I was nominated to do this review by Trooper31 in the comments of THIS ARTICLE, where he wrote:

Great article and all, but I was really hoping to see a review from a Vader expert/fan like Chris.

That’s very kind and flattering, but unfortunately not entirely accurate.  While I am a fan, I won’t lay claim to being an expert.  It’s more a case of knowing which variances between the Episode IV vs Episode V/VI Darth Vader costumes trigger my OCD when not captured correctly in the 3.75” scale.  That doesn’t mean that I know all the differences.  When it gets into the minutiae, I simply don’t care.  While I’m sure there are minute differences in the helmets, greeblies, and other doodadery between the three Original Trilogy episodes, they are not noticeable enough at this scale for me to care about them.  I’m only concerned about the ones I can readily notice (and we’ll get to those in a moment).  After receiving the nomination, I checked with Mr. Nomadscout in hopes that he started the review.  He hadn’t and he said he was saving it for me.  RATS!  I DON’T LIKE DOING THINGS!

So Hasbro’s aim with this release was to take the outstanding VC241 - Darth Vader (Dark Times), which was styled after the costume in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and tweak it to make the definitive Return of the Jedi Darth Vader.  I’m happy to say, “mission accomplished.”  Also, as far as I’m concerned, the Episode V and VI Vader costumes are effectively the same thing.  Again, I’m sure there are some nitpicky differences between the two movies, but I simply don’t care.  So for me, this is almost the definitive The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader as well.  If you, like me, set up a lot of Original Trilogy scenes in your displays, you’re going to need a small army of this figure.

So what are the Episode IV vs Episode V/VI costume differences that I care about:

• In Episode IV, Vader’s gloves have pronounced horizontal piping.  In Episodes V and VI, the gloves have subtle vertical piping.
• In Episode IV, Vader’s chest box features a green light over a red light.  In Episodes V and VI, it’s a blue light over a red light.
• In Episode IV, Vader’s chest box has a white switch on our left followed by three gray switches.  In Episodes V and VI, Vader’s chest box features three gray switches followed by one red switch on our right.
• In Episode IV, Vader’s inner robes go over the shoulder armor.  In Episode’s V and VI, Vader’s inner robes go under the shoulder armor.
• In Episode IV, Vader’s eye lenses are tinted red.  In Episodes V and VI, the lenses are tinted amber/dark gray.

Four out of five aint bad.  Hasbro captured the first four items on the list perfectly, but, for some reason, the lenses retain their A New Hope red tint.  I wonder if this was an artistic choice because I honestly think it looks better, if not accurate.

As mentioned, this is a retool of the outstanding Dark Times Vader.  It’s a post-barbell hip figure, which means it starts off on third base.  It doesn’t take much to bring it home.  Just like the release it’s based on, this Death Star II Vader poses effortlessly in all manner of dynamic expressions.  The rocker ankles function like a dream.  The arms can facilitate a multitude of two handed saber grips, but is it a perfect figure?  It is not for a few reasons.  The first is that it features a removable helmet. I think we all would have preferred swappable heads like the VC226 - Bo-Katan Kryze figure.  I said it over and over again that if we got a new Episode VI Vader, we didn’t want a removable helmet.  We wanted swappable heads.  I feel as frustrated as Brennan Huff when he got salmon at his mother’s wedding:

The removable helmet leaves a visible gap where the face mask intersects with the collar.  I was really hoping we could avoid that.  The next issue I have with the figure is the cape, which feels oversized.  Even though it’s the same size as the Dark Times Vader, it was constantly interfering with the poses I was trying to achieve.  My cape also came out of the package more wrinkled than a junior officer’s uniform.  I had to channel my inner Tyler and iron it before even attempting photography.  Finally, there’s the head sculpt.  A lot of fans think that it looks like Hayden Christensen instead of Sebastian Shaw, who portrayed the unmasked Vader in Jedi.  I think it looks like neither.  The expression is also wrong.  It’s not a repentant Anakin.  It’s an angry Vader.  These three issues compel me to deduct a point, and give Death Star II Vader a 9 out of 10.

Despite those nitpicks, this is the definitive Episode VI Vader.  It’s nearly definitive for Episode V, but having a non-removable helmet would be best for The Empire Strikes Back.  That’s not likely to happen any time soon, so I’m going all in with this release as my go-to for Empire displays.  It’s also worth noting that this is the first time ever that an unmasked Vader was used for the film out in vintage-styled packaging.  I think that’s a pretty remarkable milestone considering it was 40 years in the making.  This so thoroughly supplants the VC08 - Darth Vader release that it’s not even funny.  It’s not a question of how many of this figure I think you should buy, it’s how many cases I think you should buy.  One is a good start.  You can still preorder VC280 - Darth Vader (Death Star II) from site sponsor Entertainment Earth HERE.  If you haven’t done so already, I recommend you do.  Pick yourself up a case or two.