Anakin Skywalker (Padawan) - TVC - Basic (VC244)

How do you react to an action figure initially planned at its inception to be part of The Vintage Collection but didn’t come out in the line over a decade later? Anakin Skywalker (Padawan) is a long-awaited entry into The Vintage Collection. Hasbro made us wait so long for the dang figure that some may wish for another upgrade before deeming it definitive. It's not good that the figure doesn’t hold up to modern technology or standards because of how long it took Hasbro to release it. We must admit when we opened our box of this figure, our reaction was no different than Michael Scott’s visceral response upon learning that Toby Flenderson reinstated his employment in The Office. The reason we reacted the way we did is because we believed Hasbro “painted” the flesh color on the head sculpt, resulting in a “porcelain” or “fake” texture on the figure. But upon closer inspection, we cannot prove (or deny) Hasbro did this. Whether the Photo Real application didn’t deliver as planned, or the color of the flesh tone is off, the resulting action figure leaves a bit to be desired because something is incorrect. That said, this version of Anakin Skywalker is the best “main outfit” iteration of the character from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. Besides, Hasbro included some well-deserved newness with this release, which may entice collectors bored of repacks to pay closer attention. Oh, and the card is hard. It’s awesome. It’s about time the packaging improved!

Anakin Skywalker (Padawan) has a sordid history. Originally planned for The Vintage Collection, the line was unceremoniously canceled at the end of 2012 (with a few special stragglers arriving in 2013), and in its place, Hasbro planned the Legacy Collection “2” line. But before 2013 rolled around, Hasbro also canceled the Legacy Collection “2” line. Collectors wondered what would happen next with the 3.75-inch basic figure line. Behind the scenes, Hasbro was working on developing the 6-inch figure line and decided to keep 3.75-inch running alongside it under the same banner of The Black Series. The next half-decade would be 3.75-inch collectors’ worst nightmare. Poor character selection, idiotic case assortments, and shoddily designed and painted action figures would be the focus of these “dark times” in Hasbro Star Wars collecting. And to add insult to injury, a couple of years after Hasbro launched The Black Series 3.75-inch and 6-inch lines, Go! Games & Toys, part of Calendar Holdings, began receiving the canceled Legacy Collection “2” action figures, both singles and full cases. Hasbro later admitted that VERY few case assortments were produced, which would be the only time that line would have commercial availability. We digress. In short, Anakin Skywalker saw a couple of basic carded releases between 2013 and 2015, but Hasbro finally got the character slotted for 2022’s The Vintage Collection lineup and the third time is the charm because they treated this figure kindly by including exclusive parts, found only in this release.

The recipe of Anakin Skywalker (Padawan) is more complex than the average kit-bashed action figure. Hasbro took the portrait of the Anakin Skywalker figure from 2010’s LC Anakin Skywalker/Droideka (3 of 6) Geonosis Arena Showdown (2010 Edition) set, and the arms from the Anakin Skywalker figure first released in 2005’s ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set. They also used the thighs from 2010’s TVC Darth Vader [Anakin Skywalker] (VC13) figure. They then developed an all-new torso along with an all-new belt/skirt combination piece. And lastly, the figure comes with all-new legs, including the incredibly awesome “rocker” ankles. The two previous Anakin Skywalker figures and The Vintage Collection release all share this same parts collection. But for this release, Hasbro wove an all-new soft-good robe that's screen accurate to the one we see in Episode II. It fits the action figure beautifully. Collectors will love it. They also included a new hilt which wasn’t included with previous releases. The part looks all-new to us, but we may be forgetting about an earlier version. The paint operations are generally excellent on Anakin Skywalker (Padawan), aside from our feelings about the face texture. Also, Hasbro used rubbery plastic, so it’s pretty difficult to pose the figure’s lower body because it wants to bend in your hands as you manipulate it. We need to find out why the card backs are getting thicker and more rigid and why the figures are getting softer and flaccid.

Even if Hasbro reused some old parts here, when cobbled together with the new parts, they all work together to create what we happily consider an “all-new enough” figure. As a result, Hasbro made a definitive-for-now version of Anakin Skywalker, using cream-of-the-crop existing parts, new parts, new accessories, and gorgeous packaging. We’re honestly happy to see Anakin Skywalker (Padawan) in The Vintage Collection finally. We all waited too long for this central character action figure in the line, and it's infinitely better than 2011’s TVC Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) (VC32) released many moons ago. Some other beautiful details about Anakin Skywalker should interest collectors, too. Hasbro was cautious to match the various shades of browns painstakingly to recreate a screen-accurate version of Anakin Skywalker as a Padawan, and they nailed it with this release. If you spend enough time comparing, you’ll soon notice the previous versions of Episode II Anakin Skywalker action figures have been off, even if only a little. And keep in mind, this is the only Episode II version of Anakin Skywalker that comes with ball-jointed hips. From the minor details like the hilt’s drilled hole in the belt to the appropriately-sized braid, Hasbro left nothing unconsidered here. Many collectors who don’t pay attention believe this figure is primarily the “Evolutions” version from 2005, but they’re entirely incorrect. Take the time to learn about this stunning figure.