Welcome to our review of the Star Wars Black Series 6 inch Anakin Skywalker action figure, released in 2014 in the 4th wave of the new 6 inch line under the original orange line phase 1 packaging.
Packaging 4/5
Anakin is part of the first phase of Star Wars Black Series releases, the orange line boxes. These are mat black in general colour with a bright orange stripe running down them in the pattern of the lighting used on Imperial installations like the Death Star.
The figure is displayed in a window with black card back that does make it hard to see, particularly for a figure whose garb is predominantly black in colour. Orange is used again for the character name and the numbering, in this case Anakin is #12 in the line.
The artwork is seen in a small circular image to the top right - and on the back we actually get a movie still, converted to a grayscale image. In Anakin's case it is him and Obi-Wan facing off on Mustafar.
Above the dual image is a short piece of text that gives a little background on the basis for the character and where and when it sits in the saga, particularly in this case Revenge of the Sith.
"AFTER TURNING TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE, ANAKIN - NOW DARTH VADER - BATTLES HIS FRIEND OBI-WAN KENOBI IN A LIGHTSABER DUEL ON THE LAVA PLANET MUSTAFAR"
"I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do"
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
From the box, Anakin is a fair resemblance to Hayden Christensen and this first head is the more neutral of the two, pre-Dark Side perhaps. The head is cast in a glossy skin tone and lacks any further tone other than the eyes and eyebrows and his scar which is not overly pronounced. The lack of any wash, shading or even lip colouration means what detail in the sculpt is not realised. The hair is well done with a curling fringe and is painted a single brown tone.
While the head is cast in skin tone, the neck is not and has been painted - leaving a variation in colour. The said painting is also messy and bleeds onto the surrounding collar. The neck also has a very ugly peg joint that is visible at all times as it doesn't sit far enough into the head and the joint itself is not painted fully to either side, leaving bold dark lines in a rectangle shape.
Anakin is sculpted in his Revenge of the Sith robes and these are made up of brown under robes with a black gloss tunic over the top. The belt is sculpted with a pouch and some other bits and bobs, all painted and neat looking. Similar detail is sculpted on the bindings on the wrists and boots, although only the arm pieces have the straps and buckles painted. As per the movie, Anakin's right hand is gloved - his mechanical hand - while the left is cast in the same glossy skin tone as the head.
The skirt segment under the belt is a combination of a leathery type material for the black and a cloth soft goods piece ot the sides to fill in the gaps. This same technique was applied on the earlier Obi-Wan figure to good effect in that it does not impede leg articulation as some skirts might.
Anakin is packed with a second head. This one is designed to be the Sith head, representing Anakin as turned to the Dark Side. The head swaps easily enough.
The second head carries more of a scowl with the eyes furrowed and the mouth turned down. The skin colouring is the same, a glossy skin plastic with no other shading. The eyes are narrower and darker, but not yet the Sith yellow as we don't see these until Anakin is burning away on the Mustafar lower ground. As before the hair is very well done, now messier and matted, but painted in a single brown tone.
The same issue remains with the neck joint which is visible under the chin of the head.
Accessories 4/5
Anakin is armed with his Lightsaber, essentially the same one that was included with Luke Skywalker in both the X-Wing and Bespin releases - after all they were the same weapon.
The hilt is cast in grey and is then painted with black details around the emitter and a touch of red lower down. The blade can be clipped in and out and this quite a brighter, bolder blue than the Luke versions.
The details on this are pretty sharp considering the size and the scale looks good with the figure.
When not in use the hilt hangs on Anakin's belt by means of a small peg on the saber and a corresponding plug socket on the belt.
The weapon can be wielded in either hand with the blade ignited or not.
Articulation 4/5
Anakin has 16 points of articulation starting with the neck peg and ball joint we have already mentioned. This allows the head to rotate and look up and down. The waist is also jointed by means of a ball joint. This also rotates, as well as giving the upper body the ability to lean in or lean back.
Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with full mobility. Further down we have the rotating single jointed elbows. These bend to 90 degrees, but no more. The arms end in pivot wrist joints that rotate and then bend on the peg section. This all allows for some two handed saber poses so you can pose Anakin in battle.
The legs are jointed with a ball joint hip that is fully maneuverable thanks to those soft good skirt segments. We have a thigh swivel, hidden under the skirt, to allow the legs to be turned in or out - and then the knees are double jointed allowing kneeling and crouching poses. The final joints sit at the ankles as a ratchet rocker. Anakin is perfectly stable in numerous poses.
Summary
Anakin is a good looking figure that would have benefitted only from some additional paint around the head and some work on the neck peg. The costume is really well done and is dark and brooding as Anakin's robes should be, but as with any Jedi I do feel he is missing a soft goods cloak to finish him off (something easily bought on the secondary market).
The lightsaber is a re-use, but there is no reason why it should have been anything else being the same saber that Luke ends up with in the Saga.
I score Anakin Skywalker 4/5
