Packaging - **1/2
It's pretty rare that I give a Sideshow package a bad score, but one factor brought this box down from the excellent score it would have otherwise had.

The graphics are good, and while it's pretty much just a square box, the designers went with a very cool idea for showing off the little pieces. They put them in a flat tray, and put them behind a window on the top of the box! That way you can see all the little guys right on the shelf.

Unfortunately, this same tray is what also hurts the package score. They used a twist tie to hold in each of the pieces, and these pieces are a bit fragile. The twisties can not only be difficult to get out, they can damage the pieces. Whatever you do, don't pull on the figures to get them out of the tray. Instead, get a hold of the tie and pull it free first.

There's a Sideshow exclusive sticker on the front, but no edition numbers of any kind. There aren't any on the base of the table either, which surprised me.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This is not the most detailed sculpting you're ever going to see, but that's in line with what I imagine the actual prop would look like. This was a minor secondary item, and the actual pieces in the game on screen were animated with claymation. So this slightly, clay-like look to the figures is spot on for me.

The table is smooth and clean, with sharp cuts where appropriate. There's some knobs and doo-dads on the edges, but nothing tremendously complex. Like the figures, this matches up with the on screen version quite well.

The table stands about 6" tall, the correct height for a sixth scale prop. It's about 7" in diameter, just big enough to fight all eight pieces. You'll be able to park a couple sixth scale figures at this table in a couple properly scaled chairs, and they'll look quite realistic.

The figures might look big in the photos, but they're mighty small.  The tallest are around 1", while most of them run around 1/2".

The exclusive includes two extra figures. These two are larger characters caught in mid-battle. The darker figure who is holding the smaller figure over his head has a black base, since he'd topple over otherwise with the smaller character above his head. But to make it appear seamless, they've made this black base exactly the same shape and size as one of the other sections of the table. It's that kind of attention to detail that sets a company like Sideshow apart.

These two extra figures are actually two of the regular figures, but in battle.  It's the fat pasty looking guy being picked up in the air by the green bumpy guy who's originally down on one knee.  That means you aren't really getting any extra guys with the exclusive, just two of the normal pieces in different poses.

You can pose the loser in the arms of the winner in a number of ways, but I found one to be most stable.

By the way, the smaller figure can still stand on his own, although he's really designed to be held above the other's head. In fact, every one of the figures stands great on their own.

The while the table is poly-resin, the figures appear to be either lead or pewter.  Either way, I wouldn't lick them too often. The soft metal means that the appendages and tails can be bent or even broken without some care, but they are less likely to suffer damage than similar small pieces made from resin.

Paint - ***1/2
The major color on the table is silver, and that's a very difficult color to do well. It can be difficult to get an even coverage or a consistent color.

That's not a big problem here, and it's quite consistent across the base and top. There's a few spots around the smaller detail areas that it's a smidge clumpy, but the work is still well above average.

The paint work on the single pieces is terrific, with a nice use of wash to bring out key sculpt highlights. There's also a nice variety of color, giving the board more visual interest with all the pieces in place.

The paint work mirrors the rough look of the sculpts, which some folks may not like.  But as I said earlier, it matches up well with my expectations based on the what the characters looked like on screen.

Design - ****
I love the design work on this set. I already mentioned the smartly designed base for the extra battle figures, but each of the figures was also designed to be seen in a dynamic dangerous pose, yet they are able to stand on their own with no trouble. I do wish they could have come up with some way to make them actually appear more 'holographic', but had they gone with translucent plastic, you wouldn't have been able to make out the small sculpts very well, and they would have looked cheap.

Value - ***1/2;
The Sideshow price on this is $50, but you can find the regular version at online retailers closer to $40.  That's the same price you'd pay for a GG mini-bust...and there's a Hell of a lot more to this set than the usual mini-bust!  This is a great price for a very well done item.

Things to Watch Out For - 
I mentioned the most important - getting the pieces out of the box. Be careful freeing them from the twistie tie Hell!

Overall - ***1/2
I really, really like this set. The paint and sculpt are top notch, and they did a great job matching up with the film version. Oh, some folks will have wished they did them in some sort of translucent holographic way, but I think the painted option works just fine.

The only reason I can see to NOT buy this set is because you have nothing to do with it at this point. Let's face it, there were six main key characters on the Falcon at the time of this scene - Han, Chewie, R2, C-3PO, Ben and Luke. And of those six, we've only gotten Han so far...and he's not even the scene accurate Han. Ben's coming, but what about Chewie and R2? Well, it's not that bad, because the R2 and C-3PO that Hasbro gave us are pretty damn good, and can easily fit into any scene with the Sideshow figures. And only serious fans will recognize that Han doesn't belong in the particular outfit in this scene. Ben is coming from Sideshow, so he's covered. That leaves Luke, and the critical Chewbacca. I can only hope that the minds of Sideshow's design team are racking right now trying to come up with a way to give us a terrific Chewie. Until then, this extremely cool accessory is going to end up staying boxed for me.

Score Recap:
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpt -  ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Design - ****
Value -  ***1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
Online options include these terrific sponsors:

- you can get on the wait list for the exclusive version at Sideshow (), or pick up the regular version for $50 ()

- Dark Shadow Collectibles has it in stock for $42.50.

- Alter Ego Comics has the set for $42.50.

- CornerStoreComics and Amazing Toyz has the set for $42.50 as well.

Related Links -
With all the Medicom and Sideshow releases, I have plenty of reviews for sixth scale SW items:

- the last was Sideshow's Asajj, a terrific figure.

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

- in the sixth scale line, I've also reviewed 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.

And if you'd like to check out some of the 12" Star Wars offerings from Medicom, hit these links:

- my review of the Sandtrooper.

- guest reviews of the VCD Yoda and Boba Fett.

- guest reviews of the ROTS Vader, Jedi Luke, and this very Trooper.

- and my review of their first release Darth Vader, the regular Stormtrooper, and Clonetrooper and Blackhole Trooper. 

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