Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,921: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive, The Black Series 6-Inch)

OBI-WAN KENOBI 2.0, Previously the Worst 6-Inch Figure Ever, Improved
The Black Series Archive 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0961 No. F1909
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $22.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Obi-Wan is forced to battle his friend Anakin Skywalker in a devastating lightsaber duel after Anakin turns to the Dark Side. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I generally don't like dumping on figures, and I won't because this Obi-Wan Kenobi rerelease is an improvement on the worst The Black Series figure ever made. I think there's room for debate on if those Carbonized, Credit Collection, or Holiday Edition figures are any good (or not.) But the 2014 release of Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi looked bad when it hit shelves and today looks like a bootleg that you wouldn't pay a nickel for at the flea market... so of course it's worth over $70 on the secondary market. Just because something is worth money doesn't mean it is any good, but generally speaking valuable items may be worth revisiting. This one needs some new work, and enhanced deco isn't enough for him.

The original figure had an incredibly pale blue lightsaber, and so does the new one. I wouldn't say it's an improvement, but it's no worse - and it might be just a bit bluer and, surprisingly, thicker. As such, we can say well-ish done Hasbro, but a bluer hue would've been welcome.

At first glance the figure doesn't look great - but compared to the previous edition it's a huge improvement. Compared to other 6-inch Hasbro Obi-Wan Kenobi figures (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Clone Wars) it just looks awful. The head seems so thin and squished, the personality's not quite right, and if anything this shows that no amount of paint or correct colored plastic can save a doomed head sculpt. Over the years we've seen all sorts of great sculpts marred by weird skintones or iffy paint choices, which makes this figure - which is a bad sculpt with better but still bad paint choices - unique. The hair is too light, the skin tone is better and has hints of life thanks to a few rosy spots, the eyes are glossy and more lively. Lokoing at reference photos for the movie, his hard seems to be darker with grey temples - this figure just doesn't match it. I'm not sure why, either, it could've been an easy fix that may have distracted you from the parts of the beard are lacking in paint.

The body is pretty much the same, with boots that are too light and lacking in any real detail. The pants seem acceptable (and the same as before) and the robes are a bit more saturated - but the broad shoulders only make his head look smaller. It's doomed, but at least things like the brown under the chin and the belt are good.. The painted elements on the belt are placed better this time and the paint is overall improved, but when it comes to determining what makes a good figure, it ain't the belt. If the head or pose are bad, the figure sucks - and the joints are fine, but there's just something about the pose that doesn't read as good. But hey, at least the hands are a color that more closely resembles that of a human rather than that of a cake made to look like a human.

This is currently the best version of Obi-Wan Kenobi from Episode III in this Hasbro line. Other versions of him in other lines and scales are arguably better. Maybe you'll like it enough, but you're wrong, it's bad. At certain angles, in certain dark rooms, with just the right light, I admit the head is capable of looking pretty decent - but that's a lot of marks to hit to get a reissue from "worst figure ever" to "almost acceptable." This figure will sell and sell well thanks to the upcoming streaming show, but you can only lie to yourself so much about it being good. I wouldn't hold your breath for a re-redux, but I'd like to ask Hasbro to consider it for Revenge of the Sith's 20th anniversary in 2025. There's no reason for this to be the worst version of Ewan McGregor so far.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,921: May 3, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,694: Anakin Skywalker (The Black Series 6-Inch, Archive)

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Redux
The Black Series Archive 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E3253 No. E4042
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Alternate head, lightsaber hilt, blade
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: June 2019
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Anakin - now Darth Vader - turns to the Dark sde and battles Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber duel on the lava planet Mustafar. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I don't believe I got to review Anakin Skywalker on his debut 6-inch release - but this one is better.   If you see it (and you probably won't at this point), get it - unless Hasbro redoes the whole thing.   The initial release was good for the time, but his articulation hasn't aged especially well.  It's still good, but Hasbro has made such magnificent improvements that I'd be lying to you if I said this was as good as Hasbro could ever do.  It was certainly among their best for the time, and you can see just how good the original sculpted heads were with the new paint jobs given to them today.  The "bones" were always there - now you're getting the figure as the factory couldn't quite get it to you during its original release.

There's a normal head that looks a little sweaty and worn - and it's great! You get glossy eyes, a scar, subtle coloring on the lips, great eyebrows, and perfectly fine hair.  Hair is hard to do well - it's gotten a lot better lately, but it remains a challenge.   Anakin's heads come from before when hasbro did a lot more separately-molded plastic "wigs" for figures, so everything is painted remarkably well given that limitation.  He's got a real smoldering intensity with both heads, especially the second Sith head - which is even sweatier.  The hair on that head is more messed up, the cheeks are puffy with rage, and he's got glossy yellow Sith eyes.  You can also tell Anakin ugly-cries.   This head is why you want to buy this release of this figure - it's excellent.

The figure itself is also good, but some new arms would also be nice.  The arms can bend about 90 degrees, which was considered average for the time as few Star Wars figures had double-elbows (unlike Marvel) and Hasbro didn't start getting deeper elbow cuts on most of its Star Wars releases until 2018.  The fabric sculpt was great, and the actual cloth elements to the lower parts of the costume do a great job fleshing out the figure without hindering mobility.  This was one of the better early releases in the line, as he had a lot of great poseability below the waist for duels and fun.  Above the waist, he needs some work - those shoulders could be improved, and especially those elbows.  You get bend-and-swivel wrists, though, and those are always great.  You can also slap the lightsaber hilt on his belt.   All in all, it works well - but I wouldn't say no to a partial resculpt, and neither should you.  It's tough to get a cool dueling pose with the arms, but you can tell all the elements are there to make this into a great figure if they're so inclined to make some changes for the (I assume) eventual third release of the character in this scale.

