Attakus-De- Agostini Darth Vader ESB
Limited edition- 5250 Pieces
Packaging N/A
The packaging is just a white plain box. Very dull and a shame something could not of been produced. Personally I like the visuals on the packaging that add something to the statue. This is simply unexciting to open.
Sculpt/Outfit- ***1/4
On the surface the sculpt is fairly positive but it’s flawed quite badly. To the casual collector it’s well done but in truth it’s actually a sloppy attempt, somehow though it manages to disguise itself from obvious flaws better than some other statues and in part while the statue is somewhat lanky with the longer legs the sculpt while far from perfect manages to give it a touch of credibility .
Paint ***1/2
The paint colours used are positive. There is however a fair amount of slop and untidiness in some sections. I would have liked to of seen the face the two tone Vader scheme but this isn’t exactly standard with some of these companies to incorporate that. The chest armour is the main let down here. Awful colour.
Pose ****
It’s a solid enough pose, I prefer it than other versions but while it lends itself to the ESB Vader confession it’s not quite dynamic enough, a bit of a half hearted attempt so it doesn‘t commit to that scene entirely for universal display. Still, part of the appeal is it’s more subtle and not over the top. 4 Stars, but only just.
Movie Accuracy ***
Starting with the dome the sculpt is an improvement from some sculpts. It’s kinda like a smaller Attakus V2 in the head sculpt. It’s littered with flaws but not the worst I’ve seen and what actually gives the statue an added boost even if it‘s a sloppy attempt. I would of liked to see some lift on the dome and the flanges improved but overall while suffering from accuracy it’s an above average attempt from what we’ve seen at times and I’m lumping the face in that category too. Not one aspect seems to aim for accuracy but the middle ground effort isn’t bad. It does have far less detail such as mesh and the finer aspects normally remembered in these sculpts so that’s a shame as is the neck and size but overall it’s okay.
As for the armour, that is possibly the main let down here. It’s a careless attempt and further hindered by a poor used of colours. Very weak.
The statue does have universal appeal in that while heavily suffering from accuracy from the chestbox, cod, belt boxs, shins, gloves, lightsaber etc and other aspects it does manage to retain a simple likeable factor which is odd as Vader has longer legs than normal here . So all these things stack up against this from the cape chain to the armour but there‘s still enough respect for the sculpt somehow. It’s just a bit careless like the missing centre greeblies on the chestbox. Parts are undersized in areas and it could lend itself to ROTJ due to the centre strip on the dome and the cape chain but they have gone for ESB. The texture of the sculpt is good, the suit is very flawed and the cape and robes could be improved but once again that word ‘middle ground’ seems to stick to this particular piece.
Display Status ***1/2
This actually would work in a high end display room because it’s not intrusive. It does stand at over 8 inches so it’s not tiny but it has a nice credible quality to it and let’s face it the statue remains a mini Vader from high end company Attakus. It may be put in the shade by other statues to a degree but for the most part this Vader holds it’s own.
Value ****
I’ve seen these range in price from £60-£150. There is quite a scope due to this version somehow falling under the radar. Presentation wise due to the lack of effort with the packaging it’s very poor and while you do get a certificate that’s glossy enough and a plaque like sticker on the bottom of the base it’s way behind other efforts. That aside, it’s good value for money as an overall.
Overall ***
When put next to the excellent ESB Kotobukiya (Above) you can see the Attakus suffer. Where as that version is pretty much the one to beat especially the body and despite it's flaws, the Attakus is out of it’s depth on comparison. That said, this is a nice statue. I like it being subtle and at a fairly good height. It’s becoming a bit scarce and a few people aren’t aware that this is around. When compared to Attakus’s other smaller Vader incarnations I like this the most out of the 3 versions. If you can pick it up for under £100 it’s good value for money. Despite the inaccuracies of this ESB representation It’s likeable and therefore recommended.
