Figure of the Day: Day 827: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI Clone Armor
The Legacy Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 32532 No. 32537
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #BD09
Includes: Helmet, cape, lightsaber, lance, droid piece
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: July 2008
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Bio: Obi-Wan and his clone troopers go up against Durge and his IG lancer droids on the planet Muunilinst. The Jedi general and the Separatist bounty hunter engage in an explosive jousting match that pits two powerful warriors against one another. (Taken from the cardback.)

Commentary: After a pretty lackluster first attempt in 2005, Hasbro gave this armored Obi-Wan Kenobi a second attempt in 2008 just before the new animated series kicked off. Thankfully, this one was packed with improvements, yet unfortunately still wasn't quite perfect. Eschewing removable snap-on armor, this release is already more solid than his predecessor, and his cloth cape is much less of a hassle to work with. Hasbro's decision to include soft goods around the waist paid off nicely, as you can place this figure on a Speeder Bike with no real problems. With 14 points of articulation, including the new and improved hip joint, this is a figure that's so good it's almost a sure thing that it will come back again in another form, most likely with a bike this time. He looks like a Clone with Obi-Wan's head and a cape-- which is exactly what he should look like.

As to the downers? It's all in his head. The face looks more cartoony, with bright red hair and an angry expression on his face. Since his hair is a little bit more bulky, his helmet was upsized to be longer and wider than that of a typical trooper. Also, the new wrist articulation would have been nice, but odds are the added accessories ate up a few extra cents in product development. It's a fun figure, and easily the best armored Obi-Wan toy money can buy. Plus if you don't like the head, that's refreshingly easy to take care of...

Collector's Notes: The deco on the head of this figure varies wildly. I popped open a case, and noticed significant difference in how the facial hair was painted. As such, it may be worth your while to look through a few before deciding which one to buy and/or open. Also, the head is easily swapped with the Revenge of the Sith Pilot body-- which means if you have extra of any of a number of figures released since 2005, you can just switch them out if you want. Finally, the lance is designed to come apart-- so if it busts into two pieces at the grip, that's OK, it's supposed to.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 827: August 14, 2008