Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) - EI - Basic

Although young and headstrong, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi will become one of the greatest Jedi to ever protect the galaxy.

The very first Episode I version of Obi-Wan Kenobi was smartly based on his duel with Darth from The Phantom Menace. While that was pretty much the climax of the film, it was perhaps the best choice to choose a version of Obi-Wan Kenobi where he engages the main antagonist of the film. A pretty good sculpt for 1999, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) captures a nice chunk of the essence of actor Ewan McGregor while still maintaining a level of imagination in the sculpt that will allow children to see this as Obi-Wan Kenobi and not necessarily an actor playing him. The likeness is pretty good. It looks like the onscreen character. The action figure appears to be in scale to the rest of the line and comes with just amount of accessories (one – his lightsaber) needed to be screen accurate to the “Duel of the Fates” scenes in the film. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) may be one version of this character in the Episode I line, but it will be a popular once since everyone is going to want to get a figure that is intended to battle Darth Maul.

Hasbro told us we could expect some enhanced articulation in the Episode I line and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) makes this true. He comes with swivel articulation in his elbows and wrists which has been added to give a little more movement for swinging a lightsaber, but you have to realize that swivel articulation only allows for one plane of movement. It’s appreciated, but it doesn’t make the figure definitive. As a result, you’re not going to get a whole lot of meaningful articulation with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel). The gesture is appreciated, but until ball-jointed articulation becomes a little more common in the Hasbro line, these figures are only going to stand around and look pretty. Obi-Wan Kenobi does have a weird design thing going on with him, however. He has a much too squared off look around his shoulders, which makes him look more like a box than a Jedi Knight. It stands out like a sore thumb. We understand what Hasbro was trying to achieve here, but we ultimately feel that it has failed. More work should have gone into the final sculpt before it was approved for mass production.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) comes with a lightsaber accessory. Interestingly, Hasbro added multiple colors to it which gives it surprising depth and detail. Again, there isn’t much Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) can do with it, but you can make him wield it in a display somewhere on your Episode I shelf, and that may be just enough for you. We, on the other hand, would have been happy with a whole lot more here. Between the average likeness and the simple accessory, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) may meet the needs of kids and casual collectors. But hardcore collectors are going to be wishing for more. Even a soft-goods robe would have been a wonderful addition here and provide alternate play. Additionally, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) comes with a CommTech chip which allows the action figure to deliver lines from the film (by voice actors). These CommTech chips didn’t meet collectors’ expectations, but these chips did make rather cool display stands (for which nearly every collector used). Better versions will come, but Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) is good for now.