Introduction
I have had the Sideshow Jedi Vader for years (the second, improved version), and have reconstituted and slightly improved a couple of Hot Toys versions though I managed to resist buying the sets. Given the price, I wasn't planning to get this set. But then, in the end, I couldn't resist. And although I ended up paying more for it than if I had preordered, I don't regret it. It is well nigh perfect.
So here is a look at Hot Toys' Return of the Jedi Darth Vader, deluxe version (MMS 700). The regular version of this set (MMS 699) would not include the blue translucent helmet, the stairs base, and the additional display arms to attach to the circular base. Neither version includes a USB C cable that you would need to use for the light effects.
To give credit (and give you ideas), in addition to my own, I used backgrounds from Battlefront, Livingdeadjedi on jkhub.org, and Roberto Noya on artstation.com. Only the first photo (above) resorts to digital "special effects."
One of the display options intended by Hot Toys (with optional variations) below, showing most of the light features.
Packaging
The box is of the slightly unusual type introduced for the 40th Anniversary Collection. There is an external sleeve that can be slid off upwards or downwards, exposing the inner box, which has a vertical flip cover on the front, under which a transparent window allows one to look at the actual set within. But to get that out, one opens the box either from the top or the bottom. The set is contained in a series of clear plastic trays with their own covers. At the very top sits a little one containing the alternate hand sculpts. In the tray below it is the figure itself, together with the two alternate heads, weapons, and the pieces necessary for the electric connections for the light effects. The bottom tray contains the two alternate bases with the the pieces that can be attached to them optionally. The cape is packaged separately and taped to the external bottom of the bottom-most tray. Everything is snug and collector safe.
Sculpting
Hot Toys' sculpting seems to be as excellent as usual. It is, in fact, an improvement on their Empire Strikes Back Vader, who was a little short and had something a little off in the mask, which I improved a bit by changing the positioning of the helmet on the head. This one seems just about perfect, and ever so slightly asymmetrical, which is accurate to the original look. Some of the elements are recycled or derivative, but they are all appropriate. The sculpted details include the two helmets -- of which the regular one comes apart into three pieces (casque, face mask, and lower section), the unmasked head (which is almost complete except for its bottom edge) with its own lower section of the helmet, the upper chest and shoulder armor, the chest box, belt box and buckle, the gloved hands, the lower leg armor. The elements that are supposed to be inorganic are suitably sleek and metallic or plastic looking; the plastic gloves look just like leather, and the unmasked head features all the scarred texturing seen in the film. This is as realistic as the film appearance was, and superior in execution to the older Sideshow version. The blue translucent helmet intended for the electrocuted-by-lightning look is not meant to be taken apart, but reproduces both the external and internal details, complete with a difficult-to-see skeletal head. The level of detail is exquisite, rich, and very precise, as can be seen on the small buttons, mesh elements, and other details, including those normally obscured on the inside of the mask or under the casque, and especially on the lower section of the helmet, right in front of the unmasked head's mouth.
Vader stands about 34 cm (13.4 inches) tall. This is the right height for Vader in sixth scale (based on an actual height of 203 cm or 6 ft 8 in).
The details under the casque, inside the face mask, and on the inside and outside of the lower section of the helmet, are reproduced in meticulous detail, both in sculpt and paint.
The blue translucent helmet reproduces much of the hidden detail of the regular, modular helmet, but is not meant to be taken apart (although its casque, at least, seems to be a separate piece). The molded lightning effect can be removed from the helmet.
Painting
The paint application is not particularly vibrant, but that is only to be expected. This is the case even with the unmasked head, which appeared in an effectively monochromatic setting onscreen. Nevertheless, there is some nuance in the coloring of the head, accentuating the scarring and the shadow under the eyes. The eyes themselves are movable and minutely and realistically painted and glossed. The blacks and gunmetal colors of Vader's armor provide some variation to each other, just as on the actual costume. The different sections of the face alternate between these, as on the original mask, helping the features stand out. Generally speaking, the paint job is very cleanly executed and clean in general. There is almost no weathering, except on the belt boxes. This is probably appropriate, as Vader was presumably buffed and polished for the emperor's arrival.
