Darth Vader ESB Black Series 2020 40th Anniversary New Sculpt | Phase 4 | FigureShelf

Overview

Darth Vader at the ESB 40th Anniversary lineup is the Black Series tribute release of the Sith Lord at his Empire Strikes Back configuration — David Prowse and James Earl Jones’s Vader at the height of his on-screen menace, between the Hoth pursuit and the Cloud City lightsaber duel. Released September/October 2020 single-carded in Hasbro’s 40th The Empire Strikes Back Collection. Mainline non-exclusive at $19.99. 19-joint articulation. Three accessories: a red lightsaber hilt with removable red blade, plus a soft-goods inner-and-outer robe configuration. The figure is identical to a companion Black Series Vader release (figure id=25784) shipped at the same time in different packaging — same body sculpt, different cardback.

ESB-Specific Sculpt vs the ANH Vader

This figure is structurally distinct from prior Black Series Vader releases — Hasbro tooled an ESB-accurate sculpt rather than re-using the ANH-era body engineering. Detailed reviewers’ direct assessment is unambiguous: this version of Darth Vader is truly fantastic. When compared to the ANH version (the Legacy Pack Vader at #P4-40A-00 from 2017), this ESB release carries multiple film-specific detail improvements that distinguish it from the broader Vader sculpt catalogue.

Three specific ESB-accurate details worth flagging:

Wider chin vent on the helmet — the breathing apparatus geometry on the helmet’s lower face area was modified to match the screen-accurate ESB-era helmet configuration (the chin vents subtly changed across the trilogy films as production refined the costume).
Different ESB-accurate chest box with Hebrew writing — the chest box equipment carries the screen-accurate Hebrew text inscription that appears on Vader’s ESB-era costume but not the ANH version. This is one of the most-noticed costume details among Vader collectors and Hasbro committed to the screen-accurate text rather than generic chest box decoration.
Inner robe tucked in underneath the shoulder armour — the layered fabric configuration runs the inner robe under the shoulder armour pieces rather than over them, capturing the screen-accurate ESB costume layering that distinguishes this Vader appearance from the ANH and ROTJ configurations.

For collectors who care about screen-accurate film-specific detail, this figure delivers more than the standard “Vader in any era” approach. The ESB-specific commitments make it the definitive Black Series Empire Strikes Back-era Vader.

The Soft-Goods Inner and Outer Robes

It’s possible to pop the helmet off and remove the outer and inner soft-goods robes. Same dual-layer fabric robe configuration as the Legacy Pack Vader — an inner robe and an outer robe that can both be removed via head disassembly. The inner and outer soft-goods robes might look bulky in the images, but they feel and look just right in person — same source material commitment, same in-hand quality reading.

The layered fabric configuration creates the screen-accurate visual depth that Vader’s costume design depends on. For collectors who want kitbashing flexibility or alternative undersuit display, the removable robes support both the with-robes (canonical) and without-robes (alternative) configurations.

The Lightsaber

Vader’s lightsaber comes with a removable red blade. Once the blade is taken off the hilt it can be hung from a hook on Darth Vader’s belt — supporting both the saber-on (deployed combat) and saber-off-stowed (canonical at-rest) display configurations. The figure is able to hold the lightsaber well in both hands. Standard Vader weapon configuration that captures the screen-accurate Sith combat-and-presentation poses.

The Permanent Helmet

There is no head underneath the helmet. Standard Black Series Vader design choice — single masked configuration without unmasked Anakin reveal-state head sculpt. The figure ships in the canonical helmeted configuration consistent with the broader Black Series Vader approach.

The Correct Height

Hasbro gave Vader the correct height and he stands about one head taller than a regular 6-inch Star Wars action figure in The Black Series. Same scale-up engineering as the Legacy Pack Vader — appropriate to the character’s source material physical presence rather than fitting to the standard 6-inch baseline. For collectors building character-pairing displays where height differential matters (Vader vs Luke at the Cloud City duel, Vader vs Han Solo, Vader vs Lando), the proper scale-up reads correctly on the shelf.

