Yet it is far from being a publicity stunt. Milov is responding to the so-called ‘de-Communisation’ law passed by the Ukrainian parliament in April 2015, calling for the removal of Communist symbols such as monuments or place names. “We didn’t want to vandalise the statue but the monument to Lenin was due to be dismantled in connection with the new law,” says Milov. “I decided to take a monument to Lenin and transform it into a monument to Darth Vader, because at this moment Darth Vader is a political figure in Ukraine.” The people of the eastern European country are increasingly embracing the western culture, a transition that angers Russia, which has been involved in a pro-Moscow separatist insurgency in the Ukraine's eastern parts. The force was strong as the Sith Lord was hoisted into place outside the home of Spencer Wilding - the man behind the iconic mask in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Martin added: “We parked up on the pavement very briefly while we loaded the sculpture into place - right by Spencer’s front door. We did get a few horn toots from some drivers as they passed bemused as to why there was an 8ft Darth Vader flying in the air.”

We kept Darth at our yard for safe keeping and he was stood guard over our office until we could get hold of a suitable hire van to allow us to deliver it. The statue measures just under 25 inches tall. The Collector's Edition version comes with both masked and unmasked heads. The Exclusive Edition includes two bonus accessories - a partly damaged masked head (clearly inspired by Vader's duel with Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars Rebels) and an alternate lightsaber blade wreathed in flame. Candidates with the name Darth Vader, and those of other Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and Yoda, registered to run in Ukraine’s 2014 parliamentary elections. “We are non-political,” says Milov, “but we decided with one shot to kill two hares, as the Russian saying goes. To save the Lenin monument but also take it away from the eyes – to make a new art piece with a new sense.” Unfortunately Spencer couldn’t be there to take delivery of the universe’s most hated villain today. Honestly, I did not like the idea of destroying it, so we decided on a more flexible solution," he said, adding that they were planning to install a Wi-fi router on the statue's head so that he can "communicate with the other Siths."Darth Vader - a villainous masked character fighting against the forces of good - is a popular character in George Lucas' movies. The transformation of Lenin's statue into Darth Vader comes two months before the release of the latest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, in the US. Last month, we reported how the 44-year-old Rhyl actor commissioned childhood pal and chainsaw carver, Ian Murray to conjure up the creation.

As a collection, Sideshow’s Mythosseries are fine art collectibles that allow the collector to imagine what could have been, but maybe never was. Myths meant to be initiated by the eye and completed by the mind. Capturing the crossroads in his character evolution, Sideshow’s Star Wars Mythos statue includes two portraits — one featuring his iconic helmet with slight battle damage and one un-helmeted to reveal the scarred visage of Anakin Skywalker™ completely consumed by his own darkness. Vladimir Lenin fell victim to the so-called Darth Vader movement in Ukraine on Friday when some Ukrainians added new elements to his communist-era statue in Ukraine's fourth largest city. Sideshow presents the Darth Vader Mythos Statue, a stunning new addition to their lineup of Star Wars collectibles.

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Like the other pieces in the Mythos line, Vader is a polystone statue designed at 1:5 scale. Rather than being based on specific moments from the Star Wars movies, the Mythos pieces take more artistic license with the franchise. This Vader statue, for instance, alludes to a major battle with the Rebel Alliance, perhaps drawing inspiration from Marvel's "Vader Down" comic book storyline. This piece could even be viewed as a sequel to Sideshow's previous Darth Vader Mythos statue. But where that statue showcased Vader in a moody, contemplative pose, this is all about the power of the Dark Side.

Sideshow presents the Darth Vader™ Premium Format™ Figure, an intimidating, Imperial addition to your galaxy of Star Wars™ collectibles. We did get a few funny looks and the traffic certainly slowed down when the sculpture was loaded off the wagon.

The Darth Vader Premium Format Figure measures 25” tall and 14” wide as the Sith Lord stands regally and ruthlessly atop a Mustafar castle themed base. With stonelike texture and fiery red and orange paint applications, this fortress serves as Vader’s volcanic headquarters in his quest to crush the Rebellion. Clutching his iconic red lightsaber, which includes a light-up feature, the Dark Lord of the Sith is a menacing figure facing off against any foe. The sculpture measures 8ft from base to tip but Darth himself is 7ft 2” - the same height as Spencer when he’s inside the famous costume. Sideshow presents the Darth Vader™ Mythos Statue, a dark-sided addition to your galaxy of Star Wars™ collectibles.