Star Wars: The Vintage CollectionHasbro
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Star Wars The Vintage Collection: Darth Vader (VC08) – The Empire Strikes Back (2010 Hasbro)
Few figures carry the weight of VC08 Darth Vader among Star Wars Vintage Collection completists. Launched in 2010 as one of Hasbro's inaugural entries in the premium 3.75-inch line, this release set the tone for everything the Vintage Collection would become — a modern figure dressed in the unmistakable aesthetic of original 1980–1982 Kenner packaging. The black ESB-style card front, bold red "The Empire Strikes Back" logo, and classic Kenner branding badge at lower-right are faithful reproductions that immediately evoke the golden era of Star Wars collecting. Community reviewers have long called this release "the Vader to rule them all," and the inaugural VC08 numbering cements its significance in the line's history.
This example is a vintage carded specimen from the 2010 first-run production. The card features the warm-yellow Vintage Collection back with a reproduction of the original 1980–1982 Kenner Darth Vader card, companion figure lineup (Cloud Car Pilot, Dengar, Luke Skywalker, Leia, and Han Solo), and full item/assortment numbering. The standout detail for serious collectors is the time-limited "Free Boba Fett" mail-in starburst printed on the card front — an offer that expired 3/31/2011 — which remains fully present and legible. The figure itself is a kit-bash combining parts from earlier Hasbro toolings, with a red lightsaber clearly visible through the intact bubble.
As card number VC08, this Darth Vader anchors the debut wave of a line that has sustained collector enthusiasm for well over a decade. It pairs naturally with other ESB-wave entries and is an essential piece for anyone building a complete run of first-issue Vintage Collection cards. The combination of the iconic character, the inaugural card number, and the surviving first-run Boba Fett starburst make this a particularly sought-after carded display piece for devoted Star Wars collectors.
Every graded piece is our honest in-house call — not third-party slabbed. Here's exactly where this one lands, and why.
This piece: CC-6 — Good
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