Clone Commander Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi - TFA - Two-Packs (Desert)

Clone Commander Cody: Despite long and loyal service to Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Commander Cody does not hesitate to betray his friend when he receives Order 66.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: While leading the 212th Attack Battalion against Separatist forces, Obi-Wan Kenobi barely escapes with his life when his seemingly loyal Clone Troopers turn against him.

There is an undeniable need to get the most popular Star Wars characters out to the market. OK, we get it. But can Hasbro maybe think outside of the box for once to keep things fresh and exciting? Don’t we have enough Episode III Obi-Wan Kenobi action figures to last us a lifetime? Why do they pretend that Clone Commander Cody is the only clone leader that matters? If you sense a tone there is definitely one there. But please don’t misinterpret it for bitterness because that isn’t the case at all. We just want to know why we see the same old things cranked out like they’ve been on a never-ending conveyor belt since, especially when it comes to Revenge Of The Sith themed merchandise in the modern era of collecting. “New” for The Force Awakens Two-Packs line is the Clone Commander Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi set and admittedly while the packaging looks brilliant, the contents inside are stuff we’re completely over at this point. Hasbro resurrected two figures from the 2013/2014 Star Wars [Darth Vader/Revenge Of The Sith] lineup and as you recall these were some of Hasbro’s worst efforts in the newly approached line of five points of articulation figures. Let’s revisit them again, albeit as briefly as possibly.

Clone Commander Cody has been repainted, perhaps some can say slightly, for this new Two-Packs release. Admittedly the paint operations are cleaner and his much-too-long antenna feels a whole lot less flaccid than it did with the original release. What we still find annoying about this action figure is his “downward looking” pose. We know he looked exactly like this when he was listening to Darth Sidious’ hologram, but that is so scene specific we don’t think it should have been chosen for the generic look of the character. As you can imagine, this severely limits how much you can do with the figure. Also, as you recall, Hasbro designed a separate removable jetpack. The nice thing about it is that it firmly stays in place thanks to a thicker attachment peg. This won’t fall off at all which is a very nice thing. Clone Commander Cody also comes with a DC-15 blaster. But even with two separate accessories, we feel that he’s a bit too light. This is a Star Wars character that is known for having a arsenal of accessories, so it definitely feels like things are missing here, well, because they are. With a line so cheap as this, you’d think that accessories would be the way to give these figures more value for the dollar.

Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sigh. We are so over this character as an action figure. And you know that this is genuine fatigue because he is one of our most favorites characters in the Prequel Trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi brings forth a decent chunk of accuracy and fair likeness as most of his action figures do, but at this point we think it’s time to retire this original Saga Legends sculpt once and for all. Unlike Clone Commander Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with paint operations that are very disappointing. As a Star Wars action figure it still does its job however. It sits, it stands, it holds a lightsaber. It can even look to the left and to the right. And if you’re really clever, you can make Obi-Wan Kenobi hold his lightsaber in a quasi action pose if you’re so inclined. (It’s possible to have him lean with one foot forward for the record.) Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to look pale with this sculpt. His outfit is bleached and his face is so fair that he looks a little bit unhealthy, although his skin tone is a little bit darker this time around. But we have to ask, whoever wanted this figure should probably have it by now and if they don’t, wouldn’t the go to the aftermarket and find one a whole lot cheaper? Anyway, this is a nicely packaged set, but the contents inside are disappointing.