Anakin Skywalker - Battle Damage

Except for the fanboys programmed to hate Episode III simply because it was a prequel film, everyone was glad to see how good Revenge of the Sith was. We got exactly what we were expecting, an epic chronicle of the fall of the Republic and the Jedi, mixed with awesome space battles and some of the best sword duels ever commited to film. But what we really wanted to see was how Anakin, a relatively unimpressive (if petulant) kid could turn into the galaxy's ultimate badass. Anakin loses his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Gravely wounded, Anakin falls into a burning lava pit and is left for dead. But the galaxy has not seen the last of this powerful former Jedi. Though this figure is called Anakin, it's really Darth Vader - he's already been annointed and named, already carried out his first assigned tasks. Just because he's not wearing the black suit doesn't mean he hasn't made his choice. This figure depicts Anakin in his dark Jedi robes. He's wearing his cloak, and has his hood pulled up over his head. The sculpt is good, at least on the cloth; this is one of the worst Hayden Christensen likenesses we've seen yet. In fact, if the head wasn't specifically attached to this body, you probably wouldn't be able to guess who it was supposed to be. Like the deluxe Anakin, the appeal of this figure is the ability to make more than one character. It's obviously meant to depict Anakin's battle with Obi-Wan; or, more specifically, the aftermath of that battle. No way to avoid spoilers when reviewing this, so here we go. Anakin has managed to fight his former master to a standstill in the lava fields of Mustafar, until Obi-Wan gains the high ground. Obi-Wan warns Anakin, but the kid, as over-confident as ever, tries to leap over his teacher and continue the fight - at which point Obi-Wan neatly lops of his legs and lets him slip slowly toward the magma flow. Take that, ya whiney little snot! Remove Anakin's cloak and you'll reveal the tattered remains of his dark Jedi robes, as well as some scorched flesh. His legs are removable at the knees, and the package includes replacement "hamburger" arms and head. His right arm, mechanical from the elbow down, is complete, while his left arm is nearly burnt away. He's got dark circles under his eyes, and all the scars on his head that we know Vader to have. The paint apps are good, with the burnt flesh a darker red than his pre-fight bits. Everywhere his costume is burnt away we see an appropriate spot of skin, and the gold of his arm doesn't bleed onto the rest of him. Articulation is light, with joints at the knees, hips, shoulders and head - no waist, no elbows, and no wrists on either set of arms. Plus, since the legs need to be removable, the knees are just peg joints, so they turn rather than bend. The fight between master and student was one of the film's great moments, exciting and adventurous in the tradition of the serial films that inspired Star wars in the first place, and allowed us to see the injuries that would seal Anakin in a black suit of armor. Hasbro has given us a really cool figure depicting that scene. This is a pivotal moment in the Star Wars story, and now you can own it for yourself.

Tweet