Darth Vader - TBS [ROTJ40] - Six Inch Figures

Well, The Black Series [Return Of The Jedi 40] Darth Vader figure looks excellent from a particular perspective, but it is a debacle from another. Ultimately, we feel that collectors of The Vintage Collection won this time with 2023's TVC Darth Vader (Death Star II) (VC280) figure.. The 3.75-inch version of this character works better, has better functionality, and looks better when fully assembled. It’s not that the 6-inch version is a bust. It’s not. But Hasbro didn’t design and manufacture the removable helmet parts properly as they don’t secure themselves snuggly over the figure’s human portrait. So, the helmet will slide out of position when you articulate the figure. We assess this as a poorly designed action figure. This unfortunate setback, however, does not detract from the beautifully tooled portrait underneath the helmet. Hasbro did an excellent job there. But how could they not design the removable helmet parts better? It’s quite a shame. Darth Vader also comes with a revised right lower arm (forearm) and then gives us an interchangeable stub so you can recreate the battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker on Death Star II.

For the Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, Hasbro decided it was time to update Darth Vader, and we’re glad they did. It’s lovely to see the character photo on vintage Kenner-inspired packaging, as we don’t see it often. Hasbro didn’t use this character photo for The Vintage Collection version, much to our chagrin. As you know, the character’s outfit and helmet don’t vary significantly between Episode V and Episode VI. So, they only tweaked the figure to match it against the unique scene-specific features required sourcing to Return Of The Jedi. Admittedly, Darth Vader in the Return Of The Jedi 40 packaging was one of the most anticipated figures for us in 2023, but we’re disappointed with the final release. Part of the third wave 40th Anniversary figures, we’re happy to see so many characters get this special packaging to celebrate the last chapter of the Original Trilogy. The new Darth Vader for 2023 has its charm, but its flawed design will give you pause. As mentioned, this version of the character comes with an all-new head sculpt, and it has a decent likeness to Anakin Skywalker, But it’s not perfect.

Darth Vader comes loaded with 27 points of articulation. As you know by now, a figure with this many points of articulation can attain most poses and almost anything else. For this release, Darth Vader’s joints possess fluidity and ease of motion, so you don’t have to struggle with the figure when positioning it. The excellent detail here is the inclusion of “butterfly” shoulder joints, which allow for a broader range of movement. Darth Vader comes with a lightsaber that breaks down into a hilt and blade. The grip has a hook designed to hang from a hook on the belt. And the removable helmet breaks down into three parts. We strongly feel that Hasbro got most of the required characters from Return Of The Jedi into this commemorative collection of action figures. They also tooled all-new characters to help diversify the line. But they should have done better quality control with Darth Vader because the character’s helmet shouldn’t want to fall apart when you look at it funny. Perhaps what’s most remarkable here is that Hasbro didn’t charge us the price of a Deluxe figure to add this new Darth Vader figure to our collections.