It was a scene that was imagined for many years.  Star Wars fans back in the day had heard that Obi-Wan and Anakin dueled on a lava planet, but it seemed it probably nothing we would ever see on screen.  But the instant the prequels were announced, it immediately was assumed that this would be the climactic scene of the new trilogy.  Years in the making, it more or less delivered (despite some of the hokey effects and dialogue).  And it forced upon the Saga its first PG-13 rating.

Hasbro wasted no time immortalizing the moment in 3.75” form.  It didn’t make the launch waves, which makes sense, since it was a spoiler figure, but it came out a few waves after the film debuted, to make sure everyone saw it.  I had never imagined that Crispy Anakin would be a part of the line, so I remember being shocked (and delighted!) that it was happening. 

It’s an interesting figure on a lot of levels, aside from the source as inspiration, the design itself is intriguing.  It’s a reasonably sophisticated attempt at giving collectors a “build-a-vader”, and it seemed more thought and engineering went into it than you might think. 

First of all, the figure begins life as Anakin on Mustafar when he was slashing away at the Separatist leadership.  It’s not a complete figure, but it can pass as one.  You can see from the images above that Anakin has swappable heads and arms, so that you can use the pre-burnt head and arms to make the robed former Jedi version.  The robe is really a plastic shell that serves as the entire body, except the head and arms.  If you choose, you can put the burnt body underneath, and just attach the clean head and arms, as well as the included boots.  The side slits on the robes do reveal the burnt clothing underneath, however.  To remedy this, there is a clear plastic “torso” that allows for the arms and head to plug in, and you can use that underneath the shell.  You don’t really need the boots, as the robes reach the floor and hide them anyway.  The shell stands on its own, so it gives the illusion of a complete figure.

You can then take the burnt body with the crispy, bald head and the stumpy arms, and you’ve got the Anakin that caught fire from the lava as Obi-Wan departs the scene.  Unfortunately, you can’t really recreate the in-between part, where Anakin is “merely” separated from 3 of his limbs but hasn’t yet caught fire.  The best you can do is keep the regular head and arms and attached to the burnt body, but it’s super weird looking.

For good measure, you get his blue lightsaber, which he can grip in his hand.  The figure is not really designed for much posing, as the articulation is basically 5POA.  It’s more about the display options.

This was one of my favorite figures back in 2005, mostly just because it was wild that it even existed.  It’s still one of my favorites today, even though it is actually pretty terrible unless you’re just interested in the crispy version.  It even topped our list of the 50 Creepiest Star Wars figures.

The best part about this one is that there is virtually zero chance it will ever exist in the 6” line.  Take that, Sixer scum! 

5 Stars.
6/10 Banthaskulls.