The Good: Well detailed, Some interesting articulation, Accessories
The Bad: Limited pose/accessory issues, Lightsaber breaks easily, Severe balance issue!
The Basics: Obi-Wan Kenobi appears as the first figure out of the Attack Of The Clones line, but is strangely disappointing in that he cannot stand.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the most powerful and recognizable Jedi in the Star Wars sextet is arguably one of the most overproduced and represented characters in the line of toys released by Kenner and now Hasbro. As a result, with so many Obi-Wans to choose from, it is worth considering which ones are the best out there. As far as accessories and sculpt go, one of the best Obi-Wan figures to ever hit the market was the Attack Of The Clones Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi figure. Unfortunately, removing this figure from the package quickly reveals its critical flaw as it is impossible to stand the figure on its own. This is a huge setback that robs the figure of the perfect status it would otherwise have. As well, the pose of the figure prevents some of the accessories from being used. As a result, the Acklay Battle Obi-Wan is a much better figure in conception than execution.
The Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi is Obi-Wan as he appeared in the Geonosis Arena battle scenes in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here! ). He is sculpted especially to stab using a long spear that he comes with an includes a pretty neat function, which is a magnetic hand that attracts the lightsaber he comes with. Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the essential Star Wars characters and this one could have been so cool, if only it was able to stand up unaided and could actually use its accessories!
This 4" Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is generally decent, but it would be even better if it both stood up and allowed the person playing with it or using it for display to use the binders that come with the figure to bind its hands. However, in the action pose Obi-Wan has taken, it is virtually impossible for him to stand unless counterbalanced by his spear and/or lightsaber and it is physically impossible to connect his hands at the wrist with the binders.
Basics
Obi-Wan Kenobi in this form is a Jedi Master posed in a dramatic action moment during the Battle Of Geonosis from Attack Of The Clones. His right leg is posed in a bent position, so he has something of an action crouch working for him. His arms are spread for a two-handed grasp on the spear that he stole from one of the guards before he was brought a light saber. This Obi-Wan Kenobi figure stands only 3 3/8" tall, because the character appears to be keeping a slightly lower center of gravity. Obi-Wan Kenobi is appropriately coifed in his tan Jedi tunic with his face and hands exposed. He has a fairly light beard which matches his wavy hair. This figure is made of a combination of solid plastic, with only the "skirt" of the tunic being made of the softer, more rubbery plastic that Hasbro began using for these figures around this time.
This toy is a decent sculpt, though here Obi-Wan Kenobi looks far more like Donald Sutherland than Ewan McGregor. Still, he is easily recognizable and Obi-Wan Kenobi is impressive in his coloring detail . . . to a point. The detailing on the figure's face is somewhat monolithic and the skin tones are nowhere near realistic. Similarly, Obi-Wan shows remarkably little wear for being both in a sand pit and having been a prisoner. As well, most of the fingers do not have fingernails molded into the sculpt. At least his beard has some texture and the belt has the appropriate detail to hide the secret action button.
Accessories
Obi-Wan Kenobi, being a noble Jedi Master, might not need a lot of accessories, but this one comes loaded with four scene-appropriate accessories. This Obi-Wan Kenobi figure comes with a lightsaber (the "blade" detaches), a spear from one of the Geonosian guards, a pillar where he was kept chained, and binders for his wrists. The lightsaber is a two and seven-eighths inch plastic blue lightsaber that is translucent like the one in the movie to its base. This lightsaber is rather beautifully cast in shiny silver plastic and the "blade" of the lightsaber may be pulled off to allow Obi-Wan Kenobi to appear peaceful. Unfortunately, because the base of the lightsaber blade is a thin pin that fits into the base, this accessory breaks real easy leaving one with a detached blade and a choking hazard. As it is, the lightsaber may only fit into Obi-Wan Kenobi's right hand, though it may be held by the left hand as well. Allow me to explain; the left hand has Obi-Wan with his finger's splayed, but the hand has a magnet in it, which is attracted to the metal or magnet that is in the lightsaber handle. So while it might not be stable, it may be held loosely by the left hand.
