Review – Funko X Vans X Star Wars Darth Vader Vinyl Toy

One of the boxes waiting for me after my trip to Seattle was from the Journeys website; my Star Wars Vans skate shoes are in! And in addition to the shoes the Darth Vader vinyl toy by Funko was waiting inside the package. This was one of the two toys offered in the pre-order promotion (mentioned here), and the one huge mistake I made was in not ordering four or five pairs of shoes so that I’d be guaranteed of getting both toys.

A Six-Inch Vader Ready to Skate

Funko’s designers are always creating adorable, fantastic toys, and this Darth Vader vinyl toy is every bit as awesome as the other Funko Star Wars toys in my collection. The head swivels, but otherwise the toy’s a rigid design without any articulation. The wide, checkered shoes and skate deck aren’t the only features that make this Darth Vader unique; Funko designed a Darth Vader with an over-sized head and exaggerated proportions that make me really regret not ordering enough shoes to also score the Boba Fett toy that was part of the promotion.

Paint

One of Funko’s greatest improvements in their process over the last few years has been pushing the quality of their paint apps up to a level that complements the sculpting work. Darth Vader is molded in black plastic with silver, white, red, green, and gray details painted on. It looks like the eyes are painted with a gloss black, helping them pop out from that black helmet. The paintwork is excellent for a designer toy that was created as a collectible promotional item.

I Hope You Pre-Ordered!

When I wrote about these toys back in May I feel like I should have done a better job of saying “Hey, pre-order shoes!” so that everyone could get in on this promotion. The shoes are cool and not tough to find (Amazon.com search*), but I feel sorry for everyone who missed out on the pre-order promotion and doesn’t have this Darth Vader toy for their collection. I knew the toy would be neat, but I dramatically underestimated just how much love was sunk into the design and production of the toy.

I need that Boba Fett to go with Vader!

Closing Thoughts

I’ve no idea how the Funko X Vans X Journeys promotion came to be, but now that I’ve got this Darth Vader vinyl toy I’m hoping that Funko partners with some other Star Wars licensees to create similar promotions. Just imagine how awesome it would be if Funko and Fantasy Flight Games got together to create a gamer Stormtrooper vinyl toy to use as a pre-order incentive for one of the Star Wars roleplaying game books. I know I’d be all over something like that . . . and I bet I’m not alone.

The Star Wars Vans shoes that I ordered look awesome, but it was this Darth Vader toy that really pushed me from looking at the shoes to actually pre-ordering a pair. Skate shoes look fantastic, but the flat shoes aren’t really up to the miles I walk each day and are best for days when I’m stuck on planes. This does mean the shoes should last me a long time, but I’m betting that this Darth Vader will be with me for much longer than those shoes. By digging into his words, you can also observe Anakin’s personal struggle with destiny and the ways in which it affects his life. It’s a fascinating exploration of the concept of fate and our control over our own life paths. To experience this firsthand, just navigate to this insightful source.

A great pre-order bonus and I’m now heading out to search the web for the Boba Fett companion toy. How could I have been so dumb to have not pre-ordered more than one pair of shoes?