S.H. Figuarts Review | Anakin Skywalker (Revenge Of The Sith)
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Thomas Storai 
The chosen one has arrived to take his place in your Star Wars S.H Figuarts collection…but there is a great disturbance in the Force…
Following the success of its The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story action figure ranges, S.H. Figuarts has turned its attention to Anakin Skywalker from George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.
Anakin is my favorite characters from the saga along with Han Solo. And Anakin in ROTS is my favorite version of the character so I had great expectations for this figure especially after the incredible work Figuarts has achieved with Luke Skywalker (The Last Jedi). However, words cannot express how disappointed I am by this figure, Figuarts has, let’s say it, totally screwed up with this one and I am not happy at all. They charge a fee sometimes in excess of 50€ for these high-quality figures but this Anakin doesn’t warrant that price tag at all.
This figure comes with 6 hands, one lightsaber hilt, one lightsaber and 3 facial expression parts. Figuarts, unlike MAFEX, don’t include interchangeable heads anymore, instead, they offer interchangeable expression parts which consists of the interchangeable face instead of the whole head. But this system isn’t the best. Sometimes, it works well, but sometimes not. For Anakin, it’s actually very difficult to remove the expression part once it’s attached to the rest of the face and depending on the angle you look at the figure, you can notice the separation between the face and the rest of the head. It’s something that was noticeable on Obi-Wan Kenobi (A New Hope) but it wasn’t noticeable on Chewbacca (Solo). It’s something Figuarts need to address, they should offer the same interchangeability as MAFEX and include the alternate heads. That’s a lot more simple and will avoid any issues.
The facial expressions are the worst thing about the figure and they are the biggest detraction from what should have been an exceptional action figure. Despite the use of the digital face print technology, it doesn’t look like Hayden Christensen! The thing is no matter the tech you use, if the sculpt isn’t good, it won’t look good. It looks like a bad anime version of the character and not a live-action character.
WHAT HAPPENED?
That’s my question, who is the person responsible for this? How was this figure allowed to be released without even the basic standard of quality control, it’s ugly, and certainly doesn’t uphold Figuarts’ usual standard. I don’t understand. The worst of the three facial expressions is the screaming head, it’s horrendous. It’s the same ugly screaming head that was given to the S.H. Figuarts Superman. And the Sith eyes have a normal expression while the normal Anakin eyes have the angry expression, that’s just terribly wrong. All the more since the Sith eyes expression is the head that is the best out of the three. It’s not great but it’s not half bad, it’s the one that at least tries to look like Hayden Christensen even if it’s not that.
The body of the figure is actually good, even excellent, they nailed it with the outfit, it’s screen accurate. The sculpt is similar to the Attack Of The Clones Anakin, but it has different colors and textures and a new belt. The joint for Anakin’s robotic arm is the same joint used for Rey (The Last Jedi) while the joint for the other arm is the same as the AOTC Anakin. ROTS Anakin has 17 points of articulation, giving you a great range of action poses. Both Anakin figures only have 6 hands, which is a bit disappointing too, they could have added more hands based on his poses in the movies. If you compare the two, the AOTC Anakin had a much better likeness of Hayden Christensen.
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Final Thoughts:
This newest Figuarts figure is a real disappointment, the facial expressions don’t look like Hayden Christensen, we were used to bettering standards with this brand and they made a big mess with this figure. The body sculpt is great but it isn’t enough to help us forget about the bad heads. This figure is a pass for me.
The next figure from Revenge Of The Sith to be released from S.H. Figuarts is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first pictures don’t look good and it feels like it’s going to be like Anakin but this one will be released in February so there is still time to improve Obi-Wan especially since The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones versions of the character by Figuarts are exceptional! However, Count Dooku will be released as an exclusive in April and this one looks amazing!
As for ROTS Anakin, if you want a good version of the character in a six-inch format, I recommend the Black Series Archive Revenge Of The Sith Anakin Skywalker that will be released in Spring 2019. It’s a re-issue for the first Black Series Anakin but boasts the use of the new digital face print technology and it looks incredible!
Will you be adding this one to your collection? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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Collectables Editor at Future Of The Force.
Star Wars and Marvel specialist, anime expert
