With Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes a bunch of new characters that fans of the saga have already embraced, but will any of them ever hold a candle — or lightsaber — to Vader? Not when there’s a giant animated action figure now available in his likeness.
You may not have heard of Thinkway Toys before, but in addition to that remote control walking AT-AT, the company has just announced a collection of large-scale action figures that do more than just strike a pose. But we’re not just talking some cheesy battle-action feature; this 43-centimetre Darth Vader figure talks, moves, and responds to how kids play with it.
With 31 points of articulation kids can finally make Vader do their bidding, but as it’s being played with the figure will actually react by moving his head, upper torso, and left arm. It also talks, using original James Earl Jones quotes from the Star Wars films for authenticity, and even has a separate speaker system for generating lightsaber sound effects.
Because not only does Vader’s lightsaber glow, as kids move his right arm it also makes synchronised whirring sound effects. And depending on how aggressively they swing the saber around, Vader will respond with taunts, or appreciation of a child’s skills. That also helps explain why this action figure costs $US130.
If Darth Vader isn’t your favourite character, though, don’t worry. Thinkway Toys has also released interactive versions of Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and a Stormtrooper, much to the chagrin of Star Wars completists with limited budgets. [Thinkway Toys via ToyNews]
