The Good: Decent detailing, Good accessories
The Bad: Low collectibility, Balance could be better, Limited articulation, Cloak inhibits play function.
The Basics: The Attack Of The Clones Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter Pilot goes for gimmicky and is lighter on substance.
When it comes to Star Wars figures - or toys of any sort, for that matter - function and accuracy trumps style every day in my book. That might be why I'm not so fond of the cloth/plastic blends that happen with some action figures. Frequently, they look doofy and sometimes, they even inhibit the functioning of otherwise well-designed toys. In the case of the Attack Of The Clones Jedi Starfighter Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure, the toy is about average, but two gimmicks actually drag the figure out of the realm where I would recommend it for most collectors..
For those unfamiliar with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was seen above Geonosis in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!) in his Jedi Starfighter. Following Jango and Boba Fett to the remote world, Obi-Wan Kenobi leaves his starfighter, sheds his cloak and soon ends up the prisoner of Count Dooku!
The 4" Obi-Wan Kenobi figure from the Attack Of The Clones Collection is the Jedi Master in his tunic, covered with a cloth brown cloak that is pretty good for accuracy, but plays havoc with the figure's play feature!
Basics
This Obi-Wan Kenobi figure stands 3 5/8" tall to the top of his head. He is dressed in the standard beige Jedi tunic, which is then covered with the brown cloak Obi-Wan is seen in frequently in both the prequel and original Trilogies. Obi-Wan Kenobi looks like virtually every other Episode II Obi-Wan, with the tan tunic, white leggings and brown boots, save in the head. There, Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter Pilot differentiates himself from others by having a headset molded onto the head and face. This figure is made of hard plastic with a soft plastic skirt which has limited flexibility. This means the figure can be put in a sitting position, though the skirt will resist that. Moreover, the cloth cloak, which is a bit gangly over the plastic figure, makes it difficult to squeeze the figure into the cockpit of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s human face is well-sculpted and is entirely recognizable and looks very much like Ewan McGregor's! Hasbro tries to get the spiky hair and beard right and they mostly do, but the headset is slightly larger than realism would demand and was later fixed in subsequent sculpts of this exact figure.
The coloring of the human elements, the face and hands, is very all right, but not extraordinary. Matching the rest of the coloring of the uniform, the face and hair are monotonal. This Obi-Wan Kenobi lacks any shading or depth. So, his skin is peach, the tunic is tan, the boots are brown and his leggings are white with no sense or wear or depth to them. This is a very clean look for the character. The only real depth comes in the hair and then the sandy brown hair, which isn't quite the right shade, is accented in the crevices with slightly darker highlights. His eyes are barely black dots in the white dots on his face.
Accessories
Obi-Wan Kenobi, skilled Jedi pilot, comes with three accessories. He has his lightsaber, a communicator and a radar dish. The lightsaber is a pretty typical lightsaber. It is 2 7/8" long with a blue translucent blade. The gray hilt looks nothing like the one in the image on the package for this figure and it does not, unlike most of the lightsabers in the Attack Of The Clones toy line, feature a removable blade. It fits best in Obi-Wan's right hand, whatwith the left hand being open and having a large magnet in it. This allows the figure to mildly attract the hilt of the lightsaber, but not hold it with any real sense of stability.
The Jedi Communicator is a 3/8" long slightly curved piece of plastic that looks vaguely like the device used by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the film. This fits wonderfully in his right hand and is exceptionally easy to lose when not there.
The final accessory for the Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter figure is pretty a radar dish accessory. This is a 3" tall radar dish and stand assembly which allows Obi-Wan Kenobi to boost his signal from Geonosis to Tatooine! The 5/8" in diameter radar dish may be detached from the stand and put onto the Attack Of The Clones Jedi Starfighter and that is pretty neat. Otherwise, it rotates about 90 degrees atop the stand and is a decent support accessory for play or display.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and this Obi-Wan Kenobi is fair in that regard. Obi-Wan Kenobi has mildly good balance. He is molded to stand in a heroic pose with his legs spread, ready for action. He looks like he may run or hold off an enemy with a lightsaber defense, but he frequently tips over, especially when out of the flatfooted position. His legs come together slightly for a seated position in the cockpit of his Starfighter, but for straightforward standing poses, he is one who benefits from having a playset or vehicle which might utilize the peg holes in his feet for stability.
Obi-Wan Kenobi has some additional play functions, notably, the slashing arm feature. When the arms are raised, a button on the back of the figure allows the arms to lower together, simply by pushing the button in! This might have been a cool function, but the cloak inhibits the movement the button would provide. As well, the magnet that should be a cool bonus is very weak and does not truly support the lightsaber.
This Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is articulated at the groin socket, shoulders, biceps, wrists and neck, making him one of the least articulated figures of this era of Star Wars toy. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, so his range of motion is pretty limited, even more so with the bulky cloak.
Collectibility
Obi-Wan Kenobi is part of the Attack Of The Clones line that was released in 2002. He is 2002 Attack Of The Clones Collection figure #36. Obi-Wan Kenobi was fairly common and demand for his was easily met. Because this particular version of Obi-Wan Kenobi has since been recast in more articulated, better-balanced versions, this is a terrible figure for investment.
Overview
The Attack Of The Clones Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter Pilot is an entirely underwhelming figure that was based upon some good ideas with fairly poor executions.
For other Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones action figures reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
#01 Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#04 C-3PO
#10 Shaak Ti
#13 Kamino Escape Jango Fett
#18 Zam Wesell Bounty Hunter
#23 Yoda
#26 Luminara Unduli
#27 Count Dooku
#35 Orn Free Taa
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
#41 Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala
5/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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