Sculpt--3.5/5
Darth Vader is back baby! As the first basic Vader figure for the Revenge of the Sith line, I had high hopes; after all, this is Darth Vader we're talking about here, the character we've all been waiting to see. I was hoping for improvements to the VOTC version and if that's what you're looking for as well, then I'm sorry to say that you won't find it here. Yes, this is a Collection 1 figure, which means that it's got an action feature which in turn negatively affects the sculpt of the figure. Thanks to the "lightsaber attack" feature, Vader's right shoulder looks strangely bulbous. The result is that his shoulders look abnormally broad, and that isn't good. No separately molded codpiece on this figure either, most likely due to the action feature being activated through the hips. The torso area looks a bit simplistic to me, as if they didn't spend that much time on the detailing of the suit. For instance, the wrinkle detail on his inner cape just don't look convincing and looks a bit cheesy. Other than these nitpicks, the details are actually fairly decent with nice wrinkles in the pants and well-defined buttons and switches on Vader's various control boxes.

As you can see from the photos, this figure sports a real cloth cape and inner cape. Unfortunately, this is some of the crappiest material Hasbro has ever used. It's very thin and just doesn't have enough weight to hang in a somewhat realistic fashion. It's so thin that the ends of the cape curl, and it looks ugly. The way the cape is attached to Vader's neck is also another ugly point; part of the cape is in front of his neck and it looks totally silly because the little silver "chain" hangs down from this part of the cape. It's kind of hard to explain so just look at the pics to see the ugliness for yourself.

Articulation--2/5
Vader has nine points of articulation: neck, standard right shoulder, ball-jointed left shoulder, right bicep-cut, standard wrists (both left and right), waist, and hips. In this age of super-articulated figures, this is just a huge step backwards. At least the joints that have to do with the action feature aren't totally disabled as they are still free to move. However, the bicep-cut (which is the articulation point of the action feature) is a little loose and springy, but is still posable. The left arm is very disappointing since it feels so stiff without a bicep-cut or elbow joint of some kind. It would have been nice if Vader could hold his lightsaber with two hands but that isn't going to happen with this limited articulation. Knee joints would have also been cool.

Features--2/5
Lightsaber Attack! Squeeze Vader's legs together and his right arm swings downward at the bicep. Rotating Vader's waist also activates this feature. The feature works well and it doesn't seem like it will break easily. If you like these types of features then you'll no doubt be pleased here. Personally, I got bored with the feature the first time I used it, although I must admit that it's far better than that crappy lightsaber-throwing action in the last Vader action feature.

Accessories--1.5/5
All you get is Vader's lightsaber. The blade cannot be removed, most likely so the saber is more durable for the action feature. It is an all new sculpt and is modeled after the Episode III version of Vader's hilt. Detail is rather good on the hilt, with decently sculpted buttons and grips. The handle is slightly longer than what we're used to seeing, and I think it's too long--it just doesn't look right. Including some kind of stand would have been nice since this figure has a hard time standing on its own.

Paint--3/5
Nothing spectacular but nothing totally crappy either. The buttons on Vader's various control boxes are all well painted with the appropriate colors. Vader's chest and shoulder armor are also painted well--no complaints. Unfortunately, things that are usually glossy black are not so here. Vader's helmet and shin guards look a bit dull. Usually they add a gloss coat to these areas to give it that extra shine, but here they just kept it unpainted plastic. It doesn't look that bad, but it does make the figure feel cheaper.

Packaging--4/5
I'm really digging the ROTS packaging. I love the color palettes that Lucasfilm's marketing department chose, and I think that the orange Star Wars logo is a nice change of pace from the silver and gold iterations of the past. The shape of the cards also takes a dramatic step away from the rectangular cards we've gotten in the past. A large Vader helmet looms at the top of the card, looking down at the raging lava below. In the dome of Vader's helmet you can see an image of Obi-Wan and Anakin dueling it out and crossing lightsabers. The bubble covers most of the card and goes right up to the bottom edges of the card. The sides of the bubble are taped to the back of the card which makes it slightly hard to get the figure out of the package in a hurry, but MOC'ers will have nothing to worry about. After opening a couple of figures, I was beginning to miss the old packages that I could just tear into without having to worry about sticky tape. There's also a nice layered effect with the use of two cardboard inserts within the bubble featuring the Star Wars logo and a photo of the character. The cardbacks are likewise well designed with perhaps the best cardback layout design I've seen in years. There a nice photo of the character from the movie, a short description of the character, a photo of the actual toy, and nice cross-sell imagery to get you excited for the other toys in the line. Considering how much less space there is on these cards makes the design all the more successful.

Overall--2.5/5
I'm a Vader fan. I love a good Vader action figure, but this ain't one of 'em. If you like action features, then you might like this one, but if you don't, then stay away. I totally regret opening this figure; if you buy him, don't open him--he's much cooler looking in the package. Not recommended unless you are a Vader fan or a completist...or if you like action features.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com