Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader - TAC - Evolutions

Experience the evolution of the greatest villain the galaxy has ever known! These figures capture the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader! Anakin is a young Jedi who fights for all that is good. He emerges as a hero of the Clone Wars but is lured to the dark side of the Force. He joins the evil Sith and becomes the menacing Darth Vader. From hero to villain, his power and influence change the destiny of a galaxy!

Near the end of 2007, Hasbro made the exciting announcement that the Evolutions line would be returning in early 2008 continuing in the fan favorite 30 (77-07) toy line. What they weren’t so forthright about was that the entire first wave of three-packs were going to be all repacks from the Revenge Of The Sith line. But with the new glorious 30th anniversary packaging, most collectors had decided to look the other with wave 1 in anticipation for the newness wave 2 would bring them. The Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set was really a no-brainer choice to release once again, and in all honesty the set never looked better thanks to the updated packaging. All of the figure to one degree or another have received updated paint operations, but the same accessories have been carried forward. If you own the previous set, you really already have everything contained within this re-release. The Evolutions line is absolutely collector-focused. These are premium action figures with phenomenal sculpts and stunning paint jobs. And while there is always room for improvement, Hasbro has really assured collectors that they have their best interests in mind with the Evolutions format. The Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader set, which brings collectors excellent renditions of Anakin Skywalker from Episode II, Episode III and Episode VI (the packaging claims IV), is destined to be a hit once again, three years after its original release. There is something here for both Prequel Trilogy and as well as Original Trilogy fans. But it is so cool to see this stepwise progress of our favorite Star Wars villain in toy form.

Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) lacks ball-jointed ankles, but has been given premium articulation mostly everywhere else making him a beautiful action figure. He also comes with the most accessories including a lightsaber hilt, lightsaber blade interchangeable cybernetic right forearm and a binders/chain combination to recreate his capture at the Geonosis Arena from Episode II. The lightsaber hilt plugs into a hole on his belt and the removable lightsaber blade feature is cool, but makes us worry if the figure ever fell over while holding a lit lightsaber (breakage). His likeness isn’t necessarily perfect, but it is decent enough for us for now. The articulation he comes with is very functional and you can really pose Anakin in more ways than you might expect, especially since he doesn’t come with any ankle articulation. It’s a great effort for an Episode II take on Anakin Skywalker. The Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars Commander) figure is another great figure in this set. But we wouldn’t say it’s better than Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) figure. The swivel elbows are a huge letdown especially since the figure is so excellently sculpted and detailed elsewhere. Plus, he has a likeness like no other – it’s that good. It’s inexplicable why Hasbro would get lazy here and cheap out on swivel elbow articulation. It’s an area of the “body” that requires ball-jointed articulation unfortunately. He comes with a soft-goods Jedi robe and an interchangeable right forearm to hide his cybernetic replacement (and it comes with swivel articulation too). And while he doesn’t come packed with a lightsaber blade, you can take the one from Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) and it fits like a glove on this figure’s lightsaber hilt.

Darth Vader (Evil Sith Lord) is the crowning glory in this entire Evolutions set. He also received the most aggressive paint operations changes for this reissued set. This time Hasbro added a great deal more of graying on his skin and he really looks different from the 2005 Revenge Of The Sith release. Star Wars collectors have been waiting a long time for a Darth Vader this good for a very long time. Super-articulated (if you don’t mind a swivel neck/head joint) and with a miraculous likeness to actor Sebastian Shaw, this Darth Vader will stand the test of time and can be considered a definitive Episode VI update to this action figure. Ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, knees and hips adorn this figure and all work like a charm to develop poses that we just couldn’t do previously. And the removable helmet is simple, yet functional and reveals a gorgeous head sculpt just like what was revealed to Luke during the conclusion of Return Of The Jedi. The packaging states that that Darth Vader is based on his appearance from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but we all know this is his appearance from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. Darth Vader’s soft-goods are ever so slightly clumsy, but it’s not the end of the world and it’s going to be something you will easily overlook. Besides the removable helmet (which comes off in one piece by the way), Darth Vader also comes with his signature red lightsaber. His right hand is outstretched and open, so you’ll have to use his left arm to hold it. It’s exciting to see Evolutions come back for the 30 (77-07) line for 2008. It will be interesting to see where they take the line for the future.