Jedi Vs Darth Sidious - TLC - Battle Packs

Here, in a lavish Senatorial office atop one of the tallest buildings on Coruscant, the endgame of the conflict between Sith and Jedi begins. Revealed as a Dark Lord of the Sith, Chancellor Palpatine vaults across his desk with the uncanny speed of a master in the Force, his lightsaber blazing to life. Its blade carries the swift death of no less than three Jedi. Even the great Mace Windu will be fought to a standstill in this, the first battle in a conflict that will end with the extermination of the Jedi.

The Jedi Vs Darth Sidious Battle Packs set gets ANOTHER release and although differences exist between all three current releases, there isn't much new ground broken here to make it worthwhile. Originally released in The Saga Collection an then followed up quickly with another release in the 30 (77-07) line, Jedi Vs Darth Sidious gets a stab in The Legacy Collection line with a few updates that are sure to make collectors happy. As usual, this set works significantly better in theory/concept than it does in execution. On paper, it’s a set that should be very likeable and enjoyable, but yet the catalogue of parts available to us in 2006 don’t really allow for the best multipack it could be. For the group of figures in this set do not work together as well as they should have. A pivotal scene in Revenge Of The Sith, we really need super-articulated action figures (especially the Jedi) in order for Hasbro to do the justice this set deserves and right now a few more updates are needed before an ambitious Battle Packs set like this gets released for purchase. The biggest eyesore in this set is the included Darth Sidious figure. In fact, the 2005 ROTS Palpatine (III 35) figure is quite an abomination and never should see rerelease again, but here it is again. We think that the 2005 ROTS Sidious Vs. Mace Battle Arena Darth Sidious figure would have been a significantly better option here. That one is far from perfect too, but the proportions just seem more accurate (oh, and it doesn't have an awful action feature either). Not only does Darth Sidious technically have the wrong portrait (he should have come with the "handsome" Chancellor Palpatine head – he wasn't disfigured at this point), it's just a terrible figure overall. But if you can overlook the Darth Sidious figure, the rest of the candidates in this set are pretty fine (albeit imperfect) specimens.

Admittedly, the set looks fantastic packaged and Hasbro has really mastered the marketing aspect of these Battle Packs sets with flawless presentation. The packaging pulls at our obsessive compulsions so don’t be surprised if you can’t resist this set. We don't mean to go off track here when attempting to describe the figures here, but the packaging is a very notable part of this collecting experience. Perhaps the best figure in the set is the repacked 2005 ROTS Agen Kolar (III 20). With a great deal of usable articulation (as well as the flexibility of the removable robe pieces so you can make an Episode II specific version of him), Agen Kolar has a wonderful soft-goods skirt (crafted in a form of synthetic velvet) and an wonderful pose. We’d be inclined to say that if this figure had some enhanced articulation like a ball-socket head, it would be the definitive version of him. Interestingly, he is the only figure in this version of the Battle Packs set to maintain a separate hilt and lightsaber blade for accessories. Both Kit Fisto and Saesee Tiin have been give "solid" lit lightsabers instead this time. Speaking of them, both Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto are the two other figures in this set that have been reused from the 2005 Revenge Of The Sith line. Both 2005’s ROTS Saesee Tiin (III 30) and 2005 ROTS Kit Fisto (III 22) see some paint operaiton updates, even to a more noticeable level this time specially when compared to their original releases. Both are reasonably good action figures and aside from a few coloring issues and just a few points where articulation could be improved, these figures are great for now until definitive version are made for us. Mace Windu is the surprise figure of the set. Hasbro resurrected Mace Windu from the 2003 SW [S - P3] Jedi High Council (Featuring Mace Windu, Oppo Rancisis & Even Piell) (1 of 2) set. This figure appears a little disproportionate and short when compared to the other Jedi in this set and we think

For trivia lovers, you may be interested to know that back in the day the Jedi Vs Darth Sidious Battle Packs set appeared on product lists as The Attempted Arrest Of Chancellor Palpatine at the time of its original solicitation. The latter is a little bit too wordy and the revised and final title gets right to the point, although it is a tad simple. Still, no matter what this set ended up being called, it’s definitely one of Hasbro’s bets thought out concepts for the Battle Packs line. It just fails a little bit more than we'd like to see in execution. A few years down the road as Hasbro updates the basic figure line, we think a revisit of this set would be wise. Imagine this set packed with super-articulated updates of all the included characters with the best sculpting possible. But as much as we would love to see this, it's likely that it will never happen. Always in motion is the future and who knows how long this format will last or what direction it will head. This set isn't perfect, but it is in way close to being considered a debacle. We think that as is the Jedi Vs. Darth Sidious Battle Packs set is a fine enhancement to your collection. Just expect to be wanting a little bit more from it than it offers. Could Hasbro have updated some of the included action figures? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t serve a wonderful purpose as a repacked item in The Legacy Collection lineup. We hope Hasbro continues this trend of movie-specific scene-inspired multipacks. Jedi Vs. Darth Sidious is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a wealth of scenes to draw incredible action figure sets. We hope Hasbro gets to work. And as figures get better, we'd love to see Hasbro revisit these with ultimate action figure interpretations of these characters. Jedi Vs Darth Sidious may feel a bit out of place in the more modern collections like The Legacy Collection, but Hasbro has to keep their most popular products out there. And this is one of them.