Friday, July 3, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,058: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI With Pilot Gear!
Revenge of the Sith Basic Figures Collection 1
Item No.:
Asst. 85173 No. 85665
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #0227
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, hilt, headset
Action Feature: Jedi Power Kick!
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Aided by his droid R4-P17, Obi-Wan Kenobi flies an Eta-2 Jedi starfighter on a mission to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. His acute Jedi instincts help him battle overwhelming odds. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Commentary: Early Hasbro solicitations for this Obi-Wan Kenobi figure mentioned things like "Red Squadron," which gave a lot of us a feeling that he might be more than what he is. Which sounds negative, I'm sure, but the fact is that this figure either is or is the basis for every great Obi-Wan Kenobi to follow. You may disagree that it's perfect, but it's really fantastic. He has a top-notch likeness, 14 points of articulation, and has little problem sitting. He's so good, Hasbro reused the same body to make a similar figure with a cloth robe (2006), a Grievous Fight version (2007), a Comic Pack version (2007), and even a Mustafar duel version with retooled hips to let him "kick" (2008-present). The basic figure construction is just that good.

Since the costume is reasonably simple, Hasbro realized early on that if they made a really great figure, they could repaint it, change up the accessories, and re-sell it to us as a new figure. While this is unfortunate on paper, we did end up with a lot of really nice figures as a result. Sure, the big plastic cloak accessory is worthless for a pilot toy (it goes into a pile, not on the figure in the ship) but it's nice to have. The hilt was a nice touch, and the headgear fits perfectly and will serve Obi-Wan Kenobi well when fragging the Covenant over Xbox Live. Because of his unique accessories and the overall awesomeness of the figure, this one holds up well and you should absolutely be sure you own ones. I think the head on this one is better than later releases, and while the articulation has been slightly improved, this one is the best overall from ROTS. Get it, or be sorry.

Collector's Notes: See above for other versions. This figure found its way into other packaging for a while, so there's a Greatest Battles version from 2006 too. Either way, it's worth owning, the 2006 packaging is arguably the better of the two.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,058: July 3, 2009

3 comments:

Ryan said...

That would be sweet if Obi Wan were playable in Halo.

Unknown said...

This figure is also awesome because many different heads fit on it. You can use this figure to create a lot of diferent "custom" Jedi.

Unknown said...

Absolutely my favourite figure of my favourite character. The plastic cloak is a masterpiece of sculpting, and I firmly believe the head has the best human likeness that Hasbro has ever done. This (and some of its other versions) are pretty much the only figures that score 10 out of 10 for me.