While it’s usually pretty fun to go back and review old figures, sometimes it’s more of a chore.  That is the case when reviewing characters that have been done to death, and there is no value left in the figure, nor was there really much value to begin with.  Such is the case with this 2006 The Saga Collection #013 Darth Vader.

This version of Vader, according to the card artwork, is meant to depict him when he leads the assault on Echo Base.  But everyone who has ever collected Hasbro Star Wars figures knows that figures that walk on planets get their boots soiled with the stuff from that planet.  So it stands to reason that Vader should have snow on his boots.  He doesn’t.  So this figure is a miserable failure.  No, I’m just tickling your funny bone, but this is a terrible figure.

It’s a straight repack of the Special Edition 500th Figure, minus any of the accessories that made that set worthwhile.  It doesn’t come with the interchangeable hand, nor the meditation chamber. 

This figure is just a plain Vader.  It even seems to be inferior in some ways to some previous Vader releases.  It offers nothing special, especially for today’s collector.  It’s got a mix of swivel and ball joints.  The helmet dome is removable, revealing the still masked head of Anakin Skywalker.  This would be an appropriate look for the moment Admiral Piett catches Vader, uh, meditating.  It’s also appropriate for the moment Luke is in the process of unmasking his father on board the DS2.  Since this figure was originally designed for the meditation chamber accessory, you should make sure you own that set, not this basic figure.

This Vader is objectively better than any 5POA figure, so I’ll score it above that baseline of 4 and give it a 5.  But it’s not much better, especially by 2020 standards.  If you’re looking for a definitive Episode V/VI Darth Vader, well, you won’t find it yet.  But there are still options that are superior to this one, despite their own flaws.  For a scene specific (Bespin blaster block) Vader, go for the Black Series Phase I Darth Vader #06.  For a figure that is best made for either the meditation chamber scene or the DS2 death scene, go for VC08.  Either of those figures can work for any V/VI diorama scene, but a perfect dueling Vader from either film still eludes us.  We have definitive versions for ROTS and ANH, and we have excellent scene specific figures for ESB and ROTJ.  A general V/VI Darth Vader should be a top priority for Hasbro.  We also need a good Rogue One version, for that matter, but that’s secondary.