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Darth Vader Voice Changer/Count Dooku's Saber

Drunken Fist is back tonight with a unique review of a couple cool items.  I'll let DF tell you all about it...

I’m only a casual Star Wars collector– under normal circumstances, that is. But the upcoming "Revenge of the Sith" is a movie I’ve wanted to see ever since I was a little kid. I had no idea that prequels would one day be made, but I desperately wanted to see a movie that showed exactly how Vader was born. So naturally, my anticipation for Episode III has been far, far greater than it was for the previous two films, and I’ve been buying merchandise accordingly. On the agenda today are the Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet and Count Dooku’s lightsaber.






Packaging - Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***½, Vader’s Helmet: **½
I really like the packaging for all the Episode II stuff in general; it looks very cool and is quite eye-catching, and it’s pretty much the best packaging I’ve seen in some time. The same basic look is present on both of these items, but it is utilized in different ways on each. I think the light saber packaging is a bit more attractive. There are some rather large photos of the great Christopher Lee as Dooku, with a window displaying the item within. The plastic window behind Dooku is tinted red, with the cardboard crisscrossing the plastic in such a way that it looks like a window frame. Hence, Dooku appears to be standing in front of a large red window. I have to give Hasbro a couple of extra kudos for using different photos and layouts on both sides of the box. Aside from increasing the overall attractive look of the package, it gives retailers more options on how they display the light sabers in their stores. Great work here. The cardboard insert slides out on end of the box. Get rid of one twist tie, and your light saber is free. If you so desire, you can easily place it back in the packaging and display it in the box. I’ll mention here that there are 3 labels on the light saber hilt, displaying various safety warnings. Fortunately, the peel off without much trouble. This is good news, since I’m pretty sure Count Dooku’s light saber doesn’t have little stickers on it warning him not to poke anybody with it. 

Vader’s Helmet looks pretty good on the shelf, but it will be rather tough for you MIB collectors to find one that doesn’t have at least some slight damage. The open design of the package is necessary for the "Try Me!" feature, but it definitely isn’t very sturdy. The process of opening this thing is pretty involved, and I sat staring at it for a couple of minutes trying to decide the best way to go about it. I finally just gave up and cut every piece of tape I saw, then completely disassembled the box from around the cardboard insert. There were three twist ties to remove, and I was in. 

Sculpting - ***1/2
I didn’t surround myself with photo references to compare these items with their onscreen appearances, but they both look pretty damn accurate to me. Aside from the screws necessary for the battery compartment and such, Dooku’s light saber is pretty much exactly how I imagined it to look. The button that activates the sounds and light blends in pretty well. I’ve heard a couple of people complain about it, but honestly, if you’re swatting people with a plastic toy and pretending you’re having an epic Jedi battle, having a button on the side of the hilt isn’t gonna bring the fantasy crashing down. ;) 

Vader’s helmet looks like it ought to. Obviously, the speaker is at the front, as well as the ventilation so you can, you know, breathe, but these are necessary, and don’t really detract much from the look. I’ll point this out here, since there’s really no better place to do it. The lenses over the eyes are very lightly tinted, and people will be able to see some of your face underneath the helmet. This is permissible, however, since you need to be able to see while wearing this thing. It will fit just about any size head. There is an adjustable headband on the back side of the mask, and the helmet snaps into place over it. I’m sure there are some people who can point out a dozen little flaws here and there, but that would really be nitpicking. It’s immediately recognizable as the big bad ass, and for just about everyone, it’ll pass muster.

Paint - **1/2
The paint is pretty standard fare for a mass-marketed item, so no big surprises here. With so few paint apps, however, it is a bit disappointing to see slop and bleed on these. There’s plenty of slop on the hilt of Dooku’s light saber, but fortunately, none of it is really bad. You won’t notice it unless you’re looking at it very closely. Vader’s helmet is a mixed bag. The little red and silver buttons on the chest plate are done perfectly on mine, but the silver bars running down both sides of the buttons had considerable over spray. The silver portions on the actual helmet are almost perfect, fortunately. 

Action Features - Vader’s Helmet: ***½, Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***
I was reeeeeaally tempted to give Vader’s Helmet a perfect score, but looking at it as impartially as I could, I couldn’t really do that in good conscience. The number of movie phrases is pretty limited, and they left out some pretty damn good lines in favor of a couple of head-scratchers that they chose to include. Vader says:

"Don’t make me destroy you."

"You don’t know the power of the dark side!"

"There is no escape."

"The Force is with you."

"Your powers are weak."

