This animated-style Palpatine a.k.a. Darth Sidious action figure was released single carded in March 2010 in the basic Clone Wars assortment.
Sidious was given eight joints, which is unfortunate in times where so many figures based on secondary characters are super articulated with over 12 joints or more. The neck is swivel-jointed and can be moved left or right, there are ball-joints in both shoulders and elbows, and swivel joints in both wrists and the waist. There are no joints below the waist, and even though Darth Sidious' legs are molded individually, they can't be moved. Hasbro included three accessories with the figure, Darth Sidious' lightsaber and 2 attachable force-lightning pieces. The lightsaber sits OK in the figure's right hand, but it doesn't fit into the left. The 2 force-lightning pieces can be attached firmly onto both of the figure's arms. Darth Sidious' soft-goods cloak is not removable.
The paint application on Sidious is well applied with black on the clothes and some gray accents on the belt and forearms. There is no weathering or dirt to be found on the figure. This Darth Sidious is an interesting figure, because it falls short on a few levels, like the very thin "see through" cloak, no articulated parts below the waist, and some light balancing issues. However, aesthetically it looks great and the likeness to the TV show character is fantastic. What's cool is that the hood is not removable, but underneath you can clearly make out a fully sculpted Palpatine head. It definitely adds to the character's mystery. To sum it all up, this animated-style version of Darth Sidious could have been made better articulated, but the fantastic sculpt makes more than up for it!
The mysterious Darth Sidious manipulates events from the shadows to achieve his evil plans. He keeps his identity a secret as he gives orders to his minions, and uses his power and cunning to influence others and shape the outcome of the war.
