Reviewing Fanhome’s Darth Vader 1:2 Scale Build-Up Subscription Stages 60-64

You may be thinking that there have been an awful lot of these Fanhome Star Wars Darth Vader 1:2 Scale Build-Up Subscription* reviews this week. There have been, indeed. A backup in the supply chain caused Build Stage 39 to be held up for nearly eight months. That one little part finally made its way across the ocean from the factory to the Fanhome’s warehouse, from that warehouse to Fanhome’s new warehouse, and then through a few shipping depots to my front door. That left me with thirty build stages to do on my birthday weekend, and boy howdy. It was a hell of a lot of fun. 

I still have five stages in the can after I complete this article, and then we’ll be back on the regular monthly schedule and I’ll be more than halfway done with this build. Let’s get into it. 

Build Stage 60

Stage 60’s magazine has a second installment on Mother Talzin, mother of one of the baddest looking villains in the Star Wars Universe: Darth Maul. The backup piece features Edmond Rampart.

This build stage requires screwing together the two hard rubber pieces that comprise Vader’s lightsaber wielding right hand, and part of the hilt of his lightsaber. When the two hand parts are fixed together, the wiring harness from the previously assembled lightsaber top pulls through the hand to attach to a coupler in the right wrist. 

Build Stage 61

This stage’s reading material focuses on the Acolytes of the Beyond and Dengar. 

The 61st build stage completes the lightsaber, with the other half of the handle, an internal speaker, and some little shiny bits and doodads to trim it out. The instructions usually say something like “If any pieces don’t stay on securely, use cyanoacrylate to fix them in place,” but while the lightsaber isn’t completely secure, I am not ready to enclose that speaker or any of the wiring until I have tested the sound and light functions down the line. There’s no rush, and the looseness of the lightsaber joints won’t affect any upcoming build stages in any way at all. 

Build Stage 62

Ochi of Bestoon gets the lead article in this stage’s literature. The backup piece is on Jabba the Hutt’s uncle, Ziro the Hutt. 

With both arms, both hands, and both alternate sets of hands completed, now we’re moving on to the legs with Lord Vader’s right knee joint, affixing the friction disc and mobile knee bar to the right knee base.

Build Stage 63

This stage’s magazine has articles on Ninth Sister and Latts Razzi.

The build stage completes the right knee joint with the other friction disc, the other right mobile knee bar, and the other half of the right knee base. 

Build Stage 64

Stage 64’s articles include a second installment on Supreme Leader Snoke, with a backup article on Rukh.

With this build stage, the rear right thigh gets attached to the knee joint with support bases.

Things are really coming together, and it’s pretty clear looking at the assembled parts that I have that we’re getting past the halfway point pretty soon. I have two complete arms, two sets of hands, a complete lightsaber, the complete helmet, shoulder armor, a half completed right leg, and a few other assorted parts. I do wish Fanhome provided a power source to check the connections on that lightsaber (or to play with it, as you do), but there are actually notes in all the magazines since the lightsaber parts started arriving that make it very clear that the lightsaber is not a toy, and that it won’t get powered up until way down the line. Bummer. 

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