Darth Vader/Commander Bow - TAC - Order 66 (3 of 6)

When exclusives hang around in the Expanded Universe territories, there are many movie-focused collectors that show little to no interest in them, just because of their own personal collecting focus. With so many products out in the Hasbro Star Wars line, all of us could use a dose of organization and concentrate on the things we love the most, so no criticism there. But there are exclusives where Hasbro will include an Original Trilogy or Prequel Trilogy (movie based) character into these sets and often it goes unnoticed by these types of collectors. Sadly, we believe this is what exactly happened with the Order 66 sets, specifically though the Darth Vader/Commander Bow two-pack. Are you aware that this Darth Vader/Commander Bow set may just include one of the best, if not the best Episode V or Episode VI versions of Darth Vader to date? Hasbro took the stunning Darth Vader figure from 2005’s ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set and permanently glued down its helmet (thereby eliminating the removable helmet feature). No more flying helmets, no more controversial Hayden Christiansen head sculpts underneath. All you get is a pure and accurate movie-specific Darth Vader (even though this set is based on the Star Wars: Purge comics.)

This is why we made the point about being extra careful when new products come out that aren’t your cup of tea. When there are a series of exclusives, it’s likely that there is always one that rises above the rest and contains stuff you’ll be interested in for your won personal collection. All collectors know how special the Evolutions Darth Vader sculpt is and the version in this set is unique because of the permanently placed helmet dome. Anyway, we love it and we’re thrilled that Hasbro made a version of Darth Vader like this that utilizes such a fantastic sculpt. We have heard throughout the years that the loose removable helmets on Darth Vader action figures have driven the collecting community (including ourselves) insane, so here is a nice alternative if you’re over the removable helmet option. The rest of Darth Vader is also nicely painted. He comes with his signature lightsaber and it befits him as well as it usually does. The soft-goods cape isn’t perfect. It needs a little bit more opacity before we would be satisfied with it, but right now its’ the best that Hasbro has to offer us. But just like its predecessor, Darth Vader comes with excellent articulation that allows for optimal mobility and he can be placed in multiple positions thanks to the premium points of movement included here.

We feel you get another standout figure in this two-pack also. Commander Bow isn’t too shabby himself. Hasbro took the 2005 ROTS Clone Commander (III 33) sculpt, which is always a favorite, and repainted it in the color flashes of the 501st Legion. We do have to point out the Commander Bow looked differently in the Purge comics, so it’s quite possible that Hasbro took some artistic license when developing the action figure. There aren’t that many differences, but most noticeably are the macrobinoculars included over the action figure’s visor. Commander Bow didn’t wear these in the comics. A healthy supply of accessories accompanies the Commander Bow figure so you won’t get bored having him interacting with Darth Vader. Overall, the Darth Vader/Commander Bow Order 66 set is probably the best of the six sets released in this series. The 501st is the coolest battalion of clones anyway. So it’s cool to help develop that army with a new clone commander and Darth Vader. If you’re a Darth Vader fan, definitely try to look into this version of him. It really is a fantastic figure and the issue of a loose helmet has been remedied. Who would have thought that an Order 66 set would bring us one of the best Darth Vader action figures to date?