With Star Wars once again an immensely hot property, Disney (the real heroes of the rebellion), have been releasing a steady stream of toys exclusive to their parks and stores. What we’re looking at today is the Elite Series Darth Vader Premium Action Figure. This line has been out for a month or so, but has mostly flown under my radar. Exclusive to the Disney Store and retailing at $34.95, does this soft-goods loaded figure have what it takes to stand out in the already overcrowded Star Wars display? Let’s find out!
Packaging
I may be 40 years old, but on Christmas morning I ripped this thing open like an excited little kid. So I’m afraid I have no pics. That’s just as well because it’s a fairly non-descript window box that isn’t remotely collector-friendly. It’s just dull. Vader and his accessories are held securely in place by all sorts of methods. There are twist ties, plastic trays, string — you name it. You can feel comforted by the fact that he’s protected pretty well, but the packaging does very little to sell the product.
Sculpting
I’m certainly no expert in all the intricacies and variances in Vader’s outfit throughout the years, but this looks most like the Empire/Jedi look to me. You can’t deny that shine. There a few little proportion issues here and there, but overall I think the sculpt looks fantastic. He’s big and imposing and the most important part of any Vader sculpt — the helmet — looks terrific.
Paint and Soft Goods
The majority of this figure is covered in soft goods, so it doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money was budgeted in the paint department. While there are a few painted details here and there, most of the visible plastic is just the color it was cast in. The good news is that it’s nice and shiny, which really makes it pop against the cloth outfit. The bad news is that it looks like plastic, which always cheapens it up a bit in my eyes.
The inclusion of soft goods in any figure is always a major discussion point for collectors. It’s one of the few elements of a figure that can automatically place it on the “pass” list for collectors — no matter how great the toy actually is. I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but companies have been showing collectors that soft goods can look great on figures smaller than 1:6 scale. Vader here has some the most impressive soft goods I’ve ever seen on a retail toy — and one that’s less than 40 bucks at that! There are three different types of cloth material that really add to the realism of this figure. The bodysuit has a faux leather appearance with ribbed lines stitched in. It’s soft and pliable and while it does restrict the articulation somewhat, it still allows for tons of cool poses. The tunic is a light and thin (think Black Series Vader). Overall, it looks great and lays well on the figure, but there is a bit of fraying here and there. The cape is a thicker heavier fabric — and it’s definitely black. It’s certainly not the greatest quality, but it does its job — especially in photos where you don’t want any light shining through the cape.
Articulation
The articulation is mostly good, but there are definitely a few things that are keeping Vader from reaching his full potential. He is 10 inches tall and, from what I can tell, completely hollow, so I wasn’t expecting as much as he does have. I’m not entirely sure of the specifics as I’m not about to undress him, but you get all the major points that you would with most 6-inch figures. The costume restricts the movement mostly in the shoulders, but other than that, Vader can get into some pretty deep poses. There are couple of nitpicks such as the lack of rocker ankles, weak ab crunch, and outdated wrist pegs. My biggest issue is with the head. The head and neck are all one piece and it inserts into the body via post and ball. With the connection deep in the torso and the ball so tiny, you really don’t get all the movement that you should. Side-to-side movements are no problem, but his ability to tilt his head is pretty lacking.
You can see the full range of movement in Robo’s video review:
Accessories
Vader comes with an alternate set of hands, so in total you get two open, one gripping, and one “Force” hand. He also has his lightsaber and a separate lightsaber hilt that can hang on his belt. The hands pop on and off easily and have a great sculpt. The lightsabers could have had a bit more detail considering their size, but they blend well with the rest of the figure, so I can’t complain.
This Disney Store Darth Vader was a surprise gift for Christmas and was something I didn’t even know that I wanted. But with a top-notch sculpt, decent articulation, and surprisingly awesome soft-good tailoring, this guy has definitely earned a spot on the shelf.
Thanks for reading!
