Figure of the Day: Day 110: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI Final Duel
Power of the Jedi 25th Anniversary Collection
Item No.: Asst. 84485 No. 84671
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: Spring 2002
Appearances: Star Wars


Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi, later known as Ben Kenobi, was a legendary Human Jedi Master trained by Masters Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn, and taught both Anakin and Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. He fought as a High General for the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves. In the background note an unpainted test shot of Transformers Energon Rodimus, and on the right is part of an alien creature toy packaged with the Fisher Price Adventure People Alpha Star. (The mold is a little different than final production.) I have no idea why my 25th Anniversary sets are with my prototypes, but hey.

Commentary: It doesn't look new, but this figure of Obi-Wan Kenobi is actually a brand new sculpt sold in 2002. He has much less in the way of articulation, and his oddly designed figure can't stand without his display base. (Well, he can, but not well.) The hood of his Jedi robes is a separate piece from his head, leaving it to rest oddly at times. In short, this figure was ALMOST really good. The figure has an excellent sculpt, top-notch painting, and a decent pose, but, unfortunately, the fact that the hood tends to lean away from his head makes it a less than desirable figure and more of a statue than anything else. Packaged, this is a nice item.

Collector's Notes: The 25th Anniversary 2-Packs (and Jorg Sacul) were really the only commemorative toys made for the quarter century mark of the franchise, which is unfortunate. The sets didn't do especially well, mainly because the other items were Luke & Leia and Han & Chewie-- really nothing new, at least not from the character front. During Power of the Jedi, fans wanted huge improvements and new characters, and these figures didn't offer that. There's really no reason for you to pick this one up unless you want a complete set. The Darth Vader figure that Obi-Wan was packaged with was later reused for the Celebration III Darth Vader.

Day 110: August 24, 2006