Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader - ROTS - Evolutions

Experience the evolution of the greatest villain the galaxy has ever known! These figures capture the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader! Anakin is a young Jedi who fights for all that is good. He emerges as a hero of the Clone Wars but is lured to the dark side of the Force. He joins the evil Sith and becomes the menacing Darth Vader. From hero to villain, his power and influence change the destiny of a galaxy!

How does Hasbro shut up the adult collectors’ whining over all of the action features they put into the Revenge Of The Sith basic figure line? The answer is simple. They develop a premium collector-focused line with phenomenal sculpts and stunning paint jobs. The most particular of collectors will have little to no room to complain about Hasbro’s new Evolutions line. For the first time ever, Hasbro has put together a set of three figures, all in stepwise progression, in a beautiful window gift-box with a healthy does of soft-goods, accessories and some of the best sculpted figures yet in the Star Wars toy line. Undoubtedly the most popular is the Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader set which brings collectors excellent renditions of Anakin Skywalker from Episode II, Episode III and Episode IV. Not entirely all super-articulated, we can tell you that to date these are the best versions as of 2005 and your collection will be lost without them. (Editor’s Note: Obviously better versions of some of these figures have since been released.) Forget about all of the basic figures of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader from the Revenge Of The Sith line because all three contained in this Evolutions set easily eclipse them. You’re going to love the contents of this multipack! It’s not often that we get three versions of a main character in one package (and with quality articulation and sculpting) for such a reasonable price. This is value at its best.

Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) is the perfect update of Episode II Anakin Skywalker. He lacks ball-jointed ankles, but is articulated everywhere else making him quasi super-articulated. He comes with the most accessories including a lightsaber hilt, lightsaber blade interchangeable cybernetic right forearm and a binders/chain combination to recreate his capture at the Geonosis Arena. The lightsaber hilt plugs into a hole on his belt and the removable lightsaber blade feature is cool, but makes us worry if the figure ever fell over while holding a lit lightsaber (breakage). His likeness isn’t necessarily perfect, but you’ll be hard pressed to not like it for what is it. The articulation he comes with is very functional and you can really pose Anakin in more ways than you might expect, especially since he doesn’t come with any ankle articulation. The Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars Commander) figure is another great figure in this set. But we wouldn’t say it’s better than Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) figure. The swivel elbows are a big letdown especially since the figure is so excellently sculpted and detailed and has a likeness like no other. It’s inexplicable why Hasbro would get lazy here and cheap out on swivel elbow articulation. It’s an area of the “body” that requires ball-jointed articulation unfortunately. He comes with a soft-goods Jedi robe and an interchangeable right forearm to hide his cybernetic replacement. And while he doesn’t come packed with a lightsaber blade, you can take the one from Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) and it fits like a glove on this figure’s lightsaber hilt.

Darth Vader (Evil Sith Lord) is the crowning glory in the entire Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set. This is what Star Wars collectors have been waiting for in their collections for a very long time. Super-articulated (if you don’t mind a swivel neck/head joint) and with a miraculous likeness to actor Sebastian Shaw, this Darth Vader will stand the test of time and can be considered a definitive Episode VI update to this action figure. Ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, knees and hips adorn this figure and all work like a charm to develop poses that we just couldn’t do previously. And the removable helmet is simple, yet functional and reveals a gorgeous head sculpt just like what was revealed to Luke during the conclusion of Return Of The Jedi. Darth Vader’s soft-goods are ever so slightly clumsy, but it’s not the end of the world and it’s going to be something you will overlook. Besides the removable helmet (which comes off in one piece by the way), Darth Vader also comes with his signature red lightsaber. His right hand is outstretched and open, so you’ll have to use his left arm to hold it. The Evolutions line is very promising and could be some of the best action figures the Star Wars line will see. The Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set is a must-have for your Star Wars collection. Forget about any previous versions of these characters you might own. Hasbro has stepped it up and although there is room for improvement, this is the level of quality where we’re going to want the Star Wars toy line to hover and continue to improve.