1/6 1/6 Hot Toys - MMS 452 - Star Wars: Episode V ESB - Darth Vader

[rayeknor]

Yep the longer mouth triangle and tusks thing is the only issues I have with this.. and they're swallowed in all of the awesomeness that is the rest of the figure. I mean its not like his mouth is near the gaping chasm the SS deluxe had.

I'm pretty sure Vader had at least two different helmets trough ESB filming, I like that they went for the more pronounced one here, like in the meditation chamber scene to give him that distinct silhouette and difference from the shorter ANH/RO profiles.

 

[Lord Valefor]

The sega is the vinyl version of this (Not the other way around)...the dome is resin here and vinyl on the prize piece that’s why there are differences in shape plus the vinyl can’t keep most of the undercuts present in the metal statue. This is sculpted by XPlus and they also lay claim to the sega sculpt(I spoke to them regarding this when it was teased years ago.)

I haven't seen ANY other Alien figure where they got the dome right like this one

That's a good example of a figure (X-plus Alien) that still might have a few inaccuracies if you look at the prop but I'm so convinced I'm looking at something straight out of the movie .

not this Vader though

 

[Lord Valefor]

I'm pretty sure Vader had at least two different helmets trough ESB filming, I like that they went for the more pronounced one here, like in the meditation chamber scene to give him that distinct silhouette and difference from the shorter ANH/RO profiles.

i disagree. He looks exactly as he should in the meditation chamber screenshot. The fig doesn't

 

[ajp4mgs]

Here you can see the method:
https://youtu.be/crmO7JENbOk?t=195

The result is great IMO:

View attachment 424167

View attachment 424163

Wow!! That bottom pic (of just the helmet) is the best I've ever seen any HT Vader mask look. In fact, comparing this RO helmet to ESB movie Vader makes it even more impressive. All I had to do was rotate your pic a tiny bit.



And just to further illustrate how spot-on so many features look, here's the same comparison with some straight lines added to show how the proportions line up. The biggest differences are the chin vents/grill and how huge the neck of the HT RO helmet is compared to ESB movie Vader (but those things are actually accurate to the RO movie Vader that it represents - so not flaws by HT).



I'm still frustrated by some of the inaccuracies of the previous HT Vader helmets. But when I read people post that the new ESB Vader sculpt is improved over those previous HT efforts, I get so confused. Please understand that I'm not trying to be a smartass here; I'm genuinely confused and curious when I ask this. What is it about the new ESB helmet that is in any way an improvement over the helmet shown above?

The best I've seen the new ESB figure look is in the photo that IndyMOS took and was posted here yesterday. I added it to the comparison below. The angles don't match, but it's at least close enough to get some sense for how things like the nose and mouth (in particular) are further from accurate than the RO mask. And HT's placement of the dome on this figure just baffles me; it's all kinds of wrong.



I feel like some people are seeing something that I'm failing to pick up on. To anyone who thinks the ESB helmet is an improvement in sculpt over the previous HT offerings: please help me understand. Is it something that only shows up from the front, or at some other angle?

Again, I need to make clear: I am not trying to provoke or be a troll here. I'm just genuinely curious what it is that I'm missing.

 

[sithocan]

New video

https://youtu.be/8L2DN0jFd84

 

[Lord Valefor]

New video

https://youtu.be/8L2DN0jFd84

In a few shots when he's turning it around I'm almost convinced to keep it, but in the last minute when it's just sitting there while he's talking it looks terrible .Doesn't anyone else see how the eyes are badly shaped? it's as bad as the long mouth

 

[GMan022]

And I think I probably prefer the look of the RO figure to how he actually looked in RO. I'm just not a fan of how big and broad-shouldered they made him in that movie.

I think that's the shape of the idiot actor they hired. I always thought he was a bad choice, the costume didn't fit him right and he isn't shaped like Prowse. The stunt guy who did the fight scene looked way more Vader to me.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[sithocan]

Dome comes off easily.
Cape is soft but heavy, so flows freely.
Belt is removable.
Chestbox battery is connected to codpiece which becomes a G-string in the back.

 

[RiggsMcClane]

Ha! The dude in the above review just unbuckles the belt in the front. Then places it wherever he wants. That's one problem solved. Now I need to know how adjustable the neck is.

 

[sithocan]

Seems like there is no wrist movement.
I intend to pull codpiece as high as it goes. I'd prefer a adjacent chestbox and belt to a short legged Vader.

 

[ZE_501]

I've seen enough. Just placed an order with Sideshow -- I'm at peace with it.

 

[demorathis]

I haven't seen ANY other Alien figure where they got the dome right like this one

That's a good example of a figure (X-plus Alien) that still might have a few inaccuracies if you look at the prop but I'm so convinced I'm looking at something straight out of the movie .

not this Vader though

Hahaha true!

The best carapace I’ve seen of the alien for statues are the Sano, the new mamegyorai, and the new cool props.

 

[sithocan]

Review part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-oNuVyvwfU

 

[canofhumdingers]

Wow!! That bottom pic (of just the helmet) is the best I've ever seen any HT Vader mask look. In fact, comparing this RO helmet to ESB movie Vader makes it even more impressive. All I had to do was rotate your pic a tiny bit.

View attachment 424176

And just to further illustrate how spot-on so many features look, here's the same comparison with some straight lines added to show how the proportions line up. The biggest differences are the chin vents/grill and how huge the neck of the HT RO helmet is compared to ESB movie Vader (but those things are actually accurate to the RO movie Vader that it represents - so not flaws by HT).

View attachment 424178

I'm still frustrated by some of the inaccuracies of the previous HT Vader helmets. But when I read people post that the new ESB Vader sculpt is improved over those previous HT efforts, I get so confused. Please understand that I'm not trying to be a smartass here; I'm genuinely confused and curious when I ask this. What is it about the new ESB helmet that is in any way an improvement over the helmet shown above?

The best I've seen the new ESB figure look is in the photo that IndyMOS took and was posted here yesterday. I added it to the comparison below. The angles don't match, but it's at least close enough to get some sense for how things like the nose and mouth (in particular) are further from accurate than the RO mask. And HT's placement of the dome on this figure just baffles me; it's all kinds of wrong.

View attachment 424177

I feel like some people are seeing something that I'm failing to pick up on. To anyone who thinks the ESB helmet is an improvement in sculpt over the previous HT offerings: please help me understand. Is it something that only shows up from the front, or at some other angle?

Again, I need to make clear: I am not trying to provoke or be a troll here. I'm just genuinely curious what it is that I'm missing.

Well, strictly based on pictures since I’ve never seen either in person, these are the things I personally like better on the new ESB sculpt over the old sculpt (as far as I know the ANH V1, V2, and R1 all use the same sculpt).

-The assymetrical cheeks are more accurate.
-The eyes are smaller and more accurate (sorry Lord Valefor, I don’t know what you see. They eyes look way too big on the old sculpt and look spot on on the new ESB sculpt, IMO)
-The neck is the proper length (no more giraffe neck Vader)
-The grating pattern behind the “teeth” is now correct
-The general shape of the dome, and its more leaned back position looks more accurate.
-This may not be universal and I don’t have time to dig up and post the pics right now, but when I compared a good closeup of the ESB helmet to a good closeup of the ANH V2, the details were so much sharper on the ESB. I was rather shocked at just how soft the ANH V2 sculpt was in comparison.

That being said, I think the R1 figure still looks GREAT. And it’s a real show stopper if you resposition the dome. If I could get either for retail, it’d be a tough choice as each figure hasn’t things I really like about it over the other.

But aside from the tusks, I DO think the ESB helmet looks like it might be the best yet. But the tusks really do have a huge impact on the look of the face and I really hope they can be fixed.

Oh, I also wanted to point out the side by side by side pic isn’t the best comparison since the ESB helmet is at a different angle (camera is lower) than the other two, so of course it doesn’t line up as well.

 

[SilverStar17]

I wish HT would stop the electronic gimmicks on many of their figures. There’s very few figures they do where it can be pulled off and not ruin the aesthetics of the figure at all, such as Ultron Prime and Iron Man figures. The battery box in the back that powers the chest box on this looks like it militates against being able to futz the belt properly.

So far in these reviews, I’m just not liking what I see. The belt and chest box area just looks all kinds of wrong and is seemingly unable to be futzed adequately. The sculpt to my eye sits oddly on the torso and looks like his trapz are squeezed up to his head and that he has no neck. The shoulder bells on the chest armor look to flare out too much and not really rest flush against his shoulders, making it seem as if the chest armor is oversized (not sure if that’s accurate, but I don’t seem to recall them being that way), etc.

 

[sithocan]

He's been complaining of three switches over and over in the review.

 

[IndyMOS]

Thanks to everyone that has liked my picture [emoji120] Just wanted to post a shot of my Vader that I tried to futz as reasonably as I could. In person he looks even better.

I had some difficulty getting the inner robe positioned just right and straight. Whenever I would buckle the belt back together at the front, because it’s so tight, it would tend to squeeze the robe towards the middle.

 

[davejames]

Yeah even putting aside my issues with the mask, something about the figure's overall proportions just isn't working for me. Not sure if it's the old problem of the armor being scaled for a taller figure, like we saw with previous Vaders, or something else...

 

[ZE_501]

Thanks to everyone that has liked my picture [emoji120] Just wanted to post a shot of my Vader that I tried to futz as reasonably as I could. In person he looks even better.

I had some difficulty getting the inner robe positioned just right and straight. Whenever I would buckle the belt back together at the front, because it’s so tight, it would tend to squeeze the robe towards the middle.

Your picture helped push me over the edge, you ENABLER.

 

[RiggsMcClane]

Yeah even putting aside my issues with the mask, something about the figure's overall proportions just isn't working for me. Not sure if it's the old problem of the armor being scaled for a taller figure, like we saw with previous Vaders, or something else...

That's the feeling I get. The shoulder armor and chest box seem like hold overs from another Vader. Fit to a smaller body they would seem oversized like the ESB.