Reviewing Fanhome’s ‘Darth Vader’ 1:2 Scale Build-Up Subscription Stages 39-43

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to work on my half-sized Sith Lord subscription*, due to a back-ordered part that was originally due last November. Some wild combination of manufacturing issues, shipping, tariffs, and Fanhome moving their entire fulfillment department from one warehouse to another caused Build Stage 39 to be held up until last week, when it arrived alongside Stages 65-69. 

Its arrival means I now have about thirty individual build stages to complete, and when those are done, I’ll be more than halfway through this build. Let’s get to it. 

Build Stage 39

The magazine in this stage has a feature explaining the differences between the light and dark sides of the force and a piece on Krrsantan, the gladiator/bounty hunter/Wolverine Wookiee. 

The build involves assembling Lord Vader’s left palm and attaching the four fingers and thumb from way back in October. The assembled hand is well articulated, allowing it to be positioned and fixed in most natural hand positions. No issues whatsoever making the half-sized Sith Lord flip people off, make the shaka sign, or play the circle game. Yes, I am basically a twelve year old. 

Build Stage 40

Stage forty’s magazine has a long piece on Supreme Leader Snoke’s origin and rise to power after being rejected by Palpatine, his genetic progenitor. There’s also a shorter piece on DJ, played by Benicio Del Toro, who was originally cast as Darth Maul, but reportedly left Episode 1 when Maul’s speaking lines were drastically cut, leaving the door wide open for Ray Park to give a masterclass on stunt martial arts.

This build stage involves constructing an approximation of the human wrist joint, which is impressive. The radiocarpal joint in your wrist is unique. The shape of the bones and their relationships to each other allow flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction – without axial rotation. These condyloid joints only occur in four places in your entire body; the base of each finger, the base of each toe, the wrist, and the jaw. They aren’t easy to mimic or duplicate, but Fanhome has done an excellent job with it here.

Build Stage 41

This installment’s magazine has a long feature on Sheev Palpatine’s rise following the end of the Clone Wars and the dismantling of the Republic. The secondary feature is a highlight on Cad Bane, a ruthless bounty hunter who did all right for himself before going up against a minor character you may have heard a little about. Some cat called Boba Fett?

The build stage involves assembling half of the left elbow joint. This isn’t nearly as complex as that wrist, but does actually require movement in two separate joints where you might expect just the one. 

Build Stage 42

Stage 42’s magazine has a piece on Vader’s ultimate redemption after discovering (Spoiler!) that he has a living son. This revelation changed his entire motivation and outlook, though it did come very late in his storyline, only moments before he expired from injuries sustained at the end of Star Wars: Episode IV- Return of the Jedi. 

The second piece in this magazine features a character that personally fascinates me, General Grievous. Unfortunately, the article focuses on the first time we see Grievous on the big screen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I’d really like to see some information on how the multi-armed cyborg achieved his current state.

The build stage in this installment completes the left elbow joint. 

Build Stage 43

This magazine has pieces on Fifth Brother and 4-LOM. I do enjoy these little deep dives into some of the lesser characters in the Star Wars universe, but I do miss the physical copies of these magazines. It’s a little awkward scrolling through the PDFs for these articles, which are obviously designed for print. 

The actual build involves assembling Darth Vader’s left forearm and attaching it to the left wrist and the lower end of the elbow joint we completed in the last stage. The joint is a little stiff, but I believe it will loosen up a little when the upper arm is attached. It’s likely a leverage issue. 

The build is coming together nicely. It’s getting easier to see the finished vision. I have most of the helmet, most of the lightsaber, the shoulder armor, and now half an arm. Playing with this arm gives a sense of scale. It’s not easy to imagine exactly how big a 1:2 scale human is, but holding a complete hand attached to a completed forearm makes it a little easier to estimate how big the final piece will be. 

I have a few active subscriptions with Fanhome, and I’m getting notices on all of them regarding shipping and manufacturing delays. It happens. Things are complicated with international trade routes and manufacturing, which slows down fulfillment, but it’s clear that Fanhome is working hard to resolve the issues as quickly as they can. Thankfully on this sub, I have 30 or so more stages to complete while I wait for the next package.

*Fanhome provides this subscription to me free of charge for the purposes of review.