Hot Toys Rogue One Vader MMS388

[matrix69]

Hello everyone! First post here

I just ordered my first ever Hot Toys figure - Rogue One Vader!

He is my most favourite villain of all time and probably the only HT figure I will have ever bought in my life. I simply wanted a good-looking movie accurate Vader - hence why I went with RO version - I read on many places he is one of the best Vaders out there.

However, after digging a bit online, I noticed people complaining that he may not be fully movie accurate to RO - mainly because his tunics are under and not over his armor in the movie - I never noticed this while watching RO.

My question is: Is everything else as it appears in the movie (I am not an expert on smallest details) - helmet, chest plate, etc. and is there a way to put the tunics over the armor?

Thank you and appreciated!

You choose wisely...besides the vader/tarkin twopack...for me the R1 version is the best "straight out of the box" vader thus far and looks great when posed up.

Putting the inner robe over the armor is easy enough....pop off the head and cape and then shoulder/chest armor(it's held in place with velcro). Remove the belt which is held in place by a wee peg to the right inside of the buckle....pretty easy from then on

 

[matrix69]

The neck of the Figure appears long because the actor who is wearing it has a short neck and the mask sits on is shoulders lower than Prowse.
Plus the RO Vader prop doesn’t have the back neck extension which actually lifts the helmet up to true shoulder level, and the toy has to have a complete neck, because there’s no actor inside with a bear neck to complete the space, thus making the neck of Vader in toys look longer unless they actually make the proportions short. Vader sometimes is shown with the neck part of the mask behind the grieves And other times over it.
But unless the actually sculpted a new helmet and trimmed the edges, it should be the same general dimensions as the ot vader.

Is the there a comprehensive study on the RO helmet anywhere? I’d like to see any prop pics close up etc...

It seems however that the ESB is the least accurate in terms of the masks sculpt, in general, due to perhaps the provision of an interior headsculpt which may also be used for Rotj:
The mouths. Mouths vertical grill is too steep and flattens the mouth adding to the exaggerated size. The lower edge of the mouth and billets are also lowered to accommodate the detaching feature and further exaggerates the size of the mouth. The eyes also seem shallower and the cheeks flattened with the rest of the face ever so slightly. And the dome has been tilted back too far in an attempt to make the skirt of the dome longer.

In truth, the helmets used for the original trilogy are all based on the original sculpt, and aside from the the reveal, which was basically cut up and greeblies added, the base sculpt is the same with very minor changes, like the widows peak removed and that area resculpted because the helmet has a fake thickness created by a hollow lip along the edges of the dome, not unlike a little ledge or interior shelf that runs along the base of the domes edges. Then the lower bent was widened to make it easier to see and breathe, along with the shinier paint job and different attachment system.

...

The rogue one is more accurate to rogue one that empire is to the empire strikes back in my humble opinion.
But it’s mainly due to the helmet.
If you pop the RO helmet on the ESB, it’s makeit a hundred times better if you just ignored the widows peak and lower chin vent, since the face plate is so much better....

Great post and i agree....while not perfect both the ANH/R1 masks look great and are a lot more accurate than the new Empire version...which for me is a huge step backwards.
Here's a compare of HT R1 mask/helmet against the screen prop and EFX replica....and a reverse image shows how they nailed most of the wonkiness and asymmetry of the original prop..

View attachment 429622View attachment 429623

 

[ajp4mgs]

Outstanding comparison, matrix!!

I have my issues with the HT ANH/RO helmet, but most of that has to do with scaling to the 1/6 body. A lot of the features (the likeness), however, seems much closer to screen accurate than their new ESB helmet. I completely agree with you about the new one being a huge step backwards.

Just really wish we could get HT to scale their helmet down to be proportionate to the 1/6 scale (and to the rest of the figure). Just once!

 

[Vader0706]

You choose wisely...besides the vader/tarkin twopack...for me the R1 version is the best "straight out of the box" vader thus far and looks great when posed up.

Putting the inner robe over the armor is easy enough....pop off the head and cape and then shoulder/chest armor(it's held in place with velcro). Remove the belt which is held in place by a wee peg to the right inside of the buckle....pretty easy from then on

Thanks.

First question: I never heard anything about having to remove the belt. Can I put the robes over the armor without removing the belt?

Second question: What is the most movie accurate Vader out there (or SW figure overall) - one that appears exactly as in the movie - without any mask issues, asymmetries, widow peaks (like ESB Vader), robes under the armor (like RO Vader), etc. etc.?

Thanks and appreciated.

 

[rayeknor]

The coming 1:4 rotj Vader by Hot toys if the proto pics tell the truth is the most movie accurate so far

 

[Lord Valefor]

Also this upcoming Premium size Sideshow statue looks very accurate . I think it's the first time I see the eye lens shape really spot on . I think it's even better overall than the 1/4 rotJ Hot toys in which I already noticed a few issues

https://www.rebelscum.com/2018-NYCC/Sideshow-Collectibles-Star-Wars-NYCC-2018/image14.asp

 

[matrix69]

Thanks.

