Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,030: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI Lightsaber Attack!
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.:
Asst. 85173 No. 85273
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: III-01
Includes: Blue lightsaber hand, hilt, hand
Action Feature: Squeeze legs together for lightsaber attack!
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: March/April 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Image: Adam Pawlus' BBQ. Looks kinda like Mustafar, I guess, sorta.

Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Master and a General in the Clone Wars. He embarks on a dangerous mission to stop General Grievous in an attempt to bring the war closer to an end. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Commentary: This Obi-Wan Kenobi was spared the incessant reissues of its companion Anakin figure, but it still had a few. This one isn't really any better or worse than the other repaints, but it does look fairly plain and as such is worth looking at-- or rather, it was, in 2005. Later that year a super-articulated mold was produced and nearly every new Obi-Wan figure has been based on that mold. So this one's already substandard for most collectors, as it doesn't have super-articulation or the greatest likeness on the planet. He has but 10 points of articulation, and is somewhat awkward. His slice-and-dice mechanism really doesn't get in the way too much, but he does have difficulty sitting and as such may not be your top choice for ROTS Kenobi action.

The sculpt is really nothing special now that we're a few years on, but it isn't awful. The costume looks about right, and his head does look a little tall and thin-- but it's unmistakably the Jedi general. Since there are better versions I can't really suggest you drop the cash on this one, but hey, there are worse versions you can buy.

Collector's Notes: This mold has frequently been repainted and reused. A "lava" version was sold in 2005, this figure was packaged with a then-exclusive Toys "R" Us blue Jedi Starfighter, and he was redecorated for the first batch of Target exclusive Order 66 sets in 2007. This mold gets around despite being reasonably iffy by today's standards.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,030: May 26, 2009

2 comments:

Bravo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bravo said...

Wound up with one from the Order 66 packs. I dislike built-in action features, but the lightsaber swinging action is kinda fun.

I never could get one hip joint to move at all. So how does he fit into a starfighter? Maybe mine is just stuck.

And he has the swappable hand...yet, the lightsaber-less hand can't grip anything. What's the point? He can wave at people or backhand them.