Darth Vader - Premium Elite Series

In collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney Store is proud to introduce the Star Wars Elite Series, a premium line of toys featuring iconic characters from the expansive world of Star Wars. This exclusive collection is meticulously engineered and crafted with the Star Wars fans in mind.

Once a heroic Jedi Knight, Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force, became a Sith Lord, and led the Empire's eradication of the Jedi Order. He remained in service of the Emperor – the evil Darth Sidious – for decades, enforcing his Master's will and seeking to crush the fledgling Rebel Alliance. But there was still good in him.

The Premium Elite Series is steadily moving forward. Bringing collectors a cast of characters from all over the Star Wars universe, the line, while not enticing to all, is gaining more momentum than perhaps most had ever expected. While not purely a 12” scaled line, these figures fit in nicely with past offerings from Hasbro. And if Disney Store keeps it up, we should have a great deal to look forward to in the future. If the Premium Elite Series line gains any significant momentum, we feel that they could be one of Disney Store’s better options. But since figures are getting bigger and bigger across all brands, space will becoming more of an issue much more quickly. So who knows how this line will fare over all. Disney Store has now added two Original Trilogy characters into the Premium Elite Series lineup. The first is Darth Vader. True to his appearance in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we have to admit that he came out better than we ever expected. Disney Store not only tooled a wonderful buck for this line, but their use of mixed media elements elevate this line to levels that are well worth the $35 these figures command at retail. Disney has produced a very fine line of large-sized action figures here and the tons of articulation these figures come with in addition to the use of beautifully woven soft-goods make us very happy collectors.

It goes without saying that it’s getting more and more difficult for 12” collectors to afford the figures made by Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles anymore. $200+ for an action figure, despite their quality, is just not an option for many. A whole market of collectors became instantly alienated because of the price point. Thankfully, Disney Store has entered this competitive fold and have produced their own take on 1-6 Scale-ish action figures. Branded under the “Elite Series” banner (by adding the word “Premium” in front of it), the Premium Elite Series line is showing everyone that you can still get quality likenesses and features in this scale without breaking the bank. Hasbro had struggled for years trying to make a 12” scale Darth Vader figure look right. But Disney Store did an excellent job right out of the gate. Darth Vader comes with a cotton cape (strange for Vader but the drape is gorgeous, a faux leather body suit and a satiny lower skirt. These three unique material blend seamlessly on the action figure and the final result borders on stunning in our opinion. We have said it before, but we’re confident that modern technology has played a major role on why these figures look so great. Perhaps Hasbro’s figure, had they continued the line, would have looked this good too. Again, these may not be in completely perfect scale to other 12 Inch Figures, but they’re comparable enough to be mixed into the line without too many issues.

With over 30 points of articulation (we actually counted 33 points on Darth Vader), fitted clothing and a nice array of accessories, we have no problems with the set MSRP they command. Darth Vader comes with a lit lightsaber and lightsaber hilt. He also comes with two interchangeable hands (as well as the lower portions of his gloves. Darth Vader has a commanding stature, and can be displayed beautifully in an inordinate amount of poses. You’re not going to find anything this good and pose-able for $35 anywhere else. It’s a guarantee. Darth Vader’s cape has even been finished off with a real metal chain that helps keep the cape at the right level. (It is stitched to his shirt as well. The Episode IV version of Darth Vader is excellently represented here. Fans should consider themselves fortunate that they have an opportunity to purchase this figure. Don’t forget about the “mixed media” approach either. This is a blessing. Typically this is a path that you only see done by high end licensees like Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys go. But it works incredibly very well for this “budget” $35 lineup. How they’ve managed to affix fitted clothing to this action figure while giving it an inordinate amount of movement thoroughly impresses us. So clearly what grabs us the most is the wondrous articulation Disney Store has added to this figure. This line has us thoroughly interested. We hope you’ll find merit in the line too.