Sculpt--4.5/5
If this figure looks somewhat familiar, it's because it's simply 500th Figure Darth Vader with a slightly new paint job. If you have the Saga Collection #013 Darth Vader (Battle of Hoth), then you're essentially buying the same figure. The main difference between the two Saga figures is that on this one, the helmet dome is glued so that it is not removable. This is fine by me, as it's kind of nice not having to worry about it falling off so easily. The cape is the same cloth cape used for the previous figures, but since the helmet is glued down, you can't remove it without damaging the cape somehow.

I still consider this to be one of the best Vader figures (behind Evolutions Vader) so it's nice that Hasbro has released it as a basic figure. If there's one thing I wish they improved it would have to be the right hand. Vader simply can't grip his lightsaber as tightly as he should. While I was taking pictures of this guy, a constant annoyance was how often his lightsaber would fall out of his hand.

Articulation--4/5
This isn't articulation on the level of Evolutions Vader, but it is still pretty good for a basic figure. Vader has 12 points of articulation: neck, standard shoulders, angle-cut elbows, wrists, waist, hips, and ball-jointed knees. Ball-jointed shoulders would have been oh so nice, but you can still create some great poses with this figure. The knee joints swivel both above and below the knee, so you essentially also have swiveling boot-tops on this figure. As long as I can create some good lightsaber poses and the "I am your father!" pose, then I'm pretty satisfied.

Accessories--4/5
One of the reasons this Vader may be a worthy purchase for you (even if you have #013 and the 500th Vader) is for the accessories. You get three different boxes, presumably to hurl at Luke just as Vader did in The Empire Strikes Back. However, these boxes aren't based the ones in the movie. Instead, these are just reused accessories from previous sets. The smallest squarish box, though, was part of the never-released Yavin IV Accessory Set and so this is actually the first time we're getting it, even though it was intended for something entirely different. The medium-sized box is from the Saga Deluxe Obi-Wan Kenobi (Kamino Showdown) figure. Finally, the largest box is from the Saga Hoth Survival Accessory Set. I like the idea of including the debris Vader throws at Luke, but it would have been nice if they matched what is seen on screen. Still, it's nice that they included something, even if they are reused.

The figure stand included is the same basic type we've been getting in the Saga Collection with the movie embossed on the surface of the stand, and the figure's name printed on the front. However, this stand incorrectly has "Star Wars" embossed on the surface instead of "The Empire Strikes Back".

This wave marks the second versions of the hologram figures. Basically it's the same figures, just cast in transparent red plastic instead of blue. Ho-hum. I've grown a bit tired of these hologram figures, and making them in a different color is not enough for me to get excited about getting more of them.

Paint--4.5/5
Paint is still as solid as it was on 500th Vader with accurate colored buttons and switches. The silver on the chest armor is slightly duller than on the 500th Vader figure, which is closer to how it actually looked in The Empire Strikes Back. Another new paint app is the "battle damage" on the right shoulder. A quick brush of silver paint gives the shoulder a slightly messed-up look, meant to simulate the damage from Luke's only connecting lightsaber attack during their battle in Cloud City. If you have #013 Darth Vader then the paint jobs are essentially the same.

Packaging--4.5/5
The Saga Collection goes back to a more rectangular cardback and retains the edge-to-edge blister that Hasbro has been using since the ROTS and animated Clone Wars figures. Thankfully, the tape holding the edges of the blister has been reduced, so it is now possible to get the figure out without even dealing with the tape. The blister itself is more rectangular this time, but is still rounded on it's surface. This makes it a bit harder to stack the packages on top of each other, but if you store your MIB figures in boxes then this won't trouble you too much.

As for the actual card, it tapers off a little at the bottom so that it is not truly rectangular. The front of the card continues the retro feel of the Original Trilogy Collection, but this time the silver lettered "Star Wars" goes straight off to the sides instead of creating a frame around the figure. This packaging also continues the use of a background image that compliments the scene or movie the figure is from. I've always liked this as you can potentially cut them out and use them as a background for displaying your figures. Plus, it just helps make the packaging feel all that more special and individualized. Another nice touch is the color-coded upper left corner of the card front which tells you which episode the figure is from. This helps make it easier to find new figures at the store and it has come in very handy.

The back of the card has a bevy of information. An image of the character from the movie is in the upper right corner while below it is a full body shot of the action figure. To the left is information about the character, plus little bits of data relating to the character such as "Mission: Rescue Han Solo". It's a nice addition and they're kind of fun to read. Below that are cross-sell images of other figures in the line. In the bottom right corner is a window displaying the included hologram figure, which adds to the cool factor of the overall look of the card. What can I say? I like this packaging, and I think it's some of the best I've seen since the Freeze Frame series.

Overall--4/5
It's a repack of one of the best Vader figures, and that's a good thing in my book. The only bad thing is that it's practically the same as #013 Darth Vader, and releasing two figures that are practically identical in less than six months of each other is pretty lame in my book. If you have to choose between the two, the choice should be simple--go for this version. Extra accessories and the glued down helmet dome make it the better of the two. If you don't care for such things, then this figure can be easily passed up if you already own #013.

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