First question: I never heard anything about having to remove the belt. Can I put the robes over the armor without removing the belt?

Second question: What is the most movie accurate Vader out there (or SW figure overall) - one that appears exactly as in the movie - without any mask issues, asymmetries, widow peaks (like ESB Vader), robes under the armor (like RO Vader), etc. etc.?

Thanks and appreciated.

The belt holds the tunic tightly in place..so needs to be removed...it's then easier to fit the tunic over the shoulder armor..

As for the perfect 1/6 vader...R1 is the closest yet so you should be pretty happy when you have it in hand...

 

[Soltari007]

Agreed, I just got this fella loose for USD 145 equiv. with all hand attachments... and he’s looking much better on the shelf than my ANH v1 even without any futzing.

 

[D.R.37]

Hello everyone! First post here

I just ordered my first ever Hot Toys figure - Rogue One Vader!

He is my most favourite villain of all time and probably the only HT figure I will have ever bought in my life. I simply wanted a good-looking movie accurate Vader - hence why I went with RO version - I read on many places he is one of the best Vaders out there.

However, after digging a bit online, I noticed people complaining that he may not be fully movie accurate to RO - mainly because his tunics are under and not over his armor in the movie - I never noticed this while watching RO.

My question is: Is everything else as it appears in the movie (I am not an expert on smallest details) - helmet, chest plate, etc. and is there a way to put the tunics over the armor?

Thank you and appreciated!

Welcome to the madness.

RO Vader would probably be your best bet. Read your other posts and if you don’t want to customize this is the best “no futz” (still needs some minimal futzing) outta the box.
Also a friendly warning: frequenting these threads will make you fully aware of everything “wrong” with your collection. Which has also made me start modding my figures, mainly my Vaders. Also i just wanted to own one in the beginning...

Now i have 4

 

[Vader0706]

Welcome to the madness.

RO Vader would probably be your best bet. Read your other posts and if you don’t want to customize this is the best “no futz” (still needs some minimal futzing) outta the box.
Also a friendly warning: frequenting these threads will make you fully aware of everything “wrong” with your collection. Which has also made me start modding my figures, mainly my Vaders. Also i just wanted to own one in the beginning...

Now i have 4

Thank you!

The thing is - I have a bit of an OCD regarding movie accurateness - I want a Vader that is very specific to a film that he appears in - no matter which one. RO probably has the best helmet, but the tunic under armor doesn't make him completely movie accurate to RO.

The ESB one though... looks straight out of the movie. Then I did some digging up and seems the tusks are not aligned properly and the widow peak is different than in the film...

Where is the perfect movie Vader.. where!?

 

[demorathis]

Also this upcoming Premium size Sideshow statue looks very accurate . I think it's the first time I see the eye lens shape really spot on . I think it's even better overall than the 1/4 rotJ Hot toys in which I already noticed a few issues

https://www.rebelscum.com/2018-NYCC/Sideshow-Collectibles-Star-Wars-NYCC-2018/image14.asp

Plus the interior of the eye sockets are correctly black, not silver, against the eye lenses.

 

[demorathis]

Thank you!

The thing is - I have a bit of an OCD regarding movie accurateness - I want a Vader that is very specific to a film that he appears in - no matter which one. RO probably has the best helmet, but the tunic under armor doesn't make him completely movie accurate to RO.

The ESB one though... looks straight out of the movie. Then I did some digging up and seems the tusks are not aligned properly and the widow peak is different than in the film...

Where is the perfect movie Vader.. where!?

That’s an understatement about ESB Vader.

It’s just off overal in the faceplate.

If you were to make everything the same size ot masks and hot toys masks...the one that’s different from the rest would be the
ESB face plate, due to the differing proportions, off angles, etc.

The casual Vader fan wouldn’t notice the difference between that and a prop, but the seasoned Vader nut would see the difference in an instant.

I gauge the sculpt of a Vader on this:
.if it can fool me into thinking it was scanned or mechanically reconstructed from source material, or molded from a prop with some provenance to an original, then it’s pretty darn good.


The problem with finding an accurate movie Vader is that even if you find a perfect one overall pose, costume etc...there’ll be something amiss...like Iron Studios Vader, the only thing off is the face plate...and I don’t say that lightly since it’s practically perfect at certain angles and even respects the alternating color on the facets....other than that, it’s practically perfect...same with attakus one, the body is fantastic, with slight proportion problem with the chest box, but the face plate is off enough to not look like it came straight out of the film

The RO premium format to me looks almost perfect in terms of the parts, as if scanned, nice sculpted texture on the leather looking parts...the only thing that gives away the scale away is the texture of the surfaces and thickness of parts like dom, BUT not all fans like the depiction of Vader to be too dynamic...many prefer a museum pose, or a simple standing surveying type of pose.

