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

[Droid747]

Well i got an email yesterday about my packag most likely being delayed due to train derailment. Same message as some of you have already mentioned. I am guessing my package was on a train that derailed so hopefully the package did not get thrown around and get damaged during the derailment.

 

[SilverStar17]

A couple more outdoor pictures:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You have the touch with this figure. Looks good in these photos as well.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

It just looks so cheap. Not sure I can get away with putting that in my collection without diminishing the clean and minimalist look I have going. Almost all my figures are freestanding anyway with the exception of those in flying poses. I use dynamic stands for them. If posed correctly, there’s no need for a stand anyway.

I’m not brave enough to do freestanding. Especially when some figures have weak ankle pegs. Not to mention my house-shaking SVS subwoofer in here.

 

[SilverStar17]

90% of my figures are posed in a pose where they can stand on their own. However, in Southern California, it’s probably not a good idea to stand them on their own.

 

[D.R.37]

Awesome shots and pose IndyMOS
Here's after dinner futz pt.2
Was able to get lower belt over the codpiece.




Yeah yeah... Death Troopers and ESB Vader together isn't right??

 

[RiggsMcClane]

Now that looks like Vader.

 

[ZE_501]

Now that looks like Vader.

Damn straight. Glad I ordered one!

 

[SilverStar17]

Awesome shots and pose IndyMOS
Here's after dinner futz pt.2
Was able to get lower belt over the codpiece.


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Yeah yeah... Death Troopers and ESB Vader together isn't right??

Finally a proper belt and chest box futz.

Neck area still looks a bit weird with the way the sculpt meets the body, but I see you also got the shoulder bells of the chest armor flush against the shoulders. That combined with the proper adjustments to the belt and chest box area went a long way for my eye.

Also, I should add I think he looks better on his own without the dio base for some reason.

 

[xipotec]

At least we can all agree its better than any HT Chewie...


Sent from the inside of a giant slug in outer space.....

 

[Wor-Gar]

Finally... good work. Now just shove that head forward and you'll have Prowse posture.

 

[SilverStar17]

Does this figure come with a pointed finger hand? I think he’d also look good in a “No disintegrations” pose.

Or a “Don’t fail me again, Admiral” pose. However you want to look at it.

 

[Creighton]

I don't own a Vader so he's got to be better than what I got. Glad I ordered.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Does this figure come with a pointed finger hand? I think he’d also look good in a “No disintegrations” pose.

He actually does.

 

[davejames]

Yup agreed. That's some fantastic futzing right there and the closest I've seen this look to an ESB Vader.

 

[jedibear]

Wow...haven't seen a discussion this on fire in here over a SW figure in a while. Now the opinions and issues have had a lot of strong back-n-forth, but the most delightful part of weeding through all of it is that there is NO "the movie sucks" chatter gumming up the works. So refreshing just to see the sniping center on just a figure for a change...

Now- I'm keeping my order for this one. It will be my first HT Vader and, as the pictures quoted below indicate, it's a strong looking release for the character. Perfect? No...the only issues I'm really having based on the pics and vids seen so far is...the "face" just looks "off" somehow...can't put my finger on it yet, but it almost looks a little stylized instead of like the actual mask. I'll wait until I get it "in hand" to see it for myself. The height and stature look...okay. It's certainly shorter than past releases from either SSC or HT have been - they were a bit too tall anyway.

After watching Vader's scenes in ESB again this week, I'd also submit this figure is a bit too "slick" looking. Vader looked a little "unkempt" in ESB...no perfect pleats, shoulder pads askew, helmet smudged and dodgy. One paint detail I wish HT had gotten right is the silver on the shoulder armor - it's too shiny and almost chrome-like - I wish it had a more muted "gunmetal" appearance.

But the biggest "oops' here is the stand. I love the concept and his final "shelve display" pose will be inspired for and by it, but it's wrong!
The hacked-off conduits are on the wrong side and the stand support won't allow for that iconic "imploring" pose (see the quoted classic photo below)
I'm glad they included it but...so near, yet so far....

I hope the QC issue with the helmet is not on all of the figures headed our way (falls off easy) - I think it was Wor-Gar who mentioned how nice it would've been to have a separate head reveal sculpt for display instead of incorporating the feature into the figure.

I'm looking forward to this one. I wanted an HT presentation of this iconic character and getting one patterned on his appearance in ESB was the one I wanted to get.
I'll keep coming in here to see more photos, fights and posing ideas until the dark lord arrives....

These photos are greatly appreciated!

A couple more outdoor pictures:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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View attachment 424168

Now, as much as I'm looking forward to this HT version, I'm still leaving my SSC one right where it is in the collection - I still really like this figure...(pictured below)

 

[SilverStar17]

”After watching Vader's scenes in ESB again this week, I'd also submit this figure is a bit too "slick" looking. Vader looked a little "unkempt" in ESB...no perfect pleats, shoulder pads askew, helmet smudged and dodgy. One paint detail I wish HT had gotten right is the silver on the shoulder armor - it's too shiny and almost chrome-like - I wish it had a more muted "gunmetal" appearance.”

That is true. There are some scenes where his belt and belt boxes for instance were a mess:

Some of what you enumerated though I think can be potentially futzed to be that way. The chest armor looking askew at least, as well as the belt and belt boxes.

