Darth Vader - TAC - Basic (30 16)

Darth Vader has waited many years to confront his former master. But Obi-Wan has one last lesson for his former Padawan, the Force transcends time and space. As Vader witnesses Obi-Wan become one with the Force, his victory is bittersweet, for he is deprived of the satisfaction of seeing Kenobi's lifeless body at his feet!

The Star Wars saga is all about Darth Vader. So it really makes complete sense when we get multiple figures of him in the toy line every year. But what makes it refreshing (and there are exceptions of course) is that Hasbro is always able to put a new spin with each release making it different from the previously released others. There is a limit to how much new they can bring to the table. After all, we’re talking about a villain in black suit whose only real tangible weapon is a lightsaber. So how, after more than a decade does Hasbro make Darth Vader “new” again? How about via a very cool action figure stand shaped in the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s remains? For the 30 (77-07) line, Hasbro brought back a great version of Darth Vader that originally came in 2006’s TAC Commemorative Tin Collection (Episode IV) set, repainted it and gave it this very awesome stand (which functions more like an accessory than a stand we might add). The final results are more than satisfying with us, but we know there will be multiple people out there unhappy with some of the liberties Hasbro decided to take here.

For purists, this figure’s biggest problem is the removable helmet which shows a very burned and bruised Hayden Christensen likeness underneath. While we’re not fond of the lines between Prequel and Original Trilogy getting blurred, but we are alright with this feature. Yes, we would prefer to have a non-removable helmet also, but at least the head can be covered up with it. If you own the Commemorative Tin Collection figure, than you pretty much know what to expect here. The most important thing to note about this figure is that it’s completely repainted. The silver is shinier and the head sculpt has been painted with a purple wash. For some reason, the figure’s blue eyes really come through here. Hasbro ensured that the chest plate colors are correct and the tabards that come over hi shoulder armor are also in place. Once you put the helmet on you realize that this is truly a solid Darth Vader action figure. In fact, it’s truly one of the best Episode IV specific action figures you’ll find. The joints are nice and tight and his helmet fits snuggly in place although it is quite easy to remove from the figure as well. And the soft-goods drape nicely around the figure without affecting the aesthetics of the figure.

Fans will be eager over the included base/stand that comes with Darth Vader. It’s flawlessly sculpted to represent Obi-Wan’s outer robe when he was struck down by Darth Vader. There is even a beveled spot with a foot peg to recreate Darth Vader stepping on it in disbelief that Obi-Wan Kenobi has vanished. And as a bonus, Hasbro has sculpted in a lightsaber hilt into the mold just like what we saw in the film. We rarely get excited over the stands that are included with some of Hasbro’s action figures, but this is one of the best they’ve ever done. As a figure, you really couldn’t do any better and this is a great Darth Vader figure to own. For mint in package collectors, Darth Vader was released as part of Hasbro’s 2007 TAC Ultimate Galactic Hunt promotion and came packaged as part of the regular line as well as a special gold-foil embossed card with a gold coin. There aren’t any changes to the figure, just the packaging and coin. So while this Darth Vader is scene-specific from Episode IV, we know that it just won’t fly to collectors who want the Prequel Trilogy isolated from the Original Trilogy. We’re empathetic to that, but this doesn’t mean that this isn’t an awesome Darth Vader figure!