I wrote an article a little while ago about the progression of LEGO Anakin Skywalker figures, showing how he progressed from innocent, fresh faced young boy to dark, brooding sociopath in the clutches of the dark side of the Force.
As I got to the end of the article, though, I wasn’t sure how to finish. Should I feature only those LEGO figures that show Anakin as a ‘human’ (i.e. before he donned the Vader helmet), or should I just go on all the way through to the Vader phase?
The question wasn’t even as simple as that. There are a couple of Anakin/Vader LEGO figures that straddle the line between the two characters. In the end I decided to end the article where Anakin was still Anakin, and instead write a new piece about the Vader figures.
Here, then, is a buying guide to the LEGO Darth Vader figures, including every Darth Vader LEGO figure currently available.
Darth Vader Transformation
Formerly exclusive to the Star Wars LEGO set Darth Vader Transformation (set 7251), this figure shows Anakin Skywalker in his final moments before becoming Darth Vader. With his severed right hand replaced by a prosthetic after his battle with Count Dooku and his hair burned off after his standoff with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin is badly injured and close to death.
This is the final figure in which Vader’s head is exposed, at least until his final moments before death at the end of Return of the Jedi.
Darth Vader is Born
Finally, in his 8th incarnation, we finally see Anakin Skywalker transformed into Darth Vader. All emotion is stripped away to be replaced by cold obedience to the Emperor.
This figure includes Vader’s red lightsaber with a silver handle, Vader’s cloak and a removable helmet, exposing Vader’s gray, lifeless face beneath the mask.
Battle Damaged Darth Vader
And finally, just moments before his death, we discover Vader as the human he is, along with all of his human frailties. His black suit and helmet, for years seen as a terrifying uniform, are now exposed as what they are: an elaborate life support system, the only thing keeping a physically destroyed man alive.
This figure comes with a battle damaged helmet, red lightsaber and damaged black suit.
