Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan was great, but he seldom works alone. Anakin is sent to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt, an act that will not only save an innocent life but also give the Republic free passage through the Hutt's systems. Tracking the Huttlet to the remote planet Teth, Anakin is caught in a web of deceit and betrayal as he and his team battle to free Jabba's son... and escape with their lives. That text comes from the 2008 figure this one is homaging, because the only text on the back of this oversized card is about the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm and like... who cares? Yes, it's an interesting factoid, but it has nothing to do with these specific releases. There are four figures in the exclusive series (Anakin, Obi-Wan, Clone Trooper Echo, and a Clone Pilot) are all based on The Clone Wars movie and cartoon, which has no direct connection to anything that happened in 1971. Anakin is looking really good in his Clone Wars-era uniform, which are cut similarly to his Episode III look, but in lighter colors - maroon and blue instead of brown and black. The armor he's wearing over his shoulders isn't Clone Trooper standard, like Obi's was - not a lot of Clones wearing grey, after all - but it does subtly resemble what he'd later wear as Darth Vader, with vertical plates in the center and rounded pauldrons over the shoulders. His left glove is smooth, while the right has segments, reminding us it's mechanical even when we can't see it. The Kenobi likeness was great, but Anakin's is not. Neither the sculpt nor the Photo Real paint are as good on this figure as they were there: this doesn't look like Hayden Christensen at all, and honestly only reads as "Anakin" because of the body it's on; show it to someone with no context, and they'd never guess who it was supposed to be. Like all those "Not-Chris-Evans" Captains America Marvel Legends released. The Photo Real printing did a nice job on his scar, though. The articulation is fun at least. General Skywalker moves at the head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. The inner maroon portion of his skirt is made from softgoods, so it doesn't impede the legs, but it still has a wonderful color-match with the plastic parts. The armor bells over the shoulders are separate pieces the shoulder joints go through when they enter the torso, so they move as the arms move and stay out of the way of poses. There are only single elbows, not double, and though the range seems fine, there's something about the proportions that seems off somehow. His trigger fingers are extended, but he has no guns. His only accessory is his lightsaber, which has a removeable blade and can plug into his belt if you want. The 2008 toy had a silly Force-Blast launcher and a grappling hook thing, neither of which would have really added very much to this release. Like Obi-Wan, this figure was initially available for $24.99, before being bumped up to $26.49 by the time it was restocked. The way I look at it, that means Target owes me $3, and a thank-you for not considering even the first five dollars an exorbidant extortion, since these are basically $20 toys that are already being saddled with a 25% tax simply for being exclusives. Clone Wars Anakin is a cool representation of the character, and could have been the best ever, but the face is super disappointing and keeps it from being as good as it should be. -- 08/08/21

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