Star Wars The Black Series Padawan Anakin Skywalker figure review – Attack of the Clones

Anakin Skywalker was one of the central figures in the Star Wars prequels so it’s no shock he’s gotten several figures. I reviewed the SH Figuarts Attack of the Clones Anakin, but I was kinda tempted by Hasbro’s Star Wars The Black Series version all the same. Let’s see if this is just as clear cut a decision as it was with the SWB Count Dooku figure.

Packaging: You know what you’re getting with this line at this point. The grayscale image on the right and the stark reds on the side and package insert.

I like the bio as it foreshadows Anakin’s tragic fate. That’s a cool approach for these Star Wars figures where they can write a comprehensive bio.

Anakin is #110 in the series.

Likeness:  Anakin has a more focused head sculpt than the SHF version and the likeness to Hayden Christensen is decent enough. I’m starting to think like it used to be with Mark Hamill Luke Skywalker figures, Christensen is just really hard for sculptors to nail the likeness.

His Padawan braid is still proudly swinging although he gets a bit touchy if you mention it around Padme.

Hasbro again didn’t shortcut on the outfit, which has plenty of texture along the outer and inner tunics. This is the same base body as the early Revenge of the Sith Anakin figure although his cloth skirt from that figure is oddly missing.

The sculptors did a great job conveying a leather appearance for the black portions of the outfit and crafting several folds for the looser attire. Anakin’s belt has a good amount of detailing. I really like the work on the boots, which are surprisingly more intricate than the SHF figure.

The SHF figure does have the edge with the sleeves. Anakin’s tunic had wider, almost baggy sleeves — like a teenager during 2002 — and the SWB version is much tighter and a neater fit.

Anakin does have two open hands so you can do the two lightsaber pose from the beginning of his solo duel with Count Dooku.

Paint:  The paint work on Anakin’s hair is good. It’s a good dirty blonde mix. There’s some slop around the hairline, which isn’t terrific, but it’s the only blemish around his face and I’ll take that over wonky eyes.

Scale: The SHF Anakin was about the same height as Obi-Wan, which isn’t accurate. Even by Attack of the Clones, Christensen was about a half head taller than Ewan McGregor.

The SWB Anakin is better scaled to the SHF figure. Now I’m curious if that will be the case with the SWB Obi-Wan…

Articulation:  I’d like for Hasbro to include bicep articulation for this line especially with the Jedi, who would benefit from that extra bit of movement.

The real killer here though is the lack of double jointed elbows. It’s the one area that’s essential for Jedi figures as it allows for the necessary range to allow for a decent looking double handed lightsaber grip.

Anakin Skywalker has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• hips
• thighs
• knees (double jointed)
• ankles

Accessories: Like the SHFiguarts figure, Anakin lacks his Jedi cloak. That would have been a nice bonus even if he didn’t wear it all that long in AOTC.

He does come with his standard blue lightsaber. The saber seems a little big, but it’s helpful for the two-hand grip. The SH Figuarts figure had a peg on the belt to attach the unlit lightsaber and it’s a little odd we only get the lit version.

Worth it?  I got Anakin for $20. That’s a pretty fair price for this scale even without a ton of accessories although he doesn’t feel like the game changer for the line like the Snowspeeder Luke and Count Dooku.

Rating: 7 out of 10

I got frustrated with the Star Wars Black Series articulation and Anakin was a reminder of the limitations Hasbro previously used as an acceptable status quo. The good news is the line has made some major advancements, but at this point Hasbro can’t go back to the old figure molds when better figures are available.

Where to get it? Amazon has him in and out of stock. Entertainment Earth has him up for pre-order.