Review of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Command Chair
Star Wars Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

If you're an of the Star Wars novels, especially those by Timothy Zahn, or a big fan of the Expanded Universe in general, than it's pretty likely that you know Grand Admiral Thrawn.

You know he wasn't a product of Lucas' imagination, because if he was, he'd look like a prawn. More accurately, George would have come up with an alien that looked like a prawn, and then named him Thrawn.

Instead, he's a normal humanoid, with blue skin and red eyes. It's like Abercrombie and Fitch meets the Smurfs. He's the latest in the Sideshow Star Wars series of sixth scale action figures.

As usual, there are two versions of Admiral Thrawn - regular (at an edition size of 1500) and an exclusive (at an edition size of 750). What's not quite as usual is that the regular is $80, and the exclusive is $225!  The big difference is that the exclusive comes with the massive Command Chair, a far bigger additional goodie than they normally include with the exclusives.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box that Thrawn comes in is the usual sweet Star Wars package that we've come to expect from Sideshow. With a wrap around panel cover, magnetic closures, and no twisties, it's still one of the nicest collector friendly packages on the market.

The throne comes in a plain white box, with an interior foam cushion. This is the cheap foam, the kind that falls apart and ends up all over the place - I hate it. It certainly keeps the chair safe, but you'll damage the foam a little more every time you take it in or put it back.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Thrawn has a chiseled, warrior look, with a face that belongs on a leading man in an action flick. The sharp, strong Jay Leno jawline and Ronald Reagan hair says he's a man not to be messed with.

The sculpt is sharp and clean, and the eyes and forehead are given the wrinkles of a man in charge who lives his life under a lot of stress. In fact, the head sculpt reminds me a bit of Hotchner, Thomas Gibson's depressed, stressed out character on Criminal Minds.

The head is scaled pretty well in relation to the Pro body, even with the narrow shoulders.

The hands he comes wearing are both sculpted in gripping poses. The right is designed to hold the blaster, while the left is in a bit more of a generic grip pose.

Paint - ***1/2
Sideshow's paint has improved on humans, and has always been great on aliens. Since Thrawn is a little of both, it's no surprise he came out nicely.

The blue skin tone is very even and clean, with a soft appearance that makes it quite life-like and attractive, if you're into that sort of thing. The eyebrows and hair line have a feathered edge, which looks much better in person and with the nekkid eye than it does under the harsh lens of the portrait lens.

The eyes are done in bright red, with a fine black line around them to give them better definition. The blue lips are done with a gloss finish, give them a wet look.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is the Pro body of course, and like the last couple releases, I had no trouble with loose or floppy joints. They've done a very nice job tightening it up, and it has plenty of joints for posing.

I still find that I can't get quite as natural of flow and stance as with some of the other current bodies on the market, especially the TrueType. 

I really love the way the hands swap on the Pro, with every hand including a wrist post. I find it much easier - and much less prone to breakage - when I'm working with the thicker post that enters the arm, than when working with the small post in the hand. The forearms did tend to pop off at the elbow, and getting them back into the tight sleeves was a tad annoying, but it's a minor quibble.

The neck joint is exceptional, allowing for lots of realistic tilting, adding plenty of realistic personality to every stance.

While the Pro won't be replacing the TrueType as my overall favorite base body at this point, there's no major complaints that would stop me from buying any figure Sideshow produces employing it.

Accessories - ***1/2
I'm giving the command chair its own category, so this score is based on what the standard figure comes equipped with.

There's the usual display stand of course, and for those in earthquake zones or with inquisitive pets, they can be a life saver.

Thrawn also comes with an extra set of hands. As I mentioned, the two he comes wearing are both gripping hands - the right sculpted for the blaster, and the left given a more general pose. The extra hands are both fists, and swapping them is fairly easy.

Sideshow has really improved with their Star Wars weapons over the last several years, and this blaster is a fine example. It has an excellent, sharply detailed sculpt, and is scaled perfectly to look good in his hand.

Finally, he comes with his 'pet'. Sideshow says this ugly lizard's name is Yasalamir, and I'll take their word for it. His body has been sculpted with a U shape, so that he can be used in a variety of ways - over his shoulder, on his lap, on the arms of the chair, or even just in his hands. It's a very versatile design, and I think I'll display him perched on his shoulder, parrot-on-a-pirate style.

