Figure of the Day: Day 149: Anakin Skywalker

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Slashing Attack
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85174 No. 85341
Number: III-28
Includes: Lightsaber, removable hand, removable cloak
Action Feature: Squeeze legs for lightsaber slashing action
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: April 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Anakin falls deeper into the dark side of the Force and betrays his Jedi comrades to the evil Sith. On the volcanic planet Mustafar, he meets his destiny in a fierce battle with his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: The toy shelves of Adam Pawlus.

Commentary: In a movie year, in this day and age, you're going to get a lot of retreads. Thankfully, you could count the number of unique Anakin Skywalker figures from 2005 on one hand, but there were enough variants to keep you busy. This particular one had regular and "sith" eyes, with the one pictured here being the regular one. With loads of articulation above the waist and the "evil" head, this is a great figure to add to your collection as he's not too pale and looks great with or without the cloak. The sculpting is very good, with cloth textures and scars and more that really do add to the character of the figure. The eyes, while cool, are done in a manner that looks a little too much like a toy. Make-up is hard to do on a 3 3/4-inch scale head, as this figure (and most Leias) have shown over the years. It's a good figure, probably the second-best overall version of Anakin from Episode III. If you don't have the Evolutions version, this is the one you want.

Collector's Notes: Most 2005 figures are still dirt cheap unless it's a clone. This is no exception. A rerelease is supposedly coming in a box set and a recard is almost inevitable, so snag one if the price is right but don't mess yourself over trying to track one down. It's good, but not great enough to warrant your expelling any sweat.

Day 149: October 2, 2006