Anakin Skywalker - SW [Y/AOTC] - 12-Inch Figures

Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi hero who falls to the dark side and becomes the evil Darth Vader.

Oh man is the Anakin Skywalker 12-Inch Figure from the Star Wars [Yoda/Attack Of The Clones] line terrible. It’s actually worse than terrible. We'll attempt to defend that position. Adult collectors seemingly have very little tolerance for Star Wars toys that aren’t geared directly for them. Those same adult collectors really want to buy something that fits in to their already established collections, not pick up something new. The new 12-Inch Figures line has transitioned into something we just can’t justify purchasing and this alone makes us feel quite jaded. Hasbro’s long-running Action Collection line brought Star Wars collectors some of the best stuff ever. However, when Hasbro decided to revisit the 12-Inch Figures line in 2013, none were quite prepared for what they had in store. Gone are the base GI Joe bodies covered in clothes and accessories. And in their place is literally nothing else. The characters are now shells of what they once were, when they came with a whole lot more bells and whistles. Oh, and these new 12-Inch Figures are also in a smaller scale too. Boo!

It’s not that this new approach is a half-baked idea. Had Hasbro put more effort into the new 12-Inch Figures line, we think it might have been a pretty neat idea. Imagine true large size Star Wars figures with plenty of ball-jointed articulation, removable accessories and everything else that goes along with an awesome action figure. Sadly, that’s not Hasbro’s new outlook on the new 12-Inch Figure line and this line's lot in life appears to be cheap toys with very little purpose for collectors no matter the age. Take Anakin Skywalker for example. Should Hasbro have really started off this line with ANOTHER Anakin Skywalker figure? It's probably one of the worst decisions they could have made for the Star Wars brand. What’s worse, Anakin Skywalker looks absolutely dreadful. We feels it is the worst looking figure we have ever seen Hasbro produce. This new cheap scale have already been deemed “shampoo bottles” by the collecting community. And we have to concede that this is exactly what this figure looks like.

And if it’s possible to add more insult to injury, Hasbro has sculpted the lightsaber hilt as part of Anakin Skywalker’s right hand. Part of the joy of playing with action figures is the ability of them to be able to hold (and not hold) their respective accessories. Some collectors may be alright with just having display pieces in their collections, and if that’s the case then the issue of them not having removable accessories won’t be of issue to you here. But we personally find it very annoying. The hollowness of these figures makes them feel extremely cheap. And once again, as soon as you see Anakin Skywalker, you’re just not going to believe how ridiculous he looks. We have to admit that we’re really disappointed with how Hasbro has resurrected the 12-Inch Figure line. Sure, the MSRP is very palatable, but even a penny shy of $10 still seems high for what you’re getting here. Collectors are definitely about quality products, and quality products these are not. If there trying to secure a new audience, well, this is definitely an odd way to succeed doing that.