Emperor Palpatine - ROTS - Basic (III 12)

The Supreme Chancellor expands his power and controls the Galactic Senate. As the Clone Wars rage, he sets into motion the final part of his plan to rule the galaxy and destroy the Jedi.

The Revenge Of The Sith toy line came out a month before the film hit theaters. But by the time fans could see the film, they were busy trying to figure out why Palatine had so many looks represented in the various basic and Deluxe figures Hasbro released in April 2005. Did Emperor Palpatine really have a “quick change” appearance that made him go from good to evil? Did he have the option to switch back and forth? Did he really go through a metamorphosis? Was he injured? Was he dead then brought back to life? The questions really didn’t end until we saw the film and only then did we realize that the newly hailed Emperor Palpatine was injured and permanently disfigured by his Force lightning, directed and Mace Windu, but deflected back by way of Mace’s lightsaber. If Hasbro had known the plot a bit more, perhaps they could have released the Palpatine figures they made in a little bit of a chronological (and much more accurate) order. Heck, maybe they wouldn’t have released that bizarre Deluxe figure either, but we digress.

Emperor Palpatine isn’t the greatest action figure in the Revenge Of The Sith line. (Is that a nicer way of saying that it’s not very good?) What is most frustrating about it however is that it has some really good points that are completely lost in an action figure that serves the collector more accurately as a statue than anything else. Emperor Palpatine only comes with eight points of articulation. Hasbro interestingly decided to waist ball-jointed articulation in the neck of this figure and it’s something we just don’t understand. He also comes with ball-jointed shoulders, but other than that, there isn’t much more in the form of premium articulation. As a Collection 1 figure, Hasbro has decided to work in an action feature into the figure’s right arm. They have added a spring for a “pull and release” feature that “fires” two different projectiles: “Force lightning” and “Force push” effects. This of course is annoying for the purist collectors, but we assume some kids will take joy in playing with this feature. Emperor Palpatine also comes with a red lightsaber that he can hold very nicely in his left hand.

Hasbro has sculpted Emperor Palpatine’s hood so that it is completely removable. This is a very nice feature. When you remove the hood completely, you’ll find a well sculpted and very well painted head sculpt. The sculptors did a great job in recreating Emperor Palpatine’s injured likeness and there there are evident signs of burn and disfigurement worked in an ironically beautiful pattern on the head. Hasbro has also been careful to match his hands to the color they painted his head. Palpatine also comes with a swivel waist which is pretty much rendered useless due to the inherent design of the outer robes two separately sculpted feet swivel back in forth to help you attain an even center of gravity. The outer robe, with some force, seems that it could be removable, but when we tried we thought we were going to tear it, so we stopped. You can risk damaging your own if you wish. Emperor Palpatine is decent, but if you’re bothered by action features, you’re not going to find favor with this action figure. Until Hasbro makes a new one, this one will have to do sadly.