BEN (OBI-WAN) KENOBI I think we've reached the ceiling of what cloth robes can deliver
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0922
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #373
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: At Princess Leia's plea for help, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi embarked on a journey to Alderaan with Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C-3PO, and hired pilots Han Solo and Chewbacca. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: In 2024 and 2025 we got some new versions of key characters from the original film. That's a big deal, and it invites a lot of scrutiny as fans are being given higher prices and have high expectations that these new figures will surpass previous purchases. It is expected that the likes of
Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi are not merely good, but after several releases must be the very best and maybe even final, perfect edition.
This isn't that. It attempts to iterate on the 2004 and 2009 versions of the figure, and does make some improvements. The cloak is still goofy and gets in the way of the arm articulation, which isn't conducive to the two-handed lightsaber fighting poses from the movie. There are aspects of this figure which are incredible, but this is a complainy review because a great likeness and the best-yet leg articulation is hard to deal with when you're going to need another separate figure to do your dueling. The materials used and the super-articulated format have limitations with bulky costumes, and it may be necessary to make multiple figures (or figures with swappable parts) to meet the demands of displays and maybe even play.
I would be lying if I say 2025 Kenobi isn't good, but it doesn't drastically improve on the 2009 versions from The Legacy Collection in terms of being able to fight or have his hood up. In case you forgot, we got single-carded Obi-Wan with elbow and knee ball joints, plus a table with a Leia hologram figure, in The Legacy Collection. It could stand and sit, it looked good, and it had an excellent - for 17 years ago - likeness. 2009 Kenobi had hair which was a little more gray, 2025 is a little more white with the whole photoreal face painting. It has separately molded hair that matches a painted beard. The actual facial hair of the figure is close to the cardback photo, but since it's right there you can easily tell there's a little more color in his sideburns and cheeks, plus a little more dark hair on the sides. When it comes to the new head, it's a good modern improvement - but the old ones were also basically just fine. If Hasbro does a version 2.0, I would ask them to spend the dime and give him a little more color in his beard if they can make it look right. If not, this'll do. For a portrait the size of a peanut, it's excellent.
Costume color is mostly fine. There's always room for a little interpretation with the color of the cloak, the tan robes, and I guess the belt buckle. Costume photos make it look like a tarnished silver-adjacent color. Hasbro opted to make this figure's belt buckle gold. What's right? Probably the tarnished silver. Everything is close enough that I don't think you can fault the Pantones used to make this guy.
Articulation is improved a bit, but this figure isn't capable of all the poses I would deem essential after a dozen different revisions. You can kind of get both hands together to do the death pose from the Death Star - the range of movement in the arms isn't fantastic. It's also hindered by the cloak. With the cloak off, you can make it work. With the cloak on, the tiny bunched-up fabric garment actively pushes the arms apart so it has to be very, very specifically posed. It is not a satisfying experience. You're going to have difficulty getting both hands on the saber to fight Darth Vader, too. I won't say it's impossible, but I'm not liking the results after minutes of fussing with it. It's a toy - this should be simple, or there should be a simpler solution like "duel arms" you can pop out, similar to 2004 Dagobah Luke. The arm articulation is pretty much the same as the 2009 figure with deeper elbow cuts, and exposes the limitations on some super-articulated figures due to the costume design. I think the only option is to pursue swappable arms - a set of alternate pre-posed arms as bonus gear (at a higher price point) could fix this. I'm not normally an advocate for alternate body parts, but we're at a point where you just plain can't get the arms to sit right within a cloth cloak. I don't think Hasbro can make a set of arms with full articulation at this size that can assume the position within a soft goods cloak. There may be value to pre-posed arms or a hard plastic cloak shell to keep the figure's pose from melting away..
