Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,645: Clone Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi (The Black Series 6-Inch)

CLONE COMMANDER OBI-WAN KENOBI (General of The Republic Army)
The Black Series 6-Inch Figure Walgreens Exclusive
Item No.: No. E5157
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber with removable blade, display base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio:  A legendary Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a noble man and gifted in the ways of the Force.  He trained Anakin Skywalker, served as a general in the Republic Army during the Clone Wars, and guided Luke Skywalker as a mentor.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability:  Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  A mix of new and old parts, Clone Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi is gem.  I'm a big fan of this costume, and it makes sense Hasbro would want to reuse some existing parts.  The Clone Trooper body from a few years ago is once more put through its paces, changing torso, head, and belt.  The same double-jointed knees and elbows are here, and they're still pretty great.  If you have a Clone army, odds are you've got a figure very close to this one already - but a new head and accessories go a long way.

The most strange thing about this figure is that it exists - this is probably Hasbro's best Ewan McGregor head, yet it doesn't come from a movie and it's a costume he never actually wore.   The hair is a separate molded piece and the face is a bit more flush than usual - it's a little much. That's really the only criticism I have of the figure itself, in a dark room it looks fine but it seems this figure-and-costume are kind of cursed.  Remember that Gentle Giant statue a few years ago?  Well, it's not that bad.  Obi-Wan looks a bit younger than his Revenge of the Sith counterpart and doesn't have the gray in his hair or beard either.  It's a good interim figure between movies, and is one of the most exciting figures based on that whole prequel era if you ask me.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber has a pointier tip to it, with a much bluer blade than some of the other releases.   The hilt is molded in grey but not painted silver like the previous Revenge of the Sith release - a figure that looked weak at the time and could really benefit from a rerelease with a fresh coat of paint.  Thankfully this clone armor Kenobi is pretty much perfect, and he has a display stand that I would say is acceptable.  Early The Black Series figures didn't have a consistent foot peg size, so this base clamps down on the foot rather than the old peg/hole system.  It seems to work, but it's kind of awkward and isn't good for long-term displaying.   Joints tend to sag over time, especially with big, heavy figures with lots of articulation - it should be fine for a few weeks or months, but if you have a display case expect disaster down the road.  We need waist clips, people. Gravity is real.

Get it. What else do you want me to say? It's Obi-Wan Kenobi in a cape and clone armor.  It's about as exciting as you can get out of a figure like this, so go run out to Walgreens or where ever and get yourself one.   This is one of my absolute favorite costume/character combo platters and I'm glad we got it in this size.   If you're unfamiliar with this particular suit, this is what Obi-Wan Kenobi wore on the Tartakovsky animated Clone Wars cartoon, which is a mostly silent and highly stylized series of shorts.  They really should have kept it for the 2008 CG series.  Their loss.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walgreens.

--Adam Pawlus

Figure of the Day

Day 2,645: December 10, 2019