Review of Yoda - Star Wars
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

When you think of Star Wars characters that have had more than their fair share of sixth scale action figures, you think Vader...Boba Fett...certainly Troopers...but what about Yoda? How many times has the diminutive Jedi gotten the treatment from companies like Sideshow, Hasbro, and Medicom?  Yea, a lot. Sideshow even dressed him up like Santa for one release!

But not so many that Hot Toys didn't think one more time was the charm. Their version is based on his appearance in Empire Strikes Back. This guy started shipping a few weeks ago, and will run you around $200, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
Nothing unique here.  The shoe box style package includes an attractive insert cover, and the plastic tray holds the figure and accessories safely. It's all collector friendly, and it's sturdy and well made, but it's also quite utilitarian and not particularly creative.

Sculpting - ****
We've gotten some very nice renditions before, but nothing holds a candle to the realistic look of this one.  Hot Toys has outdone themselves with the aged, weathered, ESB Yoda, and the use of soft, feathery, hair across the back, rather than sculpted hair, was a smart move.

The figure comes with two portraits: one with open eyes, one with closed. The head sculpts are identical other than the eyes, with the ears turned forward and a slight smirk to the mouth. This is a highly photogenic figure, with the excellent skin texture and clear eyes creating a perfect picture every time.

Yoda is tiny of course, and after you pass a couple hundred years, you tend to shrink.  He's about 5 1/2" tall, and the overall internal scale and proportions look excellent. He might appear a little small next to Fett in the next to last photo, but I think it's actually quite accurate to his look in ESB when he was riding on Luke's back.

There's only two sets of hands, but they are sculpted to work nicely with the majority of the accessories, as well as in most poses. He stands great on his own of course, and both heads and hands swap easily.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work doesn't have any serious issues, but there's a few minor nits that hold it back from a perfect score.

They went for a slightly uneven skin tone, adding to the appearance of age. It works pretty well, although some of the crevasses and wrinkles on the head appear a little powdery. There's some slight bleed in the eyes, although the glassy, wet look makes up for quite a bit.

The hands and feet match the head and neck, and while the green body doesn't sport the sort of detail of the exposed areas, the color is a reasonable match.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is a fully functioning sixth scale body, in mini-me size. There's all the joints you expect, and they all have a good range of movement.

The only area that's a bit restricted is the neck. The head and neck are one piece, a necessity due to the on screen look. It does mean that there's only the ball joint down at the torso, which allows for less tilt and lean action than with a separate neck/head design. This is a trade off I'm more than happy to make here, because the single piece sculpt was absolutely critical to getting the right appearance.

The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, rotating hinge wrists, rotating hinge hips, double pin knees, cut thighs, and rotating hinge ankles all work great, and allow for plenty of interesting, fluid poses. He doesn't have a light saber (this wasn't a big battling movie for him), but he can look natural sitting around the hut.

There's also a ball waist joint that works surprisingly well, and allows him to hunch a bit in most standing poses.

Accessories - ****
He has a nice selection of extras, including the diorama base.

Of course he gets some hands, but there's only two sets. He comes wearing a posed set, with a second gripping set in the box. They swap easily, but there's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

There's his knobby cane too, as well as his necklace. The sculpts and paint work are great, and these are must have additions.

From Luke's supplies, there's the small silver light (which does not light up), the larger power unit (which does light up - more on that in the Light Up Feature section), and one case. These look great with the included diorama.

As I mentioned earlier, there's two separate head sculpts, one with open eyes, one with closed. The closed eyes work particularly well with concentration poses, like when Yoda is levitating various objects. That's where the diorama also comes in. It consists of a grassy, rocky base, a large trunk, and two smaller rocks. These two small rocks can be suspended above the ground with two of the three included clear plastic rods, allowing you to create the perfect levitating display.

Light Feature - ***1/2
The light feature is simple and straight forward, but that also means it's one you may actually use.

There's a battery compartment on the base of the power unit. Unscrew the cover (it was a very tight screw this time!) and pop the two included batteries inside, flip the small switch on the bottom, and viola!  A bright LED light illuminates the unit. As I said, it's not complicated, but it's very functional.

Outfit - ***1/2
There's not a ton to the outfit - the brown under robes, the tan outer robe, and his belt with one pouch. But the execution is quite good, even with the simple details.

The tailoring and materials are high quality, and it's all very sturdy and well made. They've added wear and tear, particularly to the outer robe, showing the age of the clothing and wearer. I am a little worried that over time the damage will get worse, because of the way they've cut some of the fabric, but with careful handling I think it will be fine.

Fun Factor - ****
There's plenty of display and posing potential with this character.  The included diorama is nice, but if you really want him to shine, hunt down the Sideshow Hut diorama, a perfect setting for a figure of this quality.

Value - **1/2
At $200, you're getting a well made figure, albeit a tiny one. You're also getting a light up feature and plenty of extras. Once upon a time, a figure this size would have been half this cost, but those days are long gone. Based on the current market, the price here is an average value, and won't effect my Overall grade either up or down.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I would be a little careful with the outfit, depending on how much damage is already done, but I don't expect it to be a major issue under normal circumstances.

Overall - ****
I almost skipped this figure. In fact, I planned on cancelling him, and the only reason I didn't? I forgot. Now, I'm glad I did. I have the hut around here someplace boxed up, and this figure is going to be the ideal release to include.

The quality of the sculpt on both portraits is exceptional, and while the paint has a nit or two, it's not enough to detract from the overall feeling of quality you get with this guy in hand. I suspect I won't need to buy another Yoda, but it's never a good idea to say 'never'. Oh, the irony.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has him for $200.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Yoda's include this one from Sideshow, the earlier release from Sideshow, and of course Hasbro did a few. Medicom did a VCD version that was sixth scale as well. You should check out the Hut diorama that Sideshow produced as well, a perfect companion to this figure.

One of my favorite Yoda's is the Premium Format statue, where he's stabbing the Clonetrooper through the chest in battle.

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

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