This sample of the Black Series HyperReal 8” Darth Vader was provided to Banthaskull.com by our friends at LitzkyPR and Hasbro.  We thank them for sending us this product!

Hasbro surprised most of us with the reveal that they were wading into high-end collecting waters by introducing a new line of highly detailed, super posable action figures that would be unlike anything previously offered in their Star Wars line.  But not only that, it was going to be in a new 8” scale. 

We at Bantha Skull have railed on and on (and on) about Hasbro having split their Star Wars resources in order to make several different scales.  Along with the recently announced, highly stylized 5” line, Hasbro adds this 8” line to the mix that already included the 3.75” and 6” scale figures.  There’s a lot going on here for consumers to choose from.  However, we’re probably going to be able to give Hasbro a pass here because it was made clear that this is a niche line in which maybe one or two figures would be released each year.  [If you ask me, that sounds like a plan that should be applied to the 6” line.  We’d probably have a lot more TVC figures today if that were the case, but I digress.]  Hasbro has already announced a Bespin Luke Skywalker as the second figure in this line, which would also serve as a companion to this Vader and allow both figures to excellently interact with each other in a display.  That’s the way it should be.

So how is it? Let me first qualify my review by stating that I have a handful of Sideshow items in various scales, but that is the extent of my high-end collecting.  This figure is not in my personal wheelhouse, but I’ll do my best to give a solid and detailed review.

To start, the packaging is definitely unique.  It is a trapezoidal folding window box, which displays the figure, the stand, and the accessories.  The box art is somewhat utilitarian, as it is typically for the The Black Series.  It also, however, shows off the figure in a few awesome poses, while touting some of the features.  The box opens to the window view via a velcro closure.  The contents can be removed simply and without destroying the presentation.  5 cardboard twists hold Vader in the tray, while the clear plastic holds all the accessories in their proper places.  Everything is ready to go after just a minute or two of effort.

At first glance, the figure is very impressive to look at.  The 8” scale seems to hit that spot between action figure and museum piece.  Hasbro touted the strong metal endoskeleton when they announced the figure.  It is covered, for the most part, by a soft and pliable rubber “skin” that comprises Vader’s bodysuit.  The armor pieces, such as the codpiece, chest, and shoulders, are made of a type of plastic that is solid looking, while still somewhat flexible to accommodate the range of motion of the metal joints.  The rubbery bodysuit seems like it could withstand usage over time, but of course we won’t know for sure at this point.  There is a warning that users should take care not to over-exert the joints, presumable to avoid breakage of the endoskeleton as well as tearing of the bodysuit. 

The helmet/mask is one piece.  This is probably for the best.  I suppose Hasbro must have considered implementing a removable helmet, or perhaps even a swappable head, but many collectors will be pleased that such a gimmick is not present, at least in this launch figure.  The helmet looks good to me, but I would wonder if a more detail-oriented Vader connoisseur, such as my esteemed colleague Chris, might have some issues with the sculpt.  Here we get one of the more unfortunate problems, at least my sample.  The lenses on the mask are shiny, but some production error occurred here, leaving a matte residue on the upper part of the left eye, which gives Vader a sleepy, drunken look.  It’s very noticeable, even in the photography closeups of the facemask.  Not sure if your mileage will vary on this.  The soft cape fabric is nicely done.  It drapes well, and is not see-through.  The outer cape can be positioned to drape realistically over the shoulders.  The inner robes might be a touch too long, but it’s not a real problem.

This is definitely an Episode V/VI Vader, due to the chest box design/colors, the stitching on the gauntlets, and the inner robes being under the chest armor.  This much, Chris taught me.  The armor is sufficiently shiny, with the proper black/gray/silver colors applied where appropriate.  The shin armor is shiny, while the boots themselves are matte.  There are holes in the bottom of the feet, to accommodate pegs on the display base.

