Darth Vader Premium Format Statue by Sideshow Collectibles
My HD video turnaround of the Darth Vader PF: HERE
• Zane Yarbrough (Design)
• Nathan Mansfield (Sculpt)
• James Lareau (Sculpt)
• Joe Menna (Sculpt)
• Alfred Paredes (Sculpt)
• Adam Smith (Mold & Cast)
• Chadwick Andersen (Mold & Cast)
• Michael Woodring (Mold & Cast)
• Anthony Mestas (Paint)
• Bernardo Esquivel (Paint)
• Greg Mowry of Geppetto Productions (Costume Fabrication)
• The Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team
Sculpt:
Body: The overall sculpt does a nice job of recreating Darth Vader as he appears in Return of the Jedi. The helmet and mask may not be 100% accurate but they are a good approximation of the way it appears in the film. The mask features details such as the upper and lower mandible vents, detailed nose bridge as well as metallic looking tusks.
The body has good girth and muscle build. The figure is well proportioned and has an imposing presence about it. The gloves are nicely detailed as are the shin guards and boots.
Additional details such as the chest box, belt and lightsaber hilt do a nice job of simulating their on screen counterparts.
Base: The platform base adds additional presence to the piece by giving it increased height. When paired with other pieces from the line, Darth Vader will rightly be elevated above them.
The details to the walls of the base provides visual interest and the shape of the light up feature resembles the lighted wall panels of the Death Star.
Score: 8.5/10
Paint: The paint apps to the helmet, mask and shoulder armor are clean and have the right amount of gloss to make this piece stand out from a distance. The high gloss to these components is one of the other striking features of the Vader costume from RotJ.
Other painted areas to the figure include the gloves, shin guards and boots. All are painted well and match the surfaces they're supposed to represent in terms of colour and shine.
The base has a few sloppy paint apps, specifically to the windows for the light up feature. Mine in particular has a few paint splotches on the actual windows.
The bottom part of the base has a nice metallic shine, whereas the upper platform where the figure stands is a rather bland matte finish. I would have liked more of a high gloss finish to this area to more closely resemble the floor of the Death Star.
Score: 7.5/10
Mixed Media: The mixed media for this piece is excellent. The cape is a double sided high quality material with a matte outer shell and satin inner layer. The inner robe is pleated and sewn into the figure. The only mixed media complaint I have about this piece is the material for the robe is quite thin and I would have rather them used a material that wasn't so transparent, especially with the light up feature on.
The body suit is well done with fine stitching details and the quilted fabric seen in the films. The fit is snug and is nicely tailored to the underlying sculpt.
All of the above being said, this piece requires some TLC to make it looks its absolute best. The fabric comes quite wrinkled and I needed to steam the cape and inner rob to have the material flow properly. In addition, the pleated inner robe needs to be organized a bit and shaped somewhat to ensure it looks the way it does in the movie. After this is done though, it looks very nice!
Score: 9/10
Design: Vader's pose here has been a polarizing subject. Since the initial concept art of this piece was revealed, I've been a fan of the pose and overall concept, and enjoy it even more seeing it firsthand.
Vader's stance portrays a powerful image; a strong force user who is confident in all of his skills. Vader shows that he's a dominant, unstoppable being. I find that it also conveys the "more machine than man" posture which really gives it that Vader feel.
The articulated head feature is a nice touch as you can pose it to meet your needs. I feel this statue's strongest presence is with his head forward and body at 45 degrees to the viewer.
The base is designed to echo some of the aesthetic features of the Death Star. As I mentioned earlier, I'm pleased with the raised platform style base as it gives more gravitas to the powerful presence this piece displays.
Score: 9/10
Light Up Features: The light up features with this piece are tremendous. The chest piece has the same alternating flashes as seen in the films, the green lights on the belt are vibrant and the brilliant crimson glow of the lightsaber is icing on the cake.
The base light up is also nicely done featuring a window style similar to the paneling on the Death Star and a pale blue glow.
Score 9/10
Production and Build Quality: Overall the build quality is good, but there are a few issues.
The Darth Vader PF is a heavy statue. The base makes up the majority of the weight, but the Vader figure itself is solid and hefty as well.
The head sculpt is constructed from the VERY light plastic. Normally I don't care about the construction of the statue, but the head is very light weight and does feel a little brittle. Same goes with the chest piece construction. I've had to remove the chest plate often just to turn the light feature on and off and it feels as though the screws are loosening.
The quality of the mixed media fabric is excellent, although I wish they found a way to use a thin fabric that was not as translucent for the inner robe.
With my piece I had an issue with the light up feature for the belt. The plastic cover does not provide enough pressure on the watch batteries to hold them in place for the necessary contact. I needed to use a rubber band around the belt to ensure contact was being made for the light up to work. Although this can't be seen, it should work without the rubber band. ;) I've asked Sideshow for a replacement belt.
Don't bother using the batteries that come with the statue. Mine lasted for about 1 hour and then didn't have sufficient power to maintain the light up on the base. The AC adapter is definitely the way to go with this piece.
I am still awaiting word from Sideshow about the power source for the chest piece. There are 4 screws that hold the two pieces together, but I didn't want to pull them apart. Just curious that this feature comes with the battery already installed whereas the other components do not.
Despite all of this, the statue looks magnificent and is a wonderful display piece.
Score 7.5/10
Overall: This Darth Vader Premium Format is an excellent representation of the Dark Lord of the Sith. In my opinion it's the best mixed media representation of Vader yet made. This statue is simply beautiful to look at and easily dominates the room. The light up feature and mixed media components elevate this statue to another level, but some of the production issues keep it from being "Perfect".
I would highly recommend this piece to anyone looking to add a quarter scale Darth Vader to their collection!
Overall Score: 8.4/10