Sideshow ESB/ROTJ Darth Vader

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Yeah.. it's strange when things get confused on the internet - that hardly ever happens.

 

[Anthrapoid]

I'd rather pay $400 for a diecast Robocop that talks then $250 for a sub-par Vader that will require an instant $60 body upgrade out-of-the-box, a Hasbro dome swap, an idealized Anakin portrait that looks nothing like any of the actors that have played him and other tweaks to make look accurate.

I think this figure will be tightened-up a bit before release. If not, I already have the Hasbro talking Vader, so I can use the helmet if needed. I think people are freaking out about the new Vader body too soon; Remember the figure is 13.5" tall, so it will also be more bulky overall than the average 12" SS figure. If the head sculpt is devoid of true nostalgic 'Anakin appeal', the Hasbro Anakin head sculpt is surprisingly pretty damned good. With a skilled repaint and the removal of the vinyl 'chin tubes', it would replace the SS head nicely.
In my own case, I won't have to spend an extra dime for the upgrades, so I PO'd Robo & Ed both.

If there is a demand here, I could easily make a mold of this head (after removing the chin tubes, and adding some accurate surface detail in some areas) and recast it in white resin to sell.

 

[kl241]

Sad that Hasbro got more right on their $50 Vader than Sideshow can on a $250 Vader. The Prometheus body is the worst body on the market. Even at 14" it doesn't have Dave Prowse's build. Look how baggy that licorice suit looks on the SSC figure. You're gonna want to port him over to a KP-02, TTM-20 or another 3rd party muscle body right off the bat. That's inexcusable for a $250 figure.

 

[devilof76]

Have you even seen that $50 Vader?

 

[kl241]

Have you even seen that $50 Vader?

I have it in the attic somewhere.

 

[devilof76]

You might want to refresh your memory.

And, wait...that thing really cost $50??? And you bought it?

 

[Anthrapoid]

Sad that Hasbro got more right on their $50 Vader than Sideshow can on a $250 Vader. The Prometheus body is the worst body on the market. Even at 14" it doesn't have Dave Prowse's build. Look how baggy that licorice suit looks on the SSC figure. You're gonna want to port him over to a KP-02, TTM-20 or another 3rd party muscle body right off the bat. That's inexcusable for a $250 figure.

I understand the indignation, but you're seriously overestimating the Hasbro version. The Hasbro Vader suit is a mess. The chest box is soft vinyl and warps against the curvature of the body. The hands are like huge catcher's mitts. the codpiece is thin and flimsy, and WAY too shiny- and the boots have a matte finish when they SHOULD be shiny. The belt is out of scale and looks like... well, vinyl. Out of the box, the helmet sat MUCH too high upon the head, so I had to fix that. Also, the bottom flat line of the 'mouth triangle' jutted out way too far, reaching to the same point of protrusion as the two silver 'tusks', and I had to fix that too. The upper arm muscles were so thick, the arm movement was practically zero, so I had to thin them down.
SS is improving gradually, but their quality hasn't yet risen to justify a HT price point. I'm buying this figure, because I can make it much better. I just wish SS would pay me to do it...

 

[CollectorGuy]

Yeah im thinking hard as to wether or not i really want this that bad.
Im a SW fan but i dont have every single thing sw i just buy the ones i like.
I have never owned anything DV before and i dont know if this will be a justifiable 250.
250 is high even by HT standards and you usually get something premo for that much.
What is SS charging the extra 100 for the lighted stand!

 

[kl241]

I understand the indignation, but you're seriously overestimating the Hasbro version. The Hasbro Vader suit is a mess. The chest box is soft vinyl and warps against the curvature of the body. The hands are like huge catcher's mitts. the codpiece is thin and flimsy, and WAY too shiny- and the boots have a matte finish when they SHOULD be shiny. The belt is out of scale and looks like... well, vinyl. Out of the box, the helmet sat MUCH too high upon the head, so I had to fix that. Also, the bottom flat line of the 'mouth triangle' jutted out way too far, reaching to the same point of protrusion as the two silver 'tusks', and I had to fix that too. The upper arm muscles were so thick, the arm movement was practically zero, so I had to thin them down.
SS is improving gradually, but their quality hasn't yet risen to justify a HT price point. I'm buying this figure, because I can make it much better. I just wish SS would pay me to do it...

Dude I was talking about the Shaw head. Sure, the paint is horrible but could be repainted and it looks better than Sideshow's non-descript Anakin. Plus the Hasbro dome is superior. Everything else is garbage.

