Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,942: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI Series 1
Clone Wars Cartoon Network / Tartakovsky Animated Series Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85003 No. 85217
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, display stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Late 2004
Appearances: Clone Wars 2003 series

Bio: Through the creative vision of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Cartoon Network, the Clone Wars are brought to life in an exciting new series of short animated chapters. A unique animation style captures the drama of this epic period in galactic history along with its outstanding heroes and adversaries. Noble Jedi warriors lead Clone Troopers into battle against the evil Separatist forces and their droid armies. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda and their comrades struggle against the rising power of the dark side and confront personal challenges against a backdrop of war-torn planets.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary: Here's a fun bit of trivia: I write a lot of these on planes.  The reason I bought a laptop a few years ago was specifically so I can make the best use of the time in the air, and let me tell you, the ad money from FOTD barely pays for the electricity.  Anyway, Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the early animated figures with a notable action pose.  The angled right shoulder is unusual in that it lets the arm swing across the body and easily double-grip the figure's lightsaber.

Lacking in traditional detail, the figure instead goes for a highly stylized look with angular facial hair and a sharp haircut.  The figure's boots and hands are very blocky, giving this action figure the air of a nice, cheap animated maquette rather than a toy.  It's a gutsy move on Hasbro's part to make figures like this, and as much as I'd like to say the gambit paid off it really didn't.  The figures sold just fine during their time on the pegs, but the secondary market has not been kind to this now very cheap and totally worth owning action figure.

Collector's Notes: You should have no problem securing this figure for a couple of bucks on eBay, especially in a lot or as part of a collection.   As I'm fond of saying, I'm a big fan of this sub-line and at the price, you can probably score the entire collection for the upper double-digits.  It ain't bad.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,942: November 22, 2012