Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine (Deluxe) Review

Rogerbee wrote:
LOL!

Just thinking, if you got Palpatine without the throne, there's a chance, albeit small, that somewhere like Toy Anxiety may have the throne available as a separate piece. EBay sellers may part him out too.

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True. I never have good luck with TA, to be honest. If you’re not checking that site every 3 seconds you miss most of the good stuff. And I’ve already seen scalpers on eBay parting this out, and they want $200 for the throne by itself (for an $80 accessory) — which doesn’t make sense considering the Deluxe set is still available at retail.

Ouch, not good!

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I saw Toy Anxiety parted out the Deluxe set, but since I had already ordered it, I did not keep an eye on the offerings. They are very aptly named if you are really on the lookout for something coming in.

More so if you're hoping to avoid import duty, which I actually wasn't hit with last time I bought from them. They are only not good if you want one small item that falls below their minimum spend.

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Rogerbee wrote:More so if you're hoping to avoid import duty, which I actually wasn't hit with last time I bought from them. They are only not good if you want one small item that falls below their minimum spend.

Congratulations on successfully avoiding the import duty! May you continue to do so in future. It has been quite some time that I haven't met their minimum spend limit. And they are among the best part out businesses out there, not overpricing too egregiously, combining or refunding shipping when you order multiple items, etc. They have gotten plenty of good karma, at least in my book.

With everything else I've bought from the US I have been hit! And from Japan. God only knows what's going to happen after next month!

Rogerbee wrote:With everything else I've bought from the US I have been hit! And from Japan. God only knows what's going to happen after next month!

I've heard arguments going either way, but let's hope for a pleasant surprise and a less onerous policy sans Europe.

The Emperor looks so jolly happy in his chair, like a kid! So adorable!

GubernatorFan wrote:

Rogerbee wrote:With everything else I've bought from the US I have been hit! And from Japan. God only knows what's going to happen after next month!

I've heard arguments going either way, but let's hope for a pleasant surprise and a less onerous policy sans Europe.

The UK wishes it shared your optimism!

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Absolute Great Review ! Led Lights inside the Throne, Wow. And he looks so mean. Love him. The photostorys are great entertainment

Peaches wrote:The Emperor looks so jolly happy in his chair, like a kid!  So adorable!

I know they were going for creepy with his grin, but in some of the photos, and especially with all the light for them washing out some of the detail, he does look rather jolly, doesn't he?

Rogerbee wrote:The UK wishes it shared your optimism!

Fingers crossed it would be ok. As I understand it, part of the problem is to exit with or without a deal, and the situation is complicated by border traffic with an EU Ireland if the UK is no longer in the EU. Certainly a tough nut to crack to everyone's satisfaction. But ultimately, the policy on such duties will be the fault or credit of your elected officials.

Ephiane wrote:Absolute Great Review ! Led Lights inside the Throne, Wow. And he looks so mean. Love him. The photostories are great entertainment

Thank you very much, Ephiane, glad you liked the review, and the goofy photos! Yes, the lights are basic but very effective. And I should add it is nice to work with common batteries for a change.

That's right, you got the main points right. It's just annoying that there's nothing we can do and everything they can and don't seem to do.

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My Deluxe Emperor and Throne showed up today. Holy cow, Batman! This little guy is awesome. I do think a second portrait, more stern, would have been a real treat for this guy, and something he truly deserved.

Guv, I have to ask: is that comment you made about him being the father and grandfather of Vader & Luke something that was hinted at, or is that just speculation on your part? I'd hate to think Lucas messed up the franchise even more than he already had.


EDIT: (No, I don't blame you for my getting this. He is super cool looking, and a great addition to my Star Wars bunch. It's nice to have more villains represented on the shelves).

Here's my Emperor, right out of the box with minimal futzing. Super cool figure. I'm SOO glad I decided to pick this guy up. (Pictures aren't that great -- hard to get the camera to focus on his face).

Stryker2011 wrote:My Deluxe Emperor and Throne showed up today. Holy cow, Batman! This little guy is awesome. I do think a second portrait, more stern, would have been a real treat for this guy, and something he truly deserved.

Guv, I have to ask: is that comment you made about him being the father and grandfather of Vader & Luke something that was hinted at, or is that just speculation on your part? I'd hate to think Lucas messed up the franchise even more than he already had.


EDIT: (No, I don't blame you for my getting this. He is super cool looking, and a great addition to my Star Wars bunch. It's nice to have more villains represented on the shelves).

Agreed on the face(s) and glad I did not steer you wrong. Somewhere in the Prequels (for once I don't take pride in not knowing enough about them) there is a very strong implication that the future emperor, as a Sith Lord, somehow engineered Anakin's mother's "immaculate" conception through Force magic (or did he visit her in spirit form?), so Anakin is, in a sense, his son, and Luke and Leia his grandchildren. Or something like that. I don't actually care much for that plot -- it is very much like one of those other over-determined and over-connected afterthoughts that have been unnecessarily added on to the original pure canon. At any rate, I did not make it up. If I had, I would have stuck closer to the Augustan precedent and the story would have turned out a lot different. And less silly.

Stryker2011 wrote:Here's my Emperor, right out of the box with minimal futzing. Super cool figure. I'm SOO glad I decided to pick this guy up. (Pictures aren't that great -- hard to get the camera to focus on his face).

Looks like you already managed to seat him better than I did, and with your first try. Congratulations! I take it your main concern has been surmounted and happy to see you happy. Funny how an inept supervillain can cause so much joy.

Oh, man. That's tragic the amount of damage Lucas did in those prequels. They always felt like really bad 2 hour toy commercials to me. So many bad elements and far too many coincidences. One of my least favorite alterations was that the Force was no longer an energy field that "gifted" people could tap into, but some sort of Intergalactic STD. Way to go, Lucas, you f'ing idiot.

