Darth Vader - TBS [P1] - Basic (#06)

The evil Sith Lord Darth Vader captures the Rebel heroes when they arrive at Bespin's Cloud City.

There always has to be at minimum one Darth Vader action figure in every new line look. That’s just the way the Maker intended it to be. The Star Wars saga is all about him, so it makes perfect sense that he needs to see release after release as an action figure. For The Black Series, Hasbro once again turns their attention towards The Empire Strikes Back and “creates” yet another unique take on Darth Vader much to the elation and even the chagrin of collectors – depending upon who you are. In The Empire Strikes Back, fans got to witness Darth Vader utilizing his Force skills more than in any other Original Trilogy film. He crushed the throats and Ozzel and Needa, he sensed that the Rebels were indeed on Hoth and he deflected the laser blast from, and then took possession of, Han Solo’s blaster right after Lando Calrissian betrayed them. It is the latter scene that Hasbro now bases a new version of the evil Lord of the Sith. Darth Vader, whose base sculpt dates back to the 2005 ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions figure. It’s a great sculpt that is made more exciting by its Episode V-centric concentration. And it’s a Darth Vader action figure released in a way that was never offered before until now.

While The Black Series Darth Vader comes with a new head sculpt, Hasbro utilized the same technology as the 2012 TVC Darth Vader (VC115) figure. Think of it as a head with a plug to secure itself to Darth Vader’s shoulders. Unlike so many of the other Darth Vader figures based on the Evolutions sculpt, Darth Vader’s cape is completely removable without sustaining any damage to it. Two all new right hand sculpts hve been added as well. One conjures Han Solo’s blaster pistol (and the weapon can be held in the hand as well) while the second hand attachment has a hole in it also it can accept the blast effect that was especially made for this action figure. The all-new blast effect is done very well. If you look at a still of when Darth Vader is deflecting Han Solo’s blast, you will see that Hasbro designed a truly authentic accessory to recreate this action. The great thing is that it’s light enough to stay in his hand without gravity forcing it to the ground. The disappointing thing is that this piece is cast from a very rubbery material and the red laser blast that’s been sculpted into it appears droopy and flaccid.

We have noticed a slight difference in the approach of soft-goods use here as well. The cape still has a bit of sheen to it, but the shininess is scaled back a bit and the overall look is a more muted appearance. There is nothing worse than having your Darth Vader action figure wear a sateen-looking cape. Darth Vader looks more like a superhero more than anything else when that happens. It’s nice to know that if Darth Vader must be in the basic figure line that Hasbro is finding clever and inventive ways to bring this character to the basic figure collection. We sometimes forget that they could just make it easy on themselves and simply repackage an already existing Darth Vader figure as is. We appreciate the gesture of giving us something new to savor. As the only character from The Empire Strikes Back released in the first wave of The Black Series, it seems that maybe Hasbro has other films in mind to focus on for the basic figure line. But we hope that we see a strong return of characters from Episode V and Episode VI because let’s face it, characters from those films make exciting action figures. This Darth Vader action figure is a novelty version of the character, but it’s one we’re glad to see get released.