Customer Reviews

Anakin Skywalker: The Story of Darth Vader Figure and Book Set Star Wars Masterpiece Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, be warned. The official Amazon Editorial has it right: the story within doesn't have much to say about the Anakin Skywalker we now know from Episodes I and II. The book, co-authored by Lucasfilm exec and author of the Star Wars Encyclopedia Stephen J. Sansweet, was published several months before The Phantom Menace's release and "the early years" of Anakin's life are based on early story concepts, not from the outlines or scripts to the sequels.

That having been said, readers will come to understand that the central figure of the six-movie Star Wars saga is really Darth Vader, and that he is really George Lucas' favorite character. The fiction and non-fiction look at this tragic hero-turned-villain is insightful and very comprehensive, especially in the chapter that chronicles Darth Vader during the time span covered by the Classic Trilogy.

Like the other books in the Masterpiece Edition series, the cover price is pretty high, but I found this edition on the discount bin at Waldenbooks. It was the only one left and the cover had a tear, but that was the box cover and not the book.

The large figure of Anakin Skywalker (as seen in Return of the Jedi but in non-ghostly form) is really beautifully rendered, although it does not have a lightsaber (the small figure -- which is NOT included -- paradoxically does).

Even a serious collector should wait. The pictures are terrific and the figure is good but for the money you would expect allot more from Lucas. The figure could be better for this money. I'd wait until it hit clearance or a sale were it's under $45.00.

I was extremely disappointed. The book claimed to have a 'Prequel' to Star Wars: A New Hope (The first movie/book). That consisted of about three paragraphs. The rest of the "Saga of Darth Vader" was simply a synopsis of the first three movies. It read like a book report. A well written book report, but a book report nonetheless. Even the first section, which contained insights into the creation of the original concept was at best informative, but rather short and boring. The "story" part was a mere 40-45 pages. If you want to call them pages. The text is jammed into the center of each page on sometimes hard to read backgrounds which consist of original drawings and still shots of the movies. The whole text takes up about 1/2 of each page. Some of the drawings were interesting to see, but should have been placed altogehter on seperate pages. And the last part of the book, which consists of a few paragraphs concerning Vader collectibles and then several pages listing collectibles since the inception of Star Wars, could easily have been found in any toy magazine/price guide. I didn't need to pay $75.00 for it! The figure is nice, but I've seen better. Definately not worth the exorbanant price they're asking for it! Unless you're a serious collector, I'd avoid this one.

The Book itself was very good even though I would of liked to of seen some stuff from before Anakin became Darth Vader but I guess that is being saved for the new movies. I thought that this product was DEFINATLY not worth the money you pay for it. It was very, very, very expensive for a figure and a book that had words on only half the page and not very good pictures. It's a nice collectible...but definatly not worth the money. And I agree with other reviewers...where's the lightsaber?

I was really excited when I got my copy of this limited edition Darth Vader Book. However, as I started reading it, I found that it was nothing that I had expected. I thought that it would have a boigraphy on Anakin Skywalker, and info on his life, with, as it said, some interviews with George Lucas, and others. However, I was happy with some things such as the pictures, which I personally found to be very interesting.....and I also found out some stuff about the creation of the character that I never new, which was interesting. So although I enjoyed the book somewhat, I was dissapointed as it was not to my expectations.

I found the info on Anakin before he became Vadervery interesting but for what you pay it isn't worth it.

The Anakin Skywalker figure was a major total bonus!!! He is a total treasure! The book was excellent in the beginning in discussing the McQuarrie formulation of Lord Vader. The middle section, about Anakin and how he became Darth Vader didn't tell me anything new. I was hoping for some new and interesting info on the Dark Lord, but...... The third part, the collectible info was pretty good if not frightening....especially when you realize that you posess 2/3 of the Vader stuff mentioned therein. Overall, I give the book (and, mostly, the Anakin figure) an enthusiastic 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up!!!! Thanks.

I read through the storybook, and was a bit disappointed that there was not more written about Darth Vader's past. I guess this will show up in the new Episodes. The book did a good job of filling in Darth's history between Episode 4, 5, and 6 of the Trilogy though. It's interesting to read, but if you're a die hard Star Wars fan it's mostly review. On the other hand, the 12" Anakin figure is a must for any collection (tip, he's looks great standing next to the Electronic 12" Vader figure w/ removable helmet - revealing Anakin). Overall, this set is a definite must for all collectors, but priced a bit high in my opinion.

Chronicle Books sure does a great job designing its books ("SW: Concept to Screen to Collectible" and "The SW Scrapbook" are works of art in their own right, and the "SW Encyclopedia" is imposing). And no one knows his subject better or can write about it as well as Steve Sansweet. This is an outstanding package in every respect -- people REALLY take notice when they see it strategically displayed on my book shelf or coffee table, and they (SW geeks and non-SW geeks alike) paw through it for many minutes! I hate the "A" word but this one is Awesome!

Most people who end up with this set are probably more interested in the Anakin 13.5" figure than the accompanying book. Anakin is quite nice, with a high level of articulation and a pleasing expression. The book is smaller than you might think from the size of the package. The first section covering the development of the Vader character is interesting reading. The second part is essentially a summation of Vader's role in Episodes 4-6, which is familiar to most everyone. The third is a fairly detailed look at Vader collectibles, which is fun reading for a Star Wars collector, although intense fans may already know about most of it. The presentation is gorgeous throughout, from the massive outer box to the attractive merging of photos and text in the book itself. All in all, a different sort of Star Wars piece well worth picking up.