Darth Vader (Dagobah) - POTJ - Basic

Taking the form of Darth Vader , the Dark Lord of the Sith, this spirit is the embodiment of the dark side of the Force. It dwells in a cave on the swamp-covered planet of Dagobah. Although defeated by Luke Skywalker in combat, its unmasked face revealed that Luke has yet to master the ways of the Force and become a Jedi.

Making Darth Vader action figures interesting is a big task for Hasbro. It’s not that Darth Vader ever gets intolerably boring, but making him appear fresh and new in the Star Wars basic figure line is more of a challenge. There are definitely some unique takes of Darth Vader throughout the Original Trilogy. Differences in the black iron lung are well documented from film to film, and different stages at which he is seen wearing his helmet have also been tried. But how does Hasbro approach a version of Darth Vader that really isn’t, well, Darth Vader? In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker senses something out of place while training with Yoda on Dagobah. He heads to the cave an encounter an apparition. It is Darth Vader, or at the time it was Luke’s belief that it was Vader, and with one quick swipe of his lightsaber, Luke beheads the villain in one swift stroke. After the head falls to the ground there is an explosion that blows off the face of the helmet. It reveals Luke himself under the armor, a forewarning of how easy and dangerous it can be to turn to the dark side of the Force. Hasbro believed this version of “Darth Vader” would make a great choice for an action figure. And for the most part they were right.

Darth Vader (Dagobah) is really a misnomer. Is this really Darth Vader, or is it Luke Skywalker? Or is it neither? You’ll find in the accompanying Force File that it correctly refers to this “character” as a Dark Spirit. For ease of reference, Hasbro has called it Darth Vader (Dagobah), which isn’t entirely incorrect and we certainly can’t fault them on going with simplicity. At face value, it is one of the more elaborate versions of Darth Vader the basic figure line has ever seen. Hasbro wanted to recreate this as close to 100% screen accurate as possible and they’ve done pretty well. The entire figure has been cast in a translucent plastic to give it that “spirit” vibe and an intricately constructed removable head “accessory” has a removable face plate (one of the most intricately detailed and functioning accessories we have ever seen to date) to reveal the face of Luke Skywalker. The paint operations a little weak on the face of Luke, but in general we’re pleased with this figure as a whole. This isn’t meant to be a super-articulated version of Darth Vader. It’s essentially a display piece with some articulation. As a result, Darth Vader (Dagobah) comes with a swivel (and removable) head, two swivel shoulders, a swivel right elbow, a swivel waist and two swivel hips. All of the basic points are here in addition to a few others. Not much of it is that useful, so you’re going to have to find a pose you’re satisfied with and keep it like that.

In addition to a removable face plate, Darth Vader (Dagobah) has a removable cape (which is honestly obtrusive and a bit obnoxious) as well as a fully lit lightsaber. It’s a bit hard to tell in Episode V if Darth Vader takes on the appearance of a see through spirit or not in these scenes, but we appreciate Hasbro giving the action figure this appearance to make it clear that this isn’t “Darth Vader” as seen on the Executor. It helps to clarify things. What’s nice about the removable head is that you can completely recreate that scene from Dagobah where Luke briefly battles him in the cave. Again, we love the removable face plate. It fastens itself into the head portion with two plugs that are so demure that you may not even notice them as the functional part of the accessory. Yet this piece is designed so well that you’ll be impressed with how well it interacts with the rest of the figure. Yes, the articulation to Darth Vader (Dagobah) isn’t ideal, but this is the first time we have ever received this specific version of him the basic figure line. And it’s accomplished what it need to do to be a popular and successful action figure. The deco could use some work and maybe Hasbro could have added more lightsaber damage to where the head was severed, but that’s more nitpicking than we care to do. Darth Vader (Dagobah) does look good and we think it was an unexpected release. And it’s the perfect complement to the Power Of The Jedi basic figure line.