The Yakface Toyguide updates resume today with the addition of our first basic figure for the 2012 “Darth Maul” product line. We kick things off with Anakin Skywalker (CW1) from The Clone Wars. Read on for a more in-depth review of this new version.

PROS: Hasbro’s addresses many of the issues with the previous Clone Wars Anakin here with this all-new figure, most importantly the likeness. The head sculpt this time is a far better representation of the animated character. While not much in the way of articulation upgrades over the previous version, there is a new insert-molded neck joint that allows for a wider range of posing. The sculptor in charge of this rendition did an excellent job in the overall sculpt and it’s neat to see that they even got the little Jedi comlink incorporated into Anakin’s left glove/gauntlet – a detail easily overlooked. Hasbro was kind enough to keep the peg for the right forearm/gauntlet the same so collectors are able to switch out for the bionic hand from the previous figure if they so desire.

Finally, fans of the Galactic Battle Game are treated to a new style game card which is now more like a trading card with a large character portrait one side with the game matrix on the reverse. Oh, and the stand and game die get deco revisions too.

CONS: Didn’t we just leave this party? It seems odd that Hasbro would take another shot at Anakin (and dedicate precious tooling dollars) so close to the previous “new” version from last year. With any insert-molded ball joint, you run the risk of the colors of the joint components not matching. We see this problem often in figure’s ankles. Sadly, this Anakin suffers from that mismatch and it will be very evident once the head is moved into a “looking up” pose. The launching lightsaber accessory does nothing for the figure and will probably be tossed in most collector’s parts bin or discarded altogether. Finally, it’s a relaunch line which sadly means a new relaunch (i.e. “higher”) price.

Head to the toyguide for the full image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this set is worth adding to your collection.

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