 

[IndyMOS]

IndyMit-out-sound delivers extra good quality.

You have the touch with this figure. Looks good in these photos as well.

Awesome shots and pose IndyMOS
Here's after dinner futz pt.2
Was able to get lower belt over the codpiece.

Thanks guys! And you got it jedibear! And that futz work on your Vader looks awesome D.R.37! I need to work on my inner robe more to get it like that. And nothing wrong with ESB Vader with some Death Troopers. Anything goes in my display [emoji106]

 

[canofhumdingers]

Given how well you seem to know/like Vader, how have you been able to resist getting one by now? Great discipline on your part. Thank you again for the thoughtful response. Very insightful and helpful.

Well, it’s been less discipline and more finances. And I DO have a 1/6 Vader... the original Sideshow ANH with a modded dome. I suppose in truth it’s been a total lack of discipline that has resulted in me never getting a HT Vader. I’ve spent enough on collectibles over the years to have bought one, but I’ve never had enough of a budget to spend that much at once. And I’ve always had a hard time dropping that much on one single item.

I did come close to getting the R1 Vader. I had dropped a lot of hints for my birthday that year and my wife did get the handful of family members that still send me gifts as an adult to all pool together and get me a really nice Vader-themed present. But it was the eFx PCR helmet (which I had also dropped hints about). She told me she had thought very hard about which one I’d enjoy more in the long-term and she picked the helmet. And she was totally right! No action figure compares to having a 1 to 1 replica of the original (and best!) Vader helmet sitting on display. And I never look at it and think “oh this angle is wrong” or “that proportion is off” . (And yes, I know there are some compromises with the PCR helmet, but they are infinitesimal compared to the discrepancies in any action figure version).

But that’s enough of a side bar. You are right, I’m an obsessive Vader nerd. Glad you found my thoughts helpful.

The more I’ve seen (that French YouTube review in particular was really helpful) the more I’m convinced this is a great figure. He was able to really futz the belt, cod, and robes just right.

But.... I’m still really troubled by the tusks. They are REALLY throwing the look of the facemask off. And the more I look at them, the less sure I am that they can be fixed without major work. If you look closely at the tusk tubes and compare them to a real helmet, it seems the tubes themselves come too far down right beside the mouth, which is driving the problem of the tusk angle.

Basically, on the actual prop, the bottom tube goes all the way out past the mouth, where the tusk inserts into the tube. And the BOTTOM of that lower tube more or less lines up with the bottom of the UPPER mouth triangle. The upper tube comes down and actually curves forward as it blends into the lower tube.

On the figure, the upper tube goes straight, all the way out past the mouth, with the lower tube blending into the upper tube, but the upper tube dominating the angle and look of that blending (and by extension, the angle of the tusks). Also, the TOP of the UPPER tube appears to align with the BOTTOM of the upper nought triangle.

It’s a small detail but it’s having a dramatic impact on the likeness. I believe this is the key factor creating the appearance of a “long” face.

 

[canofhumdingers]

Aaaaaaaand in the time it took me to type all that, D.R.37 posted those pics with his death troopers... DANG. Sold. End of discussion. What tusk angle?

 

[ajp4mgs]

I did come close to getting the R1 Vader. I had dropped a lot of hints for my birthday that year and my wife did get the handful of family members that still send me gifts as an adult to all pool together and get me a really nice Vader-themed present. But it was the eFx PCR helmet (which I had also dropped hints about). She told me she had thought very hard about which one I’d enjoy more in the long-term and she picked the helmet. And she was totally right! No action figure compares to having a 1 to 1 replica of the original (and best!) Vader helmet sitting on display. And I never look at it and think “oh this angle is wrong” or “that proportion is off” . (And yes, I know there are some compromises with the PCR helmet, but they are infinitesimal compared to the discrepancies in any action figure version).

Yeah, if I had a choice, I'd take a 1:1 helmet over a 1:6 figure too. Glad that your wife made a wise decision. Congrats on both the 1:1 helmet and a smart wife.

But.... I’m still really troubled by the tusks. They are REALLY throwing the look of the facemask off. And the more I look at them, the less sure I am that they can be fixed without major work. If you look closely at the tusk tubes and compare them to a real helmet, it seems the tubes themselves come too far down right beside the mouth, which is driving the problem of the tusk angle.

The tusks are definitely off by enough to be distracting, but I think the mouth itself is oversized on its own. But the funny thing about the mouth is that if I had gotten a hold of a helmet that came unglued like this . . .

View attachment 423945
Mask keeps falling off straight out the box. Anyone else get that? Looks like bad glue.

. . . the customizer in me would try to file/sand down the top half of the mask along the bottom ridge (and concentrating more on the mouth/front). Then I'd see how it looks when re-attached to the bottom half. But before gluing it back together (hopefully with a shorter mouth), I'd try to slice off the tube/tusk parts on the bottom half and glue them at a more accurate angle. That's where the unnecessary seam in the tusk would actually be a good thing; I'd just fill it in, sand it smooth, and paint a semi-gloss black over it. Done; seamless tubes, corrected tusks, and shorter mouth.

In fact, having access to the blank head inside of the mask might even allow for some way to loosen up the neck and provide more mobility. If I ever see one of these unglued helmets going for a fair price, I'm giving it a shot.