Attack Recon Fighter With Anakin Skywalker - SW [TPM 3D] - Deluxe

A Republic recon fighter slices through space, piloted by Anakin Skywalker. The compact vehicle responds well to the Force-sensitive abilities of the Jedi. The attack fighter has fold-down wings so it can be transported in Republic gunships. Integrated cannons fully rotate for maximum attack potential in hostile engagements.

Ever since Hasbro brought back the Deluxe vehicle and figure sets (beginning in 2009) back into The Clone Wars line (primarily), collectors have been very astute to a hard to ignore trend. And the trend is that if a vehicle in these Class I/Deluxe sets looks like a miniature version of a much larger vehicle in The Clone Wars television show, that it's likely a Hasbro concept. And if you collect long enough, you’ll discover these miniature versions of larger vehicles always end up being a Hasbro concept. Whether or not a small vehicle actually appears in the The Clone Wars or not, they’re going to always be a success in the toy line. These are definitely geared toward the kids and from what we’ve personally seen, kids are truly eating these up. Not all sets are winners, but the Attack Recon Fighter With Anakin Skywalker is just shy of being “perfect” in our eyes. Whatever your take on the Class I vehicle line, Hasbro seems to be finally stepping up to the plate by including all-new sculpt and retooled action figures to help sweeten the deal. The vehicle isn’t loaded with features, but the cockpit opens to stow away a figure and some of the cannons rotate. Oh, and you can put the wings in multiple configurations. It’s a very well-designed vehicle.

The Attack Recon Fighter is an all-new vehicle. But it' can be classified as a “pre-paint” meaning that this version of the vehicle came out before its original version. And actually the “original” version has yet to be confirmed for even eventual release at this point. Originally intended to be part of the Class I line in March of 2011, the “canceled” Obi-Wan Kenobi And Attack Shuttle (as it was called in the slide presentation) sadly never made it out. The initial Class I sets they released backed-up on retail shelves and they ended up calling the Class I line quits for the rest of the year, only releasing 2011’s TCW Y-wing Scout Bomber With Clone Trooper Pilot [Warthog]. Again, new vehicles started getting added to this assortment, but sadly got canned because Hasbro oversaturated the market with the initial wave. Interestingly, that original Attack Shuttle looked exactly like a miniature version of 2011's TCW Republic Attack Shuttle vehicle (also part of The Clone Wars line). We would have loved to add this small version into our collections and hope Hasbro finds a way to get it out to collectors. There is also a Class I Boba Fett with soft-goods set that also didn’t make it out. (We want both of these!) Usually when things get “canceled,” it really means they get dramatically shuffled and eventually released. Just think about how wave 13 of The Vintage Collection went down. We believe the same is true here for the Class I sets.

Anakin Skywalker can be considered a new enough figure for your collection. Based on 2011’s TCW Anakin Skywalker (CW45) figure, new parts were added to make it fresh and specific to this Class I vehicle set. Anakin comes with 12 points of articulation and newly added soft-goods to allow him to pilot the Attack Recon Fighter with relative ease. He sits a little bit too low in the cockpit, but at least he fits in there, even though it’s slightly difficult to make him reach the steering console. Anakin Skywalker also comes with a lightsaber which is just about perfect for us, as it adds a little more play value for your dollar. The new head sculpt on Anakin Skywalker now accommodates a sculpted communications headset. It looks pretty good in all honesty, but we’d much rather prefer Hasbro to add a removable headset accessory because this look relegates him to staying in the cockpit. If Hasbro can keep pumping out Class I sets like this, the line has some hope. But we’re very worried the initial shipment loaded with unwanted Episode I themed product may have already given this line a certain death at retail. We hope we’re wrong, but if you see these at retail, be sure to support this line with your dollars. It’s the only way we’re going to get stuff that we want.