And that’s all she wrote. I really think they should have included about twice as many lines, including one of my favorites, "I have you now!" That one is all in the delivery, it’s such and ominous declaration coming from Vader. The breathing noises sound perfect. But honestly, everyone is gonna buy this thing for the voice changing feature. We’re in luck, since it works pretty well. The mask is in demo mode when you open it up, and there are 3 settings for the voice changer. You’ll have to experiment with them to find the best one. I have to use the first setting, and I sound almost exactly like Vader. I tried the other settings, and on the lowest, I sounded like Satan himself. The microphone inside the mask is adjustable, and is essential to getting the voice changer to work properly. Get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible for the best results. It would be nice if you didn’t have to press the button whenever you want to use the voice change feature, but that’s how it is.

This thing is a pure delight. I was already singing the praises of the animatronic Yoda, telling my friends I no longer needed them now that Yoda had arrived and swearing to keep him on my dashboard to talk trash to cops at roadblocks. The Vader voice changer has joined him as one of my greatest purchases ever. I’m not gonna start a cult centered around the helmet or anything, but we’re not too far from that. The thing is just great. I probably tell one of my friends to go to hell or to kiss my ass at least once a day, but when I tell them in Vader’s voice, it’s totally different. When they hear that in Vader’s voice, they feel compelled to OBEY. People are just afraid to defy a guy like Vader, even if they know in their hearts that its just a guy in a plastic helmet. I haven’t paid for a meal since I got this thing, all I have to do is command people to "BUY MY FOOD" and they know they must do as Vader says. The power is mine, muahahaha.

Dooku’s light saber doesn’t exactly take me to the same giddy heights that Vader’s helmet does, but it’s pretty cool for what it is. I had several light sabers to choose from, and I chose Dooku because 1. I love Christopher Lee, and 2. I really like the unique design of his light saber. Simply press the button and you hear the light saber "ignition" sound, and the blade lights up. It makes sounds when you move it, and makes crashing sounds when it hits something. When you press the button again, it makes the power down sound, and the light goes out. I should mention that the light bulb is included, but the 2 size C batteries you need are not. Make sure you pick some up at the store when you get this. 

Fun Factor - ****
Anything that makes a grown man who is unaccustomed to surrendering his dignity by wearing plastic helmets gush like this has to be loads of fun. They’re a bit large for small children, but they’ll tolerate that in exchange for playing with this great stuff, believe me. I’ll probably pick up another helmet and a Vader lightsaber for my nephew’s birthday, because I know he’ll be drooling over this when he sees it. These two are tremendous fun for people of all ages. I bet even my grandma would be all over these if she knew about them.

Value - Vader’s Helmet: ***3/4 Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***
Being as impartial as I can be, I must give these two items less than perfect scores here. I’m damn close to giving Vader’s helmet ****, but I still think there should have been more movie phrases included, particularly at this price. Still, at $25, it’s essential for even the casual Star Wars fan. Dooku’s light saber is less of a solid value, as you’re paying for something that you can buy a generic version of for about $10 less. Granted, those aren’t quite up to the same quality as this one, but I still think this is a few dollars too high. I’m well aware that the Star Wars license must cost a bundle, but I really feel these electronic light sabers should be around $12, rather than $15. Of course, they’re $20 at Toys R Us, so maybe I should just shut my mouth and be glad I didn’t buy it there.

Overall - Vader’s Helmet: ****, Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***½
Minor issues aside, I happier with these purchases than I have been with anything I’ve bought in a while. The light sabers all have the same basic features, so you can’t go wrong as long as you pick whichever one you like the most. Without shelling out $150 for the Master Replicas light sabers, these are about as close as you can get. Vader’s helmet is an absolute must-own. If you collect any kind of Star Wars merchandise whatsoever, YOU HAVE TO BUY THE DARTH VADER VOICE CHANGER HELMET. It’s just too damn good to pass up. I tossed on the cloak from my old Skeletor Halloween costume and modeled my these for you all. I had to take the photo myself, mainly because I didn’t want to ask any of my friends to take pictures of my wearing a velvet cape and a plastic mask. You’ll have to forgive the T-shirt, but I’m convinced that if Vader lived in America, he’d wear a Shaft T-shirt. 

Things to watch out for: 
Look over you Vader helmet very carefully before buying. Items packaged in an open box frequently get damaged, and I saw several damaged Vader helmets when I bought mine. Make sure you pick up some size C batteries for the light saber before you leave the store, to avoid having to make a special trip later. 

Score recap
Packaging - Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***½, Vader’s Helmet: **½
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - **1/2
Action Features - Vader’s Helmet: ***½, Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - Vader’s Helmet: ***3/4 Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***
Overall - Vader’s Helmet: ****, Dooku’s Lightsaber: ***½

Where to Buy -
EVERYWHERE! I’ve seen these pretty much everywhere I been that sells toys, so finding these shouldn’t present the slightest problem.


Figure from the collection of Drunken Fist.

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