Hasbro's new The Black Collection of 6" Star Wars figures seems to be my gateway drug back into Star Wars figure collecting. The 90's Power of the Force line is what roped me into the obsessive hobby in the first place, but I gave up on Star Wars years ago, with hyper-detailed 1/12 scale figures by companies like NECA taking in the brunt of my collecting dollars. Of course, now that looks like it's all about to change: Star Wars has returned with a vengeance. And it's not just The Black Collection, it seems. A ton of really neat new Star Wars figure merchandise has hit recently, and I couldn't resist two really different versions of my favorite baddy: Lord Darth Vader himself. First up is the Giant Size 31" behemoth I stumbled across at Wal-mart.
Ok, this guy really does top out at exactly 31" tall. I've seen the Man of Steel and Dark Knight giants, but was never really taken enough to bite. Vader here is totally different. He looks awesome! The sculpt is brilliant. The mask has lots of sharp angles and edges and the outfit itself combines plastic sculpt (wrinkles- check out the torso) along with soft goods cloth cape and skirt parts. It all fits together really well for a striking look. Vader even sports a chain clasp at the neck!
I was most surprised to see who made this big guy: JAKKS Pacific, makers of some of the most disappointing figures I've ever come across! Well, JAKKS knocked this one out of the park! My only real issue is with the proportions. Vader's head seems a little too small when compared to the body, and his right fist also seems a bit small, as does his lightsaber hilt. These are small issues. The "big one", is his crotch piece- it's enormous. That doesn't really sound like it should: theres an armor piece that runs from the belt clasp downwards that just dominates the entire lower half of the torso. It doesn't impede anything, and isn't too noticeable most of the time because of the skirt pieces, but it does tend to jut out if the legs are pulled back significantly.
Giant Vader has a terrific, clean paint job. The chest and shoulder pieces are especially great. Articulation isn't much to write home about: cut neck, shoulders, wrists and hips (7 points). You won't get anything dynamic, but this is one big plastic statue, so even raising his grasping left arm/hand and turning his head a little changes the look a bit. I think an elbow joint and an interchangeable hand/fist would have done wonders, but Giant Vader does what he is supposed to especially well: look imposing and really really big!
The other Darth Vader that I picked up is the much smaller Playskool Jedi Force Star Wars Heroes Vader with saber-slashing action. There are 3 new figures in this line: Darth Vader, Prequels Obi-Wan and Captain Rex. Each features a play action where squeezing their legs together with swing their right arm up and down at the shoulder. This means no leg articulation.
The sculpt on Playskool Vader's mask is very different from Giant Vader's. It's much more flattened and wide, plus the eyes are painted red. He also sports a cloth cape and skirt, along with minimal articulation: cut neck, wrists and shoulders, along with hinged elbows (7 points). No dynamic poses here, but kids will have a ton of fun swinging that saber hand by squeezing the legs (I know because my 7 year old never seems to tire of it!). Playskool Vader is fun and different enough to be worth getting. He's more kid-friendly but retains his inherent Vader evil coolness. And at $8 he didn't cause too much damage to the wallet.
Both of these Darth Vaders are neat figures in their own right, while being unique enough to be worth adding to the collection. I wish Giant Vader came with an ignited lightsaber that he could hold, while also wishing that Playskool Vader's lightsaber could be removed- that sounds weird, I know, but it would give each some additional looks. But all in all, they are both great interpretations of an iconic film baddy...
No comments:
Post a Comment