Re: Vader has left the building!!
JustinLuck said:
Ok, here's proof that there is something wrong with Sideshow's Vader. His helmet is definitely flaring out too wide from the top; that I know for sure.
Medicom's Vader
Now which one is more recognizable as the Vader we have all known and loved these past 20 years?
Again, that Medicom is not representative of ANH Vader. ALWAYS check the widow's peak. That's the #1 most distinguishing feature between the ANH Vader and the other 3. I think the SS version is WAY more accurate than that. The shoulder bell armor is just completely wrong.
OK guys, I got my Vader in this morning. The Fedex guy got here bright and early.
Here is the image from ANH that I will be comparing the figure to. It is right out of the film and is the EXACT pose this Vader is taken from:
Pros
1. Size. I love the 1/4 format simply for the "presence" that a single figure gets. This piece is very large, and gives a nice texture to the mixed media.
2. Vader's leather gloves and suit are extremely well done.
3. The blood red lenses are in full effect, and they are awesome.
4. The armor is also nicely done, and the boots are definitely not a concern. There is no way that you can see more than the front of them anyway.
5. This is the best Vader on the market today, IMO. It really blows the Attakus out of the water. I'm more and more convinced that sculpted pieces just aren't for me. I LOVE the mixed media format. Kong v. Rex is the only fully sculpted piece I've gotten in a while that even comes close to SS 1/4 format for me personally.
6. I can't wait for the SW 1/4 announcement from Toyfair!
I'm buying every SW 1/4 released.
Cons
1. The helmet- we've been over this ad nauseum, so I'll let my previous comments speak for themselves. Nobody wants to bore themselves to read what I think about it.
2. The paintjob- I wish there was more gray on the helmet, but I'm not going to get it repainted. If CKing can commission an entirely new helmet, then I'll get it painted with the nose bridge gray. I would also use a different paint scheme mixing black/gray throughout.
3. The helmet size- MUCH too small. I'm 100% convinced of it. Look at the picture I posted above. Compare the size of the chestbox with the size of the helmet. The box and the face mask are roughly the same size. On the SS figure, the box size is significantly larger than the mask. The helmet also comes closer to the shoulders in the film. The SS version doesn't even come close. Granted the shoulders are more relaxed onscreen than in the SS piece, but there's no doubt that the helmet should be bigger.
4. The chest armor. WHY is this not painted fully GRAY? Look at the picture above. It is completely and totally gray. The SS armor has alternating gray and black stripes.
(*Important Note* The picture from the film above is obviously a mirrored image. Note that the white switch on the chestbox is on the right side instead of the left. The SS figure is accurate in that regard. There are so many examples in SW where Lucas got lazy and just flipped the image. This is one of those times. Why he didn't fix it in the DVD edition is beyond me. He fixed the Imperial officer's pin that was flipped in one scene. You SW fans out there know what I'm talking about. This also reinforces my earlier point to Josh that Lucas doesn't know a damn thing about the details in his films. There are much better examples, but that's a major tangent from this discussion).
5. Gruson's chest box comments from earlier are dead on. It's purple for some unknown reason. A simple red filter could have easily fixed this.
6. The cape- It is a bit too large, but not overly bad. In all the pictures I've seen, the people just didn't position it in the correct way. You need to smooth down the sides so that it doesn't look so puffy. Gruson's idea of bunching it up slightly towards the back is also a good one. I'll take pictures of my cape later today, but I got it to look great!
7. Minor nitpick, but I thought this might be funny- Vader's ANH saber has 7 black grips and not 6. The MR version is wrong also, so SS shouldn't feel bad for missing this. I don't care about it at all, but I just wanted to show how much incorrect info is provided to the licensees from Lucasfilm.
Final thought: While it's not perfect, it's better than what other companies are putting out. Comparing this piece to the GG version is almost laughable. That thing is wrong in just about every possible way. I can't wait to see the rest of my favorites done like this.
I just hope that SS pays better attention to the details in the future. The details are what really make the various pieces for me. Some people may call it nitpicking, but I don't. Looking at a detail from ANH and knowing that I have an accurate representation of that in my home just puts a smile on my face. There are so many SW products today, that getting the details correct is what will really make the 1/4 line stand out.
That ain't changing no matter what!
. I wonder what percentage of customer's are like me and don't know any better with regards to the differences and what percentage are die hards and notice the differences?
