The other thing that makes the head amazing is how carefully it was done. The outer helmet came off on mine – I assume that’s a QC issue as it doesn’t appear to have been supposed to do that, but I’m glad it did because it really let me get a good look at the sculpt itself. The skull inside is fantastic. It’s well detailed (though it may not have teeth) and it’s sufficiently creepy. That skull is this weathered a bit and some blue lightning bolts are painted across it (wasn’t expecting that). The skull is then encased in the clear purple shell that makes up the mask. It looks like the skull was just put directly into the mold when the helmet was poured. I love it. There are a ton of figures with skeleton aspects that I would have loved to seen done this way.
The rest of the figure is as top notch as the first release. The sculpt on the body is good. The soft goods are incorporated okay for the most part (I like the tunic part, but the way the cape connects seems off). The articulation is probably better than David Prowse could move in that costume. The classic lightsaber with removable blade is included. I keep wanting to make a link back to my original review for these little details, but I guess I didn’t review Vader originally. I’ll need to get to that.
I think my laundry is done, so I’ll wrap up there. Overall, this is a great release. I’m not sure that it’s a really crucial figure everyone needs or even one that ends up displays forever since it’s such a one-off, but Hasbro did their best to do the figure justice with the changes they made. I also have to give a shout out to Walgreens. I love having them be a player in the action figure world. This is the fourth release I’ve bought from them and I’ve loved all four. I don’t know if it’s them coming up with variants or if they’re selecting a list from Hasbro, but they’ve clearly got an eye for it.
I’m torn on this one. I bought it but haven’t opened it. It’s one thing to have one-scene variants in a 4″ line,but I don’t know if I want to go down this road in the 6″ line. And yet I never did pick up his 4″ counterpart in the Vintage Collection …
That last picture… that’s perfect. Well done, sir!
I’m not sure I’m going to get this guy. I only saw the original 6″ Vader once, and skipped it for later…which never came. I’ll have to see it in person before I really decide.
I did get TFA Han today, and passed on FN-2187, and snagged Biker set last week for $20. Really just looking for Snowie and Snap at this point, and hoping we see Lando and some ladies announced this wkd!
That last pic makes the review tho!
(and I wonder if it’s something in the water mid-state? I went down to visit a friend by FtLW for NYE and by the time I hit Rolla, I had no less than FOUR “photo finishes” in that final stretch. Not the first time, either. Then he had a fit he had to wait another day to see TFA. ofw.)
I hope you all feel better soon!
Great review and hilarious comics, as always.
Locational exclusives. Bah.
Some of the guys over at The Fwoosh have done custom paint jobs with the head. Looks pretty great!
yet another thing I just can’t find in New York… we have one Walgreens with a dinky little, usually empty/picked clean, toy section… killing me
I finally grabbed one yesterday here in Australia. Not finally in that I found him, he’s been weirdly easy to obtain here at a local chain called Big W. Like they got a heap of him here. Regular waves, stores seems to get one case but this Vader they must have got at least 4-5 cases per store. 😛
I actually bought him from a re-seller though, who I’d just the previous day bought an Obi Wan for a friend who’d been chasing him. Paid RRP on the way home from getting stuff for my 4yo’s birthday (and actually saw a heap of this Vader at the Big W I went to, but I didn’t want to stiff the guy I said I’d buy from).
I could pick another one up tomorrow easy enough and may just do so (well, maybe in a week or so) because I actually really like him after a play. I’ll keep him displayed with no hand and I added the blue electricity pieces that came with the DCUC Superman Blue to make him all zapped up. But I’d like to grab another to repaint the head for a normal Vader and then use my original Vader’s head to display the Seb Shaw head.
Also gave the lightsaber to Anakin so he’s wielding a blue and red now, in conflict (sidenote, how crazy are Anakin prices now??? This figure was selling for $20 at The Reject Store in Australia, a factory overstock chain, just before Christmas). If I get another Vader, I’ll probably hook up Palpatine with the saber. 😛
That last picture was hilarious
See even Kylo Ren has to collect all the variants.