Obi-Wan Kenobi - OTC - Basic (OTC #15)

The Rebel hero Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Knight who fights for peace. Hiding from the evil Empire after it took control of the galaxy, he secretly watches over Luke Skywalker. Obi-Wan comes out of hiding to help Luke and the Rebels fight the Empire. He teaches Luke about the Force and gives him a lightsaber that belonged to Luke's father. Obi-Wan chooses to become one with the Force to help Luke fight Darth Vader.

In 2004 Hasbro made one of the most collector-friendly lines to date. The Original Trilogy Collection cleverly borrowed elements of the original vintage Kenner figures most of us grew up with as children while dedicating almost all of the line for Original Trilogy characters, just as the name suggests. Not only did Hasbro choose characters from the OT, they chose some of our most favorites while updating and revising paint jobs at the same time. Not only did the packaging contain the parallel silver border leading up to the Star Wars logo at the top center and recreate the name plate in the same font to identify the characters, they also included a gorgeous backdrop with each figure to create a diorama of sorts which made it hard for any of us to open them up and play with/display them. The tributary collection of figures exceeded Hasbro’s expectations and it gave them a new confidence that collectors were all about digging deeply into our collector roots.

A fine figure even in 2000, Hasbro selected 2000’s POTJ Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (Jedi Knight) to be the choice for the updated line. Renamed as Obi-Wan Kenobi, it’s clear that no intended variations or updates were planned, but because the two figures were manufactured at different times, differences are inevitable. You may recall that after its 2000 POTJ release, Hasbro used this figure once again for 2004’s SW [S - P3] A New Hope Collectible Figure & Cup set. As you might imagine, some differences in the paint job were initiated with this release. It is our best assessment that it is this version of the paint operations that were applied to The Original Trilogy Collection version. Where the 200 figure had a smoother and creamier paint job to color his robes, the later versions have a spottier and more uneven paint scheme. We also have noticed slight deco changes in the head sculpt, but almost not enough to even merit mentioning.

Hasbro never seemed to have issues with nailing the likeness of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe that’s part of the reason why a figure from 2000 looks pretty darn nice in a line four years after its original release. Whether its easier to replicate an aged appearance, or whether Sir Alec Guinness has a portrait that’s relatively easy to replicate, he is a character that rarely looks bad in any collectible format: from action figures to high-end collectibles. This trend is almost uncanny. Obviously the sculpt isn’t timeless. Hasbro has already created a better Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi in the VOTC line and it goes without saying that they’ll continue to make better and better versions as the line ages. But The Original Trilogy Collection Obi-Wan Kenobi fits perfectly well in the rest of collection and brings a core character to the line. Interestingly, this is the second Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Original Trilogy Collection. Spirit Obi-Wan from the inaugural wave was the first one.