Anakin Skywalker - SW [TPM 3D] - Movie Heroes (MH19)

Anakin's outstanding dueling skill and strong connection to the Force make him a fearsome opponent.

One of the things that made us shake our heads in disbelief (as longtime collectors) was the uproar made by the collecting community complaining that Hasbro named 2010’s TVC Darth Vader [Anakin Skywalker] (VC13) figure originally as Anakin Skywalker when clearly he was “Darth Vader” at this point in the film. OK, so you’re all right. But why didn’t you get more upset over 2011’s TVC Stormtrooper (VC41) not coming on a Star Wars card back or 2011’s TVC Kit Fisto (VC29) figure not coming on a Revenge Of The Sith? Your quirks are just too inconsistent out there that we’re lost for words! Clearly, unless Hasbro gives a clear and concise bio on the card back explaining what scene the said Anakin Skywalker action figure actually appears (or if he has Sith eyes) it’s actually a bit difficult to accurately source “Anakin Skywalker” and be 100% correct. Let’s analyze this. He didn’t have Sith eyes in every scene after he was declared “Darth Vader” by Emperor Palpatine. And he kind of had evil expressions even in the opening sequences in Episode III, so you can’t judge him by his facial expressions. So there is a bit to consider so maybe we shouldn’t freak out when we think he’s misnamed. Thankfully, 2012’s SW [TPM 3D] Anakin Skywalker (MH19) figure makes things a bit clearer thanks to a simple bio and a still from the film where Skywalker is actually Anakin and not Darth Vader. But many of you may not have the chance to see this because of this figure’s (and his three other wave mates’) obscurity. You may not see them until the 2013 line look.

It’s no secret that the biggest debacle of 2012 was the Movie Heroes line. You may even recall us dubbing the line Movie Zeroes (something that went MUCH further and universally adopted than we had planned – yikes), but we’d ask that you put that article in better perspective now and consider it through different eyes. That was written at a time when not much other than the 12 action figures from wave 1 were cluttering the pegs preventing anything new from wave 2 from coming into stores. (The same exact thing was happening to The Vintage Collection as well.) We were apparently frustrated and we felt we had ground to complain. But the devastation that poor distribution and lack of availability for new product has affected the line so terribly that strong ripples are still being felt. Frankly, the Movie Heroes line doesn’t have the articulation we like to see, but the line has grown on us and have developed a fondness for them that we never thought we would. It was so sad to see the rollercoaster they rode in 2012. It was amazing anything got sold. For example, wave 2 never saw full distribution and ended up getting sold for pennies on the dollar in Walmart’s Black Friday eight-packs. And the second wave of vehicles have yet to make an appearance at the Big 3 retail locations because they can’t move the four repacked/repainted vehicles from the first assortment. It’s a debacle, it’s devastating and we hope revolution is coming to heal the line once and for all. Boy we went off on a tangent!

One victim of the massive problems for 2012 was Anakin Skywalker (MH19). It may not make its way out to collectors in the USA ever (in the 2012 packaging that is). But why should you care? If you collect the Galactic Battle Game cards, this is the only way you can secure them. So let’s hope that an American run of these figures was ordered and executed. (If it does, we will certainly adjust that assertion with an update here at a later date.) We have no proof, but since the final wave of Movie Heroes figures in the 2012 Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] line look is planned for rerelease in the 2013 Star Wars [Attack of The Clones/Revenge Of The Sith 3D] “Yoda” line look, it’s doubtful if they’ll go back and play catch up. It’s our belief that Hasbro canceled it’s packaging/production for the 2012 line and are saving it for the 2013 line. Thankfully, the Movie Heroes line boded much better in the international market and the final wave was manufactured for release, pre-ordered and finally released. Anakin Skywalker is the first figure from this wave that was delayed from wave 3. The all-new sculpt is decent and the articulation is pretty much what you’d expect for the Movie Heroes line. He comes with a non-removable light-up lightsaber, a special effect to help pad their “light-up action feature” assortment of action figures which has gone over quite well by collectors. The head sculpt is not nearly as good as 2008’s TAC Darth Vader (08 02) figure, but again, this is a kids’ figure designed with them (and not adult collectors) in mind. We hope this figure gets the distribution is does. Because Star Wars collectors don’t do well when figures are held out of their grasp.