POTF Anakin Skywalker
One of the most emotional, and thrilling moments in the original trilogy is Luke Skywalker seeing the spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi at the victory celebration after the Battle of Endor. Joining them of course was Anakin Skywalker's spirit. Now, many young people have watched the 2004 "Special Editions" and few of those young people don't understand the controversy some fans my age and older have with Hayden Christensen appearing as Anakin. You see, back in 1983 another actor appeared as Anakin. And he wasn't young, but looked closer in age to Obi-Wan. Personally, I understood putting Hayden in, no problem with it. But this figure definitely isn't Hayden! And had the line continued this figure may have been used to update another Jedi. Anyway, let's get into the original Anakin Skywalker!!
Okay, the figure itself is unique. Like the Imperial Dignitary and EV-9D9, he comes with no accessory. But that isn't unique. The paint job implies this is a "Force Ghost" version of Anakin as there is a slight light blue hue to the figure. The sculpting on the robes is absolutely wonderful, even by 2022 standards. He has the basic 5 POA, but his hands cannot hold any accessory. The head sculpt is a good match to actor Sebastian Shaw, who I will go over in a little bit.
So, how was this figure going to be a game changer? As you can see, Anakin wears robes similar to Obi-Wan (something you see in the 1983 and 2004 and beyond versions), so this could have been retooled to make a new Obi-Wan had the line continued past 1985. A prototype Luke Skywalker was made with similar robes:
(photo source theswca.com)
Now about a man who has been forgotten. Born in 1905, Sebastian Shaw would "mature" as an actor after serving in the British Royal Air Force. Shaw excelled in performing parts in Shakespeare's plays and film adaptations (something William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart have in common with Mr Shaw). He got the part of unmasked Vader and had to sign non disclosure agreements to take the part. He couldn't tell his family, or his friends which included future Star Wars actor Brian Blessed (Boss Nass in The Phantom Menace) he was in the film until after it came out. In 1975 he wrote a novel The Christening. He passed away in 1994 at the age of 89, and Ben Kingsley and Kenneth Branagh performed readings at his funeral. So, Mr Shaw was a lot more than just Anakin Skywalker.
Now, back to the toy. Is this one you need? Well, yes actually. Personally I would recommend the Stan Solo Force Ghost version of Anakin, Yoda and Obi-Wan as there you'd get the complete set. On Kenner card, Anakin goes for about $200, while loose versions run you anywhere from $30-$50 which isn't bad. This figure was also one of the last mail away figures, so a little trivia there for you. Not a bad figure, and it's one that many Retro Collection collectors would love to see get officially made by Hasbro, along with the other Force Ghost versions. Mr Shaw would get 2 other figures, the 1997 Force Ghost version, and a realistic non Force Ghost figure in 1999.
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