Articulation

19 joints. Ball-jointed top neck, ball-jointed lower neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel joints above knees, swivel joints below knees, ball-jointed ankles. High joint count for a Phase 3-tooled mainline release — substantially above the 17-joint baseline. The dual-axis knee articulation supports dynamic combat-pose configurations across the figure’s range of motion.

Darth Vader stands well on display even in dynamic poses — the figure handles the standard Sith Lord configurations (saber-deployed combat stance, two-handed lightsaber bracing, Force-gesture display) without joint drift or balance problems.

Distribution and Pricing

Standard mainline ESB 40th Anniversary release at $19.99 through wide retail channels — Target, Walmart, Amazon, hobby shops. The mainline distribution and the standard pricing make this Vader accessible despite the new sculpt commitment. Aftermarket pricing on the secondary market has remained reasonable due to broad initial availability.

The companion non-anniversary release (figure id=25784) shipped at the same time in different packaging — same body sculpt, different cardback configuration. For collectors who want the ESB 40th commemorative cardback specifically, this is the version to purchase; for collectors who want the same figure in standard Phase 4 Black Series packaging, the companion release covers that configuration.

For collectors building the complete ESB 40th Anniversary lineup, this Vader pairs specifically with Luke Skywalker (Bespin) for the Cloud City duel display configuration, with Han Solo (Bespin) at #P4-40A-HB3 and Han Solo (Carbonite) at #P4-40A-CARB for the carbon-freezing chamber sequence, and with the broader ESB ensemble (Boba Fett ESB at #P4-40A-BF3, Lando at #P4-40A-LC4, Chewbacca ESB at #P4-40A-CH3) for the complete Cloud City sequence.

Other Darth Vader Figures

Darth Vader has been one of the most-released characters in the entire Hasbro Star Wars catalogue. Other notable releases include the Power of the Force 2 ROTJ-era version (figure id=163), the Shadows Of The Empire 2-pack with Prince Xizor (figure id=192), the Legacy Collection Comic 2-Pack (figure id=289), the 30th Anniversary Force Unleashed Battle Damaged version (figure id=395), the Legacy Collection Crimson Empire 6-Pack (figure id=414), and the 30th Anniversary Star Wars Infinities #4 release (figure id=466). The ESB 40th Anniversary release joins this multi-decade catalogue as the dedicated ESB-era flagship figure.

Secondary Market

Single-carded mainline release on Kenner-style commemorative cardback, September/October 2020. Available at MSRP through standard retail and the secondary market with broad availability. Verify the lightsaber hilt, the removable red blade, and both the inner and outer soft-goods robes are all included. The blade is the small component most likely to be lost during transit.

Verdict

Darth Vader at the 2020 ESB 40th Anniversary line is one of the better Vader figures in the entire Black Series catalogue — the ESB-specific sculpt commitments (wider chin vent, Hebrew chest box detail, tucked-in inner robe) make this the definitive Empire Strikes Back-era Vader rather than a generic re-release of prior tooling. The dual-layer soft-goods robe configuration captures the screen-accurate fabric layering, the lightsaber’s belt-mounted hilt storage supports dual-state weapon display, the height scale-up reads correctly against human-scale figures, and the figure handles dynamic combat poses without balance issues.

The lack of an unmasked-Anakin reveal head sculpt is the figure’s most defensible structural negative. The duplicate companion release in different packaging (figure id=25784) means collectors picking between the two are choosing on cardback preference rather than figure differentiation.

Buy this figure if you collect the ESB 40th Anniversary line as a complete set, if you want the most ESB-accurate Black Series Vader available, if you build Cloud City duel dioramas with Luke Bespin, or if you appreciate Hasbro’s commitment to film-specific costume detail that distinguishes the Vader-across-the-trilogy character class. Detailed reviewers’ direct verdict captures it: it’s a great figure all around, make sure to add this one to your Black Series 6-inch collection.

The Sith Lord with the ESB-specific costume detail commitment. The Vader with the wider chin vent and the Hebrew chest box. The figure that justifies its purchase even for collectors with prior Black Series Vader tooling. Mainline distribution, September/October 2020.

Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 40th Anniversary Collection. Related: Darth Vader Legacy Pack P4-40A-00 | Boba Fett (ESB) P4-40A-BF3 | Han Solo (Carbonite) P4-40A-CARB.