Hot Toys has given collectors a lot of Darth Vaders, so I want a good reason to pay attention to another one. This Revenge of the Sith release has two: a nylon suit that gives him more room to move, and a Deluxe operating table that recreates the moment Anakin becomes Vader. The table is going to catch your eye first, but I think the suit is the change you’ll appreciate every time you set him up.
I’m looking at the Deluxe Special Edition here, which includes the table, medical droids and mechanical arms. If you only want Vader standing with a lightsaber, the standard figure gives you that same Revenge of the Sith look without the surgical setup. There’s plenty to like about the figure itself, although a few small decisions still leave me wondering why Hot Toys didn’t go a little further.
This Vader Finally Has Some Room to Move
The nylon undersuit is a big deal. The ribbed arms and legs still have the shine and texture you expect from Vader, but the material can fold around the joints instead of fighting the pose. You can see the difference in the crossed arms and bent elbows. Those are useful improvements on a character who should be able to do more than stand there holding a red blade.
I like how the different materials look together, too. The hard chest armor is smooth and glossy, the suit has raised stitching, and the cloth running down the front breaks up all that shine. Black costumes can lose their detail in photos, but there’s a lot going on here once you look beyond the helmet.
The chest armor has alternating black and gunmetal sections, with a clean finish that suits this newly assembled Vader. Hot Toys hasn’t covered him in scratches to make the paint look more interesting. The shape of the armor, the belt buckle and the ribbing give you enough to look at without adding damage that doesn’t belong here.
Nylon also avoids relying on the same coated material used for some older figure suits, which is welcome. That doesn’t mean I can promise how this one will look in ten years. It’s still worth keeping the suit and capes clean, and the guide to cleaning sixth scale figures covers the gentle approach I’d use around fabric and painted armor.
A Vader Helmet That Belongs in Revenge of the Sith
The helmet is one of my favorite parts of this release. The smooth dome, wider flare around the back and symmetrical face give it that clean Revenge of the Sith appearance. If you prefer the uneven, worn look of the original trilogy helmets, this will feel different. For this particular version of Vader, I think Hot Toys made the right choice.
Look at the reflections across the dome and the sharp edges around the eyes and mouth. The gloss helps those shapes stand out, while the darker lenses keep the face from looking empty. There’s a faint brown tint to the lenses under the right light, but it doesn’t turn into a pair of obvious red eyes every time you look at him.
The proportions can look a little awkward if the cape collar bunches up beneath the helmet. It pushes everything together and makes Vader look as if his head is sitting directly on his shoulders. Before deciding the sculpt is wrong, check that collar and the position of the chest armor. Tucking the collar beneath the helmet flare and settling the armor slightly lower gives the neck some breathing room.
I’d rather Hot Toys had made that less fussy out of the box. It’s a small adjustment, but it changes how the whole upper body looks. A great helmet shouldn’t be let down by a wad of cape fabric sitting in the wrong place.
The Burned Anakin Head Sculpt Deserves to Be Seen
Take away the helmet and there’s a very different figure underneath it. The burned Anakin head sculpt has deep scarring, reddened skin and a hard stare that fits this scene. I can see Hayden Christensen in the shape around the eyes, nose and mouth, even with all the damage across his face.
The paint makes a big difference. Some of the burned areas look dry and dark, while the fresher wounds catch the light. It would have been easy to make the entire face one shiny red patch. Instead, the changes in color and finish give the injuries more depth, especially around the cheeks and forehead.
The eyes move separately, so you can aim his gaze toward one of the medical droids or have him looking forward as the mask comes down. On this head sculpt, that’s worth having. The brow and mouth already give him a tense expression, and a small change in where he’s looking can make the operating table scene feel much more convincing.
The removable face mask and dome also give you several stages of the transformation to display. I like that Hot Toys has given the head sculpt a proper place in the Deluxe setup. You don’t have to choose between keeping the helmet on or leaving a good Anakin head sculpt sitting in the box.
Two Capes, and One Chain I’d Still Change
You get a normal draping cape and a wired cape. That’s a sensible choice because they serve different poses. The regular one can hang naturally around a standing Vader, while the wired version lets you lift the sides and pull the fabric out behind him for something more dramatic.
The wires run through more than the outer edge, which gives you more control over the shape. The collar is wired as well, and the cape attaches with Velcro. You’ll need to spend a little time arranging it so the folds look like cloth moving around him rather than fabric held up by a frame. I like having that option, especially when the body underneath can support a better pose.
The little faux chain across his neck is the part I’m less impressed with. It can ride up toward the helmet and spoil an otherwise good setup. A more convincing chain with some weight to it would have helped it sit properly. Hot Toys has put a lot of work into the suit and armor, so this feels like an irritating place to leave something that needs fiddling.
Vader’s Lights Still Come With Wires
The chest panel lights up red and green, and the belt boxes have white LEDs behind their colored details. Together, they add a lot to the black costume. I especially like the chest panel with the helmet on, where those little lights become one of the few bright spots on the figure.
