Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,731: Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars Redux, The Vintage Collection)

ANAKIN SKYWALKER 2020 Redux
The Vintage Collection   3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. E9576
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #92
Includes: Lightsaber lit, lightsaber hilt
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: July 2020
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: Anakin Skywalker, a Force-sensitive human male, was a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic and the Chosen One of the Force.  (Stolen from Wookieepedia. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Anakin Skywalker figure is pretty neat.  I liked it when they put this Anakin Skywalker [FOTD #1,944] back in 2012, but 8 years on it has some elements which are great and some which haven't aged well.

Since he was a little hard to find - and expensive - I'm glad Hasbro reissued him.  However, it doesn't make any improvements over the original release.  The big change are the eyes and eyebrows, now "hyper real" and printed on the head through a different technique.  The eyes have a tiny bit more color around them and the scar has a little more color, but they somehow also look a little lifeless.   The rest of the figure is fundamentally the same.

One element of live-action cartoon Anakin I loved are the soft goods.   Anakin's legs swing forward without any plastic blocking their movement, and the cloth matches the color of the plastic nicely.   This may have been the peak of doing this kind of articulation right - cloth is less and less frequently deployed, and with a reduction in vehicles Hasbro puts less emphasis of making sure the leg articulation is any good.  I always find this loss to be upsetting.

The figure's neck seems way too long - and even longer when you consider he's got shoulder armor on.   Other than that oddity, the proportions are good and the articulation is fine.   You get bend-and-swivel wrists and perfectly acceptable ankles, but it lacks the thigh swivels, lateral hip movement, and other niceties we've seen integrated in new releases.

I still don't know why they included the lightsaber hilt since you can't hang it on his belt, but it's there.   I prefer the 2012 deco on this figure, but if you missed it then the 2020 one is a good substitute.   I hope Hasbro considers making more animated characters in the "realistic" style, preferably new ones, because all we have now are mostly clones.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,731: October 2, 2020