$14.99 for a 3-pack is an amazing though.  In 2008, TAC basic figures cost $7.99, just like them 5POA craps today!  A two-pack of 5POA craps today offers a slight discount per figure, at $14.99.  Yet somehow, Hasbro managed to offer a third figure in this pack for no cost.  For free!  Sure, it’s a duplicate trooper, but who’s complaining about that?  Well, in 2008, probably nobody was complaining about that.  You got what was a pretty good Emperor at the time, along with a pair of newly repainted stormtroopers.  The set has aged poorly, but there’s still some value here.  Let’s not delay this spectacle any longer!

Emperor Palpatine

This is a repack of the of the Emperor Palpatine that came with the ROTS-era “The Sith” Evolutions set.  At that time, it was a pretty cool OT Emperor figure.  But while it had its flaws back in 2005, by 2008, it was already getting long in the tooth.  By 2019, this figure pretty much blows.  It’s got a few quirky aspects that can be somewhat endearing.  I feel the face sculpt manages to capture the moments when the Emperor is maniacally blasting Luke with his magic lightning.  I also like the sculpt of the gnarled left hand, but it conversely is unable to grip the lightsaber in a THWG, so it’s a double-edged sword.  The robes are actually decent from the neck down.  The long arms drape down convincingly.  Sadly, it’s oversized.  But the real problem is the ridiculous hood. It looks more like a skull cap than a proper hood.  He almost looks like Randy after his mom gets him ready for school in A Christmas Story. And the separate plastic neck clasp simply fails to help the situation.  The articulation is solid, as is the underlying body sculpt. But in the end, it’s a very unsatisfying Palpatine, and its existence just highlights the need for a modern update.  I’ve given it a poor grade, and recommended a critical resculpt.  Obviously, that recommendation has nothing to do with The Force Unleashed source material, and everything to do with ROTJ.  For the love of all that is good and holy in this universe, we need an ultimate TVC ROTJ Emperor Palpatine and throne.  Otherwise, Chris is going to quit the hobby.

Shadow Stormtrooper [two figures]

This Shadow Stormtrooper is the “resting” version of this specialized trooper from The Force Unleashed.  It is the same character as the “phasing” version, which was offered in both the first and second of the TLC 5-packs in 2010.  That figure represents the trooper as it is in the midst of cloaking or uncloaking.  (The fully cloaked version is a figure that everybody has, but most people don’t even realize it.).  It stands out from regular stormtroopers with its two-toned armor in gray and silver.  The helmet is fairly striking, especially the way the lenses are painted.  Sadly, it’s a stormtrooper mold that was basically used about 4000 times over the years, and it’s pretty much garbage in 2019.  This figure is a repaint of previous stormtrooper releases, while it is also a repack of itself in the same set, since there are two of them.  The figure doesn’t look bad standing there, although even that isn’t great because of the wonky helmet and the legs that are too close together.  Posing the figure is a chore because of the poor range of motion of the legs, and then there are those stupid rigid hands that can’t grip the blaster well.  The right hand can barely grip the blaster, and the left hand can’t get around the barrel in support.  It’s all very frustrating.  Some people might wish for Hasbro to get around to repainting all the stormtrooper variants using the new VC140 base mold, but personally, I’m good leaving well enough alone.