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Introduction
I watched a lot of movies over the holiday season - Fantastic Beasts, Sing, Passengers, Moana, Doctor Strange, Office Christmas Party, Arrival - and none of them disappointed. Some were much better than others (Moana vs Passengers, for example) but none of them left me feeling like I'd just wasted two hours and some serious cash.
But the one I liked the best, and will most likely watch the most, was Star Wars: Rogue One. It was a Star Wars I recognized, and yet it wasn't merely a re-hash of the well worn tropes of the past. It told a story that added value to the overall franchise, filling in one of the greater weaknesses of ANH and actually making that a stronger film in the process. And while some of the acting was...less than award winning, let's say...it still had solid performances in the key roles.
I've heard complaints that it's too dark. I saw none of that. Darker than Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen being scorched alive? Darker than Luke having his own hand cut off by his father? Darker than an entire planet, with billions of lives, wiped out of existence? No, not hardly. It was a war movie, and this has always been about a war. Too may of the films have told the story only from the perspective of the leadership of either side - this was about those actually fighting the battle. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It also gave us another look at a kick ass Vader. My youngest kids, who are teenagers, missed out on seeing the big bad version of Vader at the theater, and this was a wonderful reminder of what kind of omnipresent villain he can be. One of his scenes alone made the price of admission well worth it.
Hot Toys has just released their Vader from the movie, and while the overall concept isn't a lot different than earlier Vaders - particularly those from ANH - it seems like they get better every time they revisit a character.
This one is sold out at a lot of places already, but will run you around $250 when you can find him.
Packaging - ***
Pretty much a standard Hot Toys shoe box design, with a single tray inside holding the figure and accessories, a cover card with additional artwork covering that tray,
and everything done up all collector friendly like.
As with the Jedha Patrol Trooper I reviewed earlier this week (and the Death Trooper I'll be reviewing at the end of the week), this box has a new 'cigar band' wrapped
around the top cover. I don't know if this will be a Rogue One only thing, or all the future Star Wars releases will have one, but it's an...interesting...change.
Sculpting - ****
Hot Toys already nailed the ANH helmet, and what little variation there might be here is beyond my ability to discern. The helmet looks just as good as before, and the
proportions - particularly head size to body size - are excellent. The small detail work on the grills is terrific, and even in profile he looks spot on to me.
He's a big boy too, as you'd expect, coming in at a solid 13 1/2" tall, maybe a smidge more. That's probably bigger than he should be, but on the shelf he's an impressive character next to the other releases. They've bulked him up in the chest and shoulders to match, giving him a youthful, beefy appearance overall.
The detail work on the armor and control boxes is excellent as well. These are all pieces we've seen before, but with each successive release them seem to tweak things for the better. The armor and clothing are not removable this time, unlike the ANH version, but they've improved the placement, with the belt and chest box closer together. You can drop the belt down a bit further than I have it (resting lower on the codpiece) if that suits you, but I like this tighter look quite a bit.
The other big change here - at least from their 2016 ANH release - is the gloves. They've tried various ways to mimic the gloves and maintain articulation, but went with a solid glove/gauntlet piece this time. It might take a hit in the Articulation section, but it looks far better.
Paint - ****
Another excellent paint job, with almost nothing to complain about. The helmet has a bright reflective black surface, with smaller details on the boxes and belt clean
and neat. There's not a ton of paint operations here, but they nailed the few there are.
Articulation - ***
There's some steps forward...and a couple back...when it comes to the Articulation category.
One of the improvements is around the neck. The shoulder armor has a wider opening at the neck, allowing for a pretty full range of tilt and lean movement in the head. The armor restricts the neck of the helm less, making for poses with a lot more attitude.
The shoulders and elbows are pretty much the norm - the padded suit is a little restrictive, but more so with the torso than the arms. The wrists are a big change, at least from the last Hot Toys Vader, since the gloves are all one piece. That means the hands can turn, but that's about it. I'm willing to give up this point of articulation though, for the better looking result. Occasionally looks trump function, and this is one of those times.
