Emperor Palpatine (Sith Master) - 1:6 Scale Figures

Through intricate planning and dazzling adaptability, the Sith Master Darth Sidious rose to the office of Supreme Chancellor, regarded by galactic citizens as an unwavering defender of the Republic in the grim days of the Clone Wars. Their trust and reverence granted him the power necessary to engineer the Clone Wars and manipulate the Jedi with the firm intent to destroy the Order and enslave the galaxy.

As the disguised Sith Master, Palpatine had many willing servants and aides. The greatest and most tragic of these is Anakin Skywalker, the accomplished young Jedi Knight. Luring him to the Dark Side with promises of power, Palpatine planted seeds of doubt and fostered Anakin's growing resentment of his suppressed status within the Jedi Order. Overwhelmed by fear and a hunger for power, Anakin becomes Darth Vader, the grim enforcer of Palpatine's will. Following his new master's dark orders, Darth Vader razed the Jedi temple, while Palpatine enacted Order 66, killing the many Jedi scattered across the galaxy fighting in the Clone Wars.

The next day Palpatine called for a special session of the Galactic Senate. Despite his growing disfigurement, he appeared before the assembled politicians of the Republic and gave a stirring speech of how he narrowly escaped a treacherous Jedi rebellion. He assured the people of the Republic that his resolve had not faltered and promised to eradicate corruption from the bloated bureaucracy, reform the government to form a new, more powerful, more secure institution. That day, before thunderous applause, Palpatine declared himself Emperor and took his seat on the Imperial Throne.

When Sideshow Collectibles finally announced they were going to finally release the Emperor as he appeared in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, 1:6 Scale Figure collectors started getting extra excited. And the reason for their extra excitement was born from the fact that they were making an accompanying Imperial Throne 1:6 Scale Environment to go along with it. This is something collectors have wanted even in the 3.75" Hasbro line, so to get it in this scale and of this quality made it extra special. Production delays on Emperor Palpatine would mean that his Imperial Throne would ship a full month prior to his availability, leaving collectors to display a very empty throne chair for a short period of time. But the wait was worth our while (for the most part). Emperor Palpatine is a very good 1:6 Scale Figure, but he is not without some issues. Most noticeably, he really doesn't look like the pictures shown on Sideshow's website which means that the figure changed some point in manufacturing. Emperor Palpatine is a very good 1:6 Scale Figure version of the character from Episode VI, but he is a little too fair in the skin complexion department. The good news is that the other aspects of him are extremely satisfying. Because Emperor Palpatine is a figure that was conceived after Sideshow introduced new and updated 1:6 Scale Figure body types into their line, he receives premium treatment and has been constructed using the awesome Prometheus body type. Light years better than the Art S. Buck figure type, the Prometheus more closely mimics the human form and the way it moves and the way it looks under clothing.

Emperor Palpatine's costume is completely perfect. His long textured robe is held closed by a real clasp that looks just like the one we saw in the film. Underneath the large and bulky robe is a finer set of clothing that looks a lot like linen. It has a very clean drape and is colored in a gray heather. There is also a tie sewn in the same material which can be used to bind the under layers close to the body. (See our photo gallery to see what we mean.) The figure is well proportioned and has a great silhouette when fully clothed, but Sideshow Collectibles has definitely made a mistake with the production figure. His portrait, while excellently sculpted, is way too light. Palpatine needs a much darker or grayer skin tone that would help to show his evil nature. There is a nice mix of layered colors in his face, but they just haven't been applied dark enough because the figure just looks a little too pale in our opinion. The teeth look awesome and totally scary and his brow has all the wrinkles it needs to show the his angst and hatred, but this is diminished by the lack of darker colors used to paint his face. Even the figure's hands are painted too lightly. This paint job may or may not be an issue for you, but we think it is lacking a little bit. But if you spend enough time to pose him with his hood up, enough shadow is cast on his face to darken things up a bit. Maybe this was Sideshow's intention. We absolutely love Emperor Palpatine's cane. It looks like a scaled replica to the prop in the film. It is knotted, wobbly and shiny and fits into his hand perfectly. You can even pose him hunched over to use the cane if desired and it looks just fantastic.

But perhaps the coolest thing about Emperor Palpatine is his Imperial Throne 1:6 Scale Environment we got a full month before him. He has been designed to perfectly fit in the chair (or vice versa). And the combination of the two pieces work together to faithfully replicate one of our most favorite Star Wars villains of all time. You can rest his hands on the armrest and rest Luke Skywalker's lightsaber hilt on the edge too. It look so incredibly awesome, it makes us hanker for a Premium Format Figure version of the Emperor and now that can't come soon enough for us. (Editor's Note: The Emperor Paplatine (On Imperial Throne) Premium Format Figure was released.) We are always of the opinion that paint jobs can make or break the final result of a figure. And we think that couldn't be more true here. We have an awesome 1:6 Scale Figure all around and if Sideshow Collectibles could have spent just a tad bit more time to make sure the paint job got perfected, well, there just wouldn’t be anything left to complain about here at all. Thankfully, Emperor Palpatine comes with multiple display options and if the light skin tone does bother you, you can show him with his hood up. (And to be honest, isn't this the "real" way you would want to display Emperor Palpatine anyway?) The exclusive accessory for this figure is an alternate portrait. It's not the most exciting accessory, but it again gives collectors more options. And collectors really like to have options with their figures, big or small. Emperor Palpatine is a great 1:6 Scale Figure and is part of the Lords Of The Sith line, a line that doesn't have too many additions, but is growing slowly but surely. It is nice to finally get the main bad guy in this line from the Original Trilogy. And Sideshow's execution of this figure makes it even more worthwhile.