Power comes through a USB-C junction box that clips behind the belt. From there, cables connect to the light-up features. You need an external power source, and the USB-C cable isn’t included. Think about how you’ll hide the cable before choosing a spot on the shelf, particularly if you want Vader away from the back wall of a cabinet.
There are two lightsaber hilts, including the USB-powered version, plus a normal red blade and a motion blade. The hilt has the slimmer Revenge of the Sith styling, which is a good detail to get right. The LED blade is brightest near the hilt and loses strength toward the tip, so I wouldn’t expect an evenly lit red blade just because the chest lights look good.
For an ordinary display, I’d be happy with the plain red blade. The motion blade is useful if you want the suggestion of a swing, although I still find that broad triangular shape less convincing than a simple saber pose. There’s also a wheel on the hilt, but no matching belt attachment shown for hanging it. That would have been a useful option for a relaxed, empty-handed Vader.
The gloves have shorter, flared cuffs with sculpted texture and stitching. Alongside the saber grips, fists and Force hands, there’s a hand intended for the crossed-arm pose. The Deluxe set adds cuffed fists for the table and a mechanical right hand. That mechanical hand has fixed fingers, so it’s a display option rather than something you can pose finger by finger.
The two medical droids have articulated limbs, tiny instruments and individual display stands. They look similar at a glance, but the arms and tools aren’t identical. Their silver limbs, dark bodies and red lenses work well beside the much larger figure. I like how much they add to the surgical scene without taking your attention away from Anakin’s face.
The Special Edition also includes a small anniversary metal collectible. It’s a nice extra if you like those commemorative pieces, but the table and droids are what would make me choose the Deluxe package. You also get a regular figure stand, so Vader isn’t permanently tied to the operating table.
The Operating Table Makes the Deluxe Version Tempting
This is where the Deluxe earns its space. The table rotates from a horizontal surgical position to an upright display, with restraints for Vader’s wrists and legs and a support beneath his feet. The gray finish, dark panels and large circular side sections give it enough detail to look interesting even before the figure goes on it.
The two mechanical arms hold the separate helmet sections above Anakin. You can arrange the dome and face mask as though they’re about to lower into place, then position the medical droids around him. That’s a much more interesting use of a removable helmet than putting the pieces beside a basic stand and calling it a day.
There are things to be careful with. The arms have several joints to arrange, the dome and face mask use different mounting arrangements, and the mask’s magnetic connection needs particular care when positioning it. The small instruments on the droids are delicate, too. I wouldn’t rush through putting this together just to see the finished scene.
The brackets that clip to the table can also be very tight. Plan where you want everything before repeatedly clipping parts in and pulling them back out. Those little plastic connections are the sort of thing that can turn a fun setup into a frustrating one if you force them.
White USB-powered lighting beneath the table helps the whole scene stand out. I like the upright display with Vader fully helmeted, but the horizontal setup gives the burned head sculpt and droids more of a purpose. The ability to move between those looks is a good reason to keep the extra pieces close by instead of packing them away immediately.
You do need room for the table and the arms extending around it. The figure is approximately 35cm tall, but that measurement tells you very little about how much shelf space the assembled diorama needs. Check the usable space in your cabinet, including clearance around the droids. The figure display case guide is a useful starting point if you’re planning a larger setup.
The Suit Helps, but the Armor Still Has Limits
Vader’s double-jointed elbows bend beyond a right angle, and the shoulders can move inward far enough for the crossed-arm pose. The nylon suit helps those movements look more natural. The waist can lean forward as well, which gives you more to work with when he’s reaching or bringing the saber across his body.
The legs have thigh rotation and double-jointed knees, with ankle movement to help the feet sit flat. You can spread his stance and give him some weight through the hips instead of leaving both legs straight. That’s the kind of articulation I want on Vader. He doesn’t need to do a backflip, but he should look comfortable holding his own lightsaber.
The hard shoulder armor still limits how high the arms can go, and the helmet flare gets in the way of some head movement. Backward movement through the torso is limited, too. Keep those restrictions in mind rather than treating the softer suit as permission to push every joint further.
Is This the Vader Worth Making Room For?
I think Hot Toys has made a very convincing Revenge of the Sith Vader. The helmet looks right for this version, the burned Anakin head sculpt gives you a strong alternative, and the nylon suit makes the articulation more useful. Those improvements would interest me even without the operating table.
The Deluxe makes the most sense if you want to display the transformation scene. The droids, separate helmet sections and rotating table give you a lot to arrange, and the regular stand means you can still change things up later. If the table would spend its life in storage, I’d look closely at the standard version before choosing the bigger package.
I’d still change the cape chain, improve the saber lighting and make the table connections less awkward. None of those problems ruins the figure, but they’re worth knowing about before you decide where he belongs in your collection. For me, the suit and the two head options do enough to make this one stand out among the Hot Toys releases. The operating table gives collectors who love this scene an even better reason to pay attention.
An excellent Revenge of the Sith helmet, a convincing burned Anakin head sculpt and a useful nylon suit. Fussy fittings and saber lighting hold it back.
