Darth Vader (X-Ray Head)

I’m one of those folks who gave up on buying Darth Vader figures years ago. Yet, the new “X-Ray” head version was just too tempting.

Appearance:

This figure is like a lot of other Vader and Luke figure and tied to one particular scene from the films. Specifically, he’s from the scene when he is carrying the Emperor to the reactor shaft.

In the film, Vader is subject to the Palpatine’s out of control Force lightning. This produces an effect where we see an x-ray version of Vader’s helmet.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this type of Darth. The previous version was an early 2000’s buff Vader with a bit of blue tint.

This version  features a smokey transparent helmet. Inside the helmet, a skull is visible. The effect is much better here than the previous version. It looks the best from the side as the mask detail on the face obscures most of the detail.

What I’m not sure about is is the damage shown on the skull. The side shows a burn or slash mark. The top of the head appears to have a metal plate. Since we know his head was mostly just burned, I’m not sure why he’d have these details.

The other scene specific detail is the stump where Luke sliced off his right hand. There’s some vague detail here with a splash of paint. Some red and blue wire paint would have added the tiniest bit of realism here.

Fun:

This Darth is a bit limited in what you will be able to do with him. However, I can’t see anybody buying this is their “One Darth Vader” figure.

To that end he actually gets a couple accessories. There are two pieces of blue electrical bolts. These are pretty much what you would expect them to be. I cannot figure out if there is a pre-determined way for them to fit on or not. If you have ever bought a figure with these before, you know what you are getting.

He also comes with a right glove hand that fits over his stump. I’m not sure why he would need this, but you would have it available if you repaint him.

He also comes with an ignited Lightsaber. Obviously, this is an extra that everybody wants to get with Darth Vader figures. Here though, it’s not needed.

The articulation of the figure isn’t bad, but it probably isn’t the best I’ve seen. But, I really didn’t buy this as a lightsaber dueling Darth, either. My main complaint is the at hips seem a little too straight. I’ve fiddled with more GI Joe figures than Star Wars figures recently, and just like the hips there a bit more.

Overall:

If you are a person who is going to buy this figure, buy it. It’s not hiding what it is. It is exactly as advertised in the blister. It won’t wow you or underwhelm you, but will portray Vader from the 5 seconds of film time he was like this perfectly.

Honestly, part of me kind of wants to build a diorama for him.

Engineernerd Score: 95/100

 

 

Tags: Action Figure, Darth Vader, Episode 6, Hasbro, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars

Category: Featured, Star Wars, Toy Reviews