“You already... have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right.”
The Star Wars Black Series 40th Anniversary series of figures is now six years old, launching in 2017 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope. We have now reached, unbelievably, the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi and have had three full waves of figures to celebrate. The latest wave, released in the late Summer of 2023, features a mix of repacked figures like the Emperors Royal Guard, and new - or at least significantly updated - releases like the ROTJ Darth Vader we are reviewing here.
The latest release of Darth Vader arrives on the Kenner-inspired backing card mimicking the original 1983 releases in design and the artwork used to illustrate the figure. It features the familiar tramline design as well as the original Return of the Jedi logo we saw lining store shelves back in the 80s. The only additions to the front of this replica is a 40th Anniversary logo at the top left and a few modern copyright and safety notifications. The rear of the card also plays on the nostalgia with a checklist of other figures in the line, all in their own individual coloured box. The use of these blister cards is certainly aimed predominantly at carded collectors - once opened there is no repacking of the figure as we might do with the standard Black Series releases.
In hand, Darth Vader uses the long-established Vader body dating back originally to 2014 and the earliest releases in the line. Over time this has been tweaked and improved, and the latest version is accurate to his Return of the Jedi appearance including the coloured painted controls on the chest box and the panels on his belt. The body is sculpted with the ribbed suit, and cast in black. Over this are armoured pieces like the gloves and groin, with a very high gloss black finish on the boots. The shoulder piece has changed a few times over the life of this Vader figure this latest version is cast in gloss black with painted silver panels and straddles the front and back of the figure securing the soft goods in place as opposed to the original versions that used a metal chain.
The soft goods are in two parts with an inner section running down either side of the chest from the shoulder armour, under the belt, and out to create a skirt section. Over this then sits the extensive outer cloak. Both materials work well, being soft enough to sit on the figure naturally and flow down and around Vader. The head is a new sculpt, improving substantially on the original ROTJ Vader with a removable helmet. The likeness to Sebastian Shaw as Anakin in those final scenes is impressive and the power of the photo-real decor really shines when there is so many features on a face that can be picked out and enhanced including the eyes, but also the red scarred tissue on the face and across the head.
The head is positioned inside the mouth section of Vader’s helmet as it was in the scenes when Luke took off the helmet. The head is articulated within the mask piece allowing the ability to pose the head at a different orientation to the helmet base, while the helmet is also articulated and can move itself taking the head with it as it goes. Hasbro has designed two removable parts to attach to the head, following the same principles we see in the movie with a black gloss cast surround and a face mask piece. The face mask goes on first connecting into the base and over the head. The final surround has a circular insert inside that should line up with the circle on top of the face plate.
In reality, the fit is not overly crisp or tight. There is no satisfying click or locking position, with the whole helmet relying on gravity and the molded shape to hold it in place. On our review version, a fit was possible, but quite often the helmet would split apart over time. That being said the beauty of this figure is the Anakin head sculpt, making the helmet pieces more of an accessory for Vader (or even Luke) to hold. There are other ROTJ Vaders out there with a fixed helmet that will satisfy other scenes - with more on the way via the Archive Series re-releases.
In order to replicate the battle in the Emperor's Throne Room, the figure features an interchangeable right hand. It arrives with a stump at the wrist after the hand has been cut off. This can, if you wish, be exchanged with a full normal gloves hand to hold Vader’s lightsaber.
The final accessory is Vader’s lightsaber - another reused piece cast in black with silver detailing and an included hook at one end that allows the saber hilt to hang on a hook on Vader’s belt. The usual translucent saber blade is included, in the required red for Vader, and with a secure peg that clips into the saber hilt as needed.
Articulation is very much driven by the older body design but does have 20 points of articulation in total including the older, but more wide-ranging double-jointed pinned knees. The dual articulation in the neck adds an additional joint we haven't seen before as does a wrist rotation where the alternative right hand can be swapped. There are also butterfly joints at the shoulders, something that wasn't originally included but has been enhanced through the various Vaders over the lifespan of the Black Series. The figure does still have the loose hip issue that has also plagued every Vader to date and while he can stand perfectly well, the hips have a tendency to slide out to the side too easily.
In summary, this is the definitive Return of the Jedi final scenes Darth Vader, being very much focused on a display item without the helmet showing off that wonderful Sebastian Shaw head sculpt in all its glory. The figure does contain sufficient parts for a standard ROTJ Vader with the two-part helmet and right hand, but the helmet is not quite there in terms of fit and looks. The retro card is very nostalgic and aimed particularly at in-package collectors, with the figure almost guaranteed a general release in the coming months in one guise or another.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...