The other weapon Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with is a far-from-civilized Geonosian arena herder spear. This five inch long spear has three colors (four, actually) making it fairly realistic in its coloring detail. It has a black handle and a silver tip with the rest of the spear being brown to look like wood. The base end of it (as opposed to the silver action end) is a slightly different colored brown and it, too houses a magnet. As a result, the spear may be held by Obi-Wan's right hand, but guided by his left or at the very least supported and effectively aimed. The magnetic base also twists off, allowing those playing with it to simulate the Acklay cracking the spear in half.
For those who have seen Attack Of The Clones, one might remember that Obi-Wan was chained to a pillar. This Obi-Wan comes with a small pillar that there is no way to attach Obi-Wan to. Still, the four inch tall rubbery column is an added bonus for the Obi-Wan figure and it comes with an impressive amount of shading and coloring detail, including cracks and rings in the column's surface. As well, because the Acklay cracked that column with its mighty foreleg, this accessory breaks into two pieces and that is pretty cool.
Finally, there are the binders. As Obi-Wan begins the scene as a prisoner, it makes perfect sense that he comes with binders, so his wrists are bound as they are in the movie. The problem is, the sculpt of the figure precludes using the binders. There is no way to put the binders on Obi-Wan so that his wrists are bound as the figure's wrists cannot possibly come so close together. This is ridiculous in that the accessory is clearly new, not a recast of binders used on previous Chewbacca figures. But this monotonally cast accessory is poorly constructed or conceived for this figure.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Obi-Wan Kenobi is not bad in that regard. First, Obi-Wan has the "Force" hand function (the magnet in the hand is a neat enough idea, even if it does look like Obi-Wan is suffering from a pretty nasty tumor. Second, in addition to the fight-ready action pose, this Obi-Wan also has a concealed button which activates a stabbing action with the spear. Obi-Wan thrusts with the spear by pressing in one of the packs on his belt. Pushing the concealed button causes the figure's right arm to extend, which in turn shoves the spear forward if he has it in his hand.
Still, the figure is not as playable as it ought to be. Most notably, without any of the accessories, it is impossible to get this Obi-Wan to stand up. The pose Obi-Wan Kenobi is in makes for a ridiculously low amount of stability. He is gifted with only five points of articulation and that is a huge letdown considering the overall quality of the figure. The lowered flexibility pretty much mandates collectors pose the figure in very set ways and have the accessories in Obi-Wan's hands if one wants to keep him standing. Obi-Wan Kenobi, as an action figure, has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, and neck. There is no articulation in the knees or waist and all of the joints are simple swivel joints, save the right shoulder, which both rotates and extends.
The button function that makes the right arm extend also prevents the waist from being articulated. As a result, this Obi-Wan Kenobi is essentially committed to running or pouncing in one direction, though he may look in a different direction as he does it.
Collectibility
Obi-Wan Kenobi is part of the 2002 Star Wars saga collection of four-inch action figures. This series of Star Wars action figures was fairly common and the Obi-Wan Kenobi figure was #01 in that collection and was in no way shortpacked in the cases. As a result, Obi-Wan Kenobi was pretty well available in the cases of this product and as a result is still widely available on the secondary market today. In other words, this Obi-Wan Kenobi is a poor investment and is more ideal for collectors and children who actually want an interesting Obi-Wan Kenobi to play with!
Overview
Obi-Wan Kenobi is an interesting figure, but he does not live up to the potential the sculpt or packaging implies. Still, this is a decent Obi-Wan and a good one for those collecting Attack Of The Clones figures!
For other Attack Of The Clones line figures and toys, please check out my reviews on:
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#10 Shaak Ti
#23 Yoda
#27 Count Dooku
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Deluxe C-3PO with Droid Factory
Deluxe Yoda with Force Powers
Deluxe Nexu
Geonosian Starfighter
Hailfire Droid
5/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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