The first two chapters of the saga deal with Vader before he becomes Vader, and are their to set the framework that will lead to his eventual fall from grace and recovery. The Phantom Menace shows a young Anakin, and proves that once upon a time he was actually an innocent and good child. Attack of the Clones showed him maturing into a hot-tempered young man, and proved that bad acting and loads of special effects would lead to plenty of money at the box office. Episode three will deal with Anakin's fall and his transformation into Darth Vader.

Darth Vader is the most recognizable character from the Star Wars movies, dressed in his jet black armor wearing a fearsome mask. The character is tall and imposing, but what truly defines his menace is the mixture of his rasping breathing noises and the authoritative voice of James Earl Jones. Making your first screen appearance by choking a man to death one-handed while holding him two feet off the ground doesn't hurt either.

The bust has been created with Vader posed to either choke an enemy via the Force (i.e. bad use of the force), or perhaps he is calling to Luke in Bespin, asking him to 'Join me!'. Either way, the pose is pure Vader, and the bust has come out perfectly. If you disagree, I find your lack of faith disturbing.

See the Big Picture

Gentle Giant Studios has been building a reputation for outstanding work and for working on the biggest licenses around. When you are knee deep in work on Star Wars, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man and the Matrix you have indeed hit the big time. The work that Gentle Giant does involves the use of computers and lasers combined with a cadre of elite artists to turn what you see on the screen into something you can take home.

Gentle Giant continues to work with many other companies in a variety of products, but the line of Star Wars mini-busts represents a chance for the company to create some work on its own. Gentle Giant is working with Dark Horse Comics for distribution of the busts. Star Wars fans will be familiar with the comic incarnations of Star Wars that Dark Horse has been publishing for over a decade, and this was a key factor in the two companies allying.

The result is a line of mini-busts with unparalleled accuracy to the source material. Gentle Giant has used laser scanning and computers to scan in props, actors and costumes to make accurate copies of the various characters. Then they can change the scale of the busts to any size (in this case the scaling works out to be about the same as the Diamond Select Rogue's Gallery line) and use that to create the mini-busts. The mini-bust is numbered (on the bust and box) and limited to a run of 3500 pieces. The bust was first released at the end of 2002, around the same time as Yoda and there is also a certificate of authenticity included with the piece. The line continues to grow with a Boba Fett bust due out next as well as pieces from the Matrix sequels and Terminator 3.

Where to buy Darth Vader: This mini bust is a limited edition of 3,500 and it retails in the $39 to $50 USD price range. Star Wars mini busts are available at trend and specialty stores, as well as various online toy and collectible retailers. Several such online stores are RTM sponsors AisleSniper.com, The Outer Reaches, Beanstoys.com, and Action Figure Xpress. (Be sure to check the other RTM sponsors, listed on the Shop Center.) If you can't find Darth Vader at retail, you may want to try checking eBay.

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Boba Fett RTMisc