Darth Vader/Princess Leia - TLC - Comic Packs (11)

The Infinities series explores tantalizing "what if" stories about what might have happened to Star Wars characters if events had occurred differently. In this tale, the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba's palace fails, so Princess Leia goes after Boba Fett in order to save Han. The climactic events on the second Death Star also take a different turn that sees Darth Vader changing his allegiances and fighting alongside his children.

The Star Wars Infinities series basically took what we knew from the films and posed the question “What if this happened instead?” As a result, new characters get entered into the mix and different versions of the characters we know and love get new looks and new dialogue. The Star Wars Infinities: Return Of The Jedi four-issue comic book series does the same. Things go horribly awry when C-3PO gets knocked down from Jabba’s swing when Boushh demanded 50,000 credits (and no less) and she is unable to communicate since the protocol, droid has been disabled from losing his head. Although it may not be the most plausible wrench thrown into the spokes of the story to set the story in a new course, it does send the events of Return Of The Jedi onto a completely different plane and the events that transpire in the story become more and more of a train wreck. Part of this changed story is Darth Vader who dons an all-white version of the suit after going to the light side of the Force. And since Emperor Palpatine escaped, Vader advises that he must be found and killed. What a cliffhanger! But how did two of the figures turn out in comparison to how they looked in the comics? We are pleasantly surprised. There is nothing earth-shattering in this set, but you have to admit that it is very cool to finally get the white Darth Vader figure.

Hasbro’s interpretation of both Darth Vader and Princess Leia are fair representations of the images seen in the comics. But Darth Vader (and you have heard this before) looks like a block of white chocolate. Essentially a rework of the 2004 VOTC figure, Vader now is as white as a clone trooper and has blue eyes instead of black or red ones. Hasbro made very good use of the VOTC mold and it is a great sculpt to use as a basic for the Expanded Universe interpretations of Darth Vader as well. He is in scale and has decent articulation to pose any which way you want. Princess Leia on the other hand is a bit of a step back. She is a retool of the 2007 VTSC Princess Leia Organa (Combat Poncho) figure. We love the VTSC figure very much despite much criticism from many collectors. The Princess Leia in this Comic Packs set has a new head and forearms (and has been painted to look very pale when compared to its predecessor). This time around, Leia has lighter pants and a darker top (the diametric opposite of the Vintage-styled figure) and we think it makes her look more like a negative of it than another interpretation of it. Even her skin tone is lighter and her hair is darker. All these independent details make her look like a bit of an action figure outcast than a cool new version of our favorite princess.

Still, we’re enamored with this set. And it’s not because we are fans of the Star Wars Infinities series exactly. Perhaps it’s because the figures contained within it complement each other beautifully. Pretty much all of the vintage-styled figures have premium articulation and great sculpts, so it makes sense for Hasbro to keep using them over and over again. Darth Vader is tall and Leia is short. While this is clearly an obvious detail, it makes us happy. After years of getting Leia nearly the same height as Darth Vader, it is very sweet to get figures in proper scale. This Comic Packs set gives you great value for your dollar too. After purchasing Vintage-styled figures for $9.99 each, we get two of them in one pack for $12.99. Is this bittersweet? Nah, we should be thankful when we have these opportunities at retail. Whether you like Comic Packs or not, there is certainly no denying that many times we make out better than Hasbro did by what we pay versus what we get. Star Wars Infinities fans should be thrilled with this set. Before Comic Packs, fans never expected to ever get a white Darth Vader figure. Well, he is here and you better believe it will be a miracle if we ever see him rereleased at this point.