Imperial Throne - 12 Inch Figure Environments

The 12� figure line by Sideshow Collectibles is becoming more aggressive than ever before. And instead of just including awesome 12� scaled action figures in the line, Sideshow has branched out to include impressively large accessories to collectors as well. The first 12 Inch Figure Environment we ever received was Jabba’s throne in 2007. And that was certainly a mighty display piece and always necessary if you bough the 12 Inch Jabba The Hutt himself. Not everything can be that big, but Sideshow has taken some risk to include seating arrangements more recently. The 12� Grand Admiral Thrawn exclusive came with a large command chair as its exclusive piece and fans started immediately clamoring for Emperor Palpatine’s Imperial Throne chair. Sideshow listened thankfully and made a beautiful chair to complement the upcoming 12� figure. Unfortunately, the Imperial Throne shipped separately and much before the release of the 12� figure, so collectors will have an empty chair until Emperor Palpatine sees release. But the good news is that the Imperial Throne has enough merit to warrant sole appreciation alone. It has been designed exquisitely and it just makes us hanker for the Emperor figure even more.

The Imperial Throne stands (sits?) 10 inches tall, 9.5 inches deep and 7 inches across. Obviously crafter in perfect proportion to a 12 inch figure, the Imperial Throne is essentially an exact replica to the prop scene in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. The throne is one piece, unlike Grand Admiral Thrawn’s chair, and spins smoothly at its point of articulation. All the curves and textures are there as they should be and the color from what we can tell is matched nicely to the chair in the film. Not too weighty, the six pound Imperial Throne has some decent mass, but it’s not impossible to balance it in your hands. We would have preferred for the actual chair to not be so hollow, but Sideshow definitely gave it more weight than the Grand Admiral Thrawn command chair. It almost seems as if the Imperial Throne is an extension of the Emperor Palpatine character. It is analogous to Luke Skywalker without a lightsaber or Chewbacca without his crossbow. The Imperial Throne is essential for an Episode VI version of Emperor Palpatine and we are so thrilled that Sideshow decided to make this environment to add more meaning (and coolness) to the Emperor Palpatine 12 inch figure!

One set back is that this chair has been designed specifically for the new Prometheus body. If you own the currently available Chancellor Palpatine or Darth Sidious, the figures are too tall and their heads hit the top of the chair. This is indeed a setback, but there should be no worries about the upcoming Emperor Palpatine fitting like a glove because that figure is definitely a little smaller in stature. One other point we are disappointed about is a flat space to place Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber hilt. When Emperor Palpatine placed it on his Imperial Throne, there was clearly a flat spot (or groove or something similar) where the lightsaber sat until Luke used the Force to gain it back from him. Every spot is angular and we don’t expect a loose hilt to stay in place anywhere on the armrests. But the point of this release is having the chair of the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. It is beautiful in sculpt and paint job and except for a few details we would have liked to see improved upon, this Imperial Throne will indeed make the soon-to-be-released Emperor Palpatine 12 inch figure complete. Retailing for $139.99 and limited to 2500 pieces, we expect that this won’t be the most difficult piece to track down so you may have some time to pick your up.