You might want to refresh your memory.

And, wait...that thing really cost $50??? And you bought it?

Back then the only 1:6 Vader around was the pipe-dream Marmit.

 

[Anthrapoid]

You said this: "Sad that Hasbro got more right on their $50 Vader than Sideshow can on a $250 Vader."
That's why I replied as i did.

 

[kl241]

You said this: "Sad that Hasbro got more right on their $50 Vader than Sideshow can on a $250 Vader."
That's why I replied as i did.

Yeah Hasbro can sculpt the Shawnikin likeness and helmet right. Key details Sideshow got wrong on a $250 dollar figure.

 

[LoveMinusZero]

You guys have to stop buying these figures if you ever want Sideshow to change. Everyone's complaining but Sideshow will still sell every single one they make, so the complaints are meaningless. They want Hot Toys prices now, but have still failed to listen to any of the issues from the first Vader, besides the height. They dont care what we say, they care what we buy.

I know lots of guys on here like to add to and mod figures etc, but for figures in this price range, it's outrageous.

 

[devilof76]

It's an atrocity.

I've been saying that complaining is meaningless for a long time...a long time.

 

[Anthrapoid]

You guys have to stop buying these figures if you ever want Sideshow to change. Everyone's complaining but Sideshow will still sell every single one they make, so the complaints are meaningless. They want Hot Toys prices now, but have still failed to listen to any of the issues from the first Vader, besides the height. They dont care what we say, they care what we buy.

I know lots of guys on here like to add to and mod figures etc, but for figures in this price range, it's outrageous.

If I'm not happy with any figure when it's in hand, I can always sell it on the dark side of ebay a year from now and make a better profit margin than SS. If it's high quality, it's a treasure of nostalgia that I will own until I die. If it's poor quality, it becomes a form of currency with a dependably increasing exchange rate.
I don't mean to sound glib, but there are 10's of thousands of people who aren't going to change their buying habits. The attitude I stated above is just my way of trying to survive the ravages of this expensive hobby, and I know I'm not the only one.

 

[Mr Walker]

You guys have to stop buying these figures if you ever want Sideshow to change.

QFT. I see so many people pointing out how flawed these figures are, and then "But I'm still buying it". Way to incentivise improvements.

If I'm not happy with any figure when it's in hand, I can always sell it on the dark side of ebay a year from now and make a better profit margin than SS. If it's high quality, it's a treasure of nostalgia that I will own until I die. If it's poor quality, it becomes a form of currency with a dependably increasing exchange rate.

LOL. Another "collecting is investing" post. Always funny. I'll just go off an sell my Odin. Or my New Goblin. Or my CR Superman....

 

[Anthrapoid]

QFT. I see so many people pointing out how flawed these figures are, and then "But I'm still buying it". Way to incentivise improvements.



LOL. Another "collecting is investing" post. Always funny. I'll just go off an sell my Odin. Or my New Goblin. Or my CR Superman....

Did you not see the part where I said, "If it's high quality, it's a treasure of nostalgia that I will own until I die."?
One problem collectors have to deal with is the fact that the product photographs are often deceptive, or cloaked in 'mood lighting' like this Vader is. It's hard to tell the actual quality of the finished item until it's literally in your hands.

Incidentally I will NEVER sell my Chris Reeve Superman; That was the first movie I went to go see by myself when it came out, at age 13. I loved the film, and I still do, and the figure is perfectly executed in every way. (Hot Toys was honest enough to provide brightly lit, accurate photographs ahead of time, so I knew what I was getting.)

 

[RIDDICK]

I'll complain about prices. It's what I doooooo.

 

[galactiboy]

Hasbro did have a few good headsculpts... and the droids and aliens were decent. Biggest problem was everything had very odd proportions. I did a custom of Anakin Skywalker using their "masterpiece" rolleyes2) figure. Aside from the sculpt being too large it still ended up making for a good looking figure IMO.

 

[Darthrazz]

Hasbro did have a few good headsculpts... and the droids and aliens were decent. Biggest problem was everything had very odd proportions. I did a custom of Anakin Skywalker using their "masterpiece" rolleyes2) figure. Aside from the sculpt being too large it still ended up making for a good looking figure IMO.

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Who is that man? Was he in any of the Star Wars movies? I don't recognize him from any of my Blu Rays....In all seriousness, you did a great job on it.

 

[Darthrazz]

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