For me
Best in likeness for what’s still easily available out there:
RO Premium format
Hot toys ANH w tarkin
Hot toys RO ...you can use the head of this w ESB Vader for a better likeness, but you’d have a younger vader

 

[Remy]

Glad I decided to stick with my R1.
When I bought it not too long ago, I almost had a buyers remorse. Havent really frequented the Star wars thread much and didnt even know about the HT ESB.
So when my R1 arrived, I almost turned around and try to resell it. I thought, maybe I should have researched it more before buying it. And with the cool base ESB came with, I thought i screwed up. I should have bought the newest one, since most of the time, we tend to think the newest one would be better.

After going back and forth and watching so many videos. I actually DO prefer my R1 over ESB.
Glad I gave it a chance, and didnt resell it.
Still in awe everyday when I look at it.

 

[SilverStar17]

Great pic! Glad you’re happy with your R1 Vader. I have the v1 ANH Vader myself as ANH is my favorite iteration of Vader hands down, so I’m quite happy with that one. Without making any alterations to make it R1 accurate, R1 Vader out of the box looks to be a great generic representation of Vader, being that you sort of have elements of all the versions of Vaders in it: ANH style chest box, belt boxes, and gloves, ESB/RotJ shiny armor, ESB/RotJ shoulder armor over the tunic, etc.

I’ve seen you indeed posting in the SW threads more frequently. Hope you continue to do so. This is the section I frequent most.

 

[Solo_bones]

The RO premium format to me looks almost perfect in terms of the parts, as if scanned, nice sculpted texture on the leather looking parts...the only thing that gives away the scale away is the texture of the surfaces and thickness of parts like dom, BUT not all fans like the depiction of Vader to be too dynamic...many prefer a museum pose, or a simple standing surveying type of pose.

For me
Best in likeness for what’s still easily available out there:
RO Premium format
Hot toys ANH w tarkin
Hot toys RO ...you can use the head of this w ESB Vader for a better likeness, but you’d have a younger vader

Nice summation. There are so many elements to picking and choosing a favorite, I think it’s different for each of us. As for me, I have been eyeballing the HT ESB Special Edition, but I loved the Iron Studios dynamic pose...it just captured Darth Baders power and presence. It’s not perfect, but damned close and that’s good enough.

I have the RO 1/6 selected and posed as my favored 1/6 scale version...and I still stare at it in admiration.

 

[Vader0706]

That’s an understatement about ESB Vader.

It’s just off overal in the faceplate.

If you were to make everything the same size ot masks and hot toys masks...the one that’s different from the rest would be the
ESB face plate, due to the differing proportions, off angles, etc.

The casual Vader fan wouldn’t notice the difference between that and a prop, but the seasoned Vader nut would see the difference in an instant.

I gauge the sculpt of a Vader on this:
.if it can fool me into thinking it was scanned or mechanically reconstructed from source material, or molded from a prop with some provenance to an original, then it’s pretty darn good.


The problem with finding an accurate movie Vader is that even if you find a perfect one overall pose, costume etc...there’ll be something amiss...like Iron Studios Vader, the only thing off is the face plate...and I don’t say that lightly since it’s practically perfect at certain angles and even respects the alternating color on the facets....other than that, it’s practically perfect...same with attakus one, the body is fantastic, with slight proportion problem with the chest box, but the face plate is off enough to not look like it came straight out of the film

The RO premium format to me looks almost perfect in terms of the parts, as if scanned, nice sculpted texture on the leather looking parts...the only thing that gives away the scale away is the texture of the surfaces and thickness of parts like dom, BUT not all fans like the depiction of Vader to be too dynamic...many prefer a museum pose, or a simple standing surveying type of pose.

For me
Best in likeness for what’s still easily available out there:
RO Premium format
Hot toys ANH w tarkin
Hot toys RO ...you can use the head of this w ESB Vader for a better likeness, but you’d have a younger vader

Thanks!

Very useful info! I know wish i went with the ANH/Tarkin Vader (most movie accurate), but my RO Vader is about to arrive any day now...

 

[Lord Valefor]

Thanks!

Very useful info! I know wish i went with the ANH/Tarkin Vader (most movie accurate), but my RO Vader is about to arrive any day now...

The black/gunmetal color pattern is all wrong on the ANH/Tarkin Vader helmet. I bought the helmet part on ebay to check it out and the right tusk tubes are painted black and it really look bad. I much prefer the RO.

You made the right choice .

Plus the cape on the RO is the best i ever saw in a figure .Almost worth the price of the figure alone. It drapes perfectly without messing around with it.

The real flaw of the RO is the cod piece. You can spend 30$ to get another version on ebay and replace it. That's my only "mod"

 

[Vader0706]

I see. Thanks for the info!

Then which Vader is a most movie accurate version, with the least helmet, chest, cod piece innacuracies?

I mean, even RO Vader has the tunic under the armor...

 

[D.R.37]

I have all the HT Vaders and the ANH v2 (Tarkin 2pk) is my least favorite imo. Only one that I didn’t get that wow-factor when opening the box. The helmet paint apps threw it off for me.

Tarkin on the other hand...

 

[rayeknor]

RO Vaders diaper cod piece is movie accurate tho.