Packaging - ***
You know the drill here - sturdy box, basic graphics, solid Styrofoam, no Certificate of Authenticity. No real change from past PF"s, but this one (unlike the recent Disney Evil Queen) does come in a very large box. That's due to the size of both Yoda and the Trooper.

Sculpting - ****
This is a very large Premium Format statue, containing two complete characters as it does. Both are properly scaled for the rest of the PF series, and they captured the look of this exact moment extremely well.

This is the prequel Yoda, so he has the CGI'd wrinkles, hairs and skin textures. The face is extremely expressive, and the expression is one of serious and deadly determination.

While the Trooper has a helmet on, they still managed to convey his utter shock and dismay at the realization that there's a light saber handle sticking out of his chest. I imagine he's thinking "I didn't sign up for this".

It's very difficult to pull of an extremely dynamic design with any statue. Too often, capturing a snapshot of action ends up looking silly or comical, not exciting or dangerous. But this is one of the best dynamic poses I've ever seen, and I'm extremely happy with the final result.

Paint - ****
At this price, you expect pretty much perfect paint operations, and you get them. The skin tone on Yoda is screen accurate, and his eyes and hair line are clean and realistic.

The trooper has the more complex color palette - this is a 501st trooper after all - but they've done a terrific job weathering the brighter colors and adding in just the right touches. Even the hole created by the fiery hot saber has burned edges!

Articulation - Bupkis
This isn't going to effect my overall, since at this point we're all pretty aware that a PF is not an articulated statue. However, I thought it worth mentioning to avoid the emails asking if Yoda's head could move, etc.

Accessories - Bupkis
Again, this won't go against my final score, but generally there's an Exclusive Version that has an additional accessory. That's not the case this time.

Outfit - ***1/2
The trooper's armor is all sculpted resin, of course, so he's already been covered in the 'sculpt' section. Here I'm just looking at Yoda's costume, which is cloth (hence the 'mixed media' of this PF).

There's three pieces to Yoda's outfit: the outer robe, the darker brown jumpsuit, and the belt. The belt and outer robe are actually easily removed, something very unusual for a Premium Format statue.

There's also a zipper in the back of the jumpsuit, but that's supplied so you can reach the battery compartment, not so you can remove his suit.

The stitching and material are top quality, and the fit is great.  I do wish that the hood had a wire in it, and that would have pushed this to the four star category. Without it, it's tough to get the hood to lay just right.

Light Feature - **1/2
I'm very happy to have the included light up feature, but that doesn't mean it is perfect.

The feature works easily enough. There's a zipper on the back of Yoda's jumpsuit, and beneath it is a battery compartment. Push the little tab down, and it pops open, but it did take some effort to get it to work. Once open, you must remove the small plastic tab, allowing the three batteries to light up the saber.

Yoda has a belly button - not that kind, but the kind that you push and it turns on the saber. There's a single light in the saber hilt that's supposed to light up the full length of green plastic.

Unfortunately, it doesn't do that particularly well. The first half looks great, but by the time the light gets through the trooper's chest and down to the back half, it's too weak to create an appropriate effect. Get rid of ALL the lights, and it's okay, but even then it's weaker than it should be - and certainly weaker than it should be at this price point.

Value - **1/2
Many of the recent licensed PF's are running around $300 - $350, so the price isn't a surprise. What makes this one a slightly better deal than most is two features - the lighting saber, and the inclusion of two full characters. While you won't feel like you got a steal, you won't feel abused either.

Things to Watch Out For -
As always, you want to be very careful inserting the not one but two metal posts into their respective resin slots. The metal can easily damage the softer material.

Overall - ***1/2
This is a great Premium Format statue, giving us not just cloth and resin pieces, but a light up feature as well. The only thing holding this one back from it's full potential is the slightly weak light, which doesn't illuminate the blade evenly end to end.

It's a fairly minor issue though, and I'm happy that I broke my resolution and jumped back into the Star Wars PF's with this pair. I don't feel the need for any other prequel versions (including Dooku, whom I skipped), but this pair will have a place of honor on the shelf.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Bupkis
Outfit - ***1/2
Light Up Feature - **1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has these in stock right now for $350. Surprisingly, none of my other sponsors are carrying this one.

- you can also hit ebay cruising for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Star Wars PF's I've reviewed include:

- I have been trying to cut back, at least on Star Wars PF's, and the last one I reviewed was a full year ago: Slave Leia.

- prior to that, I looked at Boba Fett, Darth Vader, ANH Leia, ANH Obi-Wan, and Han Solo.

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