One disappointment is that the lenses on the mask are no longer in transparent amber. This detail has been sacrificed so that the inside of the mask is sculpted and painted to convey its intended interior appearance. Most of the true color in the look comes from the light effect features which will be discussed below.
Articulation
Here the figure, as it comes in the set, is less than perfect. Presumably the Hot Toys body is theoretically capable of almost as much articulation as one could possibly want. However, the outfit restricts the articulation quite a bit. I suspect, as usual, a major impediment is padding under the costume, which would not have been as restrictive otherwise. The other impediments come from the upper chest and shoulder armor, which makes it difficult to raise the arms, the wide and stiff codpiece which can get in the way of some articulation at the hips, and the one-piece molded plastic design of the gloved hands.
I was surprised to find out that Vader can kneel, albeit slightly awkwardly, and therefore he can sit, which is not always a given. But he is not going to be able to replicate every swordfight move to carry the emperor over his head and hurl him into a chasm, contrary to what is shown on the back of the box -- you can see my failed attempt below. The arms cannot extend sufficiently far upward, nor are the joints strong enough to support the emperor's weight.
Accessories
Vader comes with all conceivable accessories for his appearance in this film. An instruction sheet (not pictured) provides the necessary information for using everything and doing so safely. I've discussed the alternate head sculpts above.
There are two bases. One of them represents a portion of the stairs and railings found in the emperor's throne room aboard the Death Star, where Vader and Luke engaged in their last, climactic duel. The stairs, walkway, and its supports, come pre-assembled as a single piece. To either side of this can be attached a railing with three supports and four handrail pieces that can be attached between them. The walking surface (other than the stairs) matches the plated "Death Star" flooring that we see on many basic Hot Toys Star Wars stands. It is a nice, sizable, and reasonably screen-accurate display. The second base is circular, with an intricate design, and a sort of grill that can be illuminated if the base is connected to a power source using a USB C cable. Two optional display arms with attachable trays can be attached to the circular base, in case one wishes to display the alternate head sculpts alongside the figure wearing the third head sculpt. Both the stairs and round bases can accommodate a single crotch-grabber stand that can provide additional stability for the figure.
Accessories include ten alternate gloved hand sculpts (in addition to the two relaxed ones that come on the figure): a right pointing hand, a pair of outstretched-fingers hands, a left grabbing hand, a left fist, a pair of sword holding hands, a pair of belt holding hands, and a right hand stump (the severed hand part is not provided). There is also the usual Hot Toys tool for helping with moving the movable eyeballs from the inside of the head. As usual, Hot Toys provides a couple of spare wrist pegs, which is always a good idea (I broke one of the emperor's wrist pegs while swapping his hands). Vader's hands go on and off the wrist pegs without too much trouble.
Vader's only Original Trilogy weapon is his lightsaber, here represented by two identical-looking lightsaber hilts, one of them containing an LED light, and two translucent lightsaber blades, one of them fanned out to simulate the visual effect of motion. Each beam can be used in either hilt.
Light Effects
Apart from the light feature of the round base, the set includes several other pieces that use light effects. In all instances, the power is provided by a USB C cable, a relatively recent solution (in place of using small pill batteries inside special arms, etc.). Vader's chest box, belt boxes, lightsaber blades (using the specific wired version of the hilt), and translucent blue helmet can be lit up.
Here is a comparison between the two lightsaber blades, used in the same powered lightsaber hilt. The color is rich and striking, more so than before, and especially in low light or darkness. It does not photograph perfectly.
The illuminatable translucent blue helmet is meant to portray the look of Vader being struck by the emperor's lightning bolts. It is a good attempt at conveying it, complete with the skeletal head that was actually superimposed on the helmet to show up in the film. However, onscreen, the emperor's lighting illuminated more than just Vader's head, but it would have been well-night impossible to provide additional illuminatable parts. One can adjust the settings to have the light in the helmet either steady or blinking. Both are somewhat difficult to capture in photos, as my camera, at least, automatically corrects the coloring most of the time and often obscures the true luminosity, replacing it with more even blue.
