Figure of the Day: Day 69: Anakin Skywalker

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Jedi vs. Sith
Revenge of the Sith Battle Packs Jedi vs. Sith
Item No.: Asst. 85554 No. 85667
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: Squeeze legs together for lightsaber action!
Retail: $19.99, part of a gift set
Availability: Summer 2005
Appearances: Primarily The Clone Wars

Bio: Discovered as a slave on a remote planet, young Anakin is extremely powerful in the ways of the Force. He becomes an amazing starfighter pilot and is highly skilled at lightsaber combat, as war threatens to tear apart the galaxy. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Clone Wars shelf.

Commentary: While Revenge of the Sith was very popular in 2005, and the love for the classic trilogy will never die, the up and coming crazy popularity of the Clone Wars multimedia project resulted in new and exciting Expanded Universe figures like this Anakin Skywalker seeing release, as kids adored Clone Wars and numerous collectors consider it, Revenge of the Sith, and the last half or so of Attack of the Clones to be the best lightsaber action to be had from the most recent stories from a galaxy far, far away. With a great sculpt, one must rely on good paint to make a figure a must-have collectible. Sadly, this one got rotten face paint and as such looks goofy. Still, he has ball joints at the neck, shoulders, knees, left elbow with a waist joint, a wrist joint, and hip joints that don't quite work right-- reports of this figure breaking were rampant. Don't try to make him sit, kids! The figure's design is obviously "real world," but it's taken from the Yavin IV duel Anakin had with Asajj Ventress during the end of the first 20 episodes of Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. As this is the only "real" version of this character in this outfit, you should consider tracking it down. However, it has its imperfections, but as part of a larger gift set, it's a very nice figure.

Collector's Notes: Beware the legs-- don't make him sit, or he might break! I'm crossing my fingers that Hasbro retools and rereleases this figure. Basically, I'd like to see him be able to sit without breaking, and then I'd like to see the head fixed up with slightly better paint. I'd be happy to re-buy a new and improved version of this figure. Also, he's currently packaged in the Jedi vs. Sith Battle Pack. It also includes Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi with snap-on armor, a new Asajj Ventress, and General Grievous. The gift set was a bargain at $20, and can be had on eBay for about that today if you're lucky. As there are presently no rumors for bringing back these particular figures, it's worth picking up for yourself or the little ones in your life who enjoy the cartoons.

Day 69: July 14, 2006