Official Sideshow 1/6 ANH Darth Vader PHOTO Thread

[IrishJedi]

I give up.

Don't feed the sock puppet.

 

[Darth Cruel]

Looks better than the V.I.N.C.E.N.T. looking Vader they gave us.

Hmmm...what Vader is that? You are right...it looks just like V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

 

[Wor-Gar]

LOL...sory...sometimes I can't help myself and I have to give the OCD guys a hard time.

.........

 

[agonistes86]

With all the recent mods, I'm really tempted to pick up Vader mself now (and do the mods, too). I've always been a bigger fan of the ESB/ROTJ look with the robe under the shoulder armor. I know it's possible with the current version too, but does it look alright/authentic? It looks good in PBJ-1138's pic below, but how does it look in person? I don't really see Sideshow making a new Vader anytime soon (or am I wrong on that?) so maybe this'll be the only chance to get a good Vader.
Would be great if anybody could answer my questions.

 

[thenammagazine]

Looks better than the V.I.N.C.E.N.T. looking Vader they gave us.

Actually, the smooshed marshmallow look of VINCENT is more atune to the mod for the Sideshow helmet than the stock figure. Seems like everyone is so concerned about the helmet sitting lower that suddenly the disproportionate and inaccurate top of Vader's mask post-mod is excusable?

 

[Commtech]

Which is why the hasbro or Hurricane domes are the best option until we get a better Vader.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Actually, the smooshed marshmallow look of VINCENT is more atune to the mod for the Sideshow helmet than the stock figure. Seems like everyone is so concerned about the helmet sitting lower that suddenly the disproportionate and inaccurate top of Vader's mask post-mod is excusable?

I missed something; what part of the mask is disproportionate? You mean the mask or the dome?

I'm pretty happy with mine now obviously, but I'm always interested in seeing what else is wrong?

 

[Customikey]

A few pics of my Vader. Helmet mod, wired cape, Pred body. Also a tusk mod, because the originals snapped.

 

[PJB-1138]

I've always been a bigger fan of the ESB/ROTJ look with the robe under the shoulder armor. I know it's possible with the current version too, but does it look alright/authentic? It looks good in PBJ-1138's pic below, but how does it look in person? I don't really see Sideshow making a new Vader anytime soon (or am I wrong on that?) so maybe this'll be the only chance to get a good Vader.
Would be great if anybody could answer my questions.

I also like the way Vader looks with the shoulder armor over his robes, which is how I have mine & looks really good. It's a super-duper easy adjustment to make since all the costume pieces can be slipped on & off.

And I'd also like to agree with Wor-Gar completely regarding the Vader helmet debate. Ever since its release, folks here (including me) have argued over its inaccuracies. Is it the size of the helmet that's wrong? Or its shape? Or does the front need to flare out more? Perhaps the shoulders need to be padded? Well, after popping that sucker off, filing down its innards & incrementally adjusting its position, the answer turns out to be no, no, no, NO!

It was pretty obvious to me from the start how high the dome was originally mounted at the factory. But, what's not as apparent is how far back the head has to be positioned as well. In fact, as I slowly filed away at the back ribbing inside the dome, lo & behold, I started to see how Vader's mask was actually being properly framed by the helmet into the Vader we all know so well. Also, by bringing the back of the helmet down below the neck, it took away that pencil-neck look the figure used to have.

If you haven't tried this modification yourself, I can imagine how daunting this all must sound. But, trust me, once you do it, you'll see just how spot-on this figure actually is. It's almost like Sideshow took its time to painstakingly create the most accurate 1/6 scale Vader figure to date but, at the last minute, wasn't able to tweak the position of the helmet properly before it went into production. Luckily, it's a problem that is easily fixed!

To illustrate my point, here's another photo of my modified Vader:

And, since it's becoming an ongoing trend, here's my side-by-side comparison of the Sith Lord himself onboard the Tantive IV:

As always, feel free to shoot any questions my way! ;-)

 

[FlyAndFight]

Excellent job, PJB!

In comparing your pics of the SS and the "real" Vader, I just noticed that the gloves are way too long on the SS figure. Has this been tackled by anyone?

 

[kl241]

Hopefully SS will remove the post and ridges from the inside of the helmet on ESB and ROTJ Vader. If not, we'll be doing the mods again on each one. No biggie but it does make a big difference.

 

[PJB-1138]

Excellent job, PJB!

In comparing your pics of the SS and the "real" Vader, I just noticed that the gloves are way too long on the SS figure. Has this been tackled by anyone?

The gloves are a little long, but it's exaggerated even more by lens distortion since that whole arm is positioned closer to the camera. Besides, that's a bit of artistic license that Sideshow took that I actually like.

But I'm not aware of anyone resizing the cuffs on Vader's gloves. I suppose it's also something that could be cut down with a knife since they're made of a semi-rigid rubbery plastic. Keep in mind that there three pairs of hands, so that would be quite a project to undergo.

 

[Coheteboy]

I'm an idiot and need more explanation of what I'm filing away.

 

[thenammagazine]

I missed something; what part of the mask is disproportionate? You mean the mask or the dome?

I'm pretty happy with mine now obviously, but I'm always interested in seeing what else is wrong?

I'm not gonna pull a John Madden, but when you look at Sideshow's helmet stock, the dome sits at the appropriate height on the head. The problem people are having (widow's peak aside) is that it doesn't come down low enough. After doing the mod, you get it close to how low the dome's supposed to be, but sacrifice accuracy with how high it sits on Vader's head.

 

[PJB-1138]

I'm not gonna pull a John Madden, but when you look at Sideshow's helmet stock, the dome sits at the appropriate height on the head. The problem people are having (widow's peak aside) is that it doesn't come down low enough. After doing the mod, you get it close to how low the dome's supposed to be, but sacrifice accuracy with how high it sits on Vader's head.

With all due respect, Nam, but what I've learned from doing this modification is that Sideshow's helmet does NOT sit at the appropriate height on the head coming out of the factory. It's entirely because of this error that the figure's likeness is off from the screen Vader.

 

[Commtech]

A few pics of my Vader. Helmet mod, wired cape, Pred body. Also a tusk mod, because the originals snapped.

I'm planning on getting a predator body for my Vader. Mikey: Do Vader's feet and hand pegs work with the Pred body or did you have to adapt them? Also, which predator body are you using? Lost Pred?

 

[kl241]

The Pred body makes him look too roided out. Reminds me too much of this Vader:

 

[PJB-1138]

Here's another side-by-side comparison shot with a closer look at how the helmet is positioned. Again, I don't see how lowering the dome will "sacrifice accuracy."

 

[Customikey]

Do Vader's feet and hand pegs work with the Pred body or did you have to adapt them? Also, which predator body are you using? Lost Pred?

I didn't have to mod the pegs at all! Friction is keeping the boots and gloves on pretty well! I'm having zero issues with arm or leg length or pose-ability. What WAS a pain was modding the neck. I had to unscrew the backs of both bodies to get the neck pieces out, then I had to sand down the Vader neck in order to fit it in the Pred body.

I'm not sure which Pred it is. The skin is very dark and the chest is a bright yellow. Definitely one of the early releases.

The Pred body makes him look too roided out.

Oh,I disagree. You have to remember that Prowse was a body builder. The Pred body is much more akin to his rippling musculature then the skinny Pro bod, I think.

 

[JustinLuck]

Hey Mike, great job on your Vader custom! One of the "ball" tusks fell off my Vader the same night I took him out of the box. What did you use as replacement tusks? I bought the thinnest metal wire I could find and cut tiny pieces to glue on the mask, but they fell off quite easily.

It appears that a nude pred body goes for at least $70. Is this the going rate? I also notice that the HT preds have different arm thicknesses. Which one did you use?