Count Dooku/Anakin Skywalker - TAC - Comic Packs (Exclusive)

With the success of the 2005 Revenge Of The Sith line, Hasbro learned very quickly to keep products from Episode III fresh in the current mainline as often as possible. But perhaps few collectors realized that this would transfer over in the Comic Packs line. Hasbro reissued the 2005 ROTS Anakin Skywalker (III 2) and 2005 ROTS Count Dooku (III 13) figures but gave them sterling new paint jobs. These paint jobs are not faithful to what we saw in the films, but you will likely have to admit just how great they look on the action figures. Both figures are much darker in nature and it sets the dark theme very well for the events that transpire in the comic book. The second wave of exclusive Walmart Comic Packs in the 30 (77-07) line wasn't that inventive as the first one were, but they nonetheless will appeal to a slew of hardcore collectors. These won't be the most enthralling action figures your money could buy, but they will give you two "new enough" figures for an EU source that is strictly based on the Episode III movie. Yes, these action figures have relevance because it allows Hasbro to budget for new tooling in the mainline Comic Packs collection. Repacks and repaints are inevitable, but at least Hasbro mad them interesting here.

Count Dooku is the impressive figure in this two-pack. He has been repainted from head to toe in a black outfit and even his soft-goods have been cut from a fabric colored in black as well. (It still has a brown under layer.) Count Dooku also has a very brightly colored belt. We are at a loss to give the color its proper name, but we will loosely refer to it as a very light burnt orange. While we are more than used to seeing Dooku in brown fabric, black works for him equally as well. Complete with an impressive amount of articulation, Count Dooku has great mobility and is clearly designed for collectors. He has a very passable likeness and while he doesn't surpass the quality of the Evolutions figure, we have to admit that this version of him is pretty darn good. Because his Sith attire is primarily dark, it isn't as easy to see all of the detail in the sculpting. This isn't a setback by any means, but it is a shame that some of the texture gets lost in the uniformity of the dark paint applications. Complete with his signature lightsaber, Count Dooku comes outfitted with the perfect amount of accessories: one Sith lightsaber. It is all he needs! Wishing for a little more articulation that with what he comes, Count Dooku is still able to stand up on his knees in a pleading fashion for Anakin Skywalker to spare his life. Of course his wish doesn't come true. All of his evil deeds were all for naught.

Anakin Skywalker bogs down the value of this set tremendously unfortunately. While painted very nicely, the sculpt used is one of the weakest Hasbro could have chosen. And to make matters worse, he has the same horrid action feature that he had in 2005 that is just plain stupid. And it even seems that his joints are looser than before too. This figure almost angers us because in 2008, Hasbro should no longer be adding figures of this inferior (and poor) quality in collector focused sets. This move was definitely "penny wise, pound foolish" and we hope that Hasbro leaves these silly action figures in their vault forever. Anakin has a "hand with permanent lightsaber" attachment that can be fastened into the hole in his wrist. This of course irritates us too, because he will have to hold the lightsaber at all times in order to have a hand. So, this set is great for the Count Dooku repaint, but Anakin Skywalker is a clear setback. The Comic Packs line has sparked a whole new interest in the Expanded Universe. And while this isn't one of Hasbro's best ones, it does not make us lose any interest on what could be possibly coming down the pike. Clearly Hasbro will have to introduce us to new characters with all-new sculpts. So it is inevitable that these repacks/repaints come at some point in the line too. We just wish they would use a little bit more ingenuity in making them more appealing to collectors.