Figure of the Day: Day 31: Luke Skywalker with Obi-Wan Kenobi

Infant LUKE SKYWALKER with Obi-Wan Kenobi
Separation of the Twins Collection
Item No.: Asst. 87011 No. 87012
Number: 0517
Includes: Lightsaber hilt, removable cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.24
Availability: November 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda find themselves in the midst of tragic circumstances and must decide the fates of the newborn Skywalker twins. Senator Bail Organa volunteers to adopt Leia, while Yoda instructs Obi-Wan to deliver Luke to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine. After giving Luke to his family, Obi-Wan goes into seclusion on Tatooine. He will one day guide young Luke in the ways of the Force. The separation of the twins is a difficult decision, but Obi-Wan and Yoda are confident that there will be a day when it will prove key in the return of the Jedi. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Revenge of the Sith Heroes & Villains shelf.

Commentary: In an effort to provide the Wal-Mart beast with a new, low-cost, but still unique exclusive, Hasbro had an idea: package figures you've already got with a new accessory, charge rock-bottom prices for it, and people will buy it. The resulting products were twofold, one of which we look at today with Infant Luke Skywalker with Obi-Wan Kenobi. So basically, you get this Obi-Wan figure you've got, but with fewer accessories, and an added Luke. So the only real reason to buy this is for the infant Luke figure, which uses the same mold as the infant Leia figure, and it's an oddball figure. Why on Earth would you want to buy a baby accessory? Well, when it's Luke Skywalker, it might make some sense, but still, in and of itself, it doesn't do anything-- no articulation, nada. Obi-Wan is pretty awesome, as he's super-poseable and easily the best of all the prequel Obi-Wan figures, but if you get the other versions, you'll get a fancy lightsaber and flight... halo thing, or the other version, which has a lightsaber and a nifty cloth cloak.

Collector's Notes: If you're looking to do some sort of lowest-common-denominator buying of the three versions of this figure so you get the most accessories with the least duplication, you can't. The "halo" is exclusive to the ROTS version, the baby is exclusive to this version, and the cloth cloak and display base are exclusive to the Saga Collection release. This figure came and went from retail very quickly and as such, don't expect to find one at your local Wal-Mart. I'm not saying you won't find one, I've been to enough freak Wal-Marts to know that crazy things show up. These tend to go for a few bucks on eBay nowadays, but not too much-- they're still cheaper than the going rate for a brand-new Target exclusive figure these days. Also notable: this figure (and the Leia with Bail Organa set) were the very first figures to come on Saga Collection-esque packaging.

Day 31: June 6, 2006