Someone’s taking a punch over this figure.  I don’t care if it’s someone from Hasbro, nomadscout, or the Zac Efron looking stock boy at the grocery market.  STOP BEING SO FRIENDLY, KID!  NO ONE LIKES YOU!  All I know is that the universe demands a punch be delivered. We’ll get to that in a minute. First in the event that Hasbro is reading this review:

Hasbro, we desperately need an GOOD non-removable helmet Episode V/VI Darth Vader. The VC08 - Darth Vader stinks in many ways.

Because of that above statement, it’s frustrating that a somewhat unnecessary Rogue One based Darth Vader jumped the line. For the most part the Roque One / A New Hope designs should be effectively identical due to the fact that the two movies are separated by about fifteen minutes of real time.  Star Wars operates on the old west rules, which means everyone only has one outfit at a time, and they don’t replace it until it gets stinky, or the crotch gives out.  Vader won’t be due for a new set of duds until The Empire Strikes Back.  It’s frustrating that we already have a good A New Hope Vader thanks to the VC93 - Darth Vader figure, so this release seems gratuitous and unnecessary. But this frustration only exists if we’re considering this figure in a vacuum. What we have to remember that this figure is being released in the context of the overall line, and it’s meant to be a counterpart to the upcoming Tantive IV playset. We collectively and rightly ripped Hasbro for not making any figure releases for the recent Carbon Freezing Chamber, so I can’t be too critical for the Tantive IV set getting this complementary main line release.

Back to the open, someone is taking a punch for this figure.  Why?  THE DANK FARRIK PLASTIC MOLDED INNER CAPE FOR STARTERS, and it’s not a posing issue.  They don’t impede the legs that much.  They only become a posing problem when you want to place the figure in some crouched dueling stances in which case the figure ends up leaning on the robes instead of balancing on the feet.  The problem is actually with aesthetics.  They just don’t look as good as soft goods capes, which is something Hasbro has been nailing on 3.75” Darth Vader figures for over a decade (and were used on the aforementioned VC93 Vader).  Next, I love Darth Vader, so even though this figure is unnecessary on the surface, I was thrilled at the prospect of getting a Vader figure with the modern articulation baubles, but we didn’t get that either.  We didn’t get either ball jointed wrists or rocker ankles with this release. This figure is only a partial new tool, and appears to repurpose the arms and legs from, once again, VC93 - Darth Vader.  It begs the question why didn’t Hasbro just re-issue that figure?  The upshot is that it carries forward the positives from that figure.  It can firmly grip the saber in each hand, which is important for a Darth Vader figure (and something lacking on the aforementioned VC08 - Darth Vader).  The legs, including the ball jointed hips, are easy to engage.

One particularly bitter pill is that the chest box doesn’t seem accurate to Roque One.  The three vertical silver lines to our left of the chest box have red painted on them like the Episode III chest box.  To the best of my knowledge, they should be solid silver for the Rogue One / A New Hope appearance.  On the plus side, the helmet looks outstanding.  It looks much better than the “softer” A New Hope helmet on the VC93 figure.  It looks like the more angular and skeletal Episode V/VI helmet.  It’s peak Vader.  Thanks to the soft goods outer robes, you can definitely achieve some dynamic poses with the figure.  In the recent Bossk’s Bounty “2020 Worst to First” video, he mentions that the figure looks better in hand, and I have to agree with that.  The contrast between the plastic and soft goods capes looked jarring in the official images.  In-hand, it’s not nearly as noticeable.  I have to buy ever figure for this site, but even without that obligation, I would be compelled to purchase this figure due to how good the helmet looks.  It’s a baseline 7 out of 10, but I’m a putz when it comes to Vader figures (the non-shtick ones, anyway).  I’m powerless against their siren’s call.

Finally, I would like to apologize for the lack of diorama photos.  I started reducing my collection recently (and then changed my mind). Apparently I sold more Rebel Fleet Troopers than I had intended.