Anakin Skywalker - SW [Y/AOTC] - The Clone Wars (CW03)

Anakin Skywalker investigates a bombing at the Jedi Temple. (European packaging)

Anakin Skywalker investigates a bombing at the Jedi Temple. The Jedi must act quickly to uncover clues that will lead him to the bomber, because a terrible rumour is spreading that a Jedi might be the one who caused the explosion! (North American packaging)

Just like 2013’s The Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi (CW03) figure, it can be said of Anakin Skywalker that the third time is the charm for him, too. We’ll warn you right up front that some testy collectors will be referring to this action figure as “large head” Anakin Skywalker, but the size of his cranium isn’t exaggerated enough for us not to consider him the definitive update to the “Episode III” version of Anakin Skywalker from the animated The Clone Wars television show. The Season 3 Heroes On Both Sides episode brought about new looks for the three main heroes, but for one reason or another Hasbro needed to ride a lengthy learning curve to get things “just so” and deliver unto collectors truly accurate (and awesome) iterations of these characters. Thankfully they’ve succeeded with the 2013 facet of The Clone Wars line. Sadly, Anakin Skywalker and company are international exclusives and the animated The Clone Wars line as we know it is dead. Sadly, this will overshadow the impressiveness of this now definitive version of Anakin Skywalker. As a result, your concerns regarding how you will add this figure into your collection will lie prominently on your mind. What a shame that Hasbro has updated some of the most popular characters in the entire The Clone Wars television show and now they’re going to be out of reach for so many collectors (and kids) who have been waiting for them since they were announced in August 2012 at Celebration VI.

Anakin Skywalker looks a little bit more exasperated this time around. His eyebrows are cross and his half-open mouth shows that he is experiencing some angst of any random battle he is trying to conquer, whether against Sith or Separatists. If we had to criticize the head sculpt in any way, we would have to say that the scar on his right eye is too accentuated for this release. Remember, this isn’t a new flesh wound. This is a healed scar from a battle he had with Asajj Ventress at the onslaught of the Clone Wars. Proportionately, the head sculpt on 2012’s SW [TPM 3D] Anakin Skywalker (CW1) figure is better scaled, but the likeness has been better achieved on the 2013 release. What’s most impressive here however is the completely revisited paint job. If you recall, Hasbro really took a huge step forward for the paint operations of 2010’s TVC Darth Vader [Anakin Skywalker] (VC13) figure when you compare it to previous versions of the sculpt. Well, that’s about as drastic of a change Hasbro made to the new 2013 version of The Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker. His shirt and undershirt and pants are now the same color – a rich chocolate brown. And his tabards are now colored a very dark navy blue which at first glance are so dark they almost look black. The thickness of his belt has been reduced which in retrospect looks like an error was made at the factory level on the 2012 version. That has now been corrected and looks so much better now. We also have noticed that his forearms are a deep dark black instead of the "grayed out" black seen on the 2012 release as well.

Anakin Skywalker is very lightly accessorized for this release. Hasbro has decided to make this action figure as screen accurate as possible and has eliminated any signs of extra play value for the kids. This is quite interesting when they have uttered time and again that this line is for kids and not collectors. So, Anakin Skywalker just comes with his signature lightsaber. New attention to the figure’s paint job, a screen accurate accessory and a much better portrait are three things that Hasbro normally reserves revising for a collectors’ line. The updates and the approach for the way the figure has been packaged, while greatly appreciated from a collectors’ perspective, are totally inconsistent with Hasbro’s recent approach and assertion that this is a kids’ line and an intended "dumbing down" of a figure's articulation. Whatever. We're happy to see that they have changed their minds. As you know all too well, American collectors will never see this collection of action figures at a retail store in the United States. The closest they’ve come to the American border is Canada. The aftermarket is your only source to secure these awesome and updated The Clone Wars action figures. You probably also already know that the animated style of The Clone Wars line is complete now. Hasbro is moving toward realistically styled interpretations of the characters from this franchise, so this is the last “hurrah”. It’s bittersweet to realize that Hasbro might have taken The Clone Wars line to more collector-friendly standards as evidenced by the final 2013 wave. But bottom line is it’s done, and we’ll only have our memories and purchased action figures to memorialize what we had at one point. It’s indeed a sad time for lovers of The Clone Wars.