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POTJ Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath) Review

In an effort to give us a Vader for every scene from each movie, Hasbro tries something new with the first Force lightning-affected Vader figure. Complete with transparent helmet, you can actually see his skull inside! Read on for the review and 5 photos!

Darth Vader

Emperor's Wrath

"Although Darth Vader would perish without his body armor's life support system, he remains a powerful and imposing figure. His black suit and the dark side of the Force protect him from numerous opponents until he loses his cybernetic right hand in a fateful lightsaber duel with Luke Skywalker on the second Death Star." --Excerpt from the Force File

Sculpt--4.5/5
I think this is the figure's strongest point and is why I like it as much as I do. The detail is astounding! The creases in the pants are great and all his little control boxes and armor plating are realistically sculpted. The most notable thing about this figure is obviously the headsculpt. Encased within Darth Vader's translucent helmet is his skull which glows in the dark. Printed on the helmet is remnants of the Emperor's Force Lightning. It's hard to make out the details of the skull but overall it's an interesting effect. The whole upper body is actually translucent, eventually fading to solid black around Vader's waist. It's hard to see this subtle change because Vader's cape is opaque, blocking most of the light which would otherwise complete the effect.
However, the cape is one of the best capes I've seen on a Darth Vader figure. Looking at this cape, you really get a sense of the way it is flowing with Vader's "movement". It also fits very snug around the neck and shoulders.
This is an excellent Vader sculpt--I actually like it more than any other Vader released thus far!

Articulation--4/5
Vader has eight points: neck, shoulders, bicep-cut just below the shoulder, wrist, waist, and hips. Being true to the movie, Vader's right hand is removable. The bicep-cut helps put Vader's arm in the position it was in in ROTJ. These two joints also make a wide range of action poses possible. Vader's left arm has a more limited range of movement due to his cape getting in the way. You can still raise the left arm high enough to do some Emperor-tossing, so it's not that bad.

Accessories--3/5
You get Vader's lightsaber, cape, and I guess you can count his right hand as well. The lightsaber is painted well, but seems like its paint can chip off easily. My lightsaber is also "frosted" in that the blade is not smooth and a duller red.

Paint--5/5
Top notch painting on my figure. The buttons and switches on Vader's control boxes never looked better.

Overall--4/5
What can I say? I love this Vader. I kinda wish he was just a normal Vader now, because I think he'd look great without all the see-through-effects. Perhaps I'll paint one over some day.

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