Figure of the Day: Day 1,294: Anakin Skywalker (Battle Damage!)

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Battle Damage!
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 85562
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: III-50
Includes: Robe, alternate arms, lightsaber, alternate head, removable legs
Action Feature: Figure can be dismembered
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Anakin loses his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Gravely wounded, Anakin falls into a burning lava pit and is left for dead. But the galaxy has not seen the last of this powerful former Jedi. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: This Anakin Skywalker is a high point in Hasbro toy engineering. They succeeded in making a figure that looks good, has a great pose, sports a useful action feature, and comes with pretty much every accessory that's reasonable for a figure with this sort of action. You can make a regular, hood-up, dark side Anakin Skywalker (or Darth Vader) or you can remove the outer garment and transform him into the burned, shriveled, disgusting and forsaken husk that crawls out of the fires of Mustafar.

While some fans may lament the traditional knee joints, sacrifices have to be made when making a reasonably cheap figure with all these extra parts, so I'd let it slide. With 8 points of articulation (the standard 6 plus rotating knees) he's not exactly a hugely articulated release, but you'll have a lot of fun ripping off his legs at the knee or swapping out his arms with hacked-up stumps and burned-off flesh. The head sculpts are pretty good, Anakin's is pretty pale and the shriveled bald and scarred Darth Vader noggin is downright ghoulish. Burned, tan, and with dark circles around his eyes, it's pretty remarkable for a basic 2005 figure. I keep forgetting how great this figure is, particularly for its initial retail price. I'd suggest getting two of it so you can keep one permanently set up as a horrible scarred and beaten half-a-man in your Mustafar playset.

Collector's Notes: Collectors often point to Hasbro not making figures for being too grisly or violent. To them, I say do you even pay attention? This is a figure where you can cut off his arms and legs (by his best friend, no less) and then burn him and leave him for dead. This is pretty horrifying when you get right down to it, so don't think that a torched building or a damaged creature is an unrealistic thing for Hasbro to do. Heck, Amanaman even comes with a dead humanoid corpse. It's worth noting that this specific release of Anakin qualifies as "worthless" on the secondary market now, so do make sure you seek him out and buy one.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,294: May 31, 2010