We
are thrilled to show you first impressions of Sideshow Collectibles' 12" scale
Darth
Vader (Sith Lord) figure. There is no other way to put this than this way:
this is the definitive 12" Vader. Click
through to check out all the cool photos
and some thoughts on this beautiful high end collectible.
Darth Vader (Sith Lord)
Review: Paul
Harrison
Photography: Chuck Paskovics
Sideshow's latest 12" release,
Darth Vader (Sith Lord), is simply the most incredible 12" figure released
to the market. He towers over the 12" Stormtrooper and the attention to detail
is incredibly amazing. For starters, his cape drapes beautifully due to the
double layer and weight of the fabric. For those of you who may have the Premium
Format Darth Vader figure, the same care was taken to construct the cape for
this figure as it has an inner silky lining with a crepe-like outer layer.
Right out of the box, the cape hangs nearly wrinkle free. We count ourselves
lucky for such a generous addition to an already remarkable figure. Sideshow
could have very easily given us a one layer cape. The goodness just doesn't
stop there.
Darth Vader also has a two-tone
complexion on his helmet's faceplate of both silver and black. For nearly 30
years, we had basically missed this, but as far as the A New Hope costume
is concerned, this two-tone 'complexion' is there and
alternates on the different sections. See photos above for more details. Vader's
body is unique and it is very solid and heavy. The undersuit
is flawlessly stiched to give it that unique texture and leather like look
and feel. His boots are cleverly crafted to include shiny shin guards and still
give great articulation and authenticity. His joints are tight and his figure
stand is also distinct to allow for the extra height of the figure. The hand
attachments are all-new and because they are crafted of a more rubbery material,
they take a bit of patience to secure on the figure.
Although Sideshow has made
a fairly decent amount of these pieces (1977 exclusive and 6500 regular), we
don't expect these to hang around forever. Darth Vader is perhaps the most
popular character of the saga and once people start finding out how awesome
this figure is, we expect sales to go up exponentially. One warning, be wary
of the tiny balls at the end of the cheek tubes on the helmet; we know of some
samples that have broken off before the figure was even removed from the box.
Although this figure is not loaded with accessories, the ones it did come with
befit Vader awesomely and aside from a mouse droid, there is not much more
we would have wanted included in the box. This figure is certainly worth every
penny, and we unfortunately don't expect future versions of a 12" Vader
from Sideshow to be this affordable. Pick yours up today!