Darth Vader - TAC - Basic (08 02)

Now a Sith apprentice, Vader rejects Obi-Wan's pleas to turn away from the dark side. Instead, he attacks Kenobi in a devastating lightsaber duel on Mustafar. Destruction is Vader's only thought, but in the end, he is the one who lies near death on the black sand shores.

Probably one of the most frustrating things Hasbro has ever done to collectors is label action figures who look like Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader. And while Hasbro is not incorrect in designating him this way (after all, Darth Sidious hailed him as Darth Vader before he donned the suit), it technically is a little inaccurate and makes us quiver because Darth Vader is the tall guy in the big black suit. It sort of threatens the strength of our historical memories to refer to Darth Vader as anything but that. It may seem like a bit of an exaggeration to make such a strong claim like this, but when things as we know them change physical form but yet are still labeled the same way, it goes against the grain of our collector fiber (a little bit). While we are happy to get updated versions of Anakin Skywalker, we really don't want to refer to him as Darth Vader deep down inside. That being said, Darth Vader is an awesome update to a previously released action figure. It was a perfect time to get his released in the 30 (77-07) line even if it was on its way to fizzle out. Hasbro seemed to have perfected the paint of the face details making for a much crisper and cleaner likeness. Also, more streaking in the hair was added to make it more accurate to the film. This and so much more elevated the status to a much high and improved level and it is a great thing to get him with all of these updates.

Darth Vader is a retool of the already very good Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars Commander) figure from the 2005 ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set. This time around, the figure has ball jointed hips for increased optimal mobility! Unfortunately, Hasbro didn't treat his arms as well as his legs. Let us explain, Hasbro didn't do anything bad to them. They just have been ignored for an update this time around. They are swivel joints and are the only encumbering aspect on this figure. The figure can be posed in a wide array of poses and he is almostt a definitive Darth Vader [Anakin Skywalker] figure for now. One of the finest attributes of this figure is the paint job. Hasbro has exceeded our expectations here and we are thoroughly impressed with the final product. Simply accessorized with juts his lightsaber, it is all the stuff he needs. This character is intended to represent how Darth Vader looked during (or right before) his now classic duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. So no cape or anything else is needed to drive this point home. Perhaps some collectors would have preferred to have a lightsaber hilt packaged with the figure, but we are happy with the arrangement as is. As a basic figure, the ball-jointed hips are reason enough for us to pick up this figure. These types of joints are the biggest lacking feature for modern Star Wars figures. It is our plea to Hasbro that more and more figures start including these very necessary joints!

Darth Vader comes with a figure specific action figure stand. We love these stands and we even like the font Hasbro used to customize/personalize them. A most utilitarian accessory for a figure, many of the figures need assistance with these stands because they have trouble standing on their own. Darth Vader actually doesn't suffer from this figure infirmity and he can balance on his own two feet. In fact, he can be posed with a wide stance and he is even able to stand in these poses as well. We will always say this in this column. We don't mind retools and repaints as long as Hasbro makes them new enough for our collections. Straight repacks are our bone of contention. But if they continue to bring us figures like this and slowly improve them over time, we think it will keep the line healthy. Expect to see Darth Vader [Anakin Skywalker] released multiple times in the future. This is one solid action figure and he will center your collection in mutiple displays or dioramas. And we suspect that a completely super-articulated retool is in the works which should see release in a few years or so. But this figure will certainly do its part until a revision heads our way. It would have been very sweet to get a coin packaged with this figure, but unfortunately the coins ended after the 2007 figures finished out. The stands make up for this loss quite a bit, but the most important thing to remember is that the figure should be taking the spotlight, not the stands or the coins. And this figure is an excellent one indeed!