If you don't know by now that Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, then I'm not going to be the one to spoil it for you. Oh. Oops.
Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Republic, turns to the dark side of the Force and joins the evil Sith. After nearly dying in combat, one final change erases all trace of his former self. No longer Anakin, he is now Darth Vader.
There are about half a dozen Anakin figures in one form or another in the crushing tidal wave of Episode 3 merchandise which was just loosed upon an unsuspecting world, but there was only one that really screamed "buy me."
Anakin is wearing his dark Jedi cloak, but it's a removable piece so we can see his robes beneath. You have to wonder why the Jedi, who all wore the exact same thing, gave Anakin an outfit that was significantly darker than all the rest - would he still have turned evil if they'd dressed him in pastels? Well, probably - pastels are pretty heinous.
The sculpt is good, but it's certainly not the best we've seen from Hasbro. They've become masters at getting realistic detail out of a 3¾" figure, but this one is a bit more cartoony than the usual - you can definitely tell this is supposed to be Hayden Christensen, but it's not as dead-on as even the other Anakins are.
His chest is broad and flat, which serves a purpose later, but just looks strange now. The figure moves at the hips, waist, shoulders and elbows, lacking a neck. All the detail on his costume is sculpted well, but if you just want an Anakin Skywalker, this isn't the choice for you.
The reason I got this version instead of, for example, Dark-Eyed Lava-Burny Anakin is simple: removable armor. This set comes with all the equipment you need to turn David Prowse Jr. into James Earl Jones.
Begin by removing Anakin's arms and replacing them with Vader's warm woolen mittens. The lower part of his Jedi robes can be swapped out for Vader's skirt. Attach the shin guards and chestplate, then it's time to give him the cloak and helmet. The helmet isn't hollow, sadly; instead, Anakin's head is spring-loaded to push down into his chest, which is why he has no neck articulation. It's not like this type of action feature has never been used with a neck joint before, so the fact that neither Anakin nor Vader can look side to side is rather disappointing. The set comes with two lightsabers: a blue one for pre-lava, and a red one for post-lava.
Once you get all the gear on, Vader looks pretty decent. Anakin's dark clothes blend nicely with the Vader gear, and none of the articulation is lost. Again, this isn't the best Darth Vader ever, but it's not trying to be - it's just a cool figure with enough stuff to turn into two different characters. Plus, no goofy action features getting in the way of your fun. Well, other than the lack of a neck. But still, definitely worth a purchase.
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