Spirit Obi-Wan - OTC - Basic (OTC #03)

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a friend of Luke Skywalker, the Rebel hero. In a battle with the evil Darth Vader, Obi-Wan lets Vader win and disappears, becoming part of the Force. His spirit appears to Luke and guides him in his fight to save the galaxy. He tells Luke to find Yoda, who will teach him to be a Jedi Knight and to use the power of the Force to fight Vader.

So, Hasbro develops an all-new sculpt of Obi-Wan Kenobi and just keep it for a “spirit” version of the character only? That’s exactly what they did. After overusing 2000’s POTJ Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) figure, Hasbro finally gets to updating our beloved Jedi but he comes with one flaw: he’s translucent. OK, OK. We know many collectors out there appreciate the “spirit” action figures Hasbro decides to bring into the basic figure line. We’re fine with that too quite honestly. But why mercilessly tease us this way when we would have loved to see how well this sculpt turned out in a “solid” color scheme instead. It is what it is and frankly Spirit Obi-Wan isn’t half as bad as we’re making it out to be. If Hasbro were to make a spirit, this is the way to do it. The ice blue sculptures seen in The Power of The Force line were relatively horrific by comparison, so a translucent figure with a clear and concise color palette is a very welcomed addition to the basic figure line.

No matter how you slice it, Spirit Obi-Wan is a plastic statue. Sure, he comes with a swivel head, swivel shoulders, swivel elbows and swivel wrists. But other than this, the action figure provides nothing else for posing options. A great sculpt and an even better color scheme are his high points, but there isn’t much to be excited about as far as articulation is concerned. He looks phenomenal posed on the included environmental display stand and we bet you’ll find him an acceptable interpretation of this version of Obi-Wan throughout the years. He’ll age well as a display pieces, but will become aged if you judge him by his articulation. So judge him not by his articulation. He is a fine addition to The Original Trilogy Collection and a tremendous update to the mail-away Spirit Of Obi-Wan figure from 1997. (This was the Frito-Lay promotional figure.) Hasbro has made incredible advancements here.

A very odd accessory has been included here. For reasons unknown, Hasbro decided to add Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fully lit earthen lightsaber with this release. It isn’t even in “spirit” mode like he and his robes are. We find that detail very peculiar. Perhaps there was pressure felt to include a little bit more play value in a very static action figure, but we also suppose it doesn’t hurt to include an extra accessory to help pad the value either. Interestingly, Spirit Obi-Wan can hold this lightsaber rather well, so it’s not a complete waste. It appears there are no plans in the immediate future to cast this figure in solid plastic to make a more modern version of this character in the basic figure line. But expect Hasbro to return to this figure if they need a “spirit” version of him. (Editor’s Note: Spirit Obi-Wan has been released twice since this release in the 2007 TAC Jedi Training On Dagobah Battle Packs set and 2008’s TLC Jedi Training On Dagobah Battle Packs. Each have slightly unique paint jobs. It can also be said that Hasbro will never cast this figure in solid plastic either.)