All of the light effects other than that for the round base are powered by a USB C cable via a small black "multitap" that is meant to attach to the back of Vader's belt through a clip. I couldn't make it stick securely on the clip, but it was just fine hanging by the connected cables. The cables that connect are those already in place for the chest box and the left and right belt boxes. Additionally, one can connect the cable for the powered lightsaber hilt and, threaded under the neck opening of the cape, for the blue translucent helmet. The instruction sheet explains everything, but here is an overview.
I didn't have it while doing most of the photos, as it arrived later, but I would strongly recommend getting a relatively compact USB charger -- and there might be some more compact options than the one I got. Any USB C cable would do, but this would provide much more flexibility. Vader's ample cape can disguise the charger easily enough.
Outfit
Vader's outfit is naturally much along the same lines as we have seen it before, of course screen accurate to the film (distinct in several points from what we see in A New Hope, but more or less the same as in The Empire Strikes Back). The cape is well made and drapes nicely (except in some poses at the shoulders); there is no wire. A new feature is the placement of the hook on the cape's chain, leaving it unttached to the upper chest armor. This allows the cape to move and rotate more freely, but it is easy to loose track of this detail when taking photos (as I'm sure you can see in this review). Below the cape, there is the inner tunic, as usual; this also has no wire. Vader's ribbed bodysuit is made of a leathery material which is probably pleather; one hopes it is resilient. The same can be said o the boots underneath the lower leg armor (shin guards), and probably the belt. The gloves, although they look like leather, are molded plastic.
Fun Factor
As one of the chief antagonists of the Original Series, Vader is naturally one of the most popular characters, and one to pair easily with a whole range of other popular characters and their figures. Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker, both already produced in their Return of the Jedi versions by Hot Toys, are probably going to be the most popular choices, at least if one employs this figure for the context of this specific film. For replicating some of the action poses, however, one does wish for a less restricted articulation.
Value
Don't ask me how much I paid for this -- since I stupidly missed out on the preorders and it was sold out everywhere I looked except on eBay -- although I did succeed in finding a less expensive option than many others out there. The non-secondary market retail price for the deluxe version of the set, at around $345 (without shipping), is no longer as high as many other higher-end products by Hot Toys. This is, of course, relative. That said, a major protagonist of a major franchise, with three head sculpts, alternate weapons, a dozen hands, two sizable and complex bases, five light features, and movable eyes for an unmasked head sculpt, all adds up and probably goes a long way towards explaining a hefty price. Certainly, one cannot say that this set delivers too little or comes with any major disappointments.
Things to watch out for
Not very much. With Vader figures, one always wants to be careful and keep the figure from falling on its face onto a hard surface. I've lost a great many helmet tusks, and they are hard to come by. The packaging actually includes a tusk protector for while in the box (perhaps it always did, this is my first Hot Toys Vader set as such). The casque of the regular helmet can come off pretty easily, and is a little hard to stick back on (a magnet here would have been very helpful). Be careful that you attach the little cables into the ports on the "multitap" correctly and safely. Wrist pegs should not be a problem, as this time the gloved hands go on and off relatively easily.
Overall
I am very happy with this set, and wish I had preordered when it was first announced. I felt I didn't need any more Vaders. Objectively speaking, that was correct. But the excellence and versatility of the product, with all the various details and variant options, make me feel it is worthwhile. Yes, I would have liked less restricted articulation and a magnet for the casque of the regular helmet; and I would have preferred a proper chain hook fixed to the armor. But all in all, these are minor complaints. The articulation, at least, is theoretically fixable, if I make myself customize this figure.
Where to buy
As far as I know, the usual retailers are sold out, and waiting list have been filled. This leaves eBay, or similar options, with various degrees of price mark-ups.
I hope this was informative, let me know what you think. I'd be happy to answer any questions. I might have a few more photos to share here or in other parts of the forum. In fact, some of them are already HERE.
Rest in Peace, James Earl Jones!
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