Ben? Ben Kenobi? Boy will I be glad to see you.

[MaulFan]

Ben is highly likely this year, but I'm not very confident on the Vader, it would be a key counterpart, but I have a feeling that the R&D on the 1/6 armor just hasn't quite hit a point where any production could start. Without causing much Boba discussion, we've seen already that they were caught off guard and forced to retool a piece with armor because of production issues, and while one might think well they solved it for Boba why not get Vader, I'd say the simple response to that would be that Boba is 1/4 scale so the armo can be thicker and sturdier without much investigation into production, whereas creating strudy armor, in scale with durability may be more challenging to figure out. Now yes, Medicom has done it with Vader, but that doesn't mean SSC artisans can quickly figure it out and replicate it if it's an unexplored avenue for them, and it's also possible they know how to replicate Medicom armor style, but feel there's somehow room for improvement and are working to develop otherwise. In any case, if Vader is announced this year, my expectation would be that he'd arrive in Q1 2008 with an announcement around CIV to give time for the production to explore once a satisfactory prototype is ready. As for which version of Vader we'd get, it'd be expensive, but I'd love for an all encompassing Vader, every chest plate, varianty helmets/heads, all lightsaber versions, but they'll probably do individual Vader's for each movie.

 

[DarthNeil]

Ben is highly likely this year, but I'm not very confident on the Vader, it would be a key counterpart, but I have a feeling that the R&D on the 1/6 armor just hasn't quite hit a point where any production could start. Without causing much Boba discussion, we've seen already that they were caught off guard and forced to retool a piece with armor because of production issues, and while one might think well they solved it for Boba why not get Vader, I'd say the simple response to that would be that Boba is 1/4 scale so the armo can be thicker and sturdier without much investigation into production, whereas creating strudy armor, in scale with durability may be more challenging to figure out. Now yes, Medicom has done it with Vader, but that doesn't mean SSC artisans can quickly figure it out and replicate it if it's an unexplored avenue for them, and it's also possible they know how to replicate Medicom armor style, but feel there's somehow room for improvement and are working to develop otherwise. In any case, if Vader is announced this year, my expectation would be that he'd arrive in Q1 2008 with an announcement around CIV to give time for the production to explore once a satisfactory prototype is ready. As for which version of Vader we'd get, it'd be expensive, but I'd love for an all encompassing Vader, every chest plate, varianty helmets/heads, all lightsaber versions, but they'll probably do individual Vader's for each movie.

Preach on brother...
Personally I'd love to see the one definitive Vader that, as you suggest, would have multiple variety "parts" so that you could pose an ESB Vader if you wanted or a ROTS Vader... I'd hate to think of the $$$$ if each Vader (essentially just the four, right?) were offered separately.

Ouch.

 

[MaulFan]

I think the best route would be an all in one package because several elements would be recycled, but clearly the fans want the variations so it'd be a great way to give it to them, and really, the helmet and armor molds could be recycled, it's more the paint and texture that varies not the physical structure.

 

[The Josh]

I agree. With Vader in 1:6th I don't know honestly how many version I want. I think I'd like to see just the one that everyone considers the defining Vader and call it a day.

 

[MaulFan]

I agree. With Vader in 1:6th I don't know honestly how many version I want. I think I'd like to see just the one that everyone considers the defining Vader and call it a day.

Everyone has different views on the definitive Vader, for me it's ROTJ with removable helmet, unless they added the removable helmet feature to an ANH or ESB Vader, which many would be upset about for film inaccuracy, but the removable helmet feature is what really makes it a full Vader because that makes the figure have the features of Vader's suit (not the prop, but what, by what is seen over the 4 film appearances, is Vader's suit, the helmet is 3 pieces but is only shown that functionality in 2 films).

 

[pixletwin]

I bet you that at the close of CIV SS will announce either Ben or Vader or both.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I'm hoping for a "Ben" Kenobi this year as well.

SS has proven that they are the masters of the "robed" figures, so the only key element here is the headsculpt. I'm pretty sure it will happen soon.

 

[IrishJedi]

If Andy indeed sculpted "Old Ben" before he left monkey2 ) you can pretty much count on that figure being aces (unless the Chinese production factory gets in the way again).

