Sculpt: Mace Windu--3/5, Oppo Rancisis--4.5/5, Even Piell--4.5/5
Mace Windu is probably the figure many people will be most interested in because of the fact that we haven't had a decent Mace figure since...well, since the Episode I preview Mace. Unfortunately, the sculpting on this Mace Windu figure isn't as good as it could be. The detailing on his robes just don't look as detailed and well-defined compared to his companions. The thing that bugs me the most are his shoulders. They're big and round because of the ball-joint, but what really bothers me is the grid-like texture they applied to them. It's totally weird and unnecessary. What the heck is this texture supposed to be and why is it only on the shoulders? Anyway, moving right along, Mace's headsculpt is not bad, but is strangely shaped towards the seam line. The face has a pretty good likeness to Sam Jackson, so that's cool. His left arm is sculpted to look as if the hand is resting on his knee. This looks good for the sitting pose this figure was made for but limits his usefulness for other situations. My last gripe is that his hips are very skinny and this figure looks pretty freaky when standing.

Oppo Rancisis is a character that I'm not too familiar with. I mean, I didn't even know this guy was half a snake until I saw this figure! But since he is, I commend Hasbro for choosing to make such an unconventional figure when they could have easily chose a humanoid character. Anyway, the sculpting on this figure is great; his tail is appropriately scaley, and his robes have nice folds and details. The headsculpt looks just like the photo of the "real" Oppo and I think they did a good job of sculpting his hair. Here's a picture of Oppo as he appeared in the movies.

Even Piell also sports an excellent sculpt with a spot on likeness and great looking robes. His arms are a bit pre-posed but they can be used both as conversational gesturing or in slightly action-y poses. My only gripe (and it's a small one) is that his hips look a little strange due to his hinged hip articulation. And does this guy not wear a belt?? How does he keep his robes closed? Ah well, he looks cool anyway.

Articulation: Mace Windu--4/5, Oppo Rancisis--4/5, Even Piell--3/5
Mace Windu has nine points of articulation: neck, ball-jointed shoulders, bend and swivel left elbow, waist, hips, and bend and swivel knees. All this articulation is primarily for his sitting pose, resting his right hand on his knee and using his left arm for that pondering look. He looks great sitting down, but finding a good-looking standing pose is a little tougher. The fact that his right arm doesn't have a bicep-cut or wrist-cut makes it hard for Mace to look natural. His left arm could also use a wrist joint, but it's not that bad as it is. The knee joints bend and swivel above the knee, and you can get Mace in a good kneeling pose with them.

Oppo Rancisis has nine points...well actually he has more than that because of his bendy tail. He is articulated at the neck, all 4 shoulders, two main wrists, waist and tail. I forgot to mention that Oppo has not two, but FOUR arms. he has two little arms hidden beneath his robes and they are articulated at the shoulders. His two main arms are articulated at the shoulders and wrists; it would have been nice if they added a bicep-cut or two. Oppo can't really turn his head, so maybe his neck joint shouldn't count.

Even Piell has five points: neck, shoulders, right bicep-cut, and hinged hips. Yes, like many Yoda figures before him, Even has a hinged hip joint. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing joint but it allows him to sit provided you remove his cloak. He can actually sit in Yoda's chair pretty nicely. His bicep cut is useful for altering his pose slightly and is useful if you want to put a lightsaber in his hand.

Features--NA/5
There are no features associated with this set.

Accessories--4.5/5
I guess the main accessory is the Jedi Council base. This thing looks great and is detailed nicely and can connect to the second Jedi Council set coming out later. The base has foot pegs on it which can be used to stand figures or attach the chairs. There are also holes in the base, but those are only for those darn twisty-ties. There is also a small pedestal at the front middle of the base. On it is a small hologram of some Jedi. I don't really remember a scene where the Jedi Council is watching a hologram and it's really disappointing that this thing is glued down to the base. It would have been better if you could attach and detach the pedestal at will.

You also get Mace and Oppo's chairs. They both look great, but my Mace chair is a bit warped and doesn't sit level on the base. You might be wondering if there's enough room to fit in Yoda's chair on the base with the rest of them. Well, you can, but it looks a bit crowded. Lightsabers are not included in this set.

Paint--4/5
I usually don't expect good paint jobs in multi-packs, but I think they did a pretty decent job on this one. There's nothing extremely bad in this set; I think the worst thing is that Even Piell's hands don't match the color of his head. The Jedi Council base is impressive because of the clean-looking design on the yellow part of the floor.

Packaging--4/5
The packaging is both good and bad. MIB collectors will love these things because of it's large bubble which allows an almost full view of the entire set. They will also hate it because the bubble can get crushed easily. Openers will hate the fact that there are tons of twisty-ties and rubberbands to contend with. Having a pair of small wire-cutters will definitely make things easier. The packaging looks great overall and is pretty compact; it's about the size of the Micro Machine Action Fleet boxes. The graphics on the inside of the box help complete the scene. There is a slot on the Jedi Council base where you can insert the background from the packaging, so don't throw out the packaging!

Overall--4.5/5
Is there any reason not to get this set? Well, there might be. Some people are complaining about the $20.00 price tag, but think about it--we were paying 20 bucks for the old cinema scenes which usually had slightly retooled figures made with cheap plastic with a base that wasn't very detailed. Here, we're getting three pretty nice figures (two of which could be carded alone and would probably sell very well), and a base that blows the old cinema scenes out of the water. It's a great set, and fans have been asking for the Jedi Council ever since Episode I came out. While the box says "1 of 2", a Hasbro representative has stated that all the Council members will be released eventually no matter what (Source: Sir Steve's Guide). That means we can expect at least four of these sets in total to get the twelve members of the Council (or, at the very least, we will see single-carded Jedi council members). However, it appears it will take six bases to create the full circle, which is probably why there are only two chairs per set. And since there were new Council members in AOTC, perhaps Hasbro will give us all the figures to create either a Phantom Menace Jedi Council or an Attack of the Clones Jedi Council. Now that would be cool. The future is indeed looking bright!