Anakin Skywalker - TCW [R] - Basic (CW18)

Anakin is sent to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt, an act that will not only save an innocent life but also give the Republic free passage through the Hutt's systems. Tracking the Huttlet to the remote planet Teth, Anakin is caught in a web of deceit and betrayal as he and his team battle to free Jabba's son... and escape with their lives.

It’s funny when you look back at things in a Hasbro Star Wars toy line. When The Clone Wars action figure line was first announced and shown, collectors were pretty disappointed to discover that Hasbro was going to be styling The Clone Wars action figures in their animated form. They called in a hybrid look, but most collectors felt that the sculpts couldn’t look any more animated in nature than they already did. Once the figures were released, most collectors embraced them, but they also noticed that articulation wasn’t where it needed to be. There were of course some exceptions. Hasbro smartly gave the various clones super-articulation, but figures like 2008’s TCW [B] Anakin Skywalker (No. 1) seemed to be in need of some upgrades right out of the bag. The blue phase of The Clone Wars line was released in July of 2008 and Hasbro has been playing catch up ever since. To meet demand, they’re repacking some of the key characters into the next red phase of the line, and Anakin Skywalker is one of them. He has received some changes to his paint operations. For example, his face appears lighter and his chest armor appears darker. You’ll see other differences two with a side by side comparison. In all honesty, Anakin Skywalker is a beautifully sculpted figure. Probably the most important character of The Clone Wars, we’re not so sure however if Anakin Skywalker delivers everything needed to be an action figure that collectors are going to fully embrace.

Anakin Skywalker has a limited fourteen points of total articulation. While this is merely conjecture on our part, this figure could have benefited greatly from super-articulation. Hasbro added cuts into his skirt which helps with posing, and why they stopped short and giving his basic articulation below the waist is not something we fully understand. Anakin Skywalker is brilliantly sculpted and could have been made better with more premium articulation. He’s been designed in a way where the points of articulation would have been well hidden. In short, we’re just not sure why Hasbro didn’t take a different approach for this figure. Since he is a character that is anything but sedentary, we thought for sure he would have received the ultimate articulated treatment. Obviously he didn't. But we will still say that the figure has been done nicely despite this. He is colored perfectly and his chest plate has all the right weathering you would expect a battle-damaged piece of armor to look like. The rest of his Jedi gear is flawlessly replicated to his appearance in The Clone Wars film as well as the television series. And while the eyebrows and hairline do have periodic issues, Hasbro for the most part has done a great job on this deco too. Overall, Anakin Skywalker look pretty fantastic. We just wish we was more mobile because you’ll really want to pose him aggressively in your collection. You likely won’t be able to do this much at all with the way he currently is.

Anakin Skywalker comes with a vast array of accessories that interact wonderfully with the figure. They include a lightsaber, a cable with handles, an oversized gauntlet (which breaks down into two pieces), and a Force-effect projectile (that fires from the gauntlet). This is certainly more than enough accessories for any action figure, especially Anakin. He usually just utilizes his lightsaber anyway. Many of these accessories add a nice amount of play value for kids while others have a more realistic use for the more serious collector. Anakin is outfitted with all the right gear to make everyone happy and Hasbro has done a great job to ensure that most every figure they make today meets all criteria. Appearing in [almost] every episode thus far in The Clone Wars, don't expect the character of Anakin Skywalker to go anywhere. You can also expect this action figure to be revisited and reinvented into many future releases as a single basic figure or as part of a multipack. Anakin Skywalker is an excellent, albeit imperfect, action figure and Hasbro has gotten all of the fine details straight with the first take. Anakin Skywalker in summary is one of the most important and best action figures to grace The Clone Wars line. Perhaps his main character status influences this, but even if he was a background character we would still be inclined to unwaveringly admit that he is one of the best, super-articulated or not.