Anakin Skywalker - TBSA - Six Inch Figures

Anakin – now Darth Vader – turns to the Dark side and battles Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber duel on the lava planet Mustafar.

Most the figure presented in the early phases of The Black Series 6” line run suffered from a common infirmity: the facial paint operations were badly applied. Excellently sculpted action figures looked inferior thanks to the shoddy deco they received. Perhaps one of the worst-looking figures in The Black Series [Phase I] line was Anakin Skywalker. It was thrilling to receive a figure with an inordinate amount of articulation, but that joy was quickly replaced with regret once you realized how badly the likeness was. But despite many years of complaining about this, Hasbro did very little to assuage our aggravation. Thankfully, Hasbro eventually reached a breaking point with all of the incoming complaints and developed “photorealistic” technology to make the wonderful sculpts they create look the best they can. And with the need to reenter some of their oldest 6” figures to a burgeoning collecting community, now is the perfect time to release The Black Series Archive collection. This line incorporates some of the oldest figures presented in the first two phases of The Black Series 6” line and updates their paint operations, so they look better than they ever have. Anakin Skywalker is especially noteworthy. For the first time, Hasbro decorated Anakin’s eyes to reflect the “Sith takeover” in his heart, and the figure is delectable.

Repacks are often necessary in the Star Wars basic figure line. Some characters command a larger collecting base than others. We don’t mind seeing figures on shelves again in the latest line look. What make reissues interesting, however, is when Hasbro tweaks them or improves them upon their second release. That’s where we are with The Black Series Archive line. Some of Hasbro’s oldest 6” figures are getting a second chance at retail thanks to the need to meet collector demand. But now the figures look better than ever thanks to the incorporation of “photorealistic” technology. And we have to concede that Anakin Skywalker might be the greatest of the re-released bunch thus far. The utilization of “photorealistic” technology proves how Hasbro nailed the likeness of these Star Wars characters originally. But the revised paint operations bring it to crystal clear light. Anakin Skywalker still comes with the extra portrait (a rarity in the Star Wars line today). And although we won’t say the likeness of the “Sith eyes” version is spot on, Anakin Skywalker is a remarkable and lifelike action figure thanks to this new deco process. And the body is manufactured from a material a whole lot less rubbery than its ancestor. The rest of the figure doesn’t deviate too far from the original release. But it’s outstanding what the new paint operations do the action figure as a whole. Eerily realistic and impressively immersive, we’re thrilled to see Anakin Skywalker “reinvented” for its betterment.

Anakin Skywalker truly shines this time around. His height is taller than Obi-Wan Kenobi (another figure desperate for reinvention in The Black Series Archive line). And other parts of his deco are improved. Loaded with 16 areas of articulation, the range of movement is premium thanks to ball-jointed articulation. And we would be remiss not to acknowledge once again how impressive “rocker’ ankles are in this scale. He also has incredible neck and head movement. With little effort, you can obtain any desired pose of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. And that is a beautiful thing. Hasbro incorporates ball-socket hips, and the range of movement isn’t necessarily ideal. As far as accessories are concerned, Anakin Skywalker comes with a lightsaber hilt, a lightsaber blade (obviously removable) and the interchangeable “Darth Vader” portrait. We are still disappointed that a character like Anakin Skywalker doesn’t receive all of the accessories it deserves. The Black Series 6” scale should be about premium super-articulated action figures with an inordinate amount of practical accessories. We’re not asking for an assortment of dozens of interchangeable hands or anything else unrealistic. But we do expect the bare necessities to be included here. Perhaps a functioning storage case on the belt would be a good idea. Or maybe the inclusion of a cybernetic [uncovered] arm would have made this the first and ultimate release of Anakin Skywalker in this scale. What about a soft-goods robe? Regardless, Anakin Skywalker has received a tremendous upgrade.