Review of Yoda Exclusive - Star Wars sixth scale action figure

Introduction

There are many important characters in the Star Wars Universe, but few as popular as the ancient diminutive Jedi Master, Yoda. Whether a puppet or a CGI creation, he's been a mainstay through out the series.

Sideshow already released a fantastic sixth scale version two years ago, but they've taken that base figure, added some new accessories and improvements, and released him again, allowing fans that need a Yoda to go with their Hut diorama to get one at a reasonable price.

And reasonable he is, compared to most other figures in this scale. He's a lot shorter of course, but at just $100 he's actually a relatively decent deal. Sideshow also did an exclusive that includes an extra accessory, but costs the same price through them. Check out the Where to Buy section for info on how you can save $10 or so on the regular release.

Packaging - ***1/2
This is the new style of box, with the wrap around flap and magnets of old. They are straddled with the dull designs allowed by the licensor (hopefully that will change with Disney), but they do what they can with it. I like the new Sideshow exclusive stickers, and of course the package itself is completely collector friendly - you can remove everything without seriously damaging the package. There's a lot of the protective sticky plastic wrap this time, but if it gets the figure and accessories to you without any paint rubs, I'm all for it.

Sculpting - ****
The first thing that strikes a lot of people when they see this figure (and the previous version) in person is how tiny he is. He's only about 5 1/2" tall, less than half the height of the usual Sideshow sixth scale figure. He seems insubstantial, but in reality he's a little taller than the actual character was on screen. Yoda's official height is only 26 inches, and this guy is a smidge taller than that in scale.

But I'm good with that - they couldn't go any smaller and make it look right. I think they hit the right balance between being exactly in scale, and looking right to the eye.

There are two head sculpts included this time, both based on Yoda's later appearances in Episode II and III. One is stern, serious and slightly mean. I prefer this look to the alternate, which is a bit slack and unfocused. The funny thing is, this less lively portrait is a re-release from their previous Yoda, which I liked quite a bit back then. In person this second head sculpt (which is the second close up photo to the left) lacks personality, while the more stern look at least fits with the later films.

Both head sculpts are extremely good quality, however. Lots of sharp detail and fine lines in the wrinkles and hair. Scale is great too, including the size of the ears.

There's a ton of hands here, and all are sculpted to work with lots of poses and accessories. They look great, and give you a ton of options.

Paint - ***
The paint work is solid all around, with only a few minor issues.

Of course, with green being the predominant color, it's pretty hard to mess up the skin. The eyes look decent, although there is a bit of bleed into the whites, and the pupils don't quite line up perfectly on either head sculpt.

The gray hair looks good, and there's appropriate consistency in the color of the heads, feet and hands.

Articulation - ***1/2
You'll notice some re-use between this figure and Sideshow's previous Yoda.  One of the major areas is the underlying body.

While you can't see much of it, the nekkid body is actually sculpted, with skin texture. You can see what it looks like in my previous review. That's a nice touch that wasn't necessary, but adds to the quality overall.

This body has all the articulation you expect - ball neck, ball shoulders, cut biceps, pin elbows, ball wrists, ab crunch, cut waist, ball hips, cut thighs, pin knees, and ball ankles. That's a ton of articulation for such a small body, and it *almost* all works great.

The only issue I have is with the neck. While there's a double ball post down in there, the one piece head and neck sculpt doesn't allow for much mobility.  Because you can't tilt the head forward very far, he tends to look like he's staring upward in most poses. I realize that someone this short probably does spend most of their time looking up, but I'd like a little more flexibility in my poses.

Accessories - ****
This guy is loaded, even more so than the previous release.

Like that previous release, there's plenty of extra hands. There are four extra sets, plus the set he comes wearing. All have great sculpts, giving you a ton of potential with poses.

There's also the extra set of feet, again like the previous release. One set has flat feet for standing, the other set has curled toes for sitting poses. These extra hands and feet are a lot of re-use, but for those that didn't pick up the original release, that's not an issue. They swap easily, and like other Sideshow figures, every hand and foot has its own post.

He has two light sabers - an unlit hilt, and a lit hilt. Both look great, and can be held in various hands.

Also designed to work perfectly with some of the hand sculpts is his cane, a slightly different version than the previous Yoda. Again, this is supposed to be a more modern (although younger) Yoda, and this cane is from the latter prequels. The scale is good, and he can lean on it one or two handed.

The largest accessories with this release are the two seats, one large and silver, while the other is smaller and supposed to look as though it hovers. It sits in the air on a base and black post. That square post is my only real complaint with either of these seats, since they really should have gone with a clear plastic to give it the hovering appearance.

Other than that, both look great. He can sit neatly in either, thanks to the well articulated body and wire in the outer cloak.

That wraps it up for the regular release, but the exclusive includes one more item.  It's the Holocron Cube, or holographic chronicle. Scale looks good, and the sculpt and paint are reasonable enough.

That's a lot of accessories, making the price tag on this guy a whole lot more tolerable.

Outfit - ***1/2
While the outfit is pretty basic, it's well made and well tailored.

There's the inner brown jumpsuit, which is held tightly closed with thin Velcro. Since the earlier release has the more dress-like Jedi robe, this is a nice change of pace.

Over that is his tan hooded robe, but they've improved on this as well. They've included a thin posing wire through the entire outer edge, which makes it much easier to get great looking dynamic poses, as well as getting the robe and hood out of the way when he's sitting down.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Great articulation, a ton of accessories, sturdy quality, and a main Star Wars Jedi all add up to a really fun figure. Both adults and kids can enjoy this guy, although at this price tag it's more likely collectors who will get to appreciate the fun.

Value - ***
Two years ago, a similar figure (with fewer accessories) ran $70. This figure comes in at $100, and has quite a few extras this time around. With two head sculpts and two display chairs, it's hard to argue with the price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
Be careful when working with the very hard hands and the saber hilts. You can damage the hilts when inserting and removing them, so take your time.

Overall - ***1/2
If you're a Star Wars fan who didn't pick up the original Sideshow sixth scale Yoda, then picking him up this time around is a no-brainer. This release includes the original head sculpt but improves on it with a second version, has an improved outfit, as well as some excellent new accessories.  All of this is available at less than $90 if you go after the regular release.

If you picked up the first version, getting this one becomes a much harder sell. Yes, they did improve in several areas, and you might want one (or both) of those seats. But I'm not sure that any of that is worth paying the bucks.

It makes sense though that Sideshow put Yoda out again. They have their cool Hut diorama available, and they know that selling it is tough to do if they don't have an appropriate Yoda available to go with it. It only makes sense to re-release this core character, and you have to love the additional extras they've thrown in.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The last time Sideshow did Yoda, it was nice too. They also have a very cool Yoda's Hut diorama that this guy works great with. Other Yoda reviews include one of my favorite versions, he Premium Format statue of Yoda doing in a Clonetrooper.

Kotobukiya did their 1/7th scale diorama of Yoda battling the Emperor.

Many, many years ago, Hasbro did their own sixth scale version of Yoda.

And I had a couple guest reviews of the Medicom VCD version, here and here.

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!