Figure of the Day: Day 292: Anakin Skywalker

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Trade Federation Cruiser
Revenge of the Sith Battle Arenas
Item No.: Asst. 85241 No. 85439
Number: n/a
Includes: Count Dooku figure, arena base, display stands
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Re-live the incredible battle between two of the most powerful Jedi of all, as they fight to the finish on a Trade Federation Cruiser! Only the strongest Jedi remains - will it be the light side or the dark side of the Force? (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam's Revenge of the Sith Republic Gunship.

Commentary: At first, I thought this Anakin Skywalker figure was a pile of junk-- and I was wrong. For the $20 arena price, it's not a good deal-- but if you got it in the Wal-Mart DVD 3-pack, or on clearance, it's a heck of a nice figure. The head sculpt is actually excellent, the hair is colored differently than pretty much any other Anakin figure, and the sculpt, while simple, is very good. There's not a lot of detail here, but for what they were trying to do, it worked out nicely. The lightsaber is part of the figure-- that is, it's molded to the hand. The figure is also posed somewhat oddly, but that makes it perfect for hanging out in a Gunship or in select battle stances. If you're looking for something that's a good toy, a definite curiosity, and not much of a collectible, this is a must-buy figure. Anakin fans, you can do much worse-- and I'll be sure to show you much worse in the coming weeks.

Collector's Notes: This figure was put in a 3-pack box for the DVD release of Episode III on DVD at Wal-Mart for $10, too. You should be able to get it for cheap, and in some markets, it might still be on the clearance shelves at Wal-Mart.

Day 292: February 22, 2007