Desert Skiff With Anakin Skywalker - TCW [R] - Deluxe

For missions in the harsh deserts of Tatooine, Anakin adapts the technology of the local swoop gangs. Desert skiffs are generally used for hauling stolen goods, but these maneuverable, lightly armed speeders are well-suited for undercover missions. Combined with Anakin's skill as a pilot and Podracer, the skiff is an ideal transport for dangerous desert operations.

Hasbro often looks for ways to pad certain sub-lines of figures. Only so many new tools can make it into the various product years due to cost containment initiatives, so the occasional (or frequent) repack and repaint is an inevitable "evil" in this hobby. But they can be a necessary evil. They have been making collectors reasonably happen with the nice assortments in the deluxe line, but there are some that make us scratch our heads once in a while. Hasbro decided to resurrect a miniature vehicle (from the 1996 POTF2 [R] Deluxe line) and repaint it to make an "Expanded Universe" (or off-screen) vehicle from The Clone Wars television series. Believe it or not, the Desert Skiff works much better in The Clone Wars line than it ever did in The Power Of The Force [Red] line. Perhaps due to the fact that The Clone Wars is itself actually an Expanded Universe source, any character or vehicle that is also EU will fit in better as a result. That is our line of logic at least, but we have to admit that this deluxe set is an almost seamless addition to the line it just seems to fit it flawlessly well.

Not only do we get a vehicle that hasn't graced retail shelves in over a decade, Hasbro was generous and gave us a "different enough" Anakin Skywalker figure too. Anakin comes with a brand new poncho that has been molded in plastic. In addition to a couple of new accessories like goggles/breath mask combination piece, Anakin has been repainted and cobbled together from previously existing Anakin Skywalker action figure bodies. The final figure is actually pretty cool. Just look at the goggles carefully. How can anyone not be able to see some artistic visage of Darth Vader in them. We think that this is a little homage paying here. But when you compare him to the other Anakin Skywalker figures you already have, he is going to look strikingly different. Perhaps this is quite fitting since the Desert Skiff was never seen in the TV show, maybe this exact version of Anakin didn't either. Of course the packaging for the vehicle and figure has all the regular The Clone Wars branding on it with a little bio on them as if they are a regular part of the story. Bottom line, this vehicle works. And it works quite well.

If you can accept this set at face value, we believe that you are going to thoroughly enjoy this set just for its contents. You get a great figure and a cool vehicle that has aged remarkably well for being more than a decade old. If accuracy is your thing, then this isn't the purchase for you, but Hasbro is adding their own "concepts" to the burgeoning The Clone Wars line. We can tell you that it is a nice pairing of figure and vehicle. And as serendipitous as this is, it is cool to get the same vehicle that was used by both father and son, even if they were utilized in some EU source that has only been envisioned as a Hasbro concept so far in the Star Wars saga. Also, if you are a one-of-every-figure collector, then this is clearly a must-have purchase. The Anakin is different in many ways from all versions released thus far. And we admit that his goggles are just too awesome. This purchase is definitely not something to army build but it is a great addition to the ever-growing line. The Desert Skiff With Anakin Skywalker has all the fun of a larger vehicle with firing projectiles and admirable articulation, plus a great pack-in figure. So, we will say definitely pick this one up for sure!