Death Star With Darth Vader - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Complete Galaxy

Designed to invoke fear throughout the galaxy, the Death Star battle station is the largest, most powerful object in the galaxy. The size of a planet or small moon, the massive weapon took nearly two years of construction in the Horuz system located in the Outer Rim Territories. A fully-equipped array of surface weapons including turbolaser batteries, laser cannons, ion cannons, and tractor beam emplacements served as a defense to the centerpiece offensive weapon – a superlaser system more powerful than the entire Imperial fleet. Capable of disintegrating an entire planet with a single pulse, the superlaser was demonstrated on the planet Alderaan during an attempt to extract vital information from Princess Leia.

Commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin, who oversaw its construction, the Death Star is in effect a self-sustaining world. It houses a crew of approximately 800,000 enlisted soldiers and officers, nearly 400,000 support and maintenance personnel, over 25,000 stormtroopers, and an additional 400,000 droids of various sophistication to assist the support staff. Also found on the Death Star are several of Darth Vader's specialized meditation chambers. Exactly like the chamber first seen aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor, these compartments function as pressurized spheres offering Vader an inner sanctum.

For one reason or another, Kenner/Hasbro thought the concept of pairing an action figure with its “literal” world would make for a greatly themed sub-line. Perhaps from a couple of perspectives, it is. Dubbed Complete Galaxy, Kenner/Hasbro joined characters like Darth Vader, Yoda and Luke Skywalker with a globe (and stand) of the planet where many of their scenes took place in the Original Trilogy films. Not all of the executions worked, and not all of them are screen-accurate, but one thing the Complete Galaxy line brought collectors were revised approaches to some of the saga’s most important characters. The “world” is a plastic globe that splits in half at its “equator” and opens up to introduce collectors to a whole new world of collecting. Inside of the globe, you’ll find some scene-specific details in three-dimensions, that provide a smaller-scaled dioramic backdrop to some events that took place in the film of presentation. Some of the Complete Galaxy sets are more aggressive than other as far as what Kenner/Hasbro tried to squeeze inside of them, but from a gimmicky standpoint, the Complete Galaxy line has some charm.

The Death Star With Darth Vader set is as good as it is bad we suppose. Kenner/Hasbro goofed on the combination of figure and world. And the world isn’t even a world. It’s a space station. The Death Star featured in this set is from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but the Darth Vader figure is based on the character’s appearance from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Also, Darth Vader’s chamber was housed in a Star Destroyer, not the Death Star. So you can see how things got conflated and confused in this release. Perhaps Kenner/Hasbro was thinking outside of the box and looking to do a “what if” take on Darth Vader. We suppose that works from that perspective. But collectors of Star Wars figures are more concerned with authenticity and scree-accuracy more than anything else. Kenner tooled the Death Star “world” very nicely. There is a fantastic amount of detail throughout it. You’ll also find markers all around it pointing out where things are located inside of it. We’re confident Hasbro made a lot of this stuff up, but it works. It also comes with a labeled stand and can spin on its axis just like a real globe. There is also a lever you can spin to rotate it as well.

The Darth Vader figure included is pretty awesome too. Based on the Gunner Station Darth Vader figure that came slightly before the Complete Galaxy line, Darth Vader sports the standard articulation of most The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] figures but now has hinge-jointed knees. The hinge-jointed knees allow him to sit comfortably inside his meditation chamber. The figure also comes with a removable dome, revealing his scarred head. A soft-goods (and removable) cape with a wired collar allows Darth Vader to wear it as needed, and can also be removed when you’re trying to achieve another look for him. Most importantly, they trimmed down his bulky frame, and while not perfect, Darth Vader probably hasn’t looked better than this in the Star Wars toy line. In the upper section of the Death Star globe, Kenner/Hasbro molded the arms and gear to the device that lowers the dome onto his head. While not functional, we appreciate the extra effort that went into designing this piece just for better aesthetics. The Death Star With Darth Vader Complete Galaxy set has its moments. It’s a niche line with gimmicky features, but it’s not without merit.