Hasbro
Released August 2004
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Photography by Michael Sullenger
Reviewed on September 8, 2004
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The score for the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection from Hasbro seems to be for every one figure that's stellar, there's an arguable dud. This is not the dud. Darth Vader is the take on the figure people have been waiting for, and while there's one or two minor complaints I can say, without hyperbole, that this is the best version of ROJ or ESB Vader-- I can't tell which-- ever.

This figure is packaged with a fully lit lightsaber and an unlit one for his belt. The cape is not removable.

Sculpt/Articulation/Gimmicks/Paint

He's not buff. He isn't posed oddly. He isn't too short. And yes, he can actually sit and even includes all the accessories you could possibly want.

See how he's posed? This may be the first ever Darth Vader since the 1995 version that doesn't have an unusual arm bend, knee bend, or other peculiar joint to prevent it from being posed virtually in a variety of useful ways. (For those keeping track, the previous winner for "most acceptable non-action pose" was 1999's CommTech version.) This is a good one, kids. Also good, the helmet.



While it isn't perfect-- as few things are-- it's great. The eyes aren't reddish like they are in A New Hope but the helmet seems a little more narrow, so I would assume this is Empire Strikes Back Vader, but truth be told when it comes to the nuances between the Vader of Episode V and Episode VI, I'm not what you would call the world's most informed individual. However, I can safely say that the helmet is great, although a slightly brighter shade of silver paint for the highlights around his mouth area would really have made this awesome.

While we made a few cracks about some of the vintage figures not being a suitable improvement over the original, well, anyone making that joke here is a snot. This figure takes what we all liked about the original-- like the ability to sit and a pose that would allow him to pilot many a starcraft-- and ditched what we disliked, notably the plastic cape, the crappy lightsaber, and the "magic lightsaber extension" gimmick last used in 2002 with an Anakin Skywalker figure. (Although I must confess, I really liked that.)

Now that's what I call versatility! Darth Vader's codpiece is a separate piece from the legs and body, so it has a little give to it and bends when he needs to sit or be posed with his legs in a non-standard pose. The body armor is on par with most recent Darth Vader figures, with glossy boots and lots of little wrinkles and folds exactly where they should be. The paint all seems to be where it should be, with little to no spots that leave you thinking that Hasbro cut a corner. So as far as the plastic parts of this figure go, I'm quite pleased except for one thing-- articulation.

Despite being the most articulated Darth Vader in this size ever, A few choices made this figure less than stellar and merely really really good. He has joints at the neck, wrists, hips, waist, knees, shoulders, and elbows... and we can't complain about that. Hasbro widely used ball joints at the shoulders and knees, but used inadequate cut joints at the elbows that really restrict his movement. You could gain a number of superior poses out of this guy just by using that different joint, and as such we're a little disappointed this is how it went. It's not bad, just not perfect, and this still isn't the "ultimate" Vader figure. Which, rumor has it, is coming in 2005.

As mentioned above, the cloth parts aren't removable and for the most part Hasbro did an awesome job on them. The lower part of the cape, or robes, or skirt or what have you is excellent and Hasbro even hemmed the edge of it so it doesn't fray. Wow! I must say I'm impressed.

The big cape is excellent but lacks the hem of the smaller part. Other than that, they used the right, thin material that allows it to flow well and while it can be seen through a little, we have no doubt that this is the best that could be done given the size and texture of the material without comprimising something. As such, thumbs up. The one bad part of this cape is around his neck-- the silvery cord seems like an afterthought and tends to jut out a little. You see, it doesn't hold the cape in place, as both the silver cord and the black cape are stuck to Vader's neck. So you turn his head, and the corresponding cloth parts move too. As such, the extra cord length shows, but it can be posed so it isn't much of a bother. And we like that.

Accessories

This set includes the pair of lightsabers and nothing else.

One on, one off. Magnificent.

This was far better than making a saber with a removable blade for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is potential breakage. At this point, you've no doubt had one or two lightsabers break on you if you had to move or let kids play with them. (Ki-Adi-Mundi, we hardly knew ye. Or rather, ye lightsaber.) This allows the weapons to be a little more durable, and even though these are meant to be collector's figures, we appreciate this a great deal.

The smaller weapon has a tab to fit into Vader's belt and hang there, and this is the first time a figure from the original trilogy has had this ability with an appropriate weapon. (An Obi-Wan figure is being sold but for some reason, Anakin's saber attaches to his belt.)

While some fans will undoubtedly bemoan the lack of metal, the plastic sabers look better than any of the metal ones so far and as such, we're quite pleased. Good job, Hasbro!

Packaging

While the first series and Yoda all included packaging that resembled their first cardbacks, Darth Vader resembles the original ESB packaging from 1980 instead. (This was, if you forgot, the same basic look as the ANH cardback but with the new logo.)

The front of the cardback is, basically, just the same as the 1980 cardbacks. I don't much feel like combing over the part numbers and such to check for differences, but it's certainly close enough to be acceptable. It strikes us as odd, though, that Hasbro is going with the later movie titles instead of the originals. As this isn't an ANH Vader suit for the toy, though, we understand their reasoning.

The back of the card is somewhat lame, using similar graphics to those used on other OTC products. It would be nice to have a vintage-esque lineup of the new VOTC figures instead of just the four from that movie. It's OK, but nothing too special.

The clamshell is nice, and it's taped shut to avoid people... I guess buying it and returning a 1978 figure in its place. There's an embossed Star Wars logo on the back, and you could probably cram any old vintage figure in here if you open your VOTC figures and happen to have other real vintage figures in need of star case type storage. The case is too shallow for anything but vintage figures, or perhaps thinner, early POTF2 and POTJ figures.

I especially like the embossed Imperial and Rebel logos on the top of the clamshell. All in all, it's good packaging, but the regular OTC style impressed me a little bit more.

Availability

He's new, he's hot, and he comes and goes quickly. He's also shipping through the end of the line, so you should be able to get at least one. (Or two, if you want to keep one packaged, and you should.)

Fin

While Yoda was a screaming example of poor value, Darth Vader is more of a question mark. If you include packaging and presentation, this is worth $10. But as an opened figure, there really isn't much to make it seem better than any other $5 Darth Vader figure-- the joints are nice, but we've seen figures just as posable for $4.99. But seeing as this figure isn't sold in cheap packaging, well, it's kinda moot.

As this isn't the "ultimate" Vader, but it's definitely the best today, it's worth snagging one or two of for whatever purposes you may have. Snag it if you see it and odds are you'll be pleased with it.

Our sample was obtained from some guy in August 2004.