The hips, knees, and ankles are reasonable, if somewhat held back by the uniform and armor. You can get decent leg stances, and you didn't plan on having Vader in any ninja stances - or sitting down drinking coffee - anyway. There is a negative to the legs though, as they are looser than expected. Normally TrueType bodies are tight and solid, but the hips are pretty floppy this time around, which was a bit of a surprise.
Accessories - ***
Unfortunately, he's not very well equipped. Considering the price point, and the sheer number of times this character has been re-done, that was a bit disappointing.
He does have nine different hands - the two belt gripping hands he comes wearing, plus a set of saber grips, along with three specifically posed rights and two more specifically posed lefts. They've also gone with full gloves this time, so the only wrist articulation is a turn. I already complained about that in the Articulation section and praised it in the sculpt section, but it does make swapping the hands a bit more difficult as well. The posts have to attach very deeply in the glove, and when you swap them the post tends to come off with the hand. Getting it out without damaging the soft gauntlet can be a trick. Thankfully, the include a couple extras, but I found myself digging through older figures to get a couple more posts to make the process easier.
He has his light saber, with detachable red blade. Unfortunately, it does not light up, giving some previous releases the leg (or saber) up on this one. The hilt can hang from his belt as well.
Like the Jedha Trooper, they've included a backdrop. This one is printed on both sides, but is quite narrow, barley wider than the figure itself. On one side is a floating Death Star, and on the other is printed the standard hallway wall. Assembling it might take you a minute - there's no mention of the back drop in the instructions - but you don't have to be an engineer to figure it out. It's a nice add, but at this price point (and the minimal cost of printing a piece of cardboard), I think we should have gotten two, making the backdrop wide enough to be more useful. There is a black piece of cardboard as well, which I assume is intended as flooring, but let's not get too excited - it's a black piece of cardboard.
Finally, there's the display base. It's identical in design to the one we just saw with the Jedha Patrol figure, with a new card of course and name plate. I assume this is going to be a Rogue One style, but we'll see if it carries over to the other Star Wars releases. It's a crotch support post, of course.
Light Feature - *
You'll see no photos of the light feature in this review. *sigh*
The extra feature is fairly simple here - the two control boxes on his belt light up. The battery cover is on the back of each, and you have to remove the boxes from the belt to insert the batteries. It's not as hard as it sounds, but putting the batteries in is another story. In fact, after working on both packs for about 20 minutes, I gave up. It was simply too tight of a fit to get both batteries within either box, thanks to the design of the compartment.
I assume others will have better luck, because this feature worked with the ANH release, even for me. It appears that the metal contact inside the box isn't bent out far enough, and thanks to the tiny nature of the batteries and the compartment, it's impossible to correct. Hopefully this is a manufacturing issue which varies from figure to figure, and you'll get a better outcome. I'm giving Hot Toys one star here for the effort. Unfortunately, this is another light up feature that I found underwhelming. The batteries are included, in case you were wondering.
And yes, when I put the boxes back, I flipped them upside down. I'm sure my eagle eyed readers noticed, although I didn't until well after the shoot was completed.
Outfit - ***1/2
Hot Toys has consistently killed it with the Vader outfit, but I think this is their best looking release to day.
Once again they have a beautiful cape, made from a heavy, high quality material that hands and flows perfectly over the shoulders or down the back. This was true with the ANH release as well, but I think they made an improvement - the thread along the front edge looks darker to me in hand, allowing it to blend even better and completely disappear. There's no wiring in the cape, but you don't need it - it hands that perfectly.
The underlying stitched body suit is padded up nicely, particularly in the chest and shoulders, giving him quite a bit of bulk. It also helps with the proportion of the head, making it look less bobbly.
The inner robe flows nicely over the body suit and legs, and the soft leather boots look good. I'm also quite pleased with the placement of the shoulder armor, chest plate, and belt this time around, with a tighter spacing. The costume isn't intended to be removed, so adjusting things can be all the more difficult, making it important that these pieces look good right out of the box.
