Last year, Disney introduced their own line of Star Wars clothed action figures. The figures are exclusive to Disney Stores and (likely) Disney Parks. They stand between 10″ and 11″ tall, have over 30 points of articulation, cloth outfits, accessories and interchangeable hands. Disney was clearly taking aim at the collectors market with these while keeping the price relatively low ($35 each). Between Christmas sales and my birthday (early January) I have a few of these Star Wars Elite Premium Series figures, and will be taking a look at them two at a time. Today I have a gallery featuring the Darth Vader and the Kylo Ren figures.
After the jump find over 40 photos and a write up on my thoughts for both figures.
Star Wars Elite Premium Series Darth Vader and Kylo Ren
Pros
- Impressive amount of articulation
- Very sturdy figures
- Strong joints
- Really nice sculpted details
- Cloth outfits don’t hinder much of the articulation
- Easy to interchange parts
- Good value for price
Cons
- Some of the cloth is a little too bulky
- Lightsabers are bendy
- No light up Lightsabers
- Removing from packaging is an absolute chore
Overall
I give a lot of credit to Disney here. They saw the market for quality 1/6 scale Star Wars figures from both Sideshow and Hot Toys and wanted to cater to fans who don’t want to spend that much on a nice figure. So they came up with their own line of collector oriented, but wallet friendly figures that come in just a little smaller than the 1/6 scale figures fans have come to know and love. While these will never be mistaken for a Hot Toys or Sideshow figure, what they have accomplished is impressive.
The figures are coming packaged in large, easy to display window boxes. The design of the packaging in minimal, but fairly elegant, with a metallic theme featuring color accents. The colors appear to depend on the type of story the figures are based on. Every one of the figures from the Skywalker saga has red accents, while the figures from Rogue One include blue accents. Inside, the figures sit on cardboard trays. Sit is probably the wrong term. These figures are attached to the backers in a way I have never come across. Disney uses a mix of twist ties, twine, and plastic tacks to hold these figures firmly in place. I have never seen a company use actual twine to tie figures down, and Disney uses it in as many as 5 places. With Kylo Ren, they actually left a space in his cloth outfit to slide a twist tie inside it and around the ball joint on his waist. Removing the figures from the packaging is time consuming and frustrating. so set aside a good 15 minutes per figure.
Once removed from their packaging, the figures are fairly impressive to behold. The sculpted details is outstanding, with very accurate helmets for both Vader and Kylo Ren. The figures appear to use standard body types, and the articulation on them is exceptional. Double jointed elbows and knees, multiple swivels on the arms and legs, ball jointed torsos, articulated feet, and much more. The range of motion puts a lot of other figures to shame. The joints were all fairly tight with no locking issues. The figures use cloth outfits and they’re, for the most art, pretty good. Vader’s outfit feels much less bulkier and a bit more screen accurate than Kylo Ren’s does. Ren’s uses a much thicker thread than the assorted fabrics on Vader’s outfit. It’s only really an issue on Kylo Ren’s hood and, for lack of a better term, shawl. His main outfit flows much better. Vader’s fabrics look great, with a beautifully thick cape that doesn’t weigh the figure down. The faux leather used for the torso, arms and legs feels just a little too thick, but pulls off the look perfectly. It only seems to hinder the shoulder articulation a bit, but has enough room to allow for the elbows and bicep swivels to bend with an almost full range of motion. I’m personally ok with the fabric look here, as both figures look outstanding in person.
My only real complain with the figures is the lightsabers. The blades for both are situated in the packaging in a way that causes them to bend. If they were a sturdier plastic, that wouldn’t be an issue. Also, if they had light up LED functions, they would really complete the look. Thankfully, regular lightsaber hilts are included as well, so you can dimply display them with those.
I am quite happy with these figures. The value is tremendous (especially considering these were both purchased for under $23 each). They have great sculpts, decent fabric outfits and excellent articulation. If you’re looking for larger scale Star Wars figures without breaking the bank on a Hot Toys or Sideshow release, it’s hard not to recommend these. Check out some highlight photos below with the full gallery after that.
CompaniesDisney
CharactersDarth VaderKylo Ren
Sub-LineElite Series