The inner robe sculpting is nicely done. The texture is good, and it was good in 2009. It's a little different, but you can tell they're working from the same reference given where the folds go. His lower robes are cloth and the legs have an extensive range of movement. He can sit, no problem. The boots and legs make me think the plan is to repurpose them for prequel Jedi, but I guess we'll find out this year. As mentioned above, I find the range of arm movement below expectations and not significantly improved, but for a figure that'll just sit in your Cantina or train Luke on the Falcon? The articulation is perfect.
I like the lightsaber hilts. The hands have problems double-gripping them due to interference from engineering and the figure's unusual thumbs, but you can kind of, sort of, make it almost awkwardly work. One of my gripes about The Vintage Collection is that each figure looks amazing, but they're generally difficult to pose just right. A coat, a belt, a skirt, or some element will push limbs away from where you want them to go. It's one reason I'm fond of Retro - movement is limited, but it stays where you put it. I don't want my figures to fight me, and Obi-Wan doesn't want to fight for me.
I do not like the cloth cloak. It is not an improvement. Hasbro hasn't had a lot of great luck with cloth Jedi capes and cloaks and robes at this scale. In this case, it's folded kind of oddly and Hasbro sewed the hood down. You can snip the tip, but not everybody likes to make modifications to the figures and the hood is huge. As is, it hangs somewhat oddly. It just isn't cut right. Around the shoulders, there's a little too much fabric. The sleeves are too small and tight, in the movie they're much longer and hang down a bit. With a little work I can get it to look mildly acceptable, but I think that after 25 years of cloth Jedi robes on 3 3/4-inch scale action figures we can all admit that there are limitations of the material and/or factory sewing machines that may not be able to deliver a satisfying experience at this size. At this point I think it's just beyond the technical expertise of the factory or the designer, and alternative materials must be examined. Perusing fan and official figure photography, I don't think it's just my opinion - the cut of the robe just isn't worthy of a "premium" collector-priced figure in today's market.
After several decades I think I just have to make peace with the fact that this is probably as good as a "super articulated" Kenobi as we're going to get - unless you change up the engineering and try something different. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't have an Alec Guiness Kenobi in their collection, because it is still the best one overall so far - but other ones have unique accessories and poses you may find valuable. If you want maximum articulation but aren't too bothered by the cloth hindering some of it, with the best likeness, this is your current best bet. But for a dueling alternative, keep reading.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
While not exactly a looker by modern standards, I would recommend you look up the 25th Anniversary Obi-Wan Kenobi [FOTD #110] and/or The Last Jedi Kenobi [FOTD #2,413] for dueling purposes. It's necessary for your double-handed dueling Death Star needs. The price isn't too high yet, but it has been slowly increasing.
Confidential to Hasbro: I know you guys like Deluxe figures for $25 and up, and I think you should consider Obi-Wan for a fancy upgrade. A version of this figure with multiple plastic robe pieces for specific poses might look good and give you another bite at the apple for the figure tooling. Sculpted plastic hoods do tend to look great - so why not include plastic robes for specific vehicle riding needs, specific dueling needs, and including them with version 2.0? I think VC #373 is good for certain fans - they want a carded figure, they want the cloth, and you gave them exactly the kind of figure they asked for - bravo. But it doesn't look great in a diorama, and I think plastic robe parts are the solution and I'm willing to pay for it. Consider it for the 50th anniversary, perhaps in a duel with Darth Vader set or a Death Star playset.
I would also recommend looking at 2004 Dagobah Luke for a "statue" solution that may be cheaper and use less labor at your factories. Swappable arms gave this $5 Luke figure wildly different poses that were not possible to replicate with "super articulated" arms. An Obi-Wan with pre-posed scene-specific arms could be a viable product for cutting off alien arms or distracting Sith Lords. Some fans will complain, but it's the internet and that's what we do here. New features and functions give fans a reason to buy a figure other than "now he's got ankle rockers." There is more to being a functional figure than merely having the most articulation. A "Statue Series" might be a great sidekick to The Vintage Collection for scene-specific major characters in the films, with reduced factory labor costs.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,308: January 6, 2026
