Weekly Review: Darth Vader

[LusiferSam]

This completely slipped my mind yesterday, but this week we need to talk about Darth Vader (http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=6707&sort=7&cat=796&page=18). His menacing presence, raspy breathing, willingness to chock subordinates and of course the fact that he killed most of the Jedi helped make Darth Vader one of the best movie villains of all time. Vader was released in '78 on a 12 back card and was available to the end of the end line. Like the other figures with with lightsabers of original 12, Vader first came with a double telescoping lightsaber, but it was quickly replaced with the common single telescoping version. And like many of the original figures the picture on the card was replaced for the ROTJ line. Vader can be found on most major types of card backs.

Again a truly essential figure to have as a kid. If you did have a Darth Vader to terrorize your other figures with, you had a deprived childhood. This is also a figure that is very hard to review (I mean its Darth Vader, how can you not like Vader if your an SW fan). Overall I think its a successful figure and I mostly have negatives to point out. The body is pretty good, tall and well detailed, but maybe a bit too thin. The neck I think is also too thin. The hands (what is it with Kenner and crappy hands?) are useless. The left is the karate chop hand and the right holds the lightsaber. You can go look at my Luke Skywalker review for my opinion of the telescope lightsaber. Finally I wish the cape were cloth, but the vinyl works and works well on this figure.

The Vader I posted a picture of is my second Vader. I got this one for Xmas of '84. My first Vader pretty much got destroyed (I played with him a lot). The lightsaber and cape were both lost by taking them on and off. Later the head came off when I was coming in from playing with him in the snow. I dropped him into the court yard at my parents house. I must have dropped him just right because the head popped off. After that I use him to reenact the Dagobah duel. At some point I lost the head and now have one headless, capeless and unarmed Vader.

[Kidhuman]

Well, this figure just plain out rocked. Vader was the epitimy of evil. No Star Wars collection would be worht anything if you didnt have this figure. Just about everyone I knew had at least this figure. He was the only bad guy for awhile really. Sure you had a few others, but this was the Dark Lord of the Galaxy.

I went through probably 3 Vader figures over the years. He saw action against every figure I owned, rebellion and empire.

[vader121]

Vader was probably the most essential figure to have. He was pure evil at the time of ANH. The way he killed Captain Antilles was ruthless but that made him ultra-cool.

The figure itself was good for the time. Cape worked well. I also wish that he could hold a gun in his left hand but oh well.

I am not sure but I may have gotten this figure as part of those nifty JC Penney 4 packs that were available around '78-'79 (1 vader, 1 tusken raider, & 2 Stormies). I got about 3 or 4 of these for Xmas in '78/'79. I kept one with the cape on and the saber and then had the other 2 or 3 be kinda like Dignitaries and used their saberless right arms as in-built blaster cannons and would have them mow down rebels. Ah the memories.

Now I have countless Vaders, most with no capes or sabers but do still have several in near-perfect shape. Still don't have any telescoping saber versions but probably never will.

Eventually we need to start reviewing the vehicles, ships, and playsets as I almost went into tying Vader into playing with the Vader Tie Fighter.

[LusiferSam]

Eventually we need to start reviewing the vehicles, ships, and playsets as I almost went into tying Vader into playing with the Vader Tie Fighter.
Hey why not go into Vader's TIE (or even SD) if you've memories or stories that are real strongly tie those toys together. As I said to begin with I envisioned this as being a focused discussion, not an exclusive one. The great thing about SW toys is how interlined they are. And have no fear about the vehicles and playsets, we'll get to them in due time (first one is in 7 weeks).

[JON9000]

I hated vinyl capes. Mine would always rip.

[JEDIpartner]

The vinyl capse on mine ripped as well. My mom did a lot of craft things, so she had loads of coloured felt laying around the house. I used the original capes as templates and made new capes for Vader and Leia out of felt.