Tuesday, December 10, 2019

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

3 comments:

Bulldog said...

Cool looking figure and I'll definitely be on the look out for one. The whole stands thing really is frustrating and something they could have figured out when they started the black series.

Anonymous said...

Wish it came with the helmet!

Pat Shark said...

I wish he came with his mullet! Maybe a Durge Goop variant down the track.