It's the best Anakin from the final prequel so far, and as the prequel kids warm up to collecting these get tougher to find.  Get it when you see it cheap next time.  Hasbro's repaint and reissue strategy can sometimes be a bore, but in this case you can see some real improvement.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,694: May 28, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,554: IG-88 (Archive, The Black Series 6-Inch)

IG-88 Redux
The Black Series Archive 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E3253 No. E4040
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Pistol, rifle, knife
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: December 2018
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: A battered war droid who has become a bounty hunter, IG-88 answers Darth Vader's call to capture the Millennium Falcon after the Battle of Hoth.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I don't believe I got to review IG-88 on his debut 6-inch release because mine had uneven legs, and I hated it.   I couldn't straighten them out or get him to stand unassisted so I thought he was awful.  The figure could probably benefit from being a smidgen taller, but for what it is, it's pretty good this time out.  On my sample, both legs are even and he had no problems standing without help.  There are rubbery joints over the elbows which some reported crumbling on the last release (mine have not as of yet), and the knees have double joints.  They're stiff, though, so at least only one set of mine are moving easily.  The ankles title, the thighs swivel, and there are lateral joints on the shoulders as well as swivels.  The original sculpt is pretty nicely jointed, and now that he can stand I'd go as far as to say it's good.

Weapon interaction has been historically challenging for IG-88 figures, and this one manages to cheat in a lovely way.  Each blaster has a tiny hole in it, and each arm has a tiny peg on it.  You plug the guns into the hands, so it looks like he's holding them - it's perfect.  IG-88 also has a holster on the back and a place to store the knife whicih, to this day, I have not seen in the movie when I watched it.

Deco is decidedly different, which I can appreciate - but the paint job looked better before when he was a bit more rusty.  The grime is a bit more golden this time, which isn't necessarily bad - just different.  The head has brightly-colored orange dots on it that seem to be drowned out by the shadows, so in that respect it could be improved.  The articulation is decent given how spindly he is, but I want to draw attention to the ab-crunch joint in the chest.  There's a wheel and the figure can tilt forward on it, which I just love.  It's the kind of clever thinking I like to see in a line like this, where things are largely predictable within the context of what a humanoid figure can and will do.

If you missed IG-88 before, this is a better one.  You might want to paint some changes, but the base figure is definitely better than the one I got a few years ago.   He can stand, and he can hold his weapons - that's mostly what I need these days, so thanks to Hasbro for fixing the legs.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,554: January 24, 2019

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,553: Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot, Archive, The Black Series 6-Inch)

LUKE SKYWALKER X-Wing Pilot Redux
The Black Series Archive 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E3253 No. E4038
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Pistol, helmet, lightsaber blade, lightsaber hilt
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: December 2018
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Luke Skywalker uses the power of the Force and his piloting skills to destroy the Death Star.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: We didn't review the original 2013 release of Luke Skywalker (Pilot) (yet), so let's look at this one.  Reissued in 2017 for Star Wars Celebration with no changes, the original release of this figure - and indeed the first wave - was a dud, blown out on Amazon for significantly below retail after the first holiday season. It was typical wave 1 syndrome, but thanks to collectors hopping on board after Darth Vader came out, these guys eventually received significant demand and then people started to care.  For $13? Nobody cares. As soon as someone says "No you can't have it?" It shot up.

This 2018 release is pretty much the same as 2013, but with a couple of changes that may be enough to make you care.  The helmet deco is a little sharper and straighter.  The orange is a little more vibrant.  The boots are a tiny bit shinier.  The ankles were retooled, a seemingly different "click" positions (for the worse) on the new version reduces the precision of how you can pose it compared to the 2013 release.   A "CE" has been added to the back of the left boot, which is actually the front of the left boot, Hasbro just tooled and assembled it wrong for the 2018 version.  The blue hue of the lightsaber blade has changed.  Most important of all, the portrait has the new "photo real" deco on it, adding a lot of definition to his eyes and lips, giving him a look that's a little bit Holiday Special, a little bit ca. 1969 Iggy Stooge.

With roughly 29 points of articulation, this is (and was) a good figure. The blaster has a nice painted muzzle, the lightsaber hilt was good enough to reuse a few times, and if other pilots were this short I'm sure we'd have Biggs or Wedge by now.  Hasbro was given a great sculpt, but getting Luke's skin right has always been a challenge.  Thanks to the pink lips and glossy eyes, the skin being just a shade darker really makes this figure look a lot more lively to the naked eye.  Photos studios and macro lenses seem to goth him up a bit, but in almost any normal environment he looks about as good as he ever could.  I'm not saying you couldn't paint it better, but I certainly couldn't.

Given the letters added to the back (actually front) of the boot and difficulty posing the ankles, you might want to keep the old 2013 body and swap heads.  Of the two I prefer the 2018 look overall, but the stability and range of motion in the 2013 ankles is tough to beat.  Also the head is better in 2018, so really, who am I kidding? Just get this new one.  It's the most changed of the first wave of Archive figures, and given the secondary market prices will no doubt be the one anyone late to the party will want to add to their stash. I should note, the packaging adhesive is fantastic and it sticks without added tape - that's a big deal, as Hasbro has had steady tape problems since 2013.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,553: January 22, 2019