The articulation is excellent.  I definitely had to get used to the range of motion.  Many of the joints were a bit stiff out of the box.  At first, I thought the left elbow was restricted in range, but after some time spent working around the figure, everything seemed to act as planned.  The joints tend to silently “click” into place, so you do get a solid feel when the articulation is engaged.  Being almost completely concealed by the flexible skin and armor, it wasn’t easy to identify every joint type, but it seems the head was a double-barbell type, which allows Vader to perform his signature dance move whenever the DJ’s spin Haddaway at the clubs:

The shoulders seem to be ball jointed, along with the elbows.  The wrists display a little bit of give, but it might be my imagination.  The wrist joint may be nothing more than a metal ball with plugs into a hole inside the gauntlets of the switch-out hands.  The waist is likely a ball joint, but I found this to be the weakest of all the articulation points. I could get the figure to bend forward and back slightly, but turning to the left or right was a futile exercise, as the rubber bodysuit would just pull the torso back into place.  The hips and knees are ball jointed, while the ankles are rocker style.  Please, Hasbro, add this rocker style of ankle articulation to Jedi and trooper figures in the 3.75” scale.

I was able to get some nice action poses out of the figure, although some were harder than others.  I struggled to get the kneeling pose which is featured on the back of the box.  The Hasbro folks managed to get it perfectly.  Sadly, I couldn’t quite duplicate it. 

For accessories, you get a total of 9 switch-out gloved hands, including the 2 that are attached to the figure out of the package.  The hands can be attached/detached with relative ease, while snapping tightly in place.  The hands allow you to faithfully recreate different moments from Episode V.  Several of the hands are meant to hold the lightsaber accessory.  The hilt and blade can be separated, and the loop on the hilt attaches nicely to the belt hook above Vader’s left hip.  The hilt is sadly made of a rubbery plastic, and mine was slightly misshapen out of the package.  I think a metal hilt would have kicked it up a notch.  The blade is a simple red plastic.  There is no “flare”, or core/glow aspect to it.  Also included is a large blast effect, which plugs into one of the scene-specific hands to recreate the moment Han Solo rudely rejected Vader’s dinner invitation.  The blast effect looks nice, but the rubbery edges of the piece came bent out of the package.  A hard plastic piece would have been appropriate.

The base is modeled after the platform in the carbon freeze chamber.  It’s actually 1/8 of a full circle.  Presumably the upcoming Bespin Luke will have a similar base, so you’ll have a quarter circle at that point.  The underside of the base has a place to store three small foot pegs, which can be plugged into 4 different spots on the surface of the base, to help support the Vader figure.  Also, there is a rectangular clip, which looks like it helps connect a second base piece.  It looks great, and helps give the figure a more premium feel on your shelf. 

Overall, it looks great, comes with a nice array of accessories, and has a cool display base.  The metal endoskeleton seems to be a revelation for Hasbro.  The articulation is superior, although not perfect,  I love how the rubbery bodysuit flexes when the articulation is engaged.  The hidden joints are excellently engineered.  My issues are that I feel Hasbro should have done a metal saber hilt and a hard plastic blast effect.  We normally allow for some of this because of safety reasons, but the packaging and instructional insert clearly state that this is an adult item, not intended for kids.  Safety features need not be implemented here at the expense of realism and quality.  Also, the sleepy left eye on my sample is bothersome.

Speaking of expense, this comes at an $80 price tag.  It seems that could be a fair price, given that Sideshow 12” figures go for over $200.  But is this an item we expect to come from Hasbro?  It’s a valiant foray into the adult high-end collector market.  One or two per year seem like the right amount of product, and they shouldn’t negatively impact the resources put into other lines.  Not sure if Hasbro is looking for the 3.75” and 6” collectors to graduate to this, or if they are looking to tap into a new audience (or both).  I sincerely hope it works and helps generate a lot of money for the Star Wars team at Hasbro.  I’ll give this an 8/10.  If the accessories had a more premium feel to them, this would have been a 9/10.

You can preorder both Vader and Luke at our SPONSOR, Entertainment Earth:

Star Wars Darth Vader Hyperreal 8-Inch Action Figure

Star Wars Luke Skywalker Hyperreal 8-Inch Action Figure

We want to thank our friends at LitzkyPR for sending this to Bantha Skull and giving us the opportunity to review this excellent new product!