 

[MaulFan]

If Andy indeed sculpted "Old Ben" before he left monkey2 ) you can pretty much count on that figure being aces (unless the Chinese production factory gets in the way again).

Well, luckily with Old ben, his hair and beard are shades of grey & white, whatever job could screw that up would surely get stopped by Sideshow as unacceptable, there's no room for shade variation like E3 Obi.

 

[Captain Faramir]

True. If it's anything like the PF then it ought to be amazing, and judging by Leia it's a good possibility.

 

[MaulFan]

True. If it's anything like the PF then it ought to be amazing, and judging by Leia it's a good possibility.

Hard to tell, both Leia's seem to be Andy Bergholtz pieces, at least the PF for sure, Mat Falls did the PF Obi-Wan, and I think it looks great and he did an awesome job, but as I've said, these artist are stylistic and you could spot who made what in a police lineup of sculpts basically, and I just feel that Andy's style would really give is the absolute best 1/6 Old Ben sculpt.

 

[Wor-Gar]

For me, the definitive Vader has always been ESB.

However, since they've been running all the SW on HBO, I've come around to the ANH Vader again. He just looks a lot meaner. Something about the way the helmet is lower so you can't see the upped ridges on the eyes, plus the widows peak.

When Vader finally comes, I hope its the ANH Vader... it will go with Ben better too.

 

[MaulFan]

The only thing I didn't like about Vader's ANH look was his robe covering his chest plate and the minimal distinction of the sections in it, I think Vader's chest plate looks really nice when you can see the blacks and the greys in ESB and ROTJ.

 

[Captain Faramir]

I'm leaning towards an all-ANH collection myself. Except for a few characters from various other films, the bulk of my collection just might turn out to be the central characters of the first movie. They look perfect together and it just seems to sing to me more than any other film. Perhaps its just the sheer iconography of it that makes it so appealing. If we do get Old Ben though, I'm totally getting one.

 

[Wor-Gar]

The only thing I didn't like about Vader's ANH look was his robe covering his chest plate and the minimal distinction of the sections in it, I think Vader's chest plate looks really nice when you can see the blacks and the greys in ESB and ROTJ.

This is true. ESB Vader is really the Vader I think most of us think of when that name comes up.

But at one time, long, long ago, the ANH Vader was it. In fact, it took so getting used to the robes being under the chest armor...and all the blinking lights.

But again, its my new fancy, that's all. I kinda dig the samurai style of the original Vader now.

 

[MaulFan]

I haven't paid much attention, was there much difference from ESB to ROTJ in Vader's suit but for the helmet taking on the combination of gloss and matte components?

 

[Captain Faramir]

Actually, the robes over the armor are the reason I prefer the ANH Vader suit myself. It's a bit more real to me, though why I can't say. I just think he looks cooler that way. Just better. To me at least lol.

 

[MaulFan]

Well it'd be easy enough to put the robe over the armor with an ESB or ROTJ Vader, every 1/6 Vader I've owned accommodated that. (Sidenote, much as I'm not a fan of robe over armor, I always felt that Lucas really screwed up making Vader for ROTS by not having the robe over the armor for Ep3 to Ep4 matching.)

 

[Wor-Gar]

I haven't paid much attention, was there much difference from ESB to ROTJ in Vader's suit but for the helmet taking on the combination of gloss and matte components?

There was, though not as dramatic as from ANH to ESB. But you'd have to ask an expert on the tiny differences to the ROTJ helmet. I do believe the black and iron color components were always present though from ANH on, just brought out more on ESB when they glossed up the helmet.

 

[MaulFan]

There was, though not as dramatic as from ANH to ESB. But you'd have to ask an expert on the tiny differences to the ROTJ helmet. I do believe the black and iron color components were always present though from ANH on, just brought out more on ESB when they glossed up the helmet.

You are correct, there were the different shades in ANH, but, likely due to budget, the distinction between shades was very minimal where it got more exaggerated in ESB and ROTJ. I don't know if they'd do it, but it'd be really great to just buy one Vader figure with every accessory needed to make every appearance of Vader in the Saga.