Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) - Premium Format Figures

You underestimate the power of the Dark Side.

When you make Darth Vader one of the first characters in your Premium Format Figures line, the reality is that you’re going to have to get him our again at some point for newcomers or fans that missed out the first time. But when you’re extra clever like Sideshow Collectibles is, you proceed with that character but from another perspective. In the case of the Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) Premium Format Figure, Sideshow Collectibles has decided to take on his appearance from another film in the trilogy. The regular Darth Vader Premium Format, released all the way back in 2005, was based on his appearance from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This time we get a version of Darth Vader that lies somewhere between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. (We should be clear however that Sideshow Collectibles has described an Episode VI likeness of Darth Vader on their product page for this item.). Darth Vader’s outfit doesn’t have too many differences between those two films. But the Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) Premium Format Figure seems to possess elements from both film (especially since the environmental base has a heavy likeness to something we saw on Bespin). You can see how far Sideshow Collectibles has come since their early days in the Premium Format Figure arena and the final piece shows just what they’re capable of doing in this scale of high-end collectibles.

The Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) Premium Format Figure breaks down into seven separate pieces. These include the portrait (which is plastic and not polystone and comes with ball-socket articulation), the body, a removable chest box (that lights up courtesy of a very tiny on/off switch), belt, lightsaber blade (which also lights up via a connection lodged into Darth Vader’s right hand) and the environmental display base (which for us is very hard to pinpoint). The environmental display base has a very Bespin carbon-freezing chamber appearance and looks very much like the exquisite packaging that forms Hasbro’s The Vintage Collection’s Carbonite Chamber Collector’s Pack (that unmistakable hexagonal shape and coloring) in addition to the floors of the second Death Star in Return Of The Jedi. Perhaps this inability to pinpoint a specific scene (which is so common in the Premium Format Figures line) is intentional to add a little more option and diversity in the line and in your collection. Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) has been beautifully designed. His pose is about as perfect as it’s going to get. There isn’t much more we would have liked to see Sideshow Collectibles add to this sculpt. He looks as if he is stepping down from one level to the next, and his lit lightsaber is demurely shooting off away from his right side as if he is preparing to confront Luke Skywalker.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) Premium Format Figure is the flawless interaction of various mixed media included. He comes with a lovely two-layered cape that comes with a flat fabric seamlessly backed with a silky layer. The cape is the perfect length and hangs down to the heels of his boots. There is even a faux chain that is beautifully sculpted and hangs perfectly around his neck. His ribbed body suit has a leathery feel and the Sideshow Collectibles has chosen the perfect type of plastic that is shiny and has a sheen that isn’t overtly overwhelming when it captures lighting. As mentioned earlier, the head is articulated and can be posed in a variety of ways. Other than that this is a static figure. His lightsaber blade lights up when you turn the switch to the “on” position. But that base also lights up as well. Frankly it is one of the most beautiful things we have seen in a long time from Sideshow Collectibles. If you’re a fan of Darth Vader, we don’t know how you can possibly overlook this figure for your collection. Choose a payment plan if you have to because he is worth every penny. Limited to 7500 pieces, no exclusive version exists for Darth Vader (Lord Of The Sith) which is a nice gesture. It would really stink to do this again to such a main character as Darth Vader. You know how we feel about this product. Hopefully we’ve convinced you to at least consider it for your own collection.

This sample has been provided to us by Sideshow Collectibles.