1/6 1/6 Hot Toys - MMS 452 - Star Wars: Episode V ESB - Darth Vader

[Cap'n Cook]

Here's a shot with the 1:4 ROTJ .The proportions look all more correct

View attachment 424900

Yeh. The 1:4 kills this. As I imagine the inevitable 1:6 ROTJ will.

 

[ZillaFan]

Really annoyed. Broke out of the box, no piece to be found.

 

[rayeknor]

Photo, repack & ship back for refund/replacement. I never get how they ship figures that break in the factory, unless its damaged in shipping people will react and it will get back on them (factory) in the end.

 

[ZillaFan]

Ugh, yeah just did that. The little tusk is nowhere to be found, was broke as soon as I took it out.

 

[GodParticle]

My silly little belt mod to give it some more breathing room and fit over the cod piece a bit. I felt it was pinching in too much after moving. Just tacked in a couple of rivets and elastic band. Probably a waste of effort, but it works well enough for me haha. Pardon the awful camera work and I didn't really "futz" it much yet

 

[SilverStar17]

With ESB Vader regarding his belt and codpiece, was his codpiece raised like ANH, but his belt was pulled down to where the belt overlapped with the codpiece? Or was his codpiece lowered as well and the belt sat just above the codpiece? I know in ANH, both the codpiece and belt were raised, and the belt sat just above the codpiece, but didn’t overlap it.

I can’t really find any clear screen shots of ESB Vader to tell.

 

[canofhumdingers]

A quick google image search shows the belt was worn both ways. My rough analysis suggests Bob Anderson typically wore the belt above the codpiece and Dave Prowse wore the belt overlapping the codpiece, but that’s not definitive by any means. The good news is either way you futz it is technically screen accurate!

 

[Wor-Gar]

I like over the codpiece -- just one more thing to differentiate ESB from ANH Vader.

 

[SilverStar17]

Yeah I concur. I like this particular look the best:

A quick google image search shows the belt was worn both ways. My rough analysis suggests Bob Anderson typically wore the belt above the codpiece and Dave Prowse wore the belt overlapping the codpiece, but that’s not definitive by any means. The good news is either way you futz it is technically screen accurate!

View attachment 424993

 

[TMaresca84]

Mine same thing!!!! I found the piece and was able to glue it right back on like new! Same tusk as well! What the hell!

 

[Wor-Gar]

Ugh, yeah just did that. The little tusk is nowhere to be found, was broke as soon as I took it out.

Mine same thing!!!! I found the piece and was able to glue it right back on like new! Same tusk as well! What the hell!

Seems we have our first QC problem to keep track of.

 

[TaliBane]

It's a strange one...the mask looks good at certain angles..but from a straight on view point..it all looks off..

I'm still looking forward to getting it though

Outstanding comparison pics, TaliBane!

I agree with your three nitpicks, but I have a couple of others: the length of the nose and the orientation/angle of his eye. The HT nose is much shorter (from the profile/side), which affects total "face" depth and how much cheek sits under the eyes. And the eye starts forming the corner too soon, in a way that ends up making it shorter than it should be. Maybe that led to the cheek being too narrow (which is much more noticeable on the other cheek). In your comparison shots, the movie Vader's cheek also seems to angle back more steeply, but that might be just a camera/angle thing.

Any of the nitpicks can rightfully be dismissed as minor; and I get why people would be rolling their eyes right now. But everything taken together adds up to quite a bit for me, and gives an overall impression of a Vader helmet that just doesn't capture how ESB Vader has always looked to me for all these years. But I'm glad that so many are loving their figures, even if it's not one for me (but I did snag the chest box and belt ).

Also, I expect the ROTJ announcement much sooner than the usual window between Vaders. That's probably why this figure got the early release. It'd be smart to follow up the release of Luke and the Emperor as quickly as possible with the companion Vader. At this point I'm sure the helmet will be the same, so I'm pinning my hopes on a spot-on Anakin (Sebastian Shaw) face sculpt. That scene meant the world to me as a kid, and there's no way I'd pass on a figure that would convincingly capture the moment where Luke first got to see his father.

Where is WasteTimeContinuum when you need him? That guy took a masters-level course in Vaderology right before our eyes last year - he modded the hell out of that first HT vader (to the point where he made his own codpiece....) Interested in his thoughts on this helmet.

Again, angles slightly different (and even subtle angle difference, along with lens distortion, in SW helmets can make comps tough) this pic shows a few of the issues, mostly the nose vertical height:

And here's the HT Vader with ROTJ chestbox seen in the HT Luke teaser pics:

 

[Centrocal]

 

[RiggsMcClane]

That's a nice review. Very thorough. Anytime I see side by side comparisons anything but the esb looks good to me. Better proportions, armor, and helmets. I may resell the one I ordered if I don't like it in person and simply kitbash a good Vader.

 

[ajp4mgs]

Holy ****! That comparison pic finally made it click for me why I dislike this new HT facemask so much! The small nose and tall mouth remind me too much of this . . .





So, not only does HT have a mask that already has the seams in the tusk tubes like ROTS had, they've also got the tall mouth and small nose that only appears in ROTS as part of an on-screen Vader. And that version also had the bigger vent under the mouth (unlike the smaller one in ANH)!

They're not just going to be able to double-dip (ESB & ROTJ) with this sculpt, they're probably going to triple-dip (ESB, ROTJ, & ROTS). And, much to my dismay yet again, the best version will likely be the prequel version

 

[RiggsMcClane]

You may have hit the nail on the head. Even funnier is how the chest box is integrated into the under suit just like the "esb" figure.

 

[rayeknor]

Esb figure box isn't integrated, it's got the reins and sits by velcro so you can adjust it, but everything on the figure costume (save the @#$% helmet ) is very tight. For how the mask looks, the hot toys promo pics are so far closest to what it looks like in hand. Especially the helmet I for the life of me cant photograph without it distorting.

 

[RiggsMcClane]

Several people mentioned they couldnt move it. So this is the first I've heard it was attached by velcro.

 

[ZE_501]

Esb figure box isn't integrated, it's got the reins and sits by velcro so you can adjust it, but everything on the figure costume (save the @#$% helmet ) is very tight. For how the mask looks, the hot toys promo pics are so far closest to what it looks like in hand. Especially the helmet I for the life of me cant photograph without it distorting.

I didn't realize the box was also attached by velcro -- it's so tight that I didn't want to damage the suit when I did my initial futz. Good to know.

 

[rayeknor]

Yep, everything is very tight. Considering people futz these figures, the tightness here plus some figures ie Kylo Ren having sewn on hoods etc they for some reason try to discourage futzing or what. I didnt even try move mine until I saw the figure parted out on toyanxiety then realized it's not part of the suit.

Mine even had very tiny spots of dried up glue that wasn't sticking to the suit, so be aware before using force, they might have used more glue