The poet Charles Baudelaire (or was it Verbal Kint?) once said that "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." This new Darth Sidious figure is certainly a revelation. We were completely prepared to be underwhelmed by Hasbro's latest effort of "The Phantom Menace" himself mainly because he didn't look anything special in the package. The VC12 Darth Sidious, while certainly sporting a great face sculpt, fell short with the soft goods and fur coat giving him more of an evil "bag lady" look.

The Sidious lightsaber hilt gave a little hint of the awesomeness "under the hood". A fully sculpted and articulated body adds another "expanded universe" dimension to this figure that renders the best plastic version of this character yet. There are some recycled parts, such as the hands and legs from the VC12 figure. But the overall execution is fantastic. The all new upper torso even has a slight "middle aged" looking Sith Lord hunch and gait to it. You can even sort of head swap the VC12 figure but may need a little more customizing as the head socket is a little big. Finally, a finely detailed head sculpt captures McDiarmid's likeness like no other version before and looks stoic yet "menacing". The devil himself.

VC79 DARTH SIDIOUS 
Appearance: The Phantom Menace
Sequence: VC79
Asst. 30791/37499
Includes: Lightsaber, Lightsaber hilt, Removable Cowl, Removable Robe
Retail: $8.99 to $9.99
Released: January 2012

Cardback:  This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you! [MORE IMAGES]