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 Post subject: ESB Darth Vader - Attakus V1
PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:12 pm 
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Attakus V1 Darth Vader - ESB

Source:
(The Empire Strikes Back)

Year: 2001

Retail: (Appox) £700.00 +

Limited Edition Number: 1500

:These hand-made, cold cast porcelain figures are individually numbered and designed with the collector in mind! Each statue comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity and is truly a piece of art.

Size: Nearly 17 inches

*All reviews are based on 5 stars. The review is brief in many respects so it’s readable and not over complicated with details.

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Packaging: ***

The packaging is fairly simplistic, nothing special here other than a big box with a sleeve cover which shows the image of the statue. It would have been better to see images of the movie Vader with a combined insert of the statue as is often featured by other companies for a better visual Look as the packaging is a little dated but it manages to carry a quality look in design with the black background and subtle graphics, the approach is less is more but more would have been better.

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Sculpt/Outfit: ***½
Standing at nearly 17 inches this version is approximately three quarters of an inch shorter than the V2. I read on the internet the height difference between the two was more so I was expecting a statue 2 inches shorter which wasn‘t the case. It is a big statue and it stands out in a prop room. Up close the sculpt suffers in terms of accuracy in portraying Vader even though from a distance it more or less pulls off a decent representation. Especially from certain views. I reviewed the V2 before which has a few similar features. The sculpts are different but some things the V2 inherited from this template. The suit is amongst the best done in the way it has been wrinkled which brings a credibility to the sculpt . The cod and others aspects are passable and while some of the belt box pieces are undersized with an inaccurate buckle all of these sculpted pieces retain a good likeness to the casual Vader fan. Both Dome and facemask are littered with flaws. Possibly amongst the worst thing on the statue is the wonky undersized lightsaber. It really is a poor attempt and not very professional of whoever sculpted this.The pose is based on the promotional Empire shot of Vader and the 2 Stormtroopers with the red background. For the most part it’s been well done and you can see why this statue remains extremely popular with fans. The statue is sculpted by bombyx studios. This V1 came out in 2001 and the V2 was released in 2004.


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Paint: ***½
The paint colours are well done for the most part but the attention to paint detail is lapse. My main complaint really lays with the facemask. No effort has been made to address the correct colour scheme. It was a better effort second time around for the V2 that did tackle this better but on this version it’s pretty poor. The eye lenses are good, the tusk colour is fine, a little slop on the nose and although it’s sculpted badly it’s been over painted giving Vader a big nose. It’s much improved on the V2. nice enough combination of gloss, satin’s and matt’s have been used for the black colours. The chest armour is a nicer colour than the V2, it’s still inaccurate but it’s not an eyesore. The saber could improve as it’s a little sloppy but overall some nice paint work to complement the statue. The chestbox colours are brighter than the V2 but in terms of accuracy colour wise it’s not all that bad. It just gets marked down with attention to detail overall.

Pose: ****½
To date this is the best score I’ve given for a pose. On one hand it should be marked down as it’s not entirely accurate with the exact pose it was aiming for, but then we all understand artistic freedom of expression in not duplicating something as exact. I would prefer if they did but Attakus have given a decent enough pose based on something ESB Fans are familiar with which is the iconic promotional shot of Vader and the troopers which I’ve already referenced to. The $18k bronze ESB statue from sideshow could be considered as the only statue I’ve seen to be on par and even that is hit and miss. The Kotobukiya coming out in May is no different with the pose. I like Vader holding his belt as that’s very much the posture in ESB but this is a nice universal statue. No action, no sweeping capes, no lightsaber in hand, just nice and simplistic.

