Sideshow ESB/ROTJ Darth Vader

[cking]

Mine arrived today too. Awesome figure and I was not so bothered by the "liquorice suit" as I thought I would be. I feel really lucky to have got a perfect one with no quality issues whatsoever.

Having looked at the ANH mask and this ROTJ mask side by side and comparing them to the proportions of my 1:1 helmet, there's no doubt that the ANH mask was sculpted with more accurate shapes and proportions. This ROTJ mask and dome is too small compared to the rest of the body and that's quite distracting when I look at it in person.

Therefore, I've decided to use the ANH mask with Hasbro dome on this ROTJ body because I think the size looks better proportioned with the rest of the armor parts. Sure, it's mixing up Vader's and isn't screen accurate but the size of the Hasbro dome and more accurately sculpted shapes of the ANH mask look excellent on this ROTJ body and I'll be very happy to display him like that. Vader's helmet was huge on all versions of the suit and the combination stated above achieves the look I want for my figure. The Hasbro dome is definitely too big to use with the ROTJ mask though because this new mask is smaller than the ANH version.

 

[Hollywood]

I have to say the suit is so hidden by the tabards and cape that I a not bothered by it. I really am thrilled with this release. It s a huge step up for Sideshow, and makes me optimistic for Hoth Luke, and Han coming up.

 

[McHaleyArt]

I've decided to use the ANH mask with Hasbro dome on this ROTJ body. Sure, it's mixing up Vader's and isn't screen accurate but the size of the Hasbro dome and proportions of the ANH mask look excellent on this ROTJ body and I'll be very happy to display him like that.

Sounds cool. Take some pics, if you get the chance. Would like to see that.

 

[r5150s]

 

[mosaicsquare]

Anyone looking to trade one? I really want one, but can't spend the money. The Pictures look good so far.

LOL thats real funny coming from you. Especially with the story you cooked up a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Deathstalker]

Got mine last night and I think I am in love. The right tusk was badly bent straight out of the box and broke off shortly after. Luckily I was able to glue it back on without too much trouble. This is my first 1/6 scale Star Wars figure, but now I feel like I need the Hot Toys Luke to compliment Vader.

View attachment 94454

Better jump on that Luke then sooner than later. Down to 34 at BBTS

 

[Jesse_nz]

Just ordered this guy through sideshow, hopefully mine arrives damage free. Shipping was killer tho, $73 ouch!

 

[Solo_bones]

Can somebody who recently purchased a vader show what the bottom portion of the suit looks like, the crotch area, to see if they managed to reverse the error they made? You know, how they have the butt in the front and the crotch in the back? I think they fixed that on the newer releases, I would like to verify.

Please, someone who recently purchased from Sideshow, can you please confirm by removing the cod piece and the tunic and doing a reveal?

 

[River Man]

Better jump on that Luke then sooner than later. Down to 34 at BBTS

Is the BBTS you mention BIG BAD TOY STORE?

 

[Jay1138]

Had to cancel my order. Bigger projects going on at the moment. The lack of Anakin likeness is a buzzkill, and I could care less about the light-up features driving the price up. I appreciate Sideshow trying to go all-out though. I'm perfectly happy with the ANH version.

 

[cking]

Will do. I'll be puting it together properly next week when I've got some free time to work on it.

Sounds cool. Take some pics, if you get the chance. Would like to see that.

 

[Anthrapoid]

Today I had to replace the black chin strap on my SS Rebel Trooper; the elastic band rotted. Not a big deal to replace at all. However, it alerted me to a BIG problem that can and will eventually occur with our new light-up Vader stands: The rubber of the boots chemically interacts with the plastic and paint on the stand, and makes little 'melty' marks over time. I have changed the pose and standing position of my Rebel Trooper on the stand many times over the past five years or so, and every new standing position created its own little 'melty' spot, both on the SW logo paint and on the unpainted black plastic. I'm sure the rubber of the Rebel Trooper boots is the same as these new Vader feet, and the paint/plastic of the stands is the same too. For my Rebel Trooper, it's not a big deal to have these little marks. I can buy standard SS Star Wars stands on ebay for $9.00, if I REALLY want a fresh one. The Vader stand needs protection though, for obvious reasons. Here's a helpful tip, which will prevent damage to the red painted surface of your shiny new Vader light-up stand:

Glue thin cut-out layers of some protective material on the bottom of Vader's boots. I'm using super-thin pieces of black skiver leather, and it works great. Just make sure every point of contact between the boots and the stand are covered.
If you display Vader on the stand, and don't separate the boots from the stand in some way, the rubber will eventually eat into the stand and leave permanent marks. You have been warned...

 

[Pixelpiper]

Can somebody who recently purchased a vader show what the bottom portion of the suit looks like, the crotch area, to see if they managed to reverse the error they made?

I can pretty much guarantee that they haven't stitched anything backwards. Using only my figure as reference, the bottom half of the suit looks to be perfectly symmetrical from side to side and from front to back, with the only exception being that they've added a different split on the back for the velcro plus a pinched stitch point under that. I don't think anything can be made any better by taking it apart and trying to flip around the bottom half, probably only worse once the stitching has been repaired. It would probably be a better idea to just make a new suit from scratch - replicating the original pattern is pretty straight forward, but for better fit a revised pattern would be needed, especially to correct the legs. I've already ben thinking of some alterations to the suit, but I need to consult with a friend first for advice on whether it's worth it, given the limited amount of fabric we have to work with.

I need to strip the figure down again, so I'll try getting some shots of the suit in detail.

 

[koolkollectibleskhai]

It's been a while, but I finally got around to finishing up the Kool Kollectibles website review article on the recent Sideshow Darth Vader Deluxe figure! Hope you can check it out for some pics and the link to the youtube vid review

https://www.koolkollectibles.net/2014/02/sideshow-collectibles-darth-vader.html

 

[dartball]

Had to cancel my order. Bigger projects going on at the moment. The lack of Anakin likeness is a buzzkill, and I could care less about the light-up features driving the price up. I appreciate Sideshow trying to go all-out though. I'm perfectly happy with the ANH version.

So you care a bit then?

 

[Deathstalker]

Is the BBTS you mention BIG BAD TOY STORE?

Correct

 

[dw316]

This figure looks absolutely beautiful. I have no other 1/6 Star Wars figures in my collection (only the classics, which I'm sadly about to sell some of) and I was wondering whether Hot Toys would be making one of their own in the future? I have several pre-orders coming up and I want to take care of those before spending more money on another figure, and was wondering if anyone thinks it is worth it to wait for the HT version?

 

[Pixelpiper]

You're safe NOT waiting. No one know if/when Hot Toys will produce another SW character, but it's safe not to expect any kind of announcement any time soon. And even if something was previewed tomorrow, you can be assured of a typical 1 year wait for production. Back when HT was still talking SW, the next figure in the pipe was Anakin from the prequels. Yawn.

So don't wait.

 

[Pixelpiper]

The lack of Anakin likeness is a buzzkill,

They probably had to go with the OT likeness because they couldn't secure the rights to use Hayden Christensen's face in this release.

 

[Darthrazz]

It's been a while, but I finally got around to finishing up the Kool Kollectibles website review article on the recent Sideshow Darth Vader Deluxe figure! Hope you can check it out for some pics and the link to the youtube vid review

https://www.koolkollectibles.net/2014/02/sideshow-collectibles-darth-vader.html

Nice review, thanks for sharing!