This figure has very limited articulation, with swivel joints only in its head and shoulders and limited range of motion in its electronic right arm. Anakin is quite detailed, though his arms are those of Vader rather than those of Anakin. His head sculpt is quite well done and good looking, and the small hole in the top of his head (more on that later) is hard to spot unless you are looking for it. The lightsaber is that of Anakin from Revenge of the Sith, and the figure includes a removable plastic cape that can be detached or left in place when transforming into Vader. The cape is secured by pieces that slide into the front of Anakin's belt, and its rubbery construction makes dawning and removing the cape fairly simple. Anakin includes six phrases straight from Revenge of the Sith in Hayden Christiansen's own voice. When the button on his right arm is pressed, you will hear either one of three voice clips or lightsaber sounds. When lightsaber sounds play, the clear removable blade will glow blue. Once the saber is humming, press the button for three more phrases and lightsaber battle sounds.
To perform the rise of Darth Vader scene for which this figure was specifically designed, the chest armor must first be snapped into a slot on each side of the figure. The shoulder armor and its attached cloth cape must be velcroed open and carefully maneuvered over Anakin's head. This is a delicate process and should not be forced, because the shoulder armor does not look as sturdy as it perhaps should be for use with children. The mask and helmet are then placed on his head, and I find that it is best to insert the mask into the peg on the underside of Vader's helmet before putting the entire assembly on Anakin's head. Otherwise, the mask will not stay in place and the helmet will not fit or activate the sound feature. Once the helmet is in place, a button in a hole atop Anakin's head will be pressed by a peg in the helmet and activate the sound of Vader's helmet being lowered into place. This helmet is modeled on that seen in Revenge of the Sith rather than the original trilogy, and does not feature as much detail on the front and grill as some other 12" Vader figures. There is also a sound when you take the helmet off. The saber will now glow red instead of blue when the button is pressed. Vader is great looking, though the saber and boots are still Anakin's and you can see his pants rather than Vader's suit under the cape. The cape is made of a rough velvety material with triangular pieces of thin vinyl on the bottom to give it some weight, which works quite well and makes the cape stay in place more efficiently than some other 12" Vaders I've seen and had. As with Anakin, there are six clips, and three of them are heard with battle sounds when the saber is humming. (Note that five out of six phrases are the genuine James Earl Jones voice clips, and the remaining clip is voiced by Matt Sloan of The Force Unleashed and Chad Vader fame.)
This figure is, in my opinion, a great display piece for those who cannot afford fancy premium 1/6 or 1/4 figures but want something reasonably nice to display. Playability is largely limited to the transformation process, and I don't know how long kids will want to continue reenacting the same scene time and time again. (I can safely say that geeks such as I will probably never grow tired of it.) Given these assessments, and the fact that the shoulder armor is a bit delicate, I would recommend this figure for children old enough to get the point of the figure and not end up destroying it. For collectors and display fans, this might be a highlight on your shelf. Its light and sound gimmicks, along with a reasonable depiction of both characters, make this a worthy purchase. By the way, it requires one AA Battery that is actually included! What a rarity these days, though potentially problematic for those who keep their figures mint in the package. Should you have any questions about the figure or its features, please leave them in the comments section. Thank you for reading, and may The Force be with you.
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