1/6 Hot Toys - MMS 279 - Star Wars Episode IV: 1/6th scale Darth Vader

[GodParticle]

Suited back up and applied some weathering to the chest box/belt


Edit: Without any flash

Just simple drybrushing with gunmetal color should give you the duller look for ANH Vader along with the correction in color.

His armor wasn't pimped out and glossy until ESB.

It's not as glossy in person. The flash really distorts what it looks like. I couldn't really drybrush since I was using a rattle can...or maybe it's possible, but I know nothing about painting haha

Looks pretty good. I think the only thing I'm going to do to mine is mask off the 2 black stripes and paint them grey like in the film.

Thanks! I probably should have just done that, but at least I learned something new...painting is hard and I suck at it rofl

 

[TonTon]

Don't know if this would be a common problem but just noticed this chip on Vader's left cheek. Don't know how I missed it the first day as that's when this photo is from. Won't bother with a replacement, but maybe if I come across a cheapish one parted out I'd consider upgrading it. Haven't noticed it in other pics.

 

[Sidewinder]

Vader arrived today. Really lovely looking figure, just looks awesome on display. Gotta say though that the sound thing is a real pain in the arse. Set it all up and worked it with the remote, then moved onto the belt batteries and afterwards went back to use the sound again and it wouldn't work! I couldn't be bothered undoing him all over again to check the back switch was still on. Rather an annoying place to have the compartment.

Anyhow, still a wonderful figure and great accessories with the droid as well. Glad I didn't miss out on this guy.

 

[djdirty75]

Pretty hooked on this guy...


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[jrtoyman]

Below is from Michael Crawford's review quote on the sound feature and I totally agree with him 100% on this. The following day since I got my figure, the sound won't work anymore even replacing it with fresh new batteries. It's already a pain getting to get into the battery compartment.
Hot Toys should fire the engineer or whoever designed this "CRAPPY", USELESS PIECE OF $**T feature. Really piss me off paying 300 bucks and getting this.

Sound Feature - 1/2
"Here comes the rub. A huge reason you're spending $300 on this figure - which is extremely high even for Hot Toys - is the sound feature. There is a small remote control, and pressing a button (the remote has the words 'Star Wars' imprinted on it, and the 'W' is the button) activates one of seven different lines. These are all very clean, in James Earl Jones' voice, and the speaker is loud and crisp. So why the super low score?

Because the feature is *almost* worthless. The battery compartment and switch are located on his back, just above the waist. To insert the batteries, you must remove the head, the cape, the inner robe, the shoulder armor, and the chest panel. Then you must open the Velcro on the outer ribbed suit and an inner fabric body suit. You spread these two layers out as best you can, pulling them downward at the waist to get to the screw on the battery compartment panel. Once you manage to get the batteries in place and closed back up, you flip the on/off activation switch located next to this compartment, close up the two layers of Velcro, replace the chest panel, shoulder armor, outer robes, cape and head, and using the remote, you can now play the various sounds.

That is, unless you don't use it for about 15 minutes. At that point, the sounds will no longer work until you flip the on/off activation switch from on back to off and back to on. To do this requires all the steps I outlined above - now you get why it's pretty much useless? You'll use it once, and that will be the only time you do. I tried it out to hear how well the speaker and sounds worked, then immediately pulled the batteries and put everything back, never to use it again.

This is the worst design we've seen from Hot Toys with their light or sound features (I don't have Thanos yet, but I hear there are some issues there as well), and I don't understand why they dropped the ball. I assume this convoluted design was to allow the remote to be used, since Hasbro included simple push button talking features with their 12" Vader and Obi-Wan, and never required this sort of gymnastics."

The full review here;
Review and photos of Darth Vader sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

 

[noisyrobot]

The full review here;
Review and photos of Darth Vader sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

100% to this also. Vader arrived last week- I think the sculpt is awesome, but I'll never use the sound feature or the lit lightsaber.
Sounds features on 1/6 figures are extremely tacky to me.

I could have gone without the sound, without the light up blade or even the droid.. but my Star Wars addiction compels me to buy these ANH figures. Sigh.

I can't say no.

 

[koon]

So what does he say?

 

[noisyrobot]

So what does he say?

Basically a really great figure let down by a poorly designed sound and light feature.

 

[Sidewinder]

Right, so it switches off after 15 minutes and you have to reset the on/off switch. No wonder I couldn't get mine to work again after the first time.

Oh well, I'm not that fussed about a sound feature anyway, so it doesn't really take away my enjoyment of the figure.

