"Anakin is gone. I am what remains."
With the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader for the 2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Series it was almost inevitable that a new Darth Vader Black Series figure would follow as part of the launch wave. Move on a year and Hasbro has now decided to bring us a second variant of the Dark Lord of the Sith, specific to that climatic Duel at the end of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Darth Vader ‘Duel’s End’ is an exclusive release for the Black Series, sold via Target in the US and the Fan Channel & Hasbro Pulse here in the UK. Duel’s End Vader is number 15 in the Obi-Wan Collection following on directly from the recently released Commander Appo, and preceding the upcoming releases of Force Spirit Qui-Gonn and Jedi Legend Obi-Wan. Vader finds himself back in the window box packaging as Hasbro reverse their windowless decision from earlier this year, and utilises the blue accent colour assigned to Obi-Wan Kenobi collection figures.
Out of the box and the figure is essentially built upon the long-running Darth Vader body, almost identical to the original Kenobi release but with an updated shoulder armour that does not sit as low on the chest. The figure is cast exclusively in black plastic with high gloss utilised on armoured sections and a more subdued finish on the sculpted ribbing of the suit. The limited paint decor on the body is found on various control boxes around the belt and chest, with the chest box in particular tweaked this time round to include damage from a slashing lightsaber right down the centre. Vader is enclosed in soft goods with the inner robes secured by the shoulder armour and belt and the outer cloak by the head. The cloak also features battle damage, with a single simulated rip on the rear of the figure, and a tattered edge to the cape - something that may cause issues down the line with fraying.
The whole selling point of this new Duel’s End figure is the head sculpt, a full new piece that depicts the smashed mask of Vader from the fight with Obi-Wan and beneath this the scarred face of Anakin Skywalker. The execution is amazing, one of the best finishes to date on a Black Series release. The sculpt and paint work on the Anakin head is spectacular with obvious scarring and aging around the eyes and head. Facial print tech has been utilised for the Sith eyes and the shading of this scared face, with the damaged helmet then applied around this head sculpt and lining up perfectly with the eye visors of the right-hand side of the face.
Vader features his lightsaber, another direct carryover from prior releases with a black cast hilt with silver details. The hilt fits in either hand and can be hung on a discreet hook on Vader’s belt when not in use. Into this inserts a translucent red light saber blade to complete the look - the blade arriving straight and true out of the box rather than the warped accessories we were receiving via the inner cardboard trays and baggies.
Articulation is an older format due to the age of the base figure, but that does mean that the knees are double-jointed allowing for kneeling poses. There are 16 joints in total, sufficient for nearly all your Vader-inspired poses - although a spare Force Choke hand is still not included after all this time. The Duel’s End figure does unfortunately suffer from the slightly loose hips of all its predecessors, it doesn't overly impact posing but Vader’s legs are prone to sliding outward into wider stances.
Duel’s End Darth Vader is the 13th articulated Vader release in the Black Series to date and is arguably the best. Hasbro has taken what was an impressive figure to begin with and enhanced the look tenfold with the addition of that damaged helmet and the revealed face underneath - allowing fans to recreate the final duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi - or to simply have a battle-damaged Vader on display. The exclusivity of the item remains its key issue, thankfully UK availability has been reasonably good albeit with the increased RRP that these retailer exclusives are now priced at. But for that money, you will find very little to fault with the figure and he is a very welcome addition to the Black Series line.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...