LEGO’s buildable figures make great toys but, for many adult fans, they lack the detail and nostalgic appeal of models built from System bricks. Star Wars builder Shin Ichirau set about building a better Vader, keeping just the shins, shoulders, and head of the official buildable version and recreating the rest with System elements. The builder focused on capturing Vader’s power with a torso that is more ripped than the on-screen version, but gains aside, Shin’s version is a remarkable likeness. I appreciate the inner robes, often left out from toy depictions of the Sith Lord in favor of just the cape. Shin pairs his poseable Vader with a perfect stand that could be cut straight from the bridge of the Executor.
This isn’t the first Star Wars buildable glow-up we’ve featured on TBB. Pierthviv’s Boba Fett rebuild takes a similar approach with results worth their weight in beskar.