Star Wars The Black Series Anakin Skywalker – The Phantom Menace (02)
Anakin Skywalker’s Phantom Menace look has been a weird omission from the Black Series line. Hasbro has done a few different versions of Lil’ Ani in the Vintage Collection including his young padawan look, but wasn’t getting the same love in the Black Series.
The Phantom Menace was largely neglected in terms of figures in the Black Series line specifically since Hasbro started making significant strides in the line over the last four years.
Finally, that drought ended in 2024 with most of the main characters from TPM getting some overdue Black Series attention. Let’s see if Anakin brings balance to the collection or will ruin this side of the display.
Packaging: For Phantom Menace, Hasbro opted for a brighter orange yellow accent color. Anakin is No. 2 behind only Jar Jar Binks, who was a weird choice for the first spot. It had been a long time getting another TPM figure as Jar Jar was released in 2021.
Anakin’s mural image shows him with his bookbag in hand taking one last look at Shimi before starting his journey to be a Jedi. It’s an excellent choice of a specific moment that isn’t always possible with these connecting images. I always appreciate how the bio writers try to incorporate actual dialogue from the characters to seamlessly fit in with the writeup.
Likeness: I really like the overall look of this figure. The hair and head sculpt is fantastic capturing Jake Lloyd’s likeness well — especially with the nose and mouth — while also believably making this young kid look like he would one day be the father of Luke Skywalker.
His outfit matches up well with the source material.
This isn’t normally a problem with Black Series figures, but it’s appreciated seeing the minor details like the bunching up of his tunic around his belt, the slightly too long sleeves and the wraps just below his knees.
Scale: The Phantom Menace offers the Hasbro sculptors the most fun in terms of having a variety of heights to navigate. Anakin is the shortest, followed by Padme, then Obi-Wan, Qui-Gonn and then Jar-Jar. The characters all properly balance out with each other including Padme, who was noticeably taller than Anakin in Phantom Menace.
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Paint: Life on Tatooine is rough and sweaty work, particularly if you work at a garage fixing up all kinds of parts or building your own protocol droid. The most glaring issue with Anakin is his outfit isn’t dingy enough. It really needs some darker patches of washes. That would prevent his outfit from looking so clean.
Hasbro did include the detailed elements of his undershirt and did add a wash for his hair.
Articulation: Anakin doesn’t need an abundance of articulation at this point. His most physical activity is being behind the cockpit of his pod racer or repairing something at Watto’s place or fixing up C-3P0.
I didn’t have any problems pulling off anything he did in the film although having him does kinda make me want a Naboo Starfighter for the Black Series line.
Anakin has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbow (with swivel)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hips
- knees
- ankles
Accessories: Anakin certainly had some accessory options, but the Black Series figures aren’t typically loaded with extras.
For this one, Ani gets his backpack. This is what he wears when he’s saying his farewell to his mother. The pack is solidly constructed with the roll on the top right section. He also has this on when Darth Maul battles Qui-Gonn in the desert.
Barring a rare figure/vehicle set, it would have been fun to see Anakin with his pod racer helmet or the Naboo starfighter pilot helmet. I feel deeply deprived not being able to say “now this is pod racing!” when I look at him now.
Worth it? Anakin is a standard price figure despite his smaller stature and minimal accessory count. Hasbro raises the prices of figures with more intricate paint jobs, but “shockingly” doesn’t do the same when a figure requires less plastic and work. I waited until Hasbro Pulse had a sale, so I was able to get him for under $17, which feels like a better price than $24.99. Amazon currently has him available for $20.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Finally, it’s time to build out The Phantom Menace corner of my Star Wars display. Anakin is a fantastic centerpiece alongside Padme, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Beyond the lack of a grimy wash or more useful accessories, this figure is very well executed.
Where to get it? I don’t remember seeing the Anakin and Padme in stores, but he’s readily available at Amazon.
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