Sculpt: Swoop Bike--4.5/5, Anakin--1/5
To me, swoop bikes are like the Harley Davidson's of the Star Wars universe. This particular swoop bike looks excellent with plenty of details. As far as I can tell, it's pretty darn accurate to the one in the movie. The whole bike has plenty of complex-looking parts, like the engine and all the pipes and hoses. There are footpegs on the footrests which help stabilize the figure, but I wish they were angled forward as my Anakin's feet don't quite match up with the pegs. The only really inaccurate thing on the bike is perhaps the fact that it has a seatbelt. I don't mind it too much but the only reason it's there is because of the action feature built into the figure. You see, in order to use the action feature while Anakin is on the bike, he can't be holding onto the handlebars (more on that stupidity later). Thus, the seatbelt is needed to create some resistance when you push the button on Anakin's back.

And that brings us to the included Anakin figure...You know, Hasbro never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you've seen the worst, they prove you wrong and make this kind of crap. I am seriously peeved here. I don't know how it's possible to ruin this many Anakin figures. I'm beginning to think the designers at Hasbro have a contest to see who can make the crappiest, ugliest Anakin figure in the world. If there were a book titled "How Not to Make an Action Figure", most of the Anakin figures would be in there listed as prime examples.

Anyway...gosh where do I start? The headsculpt on this Anakin is the second worst headsculpt of Anakin (the worst being from Deluxe Anakin w/Geonosian), and once you see it you'll know why. There is a look of constipation on his face. I'm guessing they were going for a more determined look, but it is so far off the mark it's hilarious. The rest of Anakin isn't that bad now that I look at it, but the headsculpt is so hideous that it ruins everything. The bad headsculpt has a way of drawing your attention to it. This figure might have actually looked pretty cool if they were able to nail the right expression.

Another problem I have with the figure is that it is obvious to me that he was not meant to be able to hold both handle bars of the swoop. He can hold both handle bars but he looks a bit awkward because of the way his right arm is posed.

Articulation--3/5
Anakin has eleven points: neck, shoulders, hinged right elbow, wrist cuts, waist, hips, and hinged knees. Not a bad set of articulation points, except for the right elbow which is completely loose due to the action feature. I would have liked to see a ball-jointed neck or even ball-jointed hips. I think Hasbro should experiment more with articulation than with action features. As it is, the articulation is adequate.

Features: Swoop Bike--3/5, Anakin 1/5
The swoop bike has one feature (besides looking cool): it has a "kickstand" of sorts. There is a triangular-shaped thing at the front of the main body of the swoop. Simply pull it out and then swing it down for a better way to "park" the swoop. This little feature is not mentioned anywhere on the package.

Anakin's action feature is just poorly thought out and has no business being on a figure that is meant to ride a swoop bike. Anakin has lightsaber slashing action when you press a button on the back of his belt. The action is similar to the one on Geonosian Rescue Mace Windu; press the button and the upper body rotates. Anakin's loose right elbow joint completes the slashing action as it swings wildly in a horizontal motion. Preferably, you should be able to use the feature while Anakin is on the swoop bike, but this is where it gets stupid. Anakin can't be holding onto the handle bar if you want to use the action feature. So you're either going to have an Anakin that can slash away at enemies while not controlling his swoop, or you have an Anakin that is controlling his swoop but is haphazardly slashing because of his loose elbow joint. I suppose they wanted to make an Anakin that could cut off the head of the new Tusken Raider, but I think putting the action on this particular figure was a huge mistake.

Accessories--3/5
Included is Anakin's lightsaber. The blade is not removable so you don't have to worry about losing the blade or having it break easily. I would have liked to see Anakin's cloak, since he was wearing it in the movie.

Paint--3/5
The paint is decent overall. The swoop bike has plenty of dry-brushed paint apps on it to give it a somewhat used look. Actually, after looking very closely, it appears that the weathered paint app is printed on. The paint on Anakin is solid; nothing looks terrible and the paint job on Anakin's lightsaber is well defined and clean.

Packaging--3/5
The packaging is pretty standard, with the slightly revised look of the 2003 figures. No diorama-esque packaging here, it just is what it is. The large window lets you get a good look at the swoop and Anakin's face in all its ugliness.

Overall--3/5
I totally recommend this set if you want the swoop, but please DO NOT get it for Anakin. If Anakin's face were better and the action feature was more well thought out, this set would have gotten a definite 4/5. As it is, the Anakin figure brings down the set as a whole which is unfortunate, because the swoop scene in the movie is one of my favorites. Hasbro has failed miserably to recreate the mood and tension in Anakin's face; either they just don't care, or they have some inadequate sculptors.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com