 

[Blaster Rex]

Alright, my Lord Vader arrived on Friday 15/01/16 and I got down to the unenviable task of putting the Batteries in - had to strip down the figure to insert the Batteries for the sound feature - 15 mins. Insert batteries into lite up saber arm - 6 mins. Belt box one - 10 mins (boy was it fiddly!) Belt box two - 1hr and 15 mins!!! The contact for the batteries is a little tiny fiddly piece of metal thinner than a paperclip and after I unscrewed the battery housing cover it was bent out of shape - then, finally, the good part could now begin - futzing!! A bit of brushed gunmetal/silver paint on the belt box, chestbox panel edges and some very gently brushed (so very subtly) on the chest armour - belt boxes positioned square-up right next to the belt 'buckle' - chest box repositioned up to the chest armour (leaving only a 5 mm gap) - belt raised up to the chestbox - codpiece raised up to the belt.

Then positioned with left arm down to his side, right arm outstretched with palm up 'using the force' to float his saber hilt just above his palm, much like what paramoremcr88: has done with his.

No pictures yet because my HTC One is a dinosaur handset that has a rubbish camera that is okay in daytime but complete rubbish in low light.

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[Blaster Rex]

Here's what paramoremcr88: did with his - mines posed exactly the same but with his right arm - credit and thanks to paramore for the inspiration.

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[Generation42]

Hey, guys, how is Sideshow handling the belt issue?

Mine broke last evening after trying to unbuckle the thing. When I first futz'ed Vader, the belt worked, but last night I tried to unbuckle it for the second time ever and it snapped right apart.

I heard a horror story of the company making a customer return the entire figure just to replace the belt?!? Can this possibly be true?

Thanks. Frustrated as this is my first ever instance of having anything go wrong with a SS/HT product and I'm not certain of where to turn next?.

 

[Generation42]

Double Post.

 

[Jaymas]

Hey, guys, how is Sideshow handling the belt issue?

Mine broke last evening after trying to unbuckle the thing. When I first futz'ed Vader, the belt worked, but last night I tried to unbuckle it for the second time ever and it snapped right apart.

I heard a horror story of the company making a customer return the entire figure just to replace the belt?!? Can this possibly be true?

Thanks. Frustrated as this is my first ever instance of having anything go wrong with a SS/HT product and I'm not certain of where to turn next?.

They replaced my belt (I did not have to send the figure back they just sent me a new belt), but someone else on here said they would not replace their belt. I'm not sure what the difference was in the way the belt was broken. I did report mine broken the same day I received it, if that makes a difference.

Here is what was wrong with mine compared to the replacement one that came...

As you can see in the picture the piece of plastic reinforcement on the ripped belt stayed latched to the buckle ripping a big hole in belt. The reinforcement piece was so secure on the buckle I didn't even know it was supposed to come apart there and originally thought the buckle was designed with that large flat edge to fit into a large square on the other side of the belt. The new belt latches and unlatches with ease and I am not worried about it ripping.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

FUUU---I missed Vader parted out at TA again!

 

[Darth Bones]

My Vader is coming tomorrow. He got stuck in customs while my Obi-Wan did not. I imagine Vader being pretty pissed and strangling the post office people from inside his packaging And he probably hates Obi-Wan even more since he did not get stopped.

 

[Sturtrup]

Suited back up and applied some weathering to the chest box/belt
View attachment 238145

Edit: Without any flash
View attachment 238152



It's not as glossy in person. The flash really distorts what it looks like. I couldn't really drybrush since I was using a rattle can...or maybe it's possible, but I know nothing about painting haha



Thanks! I probably should have just done that, but at least I learned something new...painting is hard and I suck at it rofl

I think you have done a good job. But something look weird. I think that your work to improve his anh look has highlighted the not anh overall look. So, IMO, is all the rest, and not your painted chest box that is mismatched.

 

[Cicada17]

My Vader is coming tomorrow. He got stuck in customs while my Obi-Wan did not. I imagine Vader being pretty pissed and strangling the post office people from inside his packaging And he probably hates Obi-Wan even more since he did not get stopped.

From inside his box, Obi-Wan must have calmly told customs, "This is not the package you are looking for."


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[drjedisith]

thanks everyone. ill try and answer some of the questions. i cant get the multi message reply working.

ENZO i played with poses for a couple days and wasnt happy til this one. i wanted his hand showing but not covering too much. the skinny shiny fingers werent doing it for me. so i used my ss anh gloves and picked the best one. his legs are just straight museum posed. one thing i found that helped his overall look was i thrusted his chest and stomach forward and pushed his base of the mask/neck forward and then tipped the helmet up and back. that seemed to capture his presence. closing the gap between the dome and his shoulders and look natural. i played with different poses for a couple days til i found my zen

haha yeah STURTRUP i must have had that beaut you took in my subconcious thanks! i still LOVE yours brother!

i had no issues sliding the boxes over. just did it slowly over each row of velcro.

great pics and mods in in here everyone

 

[Sturtrup]

I just used the old ss ANH VADER chest plat I think it looks fine

Sorry but I've to say that the ss anh chest armour is totally not screen acurate. The shape is wrong, the colours are wrong. It's heavy toysh. But, if you are happy with that, it's a great chest armour!