question why Sideshow Collectibles even attempted such a thing in the first place.