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Movie Accuracy: ***
While no statue can boast complete accuracy this is actually a good effort as a whole but when scrutinised it’s another matter . Starting with the dome the mid strip is too thin. The Y crease isn’t really evident but there is some care to at least the slope on the peak even if it is flawed. The V2 would just nudge my vote as a better strip etc. The eyebrows, flange thickness, flange length, dome cap are all inaccurate. Some effort to tilt the dome to Vader’s left is present but is still a weak attempt. The dome is sat too low on the eyebrows and while marginally better than the V2 it’s still not the correct set up. The tilt to the slightly bulbous dome makes it look in some shots too long and too short as the correct curvature just isn‘t present in the sculpt. I prefer it than the very short looking dome on the V2 but overall you need a blend of the two domes to create something half decent. The facemask is pretty dire accuracy wise. I can’t see one aspect of the face that is correct. I don’t mean to be overly harsh because everyone would recognise this as Darth Vader and it’s certainly not the worst but add the sculpt in with the non existent colour scheme and it’s frustrating along with little things like the big nose, inaccurate teeth, mouth, cheeks and the neck brace
etc,etc, the neck is a little tucked in too instead of outside the armour and along with the addition of the neck brace it’s out of place. It’s nice to see some semi decent notches and the eye lenses are pretty good too, the mesh is okay and while they aren’t accurate either I can live with the tusks and the chin vent even if it’s too small for Empire. Moving onto the chest armour the sculpt is a little weak in areas, overall it’s good enough but it has some flaws with the curvature and design, it’s nice to see the colour is better than the V2, it’s still not accurate but better in comparison. One of the biggest eye sores for me is the chrome like chain. We know that a cape chain features in ESB and although a couple of scenes do feature the hero wearing this armour it’s not associated as the Empire Vader look so I think it’s a poor show, especially as the reference this statue was based on has no cape chain. The gloves are a nice attempt. Not accurate once again but well done and it creates the desired look good enough. Pity Vader’s right arm is a very fraction short, I know the arm is back a little but in the promo pose both arms are more or less the same length but with the left fingers outstretched more than the promo shot and a slight variation here on this statue such a nit pick can be forgiven. The suit is also well done, amongst the finer points. The sculpt hasn’t allowed for too much accuracy in comparison but it’s a nice enough sculpt. I would’ve liked to see the vest a little more scruffy with a deeper chest sculpted but overall I’m pleased. I don’t think we are ever going to see the seam lines and wonky and differently spaced accurate ribs on a sculpt any time soon. Another strong point is the robes and cape. Not accurate once again but a decent enough attempt. Once more artistic impression is evident as it’s not a dead on match in where the robes should be set. The chestbox does let the statue down as does the helmet. It’s too big, the proportions are very much out. The V2 is more or less the same sculpt but at least they corrected the oversized bottom part of the box. Not one thing here as expected is accurate from the rods to the writing. it’s not the worst I’ve seen but as it’s a fairly big statue it’s a shame more care didn’t go into this. The straps are ok, not set up correctly or coloured properly but it‘s fine as is the chestbox to armour ratio regarding the set up. Onto the belt and boxes, they are an average attempt if that. Undersized for the majority of parts as well as the boxes being too small and spaced too far apart, again it’s nice to see the set up is not symmetrical but a little out here. The cod is amongst the best seen. It doesn’t retain a proper lip like it should but at least the overall attempt is strong. The leg shape, boots and shins are all a decent attempts, nothing is majorly out of place but rather than most companies giving Vader thin feet Attakus have opted for Prowse’s wide feet but have gone overboard as they are too big and too wide, still it could be worse. Finally, the lightsaber is simply poor. Undersized, inaccurate, badly painted and wonky. So after this perceived bashing what makes this ESB Vader? Well, simply put it looks like Vader from this movie and it retains a good overall likeness, it’s just littered with flaws. If I had to correct a few things and not be over fussy on every aspect I would leave everything alone apart from re-sculpt the dome and angle it properly, re-sculpt the face and include the correct colour scheme, remove the cape chain and finally attack the lightsaber and make the chestbox the same size as the V2. That alone would make a lot of difference, it still wouldn’t be perfect but the improvements would show.

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Display Status: ****1/4
This makes for a great display due to it’s perceived quality and size. Attakus is not cheap nor does it show it when on display. The pose makes the statue great in a display either by itself or even better with additional troopers. There is no battle action in the pose so it’s universal and standing at nearly 17 inches it’s a prominent piece. Fairly heavy too and while details are sketchy there is no mistaking this is a
nice statue.

Next to the Attakus V2 which is based more on ROTJ.

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Value: **1/2
This is the most expensive of the three Attakus Vaders that have been released. The retail would vary and the odd one comes up on eBay from time to time but they carry a big asking price everywhere. I’ve seen the price as much as £1k before but it can be anything from £700.00 upwards, if you see it cheaper than you are getting a good deal. It’s normally around £300.00 upwards more than the V2 due to it being rare and in demand. It’s definitely one to hurt the bank but your not left too disappointed as it holds it’s own in any display room.

Overall: ****
Apart from the very high prices of some of the bronze pieces around like the Sideshow ANH Vader at $5k and the noble ESB piece at $18k this is more or less considered the holy grail of Vader statues. It’s a high end collectible and very sought after. To date I still don’t think this one has been beaten for the best Empire Vader taking note of all factors. I like the prospect of the new kotobukiya coming out later in the year and having seen it in person it looks good (if flawed) but even though parts of it are more accurate the two can’t be compared as this is a museum piece quality item. You have to get past the flaws if your fussy because there are a lot of them regarding accuracy to the movie. That cape chain is an eye sore along with the lightsaber, flaws within the helmet and chestbox but the rest can be forgiven and that’s really not bad seeing as the critique these pieces come under when reviewed. You also have to bear in mind this is an official piece and with all the alterations that I would make I wouldn’t give it this rating normally but I mark each statue based on the bigger picture and not just movie accuracy otherwise nothing would get beyond 3 stars. It’s definitely something I would recommend as it’s a great statue. The price is really a factor but it’s satisfying owning something special.

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 Post subject: Re: Attakus V1 Darth Vader - ESB
PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:11 pm 
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It's definitely one of the top ones, I agree. They replicated that poster look pretty convincingly, but save for laserscanning an original helmet and parts, there will always be issues with those hard parts - especially the helmet.

Still the only one I was ever really interested in, but since they are in a larger scale than 1:6 I opted out.

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 Post subject: Re: ESB Darth Vader - Attakus V1
PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:22 pm 
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Attakus seems to have the best representation of Vader..but still not as film accurate as i would like to see.

maybe they will do an ANH Vader one day.


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 Post subject: Re: ESB Darth Vader - Attakus V1
PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:18 pm 
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Also one of my favorites. Even though it has its flaws its still one of my favorites.

With a little luck you can snatch this piece for around 500-600 euros, but mostly it goes for around 1000, which is a bit pricey IMHO


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 Post subject: Re: ESB Darth Vader - Attakus V1
PostPosted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 5:08 pm 
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Sorry for the double post:

I found one on the german ebay which is for a 500 price tag, perhaps one of you might be interested? its a very finde piece for this price:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Attakus-Darth-Va ... SS:DE:3160


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