Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

Luke Skywalker removes his father's head gear so that Anakin may look at his son with his own eyes for the first time. Darth Vader became one with the light side of the Force when he rescued his son from the clutches of the Emperor.

After a few years, collectors began to feel and see that The Power Of The Force “2” was alive and kicking. After Kenner/Hasbro knocked out a whole bunch of main characters, collectors began pining for them to make “not the first thought” versions of the main characters. Instead of just throwing another character out there for us, we wanted Kenner/Hasbro to not go with the first inclination and think outside of the box with new figures. By the time 1998 had arrived, many of the original vintage Kenner figures had been updated along with a whole slew of first-time offered other characters. But we wanted more. And they listened to us. Arguably the most exciting release of The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame line was Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand]. More commonly referred to as Darth Vader (With Removable Helmet), it was the first time Star Wars collectors were able to buy the Sith Lord with a removable helmet. Underneath of it sat the unforgettable face of the badly burned Anakin Skywalker. What’s more, this Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] was another figure to skirt past Lucasfilm Ltd. without being changed. This figure was released after the controversial Special Editions had been out, so this figure's release is right on time. The figure was so hot even before its release that Kenner/Hasbro was worried if they would meet demand or not.

The figure is important for a few other (and perhaps much more important) reasons as well. Kenner/Hasbro upped the articulation on Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] a bit to give the figure more mobility and entertaining play features. As the figure’s name implies, the right hand is completely removable to recreate the scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi where it is hacked off by Luke Skywalker. But the hand, when attached, obviously has swivel articulation as well. We can’t tell express enough how much good this simple extra point of articulation brings the figure to wield its lightsaber around. And if that wasn’t enough, Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] also comes with a swivel right elbow as well. This couple with the swivel wrist is a tremendous update for an action figure that utilizes a weapon such as a lightsaber. The updates are nice and very much appreciated. Another thing that you’ll notice with Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] is that he is very slimmed down from the original 1995 POTF2 Darth Vader figure. Although the silhouette is extremely thinner, Kenner/Hasbro still needs to go a little further in getting rid of those bulky proportions. But the progress here shouldn’t be undermined. They’ve done an outstanding job on this.

The head sculpt is quite nice. The likeness does favor Sebastian Shaw, but it’s not an exact match. It’s not perfect, but it is an admirable effort. More impressive, however are the battle-damage markings like the gashes and burns on his cranium. The wounds look painful and morbidly eerie. We applaud Kenner/Hasbro with how well they decorate this figure. Collectors should be impressed. The rest of the figure is above average as well. Although mostly black, Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand] does have both dull and glossy black paint to bring him to life. The chest box is colorfully accented, and the texture of his costume is only enhanced by the very nice paint operations. The removable helmet, although only one piece, has also been done very, very nicely. It fits over his head perfectly, yet the helmet isn’t too big, and Anakin’s head isn’t too small. We think that this action figure has been perfectly engineered from this point of view. If you’re looking for more flexibility from Darth Vader [With Detachable Hand], just remove his cape, and you will get more movement out of his articulation. This iteration is an “out of the box” take on Darth Vader. And overall we have to say that we’re pleasantly surprised. Better versions will come with time, but this is also a milestone in the history of the Star Wars line.