There's a lot to like about Square-Enix's Variant Play Arts Kai line...usually its willingness to offer wacky, stylized versions of popular characters. But what I think I love about this Darth Vader the most is the awesome swishy lightsaber he has. I dare you to look at that and not make "VOOM! VOOM!" lightsaber noises.
Although it's meant to be a variant/stylized, not movie accurate, at first glance there doesn't seem to be that much different with Vader, the first of Square-Enix's "Star Wars" figures. On closer inspection, you see his much more streamlined armor suit has a lot more detailing on it...even the helmet has not escaped from a few superfluous lines of detailing and some clamps, as well as beefed up shoulders and a tighter cape (wonderfully shaped and rugged so Vader can look exceedingly dramatic, of course). I quite like the fine balance between sticking close to the original movie design and doing something a little crazy for this one. Sure, it's not as ridiculous as Testuya Nomura's Catwoman, for example, but it's still recognizably Lord Vader.
The Dark Lord of the Sith doesn't just come with his amazingly swishy lightsaber...there's also a more normal version, as well as a variety of alternate hands. Including one with a giant flame leaping out of it, because...well...it just looks really cool.
There's no release date for this Darth Vader figure just yet, but the suggested retail price is in the neighborhood of $100. Thanks to The Fwoosh for the heads up. Check out a few more cool images of Vader below:
