My Vader review

[JustinLuck]

The unpainted tusk is no big deal. You could complain more that the tusks aren't shaped the same way they are in the movie.

I plan to get a new chain so the cape can wrap around the neck like it did in parts of the film. The more I look at it, the helmet issue is caused mostly by what has already been described. But also, the neck piece needs to ride more flush with the shoulder armor.

Overall, I definitely give this figure a solid 9 out of 10.

 

[tylerdurden]

solid review as usual, sir.

i agree with your overall score, but imo i feel u should've switched the scores for the sculpt and the paint. the sculpt only deserves 3 stars due to the short helmet dome while the paint deserves 3 & 1/2 stars, cos like the other guys, i don't think sideshow should be penalized so heavily for attempting screen accuracy. besides, it's an easy fix, just daub some silver paint on the right tusk and it'll match up.

on the other hand, the dome isn't an easy fix--- it'll require the services of a good customizer. looking at all the pics on this site (including yours), it does look too small and short, making his overall visage seem less threatening to me.

still, i believe everyone who're saying the ss vader is a real winner and thus far the best vader figure ever produced. i can't wait for mine to arrive!

 

[MaulFan]

Here's a shot from the movie where it's defniitely pure black. Taken right from the DVD.

I agree it looks goofy though, at least in the film, the lighting often would catch it and fool you, it wasn't until I started making friends here and discussing the movies that I learned about the tusk paint and came to notice it. Fortunately, come the next Vader figure, it'll all be balanced and look really nice.

 

[EVILFACE]

Where is this little Jason figure from?

 

[Shai]

Where is this little Jason figure from?

Done by Mezco this year Evil, pretty bad ass figure:

https://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_030209a.htm

 

[Balsquat]

I liked the review but would have enjoyed a comparison to the Vader PF and which Michael preferred...

 

[plasmid303]

Great review, Michael.

It's the only SW collectible I own.

 

[yodasan]

Clearly in the two photos above it's silver - in other words, it was SUPPOSED to be silver in the movie, but rubbed off at various times during filming. I'd rather not have film accuracy when it's a mistake to begin with

Where's GINO when we need him?

 

[Coorectghosting]

Film accuracy. I took a screen shot every time there was a good closeup from beginning to end.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

Nice review, but as stated the tusk was black in the movie & the two tone paint is also movie accurate & not lighting, (i'm sure its been said but the thread was to big to read by time I got home).
Rather then it being painted silver & rubbed off, Im sure it was silver "painted black" and the black rubbed

 

[Misterscruff]

Nice photos, and I always enjoy reading your reviews...they are normally very informative, but I was amazed how little you knew about what you were actually reviewing as far as screen accuracy goes. Personally, and I know it's an individual thing...bit like marmite... I prefer the black tusk. lets face it it's one of the few things that distinguishes it from the later helmet designs. So if SS bring out an ESB or ROTJ version, the fact that the helmet differences are there just gives this ANH version more personality. It's the small helmet that's bugging me more than the tusk anyway...if anyone wants it silver they can always get some paint.

 

[Venky]

Where's GINO when we need him?

Indeed...talk about a man who knows his Vader.

In the meantime got to www.starwarshelmets.com for the most public comprensive coverage of everything Vader.

 

[AngryEwok]

I have to agree with scruff, I love your reviews but this one was just a stinker to me when it comes to the scoring and some of the critiques. You simply cannot penalize a prop or collectible for being screen accurate unless the accuracy makes the product somehow defective. I mean, if a limb kept falling off, that'd be different... this tusk is absolutely screen accurate - penalize George Lucas, not Sideshow Collectibles. The dome is undersized, but I don't remember you even mentioning that. As I was reading I just got the vibe that you weren't really using screen references to score the sculpting and whatnot, you were just going by memory. This is what Vader should look like.

I hate to say this, but I'm also sort of tired of your star ratings anyway because they're no longer in scale with anything and normally don't match up to the critiques, anyway. Your standards are higher, which is fine since the pricetag is, but what you write and what you score are often times inconsistent and that bugs me. Great example - You have always, as long as I can remember, given the SSC 12" line 4 stars for packaging... now you've given it 3.5? What has changed?

Anyway, I'm only dropping some criticisms because it's worth it - you've got a great product and I enjoy it. If it was crap, I wouldn't even bother. I enjoy your reviews even when I don't agree with them. You usually do a great job of breaking down these collectibles. You're a good enough writer to where you could ditch the stupid star rankings altogether, if you wanted to. And the photography is always excellent.

 

[galactiboy]

I like the black tusk in that it gives him a worn look, like he hasn't been on his game for awhile and even to the Empire is becoming somewhat redundant. So usually the first thing to go is personal appearance

 

[Lordscum]

Great review as usual. I was wondering though is that Donlad Trump Vader is putting the choke on??

 

[Coorectghosting]

I have to agree with scruff, I love your reviews but this one was just a stinker to me when it comes to the scoring and some of the critiques. You simply cannot penalize a prop or collectible for being screen accurate unless the accuracy makes the product somehow defective. I mean, if a limb kept falling off, that'd be different... this tusk is absolutely screen accurate

Dude no.... check out the screen shots i posted a page back.

 

[MaulFan]

Dude no.... check out the screen shots i posted a page back.

Two things going on with some of those shots. 1 of them from the duel with Obi-Wan is actually reversed and the left tusk is black with just a faint highlight, a number of shots in the duel, the film cells were flipped, you can only really spot it when you see his chest box and it'd flipped, but Lucas did this a lot for some reason.

A number of the other shots, it looks silver, sometimes because faint bits are still there, and others it's just lighting catching on the tusk, there's enough detail and mass it picks up highlights but in the same shots it's not as strong as the left one that's full painted.

The only screen shots I've seen where it looks strongly painted is the opening scenes on Tantive IV, probably the first things shot and from that point forward it flaked away.

 

[Coorectghosting]

Looks silver to me... Why do you think it should be black?

Someone said they wanted to know what GINO thought about this?

Here's his web site.

https://www.starwarspropaganda.com/anhvader.html

 

[Batty]

This has probably been brought up before, but not only is the tusk black, that whole triangular section on the right side of the mask is black as opposed to the grey the left side. I never noticed this until I had him in hand.

 

[Valfar]

Looks silver to me... Why do you think it should be black?

Someone said they wanted to know what GINO thought about this?

Here's his web site.

https://www.starwarspropaganda.com/anhvader.html

This site has great refferences to how the characters looked on screen, should shut a few people up on here once they have a gander on to the Stormtrooper/Vader section and see what i was talking about all along.