Hasbro Black Series Darth Vader

Today while I was at Target getting some beard care supplies, I passed the action figure aisle and noticed the Hasbro Black Series Darth Vader, so I picked it up. I’d been wanting to pick up an articulated Vader for some time, had considered one from the S.H. Figuarts. The reviews of those ones ranged from good to just average. I’ve heard some good things about the Black Series of Star Wars figures so I grabbed this one. At $19, how could I pass it up?

Well I’m pleased to say that it’s $19 well spent. It’s a very good figure, wonderfully detailed, painted, sculpted, and very good articulation. He stands about 6 inches or so and feels quite solid. His articulation points are the neck (can move around, left and right), shoulders, bicep swivel, slight wrist joint, thighs, knees and ankles. He’s also articulated at the waist but it’s limited, can only move side to side a bit, no real ab crunch.

His only accessory is a light saber that’s red, and you can remove the red piece. No extra hands. Both hands are molded so that they can hold the saber, while his left also has fingers that seem to be pointed out, so he can point at his victims before striking them down.

His chest panels are nicely molded and colored, really great details that stand out. The creases on his arms and legs also look nice, as well as his shiny helmet and eyes (they seem to be a shade of dark yellow/auburn.

He also comes with a cloth cape and skirt, which is very nice, though a bit thin. However, having experienced plastic capes before, I’m all for cloth. It just makes posing the figure much easier without some clunky pieces to hinder it.

I really like this Vader, it’s really great and it’s nice to see Hasbro putting out some very good quality figures. I can see why I’ve read comments from others in the past that have praised this line. Darth gets a solid 5 stars from me!

Comments

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Minus One

Right before the opening of the new Toho film Godzilla Minus One in the US, I received the figure from Bandai Tamashii Nations from that film. It was officially released last weekend, and about a day before that, some photos were popping up online of the final product, appearing with a very dark and bad paint job. Drama rose up in one of the kaiju figure groups I'm a part of, with one idiot in particular proclaiming that the S.H. MonsterArts line was done, despite having not gotten the actual figure in hand before he could judge for himself. After multiple posts trashing the figure and stating that Bandai was dead, he received the figure and then gave it a good rating (8 out of 10), making himself look like a damn fool in the process. I admit that those initial photos had me worried, but I decided to wait until I saw some YouTube reviews to see how it actually turned out to make my judgement (I pre-ordered it from a site where you don't pay for it until it's actually in sto

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version

The latest Godzilla figure I pre-ordered from the S.H. MonsterArts line has arrived. It is the 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version, to go along with the Mecha King Ghidorah release from earlier this year. While the suit is almost the same as the one used in 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante, they made some slight adjustments. Compared to the BioGoji figure, this one is much thicker, therefore, he does look different from that other release. His sculpt is the classic 90's era Heisei look, with small head, thick thighs, large dorsal spines and a long tail. Like all the other Godzilla suits of that decade, he has a cat-like face, both cute and menacing. While the King of the Monsters has had multiple looks throughout his 50+ years, it's the Heisei era that seems the most iconic. Artwork, toys, comics, etc, have all utilized this particular design. Similar to the 89 suit, this 91 figure has a small set of dorsal spines, followed by a much larger one, and then gradually getting sm

S.H. Monsterarts Rodan &Mothra 2019 set

My Rodan and Mothra set finally arrived after being delayed for a few weeks. After spending a few days going over them, I've had time to really assess them. They're both decent, but there are some issues. Let's dig in! As far as sculpt, Rodan fairs better than Mothra. Everything from the wings, face, torso and legs on Rodan are well done and nicely capture his condor-like look from the film. The face, legs and body of Mothra is sculpted in a very simple, dull manner, lacking any real detail or pattern. Part of it I think is that her body is so small it doesn't leave much room for details. Another thing that was pointed out to me by someone on social media is that Monsterarts may have based their Mothra on early concept artwork as opposed to her actual look in the film. The result is a smooth, crude design that, upon close inspection, resembles a Play-Do sculpture. If this was the case, Tamashii Nations really should've waited until they saw w

Musings of an Inkd Geek

Search This Blog