Kotobukiya Star Wars Darth Vader Episode 3 Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Model Kit

by Kotobukiya

Product Features

• 11" tall, vinyl model, packaged in a window box.
• 1/7th Scale
• Pre-painted

Product Details

• ASIN: B00196SUY2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,572 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Cheap, attractive Vader statue, August 15, 2011

By 

Jesse (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Kotobukiya Star Wars Darth Vader Episode 3 Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Model Kit (Toy)

There's no shortage of Darth Vader statues on the market, but surprisingly, not many of them are really worth the money. Aside from Gentle Giant's Kneeling Vader statue, this piece is one of the best you'll find. It's got a dynamic pose, and depending where you buy it, it's pretty cheap to boot. The design is superior to the first ArtFX Vader. That one made it look as if Vader was playing limbo with his lightsaber. This is more energetic and imposing. The billowing cape adds to the sense of motion. I do think the sculptor overdid it on the cape, though. It's too massive in relation to the figure and would have looked better if it were blowing in one direction or the other.

I'm usually a little wary of Kotobukiya's ArtFX statues since they're made of PVC rather than the traditional polystone. On the one hand, the plastic material makes them much more durable, but the flip-side is that the look, feel, and texture of the statue doesn't always measure up. Star Wars seems to be the one area where the ArtFX works well, however. The general look and build quality of this statue is very nice. It's surprisingly big and sturdy in person. Supposedly this piece is 1:7 scale like all ArtFX statues, but I'm not convinced it isn't at least 1:6 scale. More is better, except for the fact that this Vader is a little too large in relation to my Darth Maul ArtFX. One other minor problem is that the various pieces are a little more difficult to fit together than I'm used to. I haven't yet managed to get the left arm to fit as snugly as I'd like, and the optional base actually makes the statue less stable rather than more.

This isn't the first or the last time Koto has tackled Vader in the ArtFX format. But it's clearly better than the original, and the dorky crouching pose on the upcoming Return of the Jedi version already leads me to believe that one will be a dud. This statue isn't terribly easy to find anymore, but it's worth the hunt.