I have three nits - two that remain from the earlier costume, and one new one. The new one is all about the cod piece. I can't quite place my finger on the issue, but something looks off. Maybe it's the placement, maybe it's the size...but something isn't quite jiving for me.
Another issue worth mentioning is the collar and chain on the cape. Like the ANH release, the cape is actually held in place by a tight elastic strap around the neck, and the black plastic chain is just window dressing. But because of the larger opening in the shoulder armor, this chain is usually hidden from sight. It's not a problem for me, and does not hurt my appreciation of the costume, but some may be less forgiving. For me, I am willing to trade seeing the chain for better neck articulation.
The final issue IS a big deal to me, all the more so because it's one collectors noted and complained about with the ANH release. The greaves on his shins simply don't fit right. They are too tight near the foot, and don't cup around the boots the way they should. It's a glaring issue on an otherwise exceptional outfit.
NOTE: There is some question to the accuracy of this outfit. In ANH, the inner robes drape over the shoulder armor, not under. I don't actually remember seeing them in Rogue One clearly, but I'll search for a still. However, I prefer the look here - I always thought putting the robe over the armor looked stupid.
Fun Factor - ***
With fewer accessories and a slightly less articulated body overall, you won't change this guy up a million times. If the hands were easier to swap, you'd have
more potential as well, but unless you can come up with enough pegs for all the hands (something Hot Toys should be doing anyway), you're less likely to alter the look
of the hands.
Value - **1/2
At $250, this guy is about $30 more than average right now. The much bigger size and popularity of the character adds some premium of course, as does the light up
feature (if you can get it to work). Considering the complexity of the costume and the overall quality, the $250 price tag seems about right, and the score here will
not have a negative or positive effect on my overall.
Things to Watch Out For -
If you attempt to fight the batteries into the boxes, be careful. You don't want to damage the spring contacts in the process.
Also, if you can come up with some additional wrist pegs, swapping the hands will be much easier. The pegs tend to come off with the hands, and trying to get them back out can be tricky.
Overall - ***1/2
This was a tough score - I had a hard time going above three stars. Why? Because there are several issues here, and they aren't minor.
First, there's those greaves. They should fit properly, simple as that. This is a Hot Toys figure - the costume should be perfection. The rest is, but the weird fit around of the armor around the shin is unacceptable.
Second, there's the worthless light feature. Hopefully you can get yours to work - mine did not.
Third, there's the general lack of extras. I realize they are probably running out of ideas when it comes to Vader, but they could have expanded on the back drop concept and made it far more useful than it is.
But even with those issues, I went the extra half star. Why? Because right now this is my favorite 'displaying' Vader. This is the guy where you pick one classic pose, put him on the shelf that way, and leave it be. The shin armor is hidden in most stances, the light up feature adds very little even if it did work, and there really doesn't need to be a lot of extras for the one or two classic poses you might go with. He might not have all the bells and whistles of some of the past 1/6th Vaders from Hot Toys and Sideshow, but he is the best looking on the shelf to date.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Light Feature - *
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related
Links -
Of course, you'll want to check out Hot Toys last Vader release, based on A New Hope. And earlier this week, I looked
at their Rogue One Jedha Trooper as well. Just before that is Resistance Outfit Rey
and the regular
Rey with BB-8, a fantastic set.
I've covered lots of other Hot Toys Star Wars figures, including the Battlefront Shock Trooper, Finn and Riot Control Trooper, Captain Phasma, the FO Flametrooper, the FO Snowtroopers, and the First Order Shock Trooper, and of course their regular Imperial Stormtroopers. Other Hot Toys Star Wars figures include Kylo Ren, Darth Vader, C-3PO, Tatooine Luke Skywalker, Luke in his Stormtrooper Disguise, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Han and Chewbacca from ANH. If you'd like a bit more of a regular Shock Trooper, they've done him as well, along with a Blackhole version.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.