Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) - Real Action Heroes

320mm tall
Vader's helmet is constructed in three pieces and can be removed to reveal Anakin Skywalker from Revenge Of The Sith
Faithful realization of Darth Vader's unique armor
Lightsaber can be displayed in either on or off modes
Includes five different glove variations to help create Darth Vader's various poses from the movie
Boots molded in soft vinyl material
Complete with imitation leather quilted body suit and fabric cape with realistic metal chain
Also included figure stand.

When it comes to phenomenal realistic one-sixth scale figures, few licensees can compete with Medicom Toy’s Real Action Heroes line. Although this line isn’t free from trouble (unfortunate and unexpected breakage happens frequently and sometimes materials just deteriorate before your eyes), the characters that are produced in this scale are still of the utmost quality. The costuming, the realistic portraits and the intricate accessories interact seamlessly to provide a wholly accurate interpretation of our most beloved Star Wars characters. But that’s just the beauty which is only “skin deep”. Underneath lies a remarkable buck that moves nearly identically to a real human body. And with its thin design, Medicom Toy is able to layer it so that the most realistic Real Action Heroes figures can be created for collectors. The Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) figure shows that Medicom Toy can elevate their already high standards to new horizons and produce a high end collectible that essentially will take your breath away. Based on one of the final scenes from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, Medicom Toy has produced the finest “crispy” Anakin Skywalker in the black iron lung that our collections will perhaps ever see, or until technology reaches a point where it can be perfected even further. As you know, the Real Action Heroes line is in a slightly smaller scale than other 1:6 scale figure lines, and because Medicom Toy did not produce and exclusive buck for taller characters like Darth Vader, Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) will definitely seem out of scale with the rest of the line. We fondly overlook this “error” because we do our best to look at each release in the Real Action Heroes line as a separate piece, not how it fits in with the rest of the line. That may not sit well with all collectors, but there are just too many good things in this line with each figure to get hung up on inappropriate scale issues. Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) reinvigorated our love for the Real Action Heroes line and it singly may have capped what Medicom Toy will be able to do in this scale. From the beautiful ribbed body glove, to the multiple hand attachments, to the awesome accessories, Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) is a work of art and one of the finest Darth Vader one-sixth scaled collectibles on the market. Obviously we’re impressed and there is a great deal to discuss here. So let’s get right down to it.

As you probably know, the Episode III version of Darth Vader was known for being the first helmet with perfect symmetry. Medicom Toy ensured they carried this detail forward into this figure. It does appear slightly undersized, but again, we have to take into consideration that this Darth Vader figure in general has more than a slightly smaller scale. He blatantly isn’t to scale with the rest of the figures in the Real Action Heroes line. (It’s OK. Let it go.) Although they could have provided to separate portraits, Medicom Toy opted for a removable helmet feature where it breaks down into multiple parts. The dome (which stays in place via a tiny magnet), face mask (which snaps into the base of the helmet) and collar are completely removable separate parts, and then double ball-socket joints hold the portrait of the burned head of the once good Anakin Skywalker. The head sculpt is quite astonishing. Medicom Toy recreated a burned look remarkably well. And they added “Sith eyes” for extra poignancy, although the way they decorated them isn’t completely screen accurate. The demeanor on Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith)’s face is perfect. He possesses an attitude of acrimony, trepidation and betrayal – all of which let him to his own demise and banishment from the Jedi Order. Medicom Toy added a real metal chain to Darth Vader’s costume. This is a very nice detail in this scale but it's too long. Not part of the cape, Medicom Toy included a rather large and flowing soft-goods cape, complete with shaping wire along the hem so that you can create some dramatic flowing positions of it when displaying the figure. It really adds much of the "character" to this one-sixth scaled figure. The shoulder armor has been designed in a way to allow more free arm movement, but you will not attain a full range of motion. It is important to note however that you do get more from the curved up edges than if they weren’t there. The belt and cod section have been faithfully recreated for this figure and each looks great, but sometimes they crowd together depending upon the pose. In a surprising move, Medicom Toy crafted the boots in “two” separate pieces. The upper part of the boots function like the footwear here, and then there are separate “foot” sections that allow for a wider range of ankle movement. It’s a wonderful convention and it looks seamless which is really the most important aspect here. So as you can see, Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) exceeds most of our expectations in the costume/likeness department. We’re thoroughly impressed with how accurately Medicom Toy has captured all of these details, including the wonderful center of gravity this figure possesses.

Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) comes with a nice array of hand attachments. These include a pair of lightsaber gripping hands, a pair of general hands, a "Force push" left hand, a pointing finger right hand and then three attachments are exclusive to this release: a pair of clenched fists and then a larger "crossed arms" attachment which looks cool, but just isn't functional. They don’t “attach” to the wrists joints at all, you basically just slip both of his arms into it. Actually, all of the hand attachments are like this to one degree or another. You just simply slip the stumps into the hand attachments. There aren’t any connectors here at all which makes posing Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) a bit of a nightmare. If you breath the wrong way, the gloves will fall off, sadly. The original Darth Vader figure was a little bit different and had better ways of connecting the hands. We bet that because the figure looks so good that longtime collectors of the line many not take exception with this. We particularly love the lightsaber accessory. But be warned. The little peg on the blade that plugs into the hilt is very brittle and will easily break off if you position it in a way it doesn’t like. And it it tiny too! The one feature we love of the lightsaber is that whether you decide to display it lit or unlit, the lightsaber looks complete. If you want a fully lit lightsaber, the blade has part of the hilt’s lip attached. But if you want the lightsaber unlit, you remove the blade and then add a tiny piece (like a cap) which includes the same lip to complete the hilt. It’s clever and adds even more remarkable authenticity to this figure. Darth Vader (Revenge Of The Sith) impressed us more than we expected. Although they may be a few screen inaccurate details and maybe a few instances where the mixed media didn’t work out as well as we’d hoped, it still is a premium quality one-sixth scale figure. As one of the first Star Wars licensees to bravely tackle a complicated character like Darth Vader, we proudly raise our glass to them for executing it so finely. Is there room for growth? Absolutely yes. Could a larger buck benefit the aesthetics of this character undeniably? Unequivocally yes. But we won’t discount Medicom Toy’s execution here at all. We are proud to have this figure in out collection and with time we are confident that future versions of Darth Vader will be better than the next. They may have not broken that much new ground when compared to the original Darth Vader Real Action Heroes figure (based on Return Of The Jedi), but there is still enough to make it completely worthwhile for us. We love him.