Command Chair - ***
Sideshow has been producing more and more diorama type pieces for both their licensed and unlicensed lines, and as a big displayer, I think it's fantastic. The exclusive Thrawn comes with his 'command chair', his version of his old boss' chair.

This is not a solid resin piece, however, so if you were expecting something of great mass, you'll be disappointed. The base is solid, but the chair itself is hollow, made from a thick walled plastic.

There's also a small, solid, un-articulated screen that attaches to the right arm, but this can easily be put on and taken off. The screen can be turned inward our outward on the post, but can not otherwise move. I found that I preferred it out of the way entirely for the most part.

On the view side of the screen, there's a red sticker showing a ship schematic. This sticker was peeling up slightly when I took mine out of the box, resulting in some of that damn Styrofoam getting behind it.

The paint work is decent, although there's a little more slop here than on the figure itself. The sculpt is decent as well, although it's not exactly the most complex or detailed chair we've ever seen. It's also very uncomfortable looking, but I suppose a Grand Admiral is less concerned with comfort, and more concerned with a dominating appearance.

Thrawn sits great in the chair, and it's properly scaled for a standard Sideshow sixth scale figure. It really adds a level of impressiveness to the figure, but I'm not sure he's $150 more impressive.

Outfit - ***
There's nothing exceptional about the outfit, but there's nothing outlandishly bad either.

The white tunic and pants fit well, and are nicely tailored. The material is top notch, and the stitching is tight and clean. The chest insignia is well painted, and attached tightly to the tunic.

The boots look much like past Sideshow boots, with a high gloss finish. They are a little rubbery looking, but the overall impression is fairly realistic.

The final piece is the belt, which buckles in front under the silver buckle. Again, the fit is good, and it can be taken off and put on pretty easily.

Fun Factor - ***
He's well articulated, and he has a very cool look that should entice kids, even those that have no idea who he is. The chair is icing on the cake of course, and having diorama pieces like this appeals to young and old.

Value - Regular **1/2; Exclusive **
You can pick up Thrawn by himself for around $75 at most retailers. That's a decent enough price for a good Star Wars figure with a handful of accessories.

The exclusive adds $150 to that price tag, and while it's cool, it's not $150 cool. Those that buy it will likely be happy they have it, but most will agree that it's a good $50 too much.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing - the chair is extremely sturdy and unlikely to break even under duress.

Overall - Regular ***1/2; Exclusive ***
The regular figure is probably not going to be a big draw for Star Wars fans who haven't read the novels. However, for those that have or who really enjoy the Expanded Universe stuff, getting a few characters like this is quite a treat.

I wasn't too excited about Thrawn himself when I ordered, but couldn't pass him up with the chair. Once I had him, I found that the figure itself was the more impressive aspect, with a nice head sculpt, good outfit and great accessories.

Don't get me wrong - the chair does add quite a bit of impressiveness to his look. He looks mean without the chair, but in it he looks downright brutal. I'm not sure that transformation is worth $150 though, and I'm betting that the cost is what will scare off most buyers.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Chair - ***
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - Regular **1/2; Exclusive **
Overall - Regular ***1/2; Exclusive ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow was the place to get the exclusive, and as you'd expect they are sold out. But you can still get on the waiting list. Remember, the exclusive was $225!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other sixth scale Sideshow Star Wars reviews include:

- the most recent was the Shock Trooper. Prior to that was Lando Calrissian. Darth Vader was perhaps Sideshow's best Star Wars release this year.

- prior to that, there's the Utapau Trooper, the Imperial Stormtrooper, and Captain Antilles

- I wasn't as thrilled with Ki-Adi-Mundi, but Obi-Wan in Clone Armor is easily one of their best. Then there's Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke and Han Solo.

- Sideshow had a strong year in 2008 with Commander Praji, the exceptional Palpatine/Sidous and ANH Obi-Wan, and the not quite so exceptional Ilum Padme.

- also in the sixth scale line, I've reviewed Leia and Bespin Luke, the Holo-chess set, Sideshow's Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin Luke, the Endor Troops, Jabba the Hutt and his throne, Bib Fortuna, Jedi Luke, Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, Bespin Han Solo, regular Anakin Skywalker and Kit Fisto.

- I also have guest reviews of the SDCC Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, and Qui-Gon Jinn.

- in the premium format line, I've reviewed Slave Leia, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Han Solo.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!