Sculpt--4.5/5
I had heard a lot of grumblings about this figure before I had one for myself. I had heard that he can't do anything, and that he's boring. Well...what do you expect? This is a politician who in the movie didn't do much physically besides stand, sit, walk and talk. With that said, I must say that the sculpt is excellent. The best thing for me is the likeness, which is almost dead-on to actor Ian McDiarmid. The robes aren't half bad either and have a nice texture. I also like the interlocking hands and his long sleeves.

Articulation--5/5
Palpatine has nine points: neck, shoulders, bicep-cuts, wrists, and uh, swiveling legs. This is pretty much all you need for this figure; anything more would be overkill or would compromise the sculpt. The bicep-cuts and wrists are the most useful points, as they can be used to make Palpatine look like he's giving a speech, conversing, or (as my friends have done) grab and hold another figure. The leg articulation is worthless, but still nice to have. Besides, if Hasbro didn't include it, collectors would be whining that he's a glorified salt-shaker (like they did with older POTF2 figures).

Accessories--NA/5
This is unacceptable. Not one blasted accessory?! Surely, Hasbro could've thought of something, anything to include with this guy. A senate cam perhaps or his desk. Heck, I would've been happy if they had given us the little statuettes that were on his desk. He's awfully lonely in that big, big bubble.

Paint--3/5
The paint is decent. The designs on his inner sleeves looks pretty messy and almost childlike in skill, so don't stare at them too long and stand back so it's less noticeable. Hehe, it's not that bad I suppose, because he looks nice overall. A lot of people also complain about his liver spots on his face, but his skin was pretty messed up in the movie as well. The dark side isn't good for the skin I guess.

Overall--4/5
This is probably the best Palpatine figure made yet. That's not saying a whole lot, but I feel it is a nice figure of Palpatine with a great likeness and appropriate articulation. The only area it truly falters in is the absence of accessories.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com