Review of Star Wars Anakin Skywalker action figure

Introduction

I have to say that one thing I won't miss with the new world of Star Wars is Anakin Skywalker. While it was episode 1 where he was most annoying, he never did win me over, and I prefer to ignore his whiny personality when I think of Vader.

It looks like Hasbro has decided to treat us with a few new 12" action figures across several different licenses. These guys come in a small box with little to no accessories, at the very cut rate price of $13. Other than the Anakin reviewed here tonight, they also have a Stormtrooper in the Star Wars line and at least a Spider-Man on the Marvel side.

Packaging - ***
Anakin comes in a basic box with a window cut out but no plastic window. It's actually somewhat collector friendly, although retying the twisties would be frustrating.

The lack of a plastic window means you have every kid in the store germing it up, but there shouldn't be any surprise about what you're getting here, since you can see it clearly in the box.

Sculpting - **
It's pretty rare that I see a figure on the shelf this down right ugly. Twenty years ago, it was fairly common, but as kids got more sophisticated in their taste, so did the figures.

The sculpt is pretty basic, with soft features and not a ton of detail. There's some decent texture work on parts of the clothing, but the overall look is just so...cheap.

The right hand has the light saber hilt permanently sculpted into it, while the left hand is done in a goofy force pose.

The figure is just under 12" tall, a bit undersized for the taller Skywalker. He stands fine on his own, perhaps one of the few redeeming features.

Paint - *1/2
Like the sculpt, the paint just oozes cheap. The glossy pale skin has a lot of slop around the hairline, the eyebrows look like something a woman 40 years ago would have painted on their face, and the hair color is a very poor approximation. Ugh.

Articulation - *1/2
The articulation is pretty basic, with a cut neck, cut shoulders, cut wrists, and T hips. That means he can stand up straight, with straight arm poses, and turn his head side to side. I was at least pleasantly surprised by the cut wrists, but it doesn't make up for the overall lack of poseablity. These type of joints are pretty much worthless.

Accessories - *1/2
He comes with one extra - the blade for his light saber. It snaps into the hilt, which is probably where you'll leave it. It's blue, and rather milky in appearance.

Fun Factor - *
This is a toy with almost no play value. You won't care if it ends up destroyed at this price point, but no kid is going to want to play with it either, making it pretty much a waste of $13.

Value - *1/2
I suppose $13 isn't that bad...if this figure didn't look like something you should buy at the dollar store. You can still find some decent smaller figures for $13 - spend your money on those instead.

Things to Watch Out For -
While the wrists are cut joints, you'll want to be careful freeing them up. The plastic feels pretty weak, and if they are stuck you could easily tear them.

The saber blade also has a pretty small post, so take some care when inserting it in the hilt.

Overall - *1/2
I get it - Hasbro wants to put out a few large figures, but thinks no one will pay the $30 or more that even a basic figure will cost. So instead they cut production costs to the bone, and end up with this violation of all things action figure.

Unfortunately, something this bad has no value - it's not a collectible, it's not a toy, it's merely a waste of plastic. Kids today have grown accustomed to figures of reasonable quality - they aren't going to go for something this ugly.

When I say these should be at the dollar store, I'm not joking. These look very much like cheap Asian knock-offs, not something from a major manufacturer.

You'd think Anakin would be the worst of these, because of the human likeness, but the Spider-Man has some of the goofiest proportions I've seen in quite awhile. Give all of these a very wide berth.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - *1/2
Paint - *1/2
Articulation - **
Accessories - *1/2
Fun Factor - *
Value - *1/2
Overall - *1/2

Where to Buy 
It seems that Meijer is the first store to put these out, but I'm betting we see them at most major retailers.

Related Links -
If you want a decent 12" Anakin, you could always hunt down the Sideshow version - it's going to cost quite a bit more, however.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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