Hasbro Star Wars - Episode I: Anakin Skywalker's Pod Racer Review

Ever since my ex-neighbors Sheila and Chuck Blanchard presented me with the original Kenner Toys Landspeeder as part of my 15th birthday present back in 1978, replicas of the various Star Wars land and speace vehicles have been important additions to my large - if never totally complete - collection of Kenner/Hasbro Star Wars action figures and their accessories.

Considering that a great deal of the appeal all of the Star Wars movies have is based on how nifty the vehicles used by the heroes and villains are, it's not surprising that a semi-serious collector such as Your Humble Correspondent would make room in his (or her) house for the very detailed replicas of X-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, TIE Fighters, Imperial Walkers and, yes, even pod racers from the Prequel Trilogy made by first Kenner, then Hasbro. 

Anakin Skywalker's Pod Racer

The high speed, adrenaline-packed pod races in Mos Espa are immensely popular events for the local populace. The pilots of these pod racers must have lightning fast reflexes and nerves of plastisteel, especially for the Boonta Eve race at Mos Espa Arena. Here, Mos Espa's best maneuver through a perilous course that winds its way through narrow canyons and tunnels. Facing incredible odds and vicious competition, a victory for the young competitor Anakin Skywalker would make him Mos Espa's best pod racer.- From the package blurb

Hasbro's Star Wars Episode I Anakin Skywalker's Pod Racer follows in the Kenner-established tradition of building toy replicas of spacecraft and vehicles for the 3.75 inch scale action figures that first appeared in the late 1970s after the release of what is now called Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Its design is faithful to the one seen in The Phantom Menace'spivotal Boonta Eve race, echoing the speedy racer's lines, detailing, and layout while having features to enhance playability.

Major Features:  Anakin Skywalker's Pod Racer consists of two Radon Ulzer engines linked physically by two Steelton cables to a control pod in which a very nicely detailed figure of Anakin sits (more on the figure later).

The engines, which resemble those used by F-16 fighters on our very real world not so far, far away, are also linked together by simulated energy binders that fit at the leading edges of the intakes. The directional vanes and airbrakes are also attached to each Radon Uzer engine and can be "activated" by pressing the appropriate button on the toy Pod Racer's handhold.

 (While this handhold detracts pure displayability by adult collectors, it is important to remember that Hasbro intended this to be played with! After all, the Pod Racer is pretty tricky to handle without the additional support the handhold provides, and the buttons do get the directional vanes and air brakes to move.)

Figure purists may find flaws in the "exclusive" Anakin figure that comes with the Pod Racer; it can be posed only inside the cockpit because its arms were designed to grab onto the controls.

 Well, from "a certain point of view," (as Ben Kenobi might say) the purists have a point. Take the boy who will be Vader out of the cockpit and stand him up and he looks as though he was imitating the Frankenstein creature.

But if you leave Ani in the cockpit, he looks pretty cool.

Certainly he looks a lot better -- and more realistic -- than first-generation figures of his son Luke and other heroes, villains, creatures and robots, with their limited articulation and imperfect detailing. Anakin's homespun Tatooine clothes, that neat-o customized helmet-and-goggles rig, and even the boy's determined look are as good as they can be for a toy made in such quantities. (Besides, when young kids play with their figures, their flights of fancy allow them to overlook "flaws" that we adults perceive.)

A minor but important bonus -- for me, anyway -- is that the detailing was done at the factory in China and that no labels were necessary. (Not so for its stable mate, Sebulba's Pod Racer, but I'll save that for another review!) While it is not a perfect replica -- the control pod lacks a small antenna that serves as a telemetry transmitter -- it is very close to the movie vehicle. The racing graphics and paint job are very well done, as are the surface details of the engines and cockpit area.

My Viewpoint:  Although the Pod Racer has no weak points as a displayable collector's item (it must be out of the box, unlike the Scene Packs/Cinema Scenes) except for that very necessary handhold bar, as a toy it does have a few.

 While rugged -- as most Star Wars toys seem to be -- it does have those simulated energy binders that can come off if the Pod Racer is handled carelessly or roughly.

Even more important, those cables holding the control pod and the pair of Radon Uzers are metallic, so great care should be taken if this vehicle is played with by very young Jedi wannabes (Hasbro recommends this for children 4 and up; I suggest 8 and up!).