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Name: Holiday Darth Vader (Holiday 2005 Edition)
Collection: [Post] The Original Trilogy Collection
Number: N/A (Star Wars Shop Exclusive)
Source: Expanded Universe (Hasbro Concept)
Availability: November 2005
License: Hasbro
It is a festive time for the Empire. After a rough year of crushing Rebel uprisings, terrorizing the Outer Rim, and choking incompetent underlings, Darth Vader decides that even a Dark Lord of the Sith needs to give in to the fun side of the Force.
Donning his most celebratory red armor, he leads his Imperial forces to the ice planet of Hoth for some much-deserved holiday festivities. Vader uses his lightsaber and mastery of the Force to create the most detailed ice sculptures in the Galactic Empire, from TIE fighters to Star Destroyers. He even gives new meaning to "snowtroopers" by creating an army of troopers from snow.
Thanks to Vader's expert planning, this year's Hoth Holiday Bash is primed to be the best the galaxy has ever known.
It’s pretty unprecedented when a Star Wars action figure gets billed as “the worst” just moments after its announcement, but that’s what happened with 2005’s [P] OTC Holiday Darth Vader (Holiday 2005 Edition) that was released as a Star Wars Shop exclusive for Christmas 2005. Clearly Hasbro was getting burned out with the “Holiday Edition” concepts, but they shouldn’t have. It maybe they're just cheap. What about an Ewok in a Santa suit. Heck, if they wanted to do Darth Vader they could have just looked at the UK exclusive Marvel Comics’ cover that showed Darth Vader wearing a Santa hat, a cape and red gloves and that would have gone over a whole lot better. But a solid red and glittery Darth Vader action figure? Um, no thanks. Let’s just say that this figure would have been better off never getting produced, and while that’s an extremely strong opinion, we feel that Hasbro needs to know what a horrible decision it was bringing this figure to life.... because it sucks. Holiday Darth Vader may be is the worst Star Wars figure of all time. But that didn’t stop Star Wars collectors from buying so many that Star Wars Shop sold out of them.
Based on a slightly retooled version of 2001’s POTJ Darth Vader (Emperor’s Wrath) figure (that was first introduced in 2003’s SW [S – P2] Imperial Forces Toys R Us exclusive multipack), Holiday Darth Vader is as hard on the eyes as is is for your wallet. Hasbro wants to collect an astounding $14.99 for a figure that you don’t want, should have never been offered, and is a completely pointless and senseless Star Wars figure. What’s frustrating is that the greeting card that is included with this figure shows Darth Vader building a Stormtrooper snowman all donned in his normal black gear. See, a Darth Vader with a Santa hat and red cape with white fuzzy trim would have gone over incredibly better. So why the cheesy repaint of a rehashed figure that we also don’t really need to see again? If there is any saving grace to the Holiday Darth Vader figure, we’d have to attribute the including wreath-shaped display stand which should be a placeholder for a Stormtrooper snowman, instead of the horrid red Darth Vader for which it was designed.
The fourth and final release in Hasbro’s Holiday Edition figure series, this is the second time that Star Wars Shop became home for a figure in this annual (for a while) line. Rumors abound that not all of the sets ended up at their intended destination. Other retailers like Walmart and Entertainment Earth stepped up to the plate to make these releases a reality for collectors where other retailer backed up. It’s no wonder why the line is ending after Holiday Darth Vader. Perhaps it’s even a miracle that we received what we did. That being said, after The Original Trilogy Collection exceeded Hasbro’s expectation, they certainly ended the line in 2005 in a strange manner. We still can’t even believe that Holiday Darth Vader was even made. It’s an oddity that we hope Hasbro never repeats again. There is no reason to think this far outside of the box when historical proof exists of other holiday-themed Star Wars sketches that toy concepts can be based. This was a loss of sanity for a moment. We hope the brainstorming is a little bit more focused next time.
Status: Holiday Darth Vader (Holiday 2005 Edition) is a recast and repaint of 2001's POTJ Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath) figure.
Articulation Count: 8 points (8 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: swivel head (1), swivel left shoulder (1), swivel right shoulder (1), swivel right bicep (1), swivel right wrist (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1)
Accessory Count: 3
Accessory Details: lightsaber, removable cape, Holiday themed display stand
Date Stamp: 2001
Assortment Number: 85965
UPC: 653569112105
Retail: $14.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
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