Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter - TSC - Vehicles

Anakin Skywalker battles deadly droid starfighters while on a mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by Separatist forces. As he heads for the vessel on which the Chancellor is being held, Anakin takes aim and disables the ship's shields.

The Revenge Of The Sith toy line brought forth a new sculpt of a vehicle that sported the updated style of Jedi starfighter seen in Episode III. The Saga Collection line look makes Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter the second time the vehicle entered retail shelves. You should probably expect this vehicle to be a mainstay in the Star Wars toy line. It’s a fun vehicle with plenty of play value, and it’s the vehicle of the main character of the Prequel Trilogy. An all-new vehicle in 2005, Anakin's Jedi Starfighter is a small achievement for Hasbro because they reached a new level of excellence in the way they approached the vehicle. Hasbro’s sculpting gets better and better throughout the years, and the paint operations improve right along with the sculpting. Plus, the inclusion of battle-damage final washes and other deco updates, the mid-size vehicle lineup offers the level of expectation collectors have for the vehicles Hasbro produces. Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter is a beautiful vehicle. With elements of the Original Trilogy combined with the “new” technology of the Prequel Trilogy, this Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor fought gallantly during the Battle of Coruscant as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi attempt to infiltrate General Grievous’ Invisible Hand to rescue Senator Palpatine. Technically making its first appearance in Star Wars: Obsession, Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter is also found throughout Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series as well.

Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter has an excellent sculpt. The cockpit is very, very wide which allows you to accommodate a huge selection of action figures of various shapes and sizes in it. Most of us will have one choice in mind, Anakin Skywalker, but the option is there if you’re a little more creative than the average collector. This vehicle fires missile projectile with the flick of a button. And if you pull down on the lever on the back of the vehicle, the wings deploy for attack mode. This starfighter also has retractable landing gear (which in our opinion doesn’t work all too well). As you can see, there are plenty of play features here which make this a great toy for kids and collectors alike. But this vehicle is also a collectible because of how great it looks and how well it is painted. It looks like a model used for the film it has been done so well. Even if you look at the underside of the vehicle you’ll be amazed by how much effort went into the tooling there as well. Why Hasbro would expend time and energy to make the bottom of a vehicle look this great is mind-blowing to us. But we’re just as thankful for it too. The updated The Saga Collection packaging is beautiful, and a huge improvement from the very bright Revenge Of The Sith themes. There is no doubt that collectors who prefer things "in the packaging" are going to want to add this flavor to their collections too. Because of different production times, some variances might exits on this version, but the differences are unintentional.

If we did have to pin down a fault with the vehicle, it would have to be with regards to the droid socket and “R2-D2 action figure” that accompanies it. There have been many theories surrounding this detail of the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptors. It’s against physics how an astromech droid could fit inside this spot on the vehicle (as per one theory’s description). So it makes sense that Hasbro would have to tool a version of R2-D2 that would fit inside of it. What we get instead is a hollow half R2-D2 “accessory” that fits inside of the droid socket like a glove. It’s disappointing that Hasbro couldn’t have just made a hold that went through the vehicle (where R2-D2’s legs would dangle from) and then perhaps a cover when R2-D2 wasn’t co-piloting it. Anyway, that design idea wasn’t an option. Another fault we must point out is the application of decals. Hasbro has decided that instead of painting on details or applying the decals before assembling the vehicle, that the parent or collector would have the joy of doing this instead. It’s maddening applying the decals on this thing. If you have large hands, it’s going to drive you insane. You’ll likely need tweezers and certainly, a steady, precise hand to apply the stickers on this vehicle. They aren’t going to go on with any ease. Aside from the decal issues, Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter is an enjoyable re-released vehicle and a fun toy. We wonder if Hasbro will ever revisit this vehicle in the future, or decide to re-release it again and again.