What is Your favorite Vader Costume and Why?

[Imperial Weapon]

I think ROTJ might be my favourite because it's the most intimidating due to the hinged bells making him look more bulky, the lightsabre's probably my favourite lightsabre yet, I like how his eyes look gold in certain scenes, the 'surprised' look IMO is scarier than ANH because when a bloke comes to hit ya in real life he's gonna have eyes wide open he's not gonna come at ya with a frown, the chest box's larger rounder edges give the details a 'fuller' look as the front square face of the chest box is smaller, its the shiniest out of the original three (I can't bear not sealing metallic paint.) and finally most convenient of all they have a chain hook on the armour.

 

[lethyry]

tough call, love the ROTJ helmet buts it takes a back seat to the ESB hero, the brow wonkyness, the dome strip make it first for me, that being said the ROTJ belt is my favourite, the thinner belt has always looked better to me, along with the one big stud and mismatched green shades on the lights

 

[CT1138]

ESB all the way! The mirror polished armor is just so intimidating, especially the way the set lighting bounces off of it. RotJ lost that look about halfway through the movie, but ESB carries it all the way.

 

[Imperial Weapon]

ESB all the way! The mirror polished armor is just so intimidating, especially the way the set lighting bounces off of it. RotJ lost that look about halfway through the movie, but ESB carries it all the way.

I was referring to the hangar scenes also ESB had no clear coat (so I've heard).

 

[Imperial Weapon]

tough call, love the ROTJ helmet buts it takes a back seat to the ESB hero, the brow wonkyness, the dome strip make it first for me, that being said the ROTJ belt is my favourite, the thinner belt has always looked better to me, along with the one big stud and mismatched green shades on the lights

Well yes I get what you say about the brows but as I said I find the 'surprised' look more intimating also the weird thing is I prefer the weathering of the ESB belt boxes, I dunno it was a tough call to tell the truth I change my mind all the time when it comes to my favourite Vader as I like all of them but for different reasons (yes that goes for ROTS and RO.) so I tried to imagine what would be the scariest one up close.

 

[russellsch]

I love the ESB! #1 all the way, for me.
I love menacing look of ANH as well, but Empire Vader bears it.
ROTJ, I think is a beautiful work of art, however... I don’t like how they filmed it. Kershner knew how to light it, to really show it off. & his camera angles were better as well. Marquands lighting, you lost the details in all black. Then, his camera angles have always bugged me. It’s like every time you see Vader in Jedi, you’re looking up his nose.

 

[Imperial Weapon]

I love the ESB! #1 all the way, for me.
I love menacing look of ANH as well, but Empire Vader bears it.
ROTJ, I think is a beautiful work of art, however... I don’t like how they filmed it. Kershner knew how to light it, to really show it off. & his camera angles were better as well. Marquands lighting, you lost the details in all black. Then, his camera angles have always bugged me. It’s like every time you see Vader in Jedi, you’re looking up his nose.

Can't argue against that I get the feeling Marquand didn't care about Vader that much.

 

[Gregatron]

I love the ESB! #1 all the way, for me.
I love menacing look of ANH as well, but Empire Vader bears it.
ROTJ, I think is a beautiful work of art, however... I don’t like how they filmed it. Kershner knew how to light it, to really show it off. & his camera angles were better as well. Marquands lighting, you lost the details in all black. Then, his camera angles have always bugged me. It’s like every time you see Vader in Jedi, you’re looking up his nose.

DP Peter Suschitzky is a genius, and ESB still--by far--has the best cinematography of any of the films (including Ruin Johnson's flashy trainwreck), which is why Vader looks his best in ESB. Suschitzky later became David Cronenberg's regular DP on the basis of his work for ESB.

 

[animator]

For me it's ANH. No widow's peak, no Vader... he just doesn't look mean enough.

Plus that's the way I first saw him when I was a kid. Hard to beat the first impression.

 

[The Goon]

For me it's ANH. No widow's peak, no Vader... he just doesn't look mean enough.

Plus that's the way I first saw him when I was a kid. Hard to beat the first impression.

I agree. I can't put my finger on it, but Vader's appearance is somehow more menacing in A New Hope than in the other movies. Probably the widow's peak as Animator mentions, or maybe the hand-painted silver parts of the mask complete with visible brush strokes, or the red-tinted lenses, or Prowse's body language, or...