Emperor Palpatine - SW [TLJ] - Basic

We weren’t kidding when we said that the Emperor Palpatine/Luke Skywalker/Emperor’s Royal Guard TARGET exclusive three-pack from the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line was one of the greatest 3.75” scaled products Hasbro has made for the longtime Star Wars collector. Sure, super-articulation was not part of that exclusive release, but the sculpts were excellent. Still, many cannot get past the 5POA, so they’re going to miss out on a great product. The set brought together three pivotal characters from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. The sculpting on each is so great it should have made any Star Wars collector happy. One figure stood out against the trio: Emperor Palpatine. While longtime collectors wish and hope for a definitive release with the return of The Vintage Collection, we still will defend this version of him as one of the best and finest likenesses we have seen in the basic figure line to date. A step above 5POA, Emperor Palpatine comes with seven points of articulation, a nice array of accessories and a posture that captures the essence of the onscreen character. Sure, Hasbro has shortchanged us here when it comes to the figures’ articulation, but hopefully, we can prove the figure isn’t without merit. Hasbro felt it was such a fine release that they single-carded Emperor Palpatine for the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line. It is a straight exact repack of the figure from the TARGET exclusive. If you’re a loose collector, you’re not missing anything here.

For us, right now Emperor Palpatine is the best Episode VI version of the character ever. Hasbro should be proud of their efforts here. For the first time, Hasbro has focused solely on how Emperor Palpatine looks in Episode VI and not the Prequel Trilogy or in the Expanded Universe to create a faithful representation of how this character appeared in 1983. Start praying now that Hasbro takes the digital files, at the very least, of this Emperor Palpatine figure to develop a glorious The Vintage Collection version. We all have waited WAY too long for that figure, and at this point, it would be the equivalent of justice if Hasbro did this for us. Emperor Palpatine also provides evidence to a rumor that The Black Series [Phase II] Emperor Palpatine (#11) figure was prepared with interchangeable hands that included Force lightning. Well, here is the proof. Our sources have indicated that digital files have existed for years of thee interchangeable hands and the proof is right here with this 5POA version. If you also recall, Hasbro advanced us information at 2014’s Toy Fair that IF they brought Emperor Palpatine into the line, he WOULD come with interchangeable hands that shot out Force lightning. Sadly, this detail never panned out. Always in motion is Hasbro, but the rumors always seem to get proven true time and again. Emperor Palpatine also comes with a beautifully sculpted cane. It fits into his right hand very well. His robe shell is also removable, but the figure doesn’t look great without it as it true with any figure that comes with a shell feature, but if you remove it you can inspect the great head sculpt they gave him.

As you know, all figures in the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line come with Force Link technology. With the Force Link wristband, you can hear Emperor Palpatine recite some of his best lines from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. The technology is greatly improved from the turn of the century’s CommTech technology. The dialogue is crisp, clear and loud. And the sound effects that are interwoven amongst the dialogue is a nice touch. While many of the characters from The Last Jedi has actors portraying their characters and lines, we’re pretty sure that Emperor Palpatine’s lines were ripped directly from the movie. If not, they’ve done a fantastic job fooling us. Overall, Emperor Palpatine is a fun figure that comes with many things to enjoy both for kids and adult collectors. What is sad about the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line is that there aren’t enough figures released in the line to accompany a figure like Emperor Palpatine. Sure, a retailer exclusive three-pack is a great way to develop a themed set, but the basic figure line should be more robust and contain many more figures. Collectors lose interest if they’re not engaged, and we see that happening at an exponential rate. There is some bad news of course. This final wave of figures has been canceled. But Entertainment Earth came to the rescue once again and will be releasing two of the three figures exclusively. They have not picked up Emperor Palpatine. However, rumors abound we may just see him again. Time will tell.