But, yes. The Emperor is a really cool figure, and though his feet seem even further away from the floor than the guy in the video made them, he can slouch down enough in the chair to not have his head rubbing on the roof. For some reason, my photos make him look like he is looking up (and the camera was angled down), and his head was level with the floor.

A pose like that usually requires beer and corn chips. As Ian McDiarmid was a Brit, I suspect a cup of Earl Grey would have sufficed.

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Stryker2011 wrote:Oh, man. That's tragic the amount of damage Lucas did in those prequels. ...

But, yes. The Emperor is a really cool figure, and though his feet seem even further away from the floor than the guy in the video made them, he can slouch down enough in the chair to not have his head rubbing on the roof. For some reason, my photos make him look like he is looking up (and the camera was angled down), and his head was level with the floor.

Agreed. As for the feet, I guess you have to tilt at the ankle and try to get the toes as close to the floor as possible. The looking up effect is not you, it is the head sculpt (I touched upon this briefly above). Although he's a relatively short guy (though the actor is actually taller than Mark Hammil) and he was seated much of the time, he should be able to look down (especially when others are on a lower step). But somewhere between the expression and the integral-neck head sculpt, they made that near impossible to replicate.

Rogerbee wrote:A pose like that usually requires beer and corn chips. As Ian McDiarmid was a Brit, I suspect a cup of Earl Grey would have sufficed.

Good one, Roger. And you should know your countrymen! But aren't they also known for getting "pissed" on beer and eating fish and chips and saying "oy" before mounting double-decker buses and invading France? I may have watched Eurotrip a few too many times.

Speaking of Lucas' revisions, when I was looking up some details for the review, I came across a series of essays on the Star Wars original trilogy (both the actual films and their drafts and deleted scenes). It might make some interesting reading considering all the changes (good or bad) that were applied to the original vision and how many discarded details ended up getting recycled, so I am sharing the links below. The writing could be a lot better, but bear in mind it was quickly translated from the original German (not by me).

Episode IV: Star Wars/A New Hope HERE
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back HERE
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi HERE

Thanks for the links, Guv. I knew about some of that behind the scenes, original scripts, etc., stuff, but not all of it.

GubernatorFan wrote:
Good one, Roger. And you should know your countrymen! But aren't they also known for getting "pissed" on beer and eating fish and chips and saying "oy" before mounting double-decker buses and invading France? I may have watched Eurotrip a few too many times.

Oh behave!

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Thought I'd share some of the great photos that have been popping up of this guy (hope you don't mind, Guv). These are by others, Usernames credited above their photos. As you will see, some folks have figured out a solution to the dangling feet issue by placing the stand in front of the throne:

BuGz:




Crazydragonclk:







Creighton:



Darth Fok:



davejames:






drjedisith:






dukefett:



Earthprimej:





Enzo83:










genghisjon:



hrguerra:













irezumi:






Jazzinc (who made the diorama):






jedi18:




Matrix69:






Mugatu:




NDSam:





NoenGaruth:








Pizza:






skillerwhale (who seems to have been the first to figure out that if you put his stand in front of the throne, his feet rest comfortably):



starduster:







TonTon (what an amazing Star Wars collection):






xipotec:








Who would have thought there'd be so much love for a figure of a character who barely had any screen time... But he is pretty cool.

I don't mind at all. Thank you for sharing these photos, which are many, informative, and impressive, with the rest of us. Better lighting and camera do pay off and the proof is in the pudding above (I do have a better camera but too lazy -- and possibly unskilled -- to use it). The base under the feet is a solution, but it is not exactly screen accurate either.

That is actually one of the best Star Wars figures HT have done. I only hope Figuarts can equal it in 1/12.

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Great review! Palpatine looks so awesome and realistic! Just imagine him peering through a window, watching somebody eat their dinner at night. Scary lol

Wow ! Some Pictures looks like Movie Scenes !

Rogerbee wrote:That is actually one of the best Star Wars figures HT have done. I only hope Figuarts can equal it in 1/12.

That's quite an endorsement! I think they've done plenty of very nice figures, but yes, I agree, this is among the best, for all its minor limitations.

Adeno wrote:Great review! Palpatine looks so awesome and realistic! Just imagine him peering through a window, watching somebody eat their dinner at night. Scary lol

Thank you very much. I don't think we need to worry too much about him being a peeping Tom. Unless of course you have a genetic predisposition towards using the Force and he is monitoring your progress with great interest...

Ephiane wrote:Wow ! Some Pictures looks like Movie Scenes !

They do, don't they? And I suppose that is the point of these collectibles.

Though good, I still wouldn't get one. I don't think there's a decent enough Luke and Vader to complement them. I have them in 1/12 already so an Emperor wouldn't be an ask.

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Rogerbee wrote:Though good, I still wouldn't get one. I don't think there's a decent enough Luke and Vader to complement them. I have them in 1/12 already so an Emperor wouldn't be an ask.

You really don't think HT's Vaders and Luke are decent enough? Yes, Vader needed a bit of customizing to maximize articulation range, and his damn tusks are as fragile as they were with the Sideshow figures, but especially the more recent releases have gotten the down very well. I think their ROTJ Luke head sculpt is also a masterpiece, and even the ANH one was already almost there (the Bespin one less so, largely due to the "backwards hair" effect). But except for the ANH Luke figure, I only have those figures in reconstituted form (i.e., I bought the heads and some of the outfit and accessories and put them together as a sort of basic kitbash). Anyway, the only thing really indecent about them seems to be the price.