Review by Jon Donnis - in partnership with www.playwithtoys.co.uk
There is something immediately impressive about the Yoda Puppetronic by RealFX. Standing at 44cm tall, this officially licensed 2026 Star Wars collectible makes a very good first impression. Put it on a shelf or a sideboard and it looks like a premium Yoda figure, rather than something that has been designed primarily as a toy.
Yoda himself looks great. The outfit is particularly good quality, and the overall appearance captures the familiar character surprisingly well. As a display piece, this is one of the best Yoda figures I have seen. It has presence, it attracts attention and it is the sort of thing that quickly becomes a conversation starter when someone spots it.
The voice effects are another major strength. With more than 120 sounds, there is plenty of Yoda dialogue to discover, and the voice is remarkably convincing. I cannot say whether the recordings are from the original actor or a particularly good impersonator, but either way, they are spot on. The only real problem is that they are rather quiet, and there is no volume control, so you have to accept the level provided.
I actually like leaving the voice function switched on while Yoda is sitting on the side. He will occasionally come out with one of his iconic lines, and there is something quite amusing about having Yoda unexpectedly start talking in the background. It adds a little personality to what works best as a static display piece.
It was also interesting to see how a baby reacted to him. Clearly, this is not a toy designed for babies, but curiosity got the better of me. Would Yoda be frightening? Initially there was a little uncertainty, but that soon turned into waving at him and attempts to talk to him through enthusiastic baby babbling. It was a surprisingly cute reaction and shows just how interesting the character is, to someone who has no knowledge of the StarWars universe.
However, the biggest problem with the Yoda Puppetronic is also the reason it exists. It is a puppetronic, not an animatronic.
That distinction matters.
There are no automated movements. Yoda does not independently turn his head, blink or move around. The only automated element is the voice, which can randomly play one of his lines if you leave the unit switched on. Anyone buying this expecting an animatronic Yoda that will spring into life by itself could therefore be disappointed.
Instead, you control the movements yourself.
In theory, this should be fun. In practice, it is awkward.
Everything feels very stiff, and quite a lot of effort is required to make the movements look natural. That becomes particularly noticeable if somebody else is watching you operate Yoda. Rather than giving the impression that Yoda is coming to life, there can be an obvious sense that somebody is physically manipulating a puppet.
The controls are housed in a compartment on Yoda's back, with a fairly substantial joystick providing the main control. Oddly, the arrangement feels as though it was designed with a left-handed user in mind, which seems like a strange choice for something intended for a mass market.
The Force pose is another example. Raising Yoda's arm is controlled by a very stiff switch inside the rear control compartment. It takes a surprisingly heavy hand to operate it, and the movement feels more mechanical than natural as the arm rises.
The stiffness is ultimately what undermines the experience. A puppet needs to feel enjoyable to operate. You should want to pick it up and perform with it. With Yoda, there is a certain amount of work involved in getting the movements to look convincing, and that makes it difficult to see myself repeatedly using him as a puppet.
There are also some less obvious annoyances.
Yoda arrives without his feet and cane attached, so these have to be fitted during unboxing. Thankfully, this is a one-time job, but the feet are surprisingly tricky to install and require a fair amount of force to push into place.
The battery compartment is also poorly positioned on the back and is almost impossible to get to comfortably. It is the sort of design decision that probably makes sense somewhere on a manufacturing diagram, but is frustrating when you actually need to replace the batteries.
Then there is the hair.
Yoda has no hair.
That may sound like a minor complaint, but it is surprisingly noticeable. The real Yoda has that distinctive wispy white hair, and its absence makes the figure feel less complete than it could have been. Considering how good the rest of the costume and sculpt look, it seems like a missed opportunity.
The other question is scale. The Yoda Puppetronic is 44cm tall, while the real Yoda himself is 66cm. That makes this approximately 2:3 scale. Given that the Puppetronic is already a substantial object, it is difficult not to wonder why RealFX did not make it full scale. It would have been bigger, certainly, but not so much bigger that the difference seems unreasonable.
Ultimately, the Yoda Puppetronic is a product that I like considerably more as a figure than I do as a puppet.
As something to put on the shelf or side, it is excellent. It looks fantastic, the costume is good quality, the voice effects are extremely convincing and the occasional random quotes give it just enough life to make it more than an ordinary static figure. Visitors notice it, and people who have seen it have commented on how good it looks.
As a puppet that you are supposed to control, play with, demonstrate to friends or use to make videos, it is much less convincing. The joystick is stiff, the arm control is stiff and the movements require enough effort that making Yoda look genuinely alive is difficult. It simply does not feel as much fun to operate as I had hoped.
That leaves a slightly awkward question for anyone considering spending £79.99.
Are you willing to pay nearly £80 for a really good-looking Yoda display piece that happens to have a puppet mechanism inside it? If you are a huge Yoda fan, enjoy puppetry, are prepared to put in the effort to learn the controls and perhaps happen to be left-handed, there may be enough here to make it worthwhile.
For me, though, the distinction is clear. As a figure, I really like it. As a puppet, I do not.
As a display figure: 9/10
As a puppet: 5/10
Overall, the Yoda Puppetronic is a great-looking Yoda that I am very happy to have on the side. I just wish it was more enjoyable to actually control.
You can Pre-Order from Amazon at https://link.amazon/B02nW5mMB
Thank you to WOW! STUFF for providing the Yoda Puppetronic for review.
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