Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

In order to escape the Imperial Death Star, Obi-Wan Kenobi must shut down the power source to the battle station's tractor beam. Successful thus far, he will soon face an old, evil enemy.

Kenner/Hasbro decided that 1998 was to be the year of the Freeze Frame Action Slide. There was no pack-in premium with any of the figures to date. They rebranded The Power Of The Force “2” line as The Kenner Collection, and decided to give collectors something extra that not only paid homage to the vintage Star Wars line, but also gave them something to keep from the films right in their collections. To work up a diverse collections of characters, Kenner/Hasbro needed to dig deep into their inventory, and pull some of their best sellers from the “red” and “green” card backs and repackaged them in the newly redesigned The Power Of The Force “2” [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] lineup. One of their earliest repacks was Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi. With only a name change separating it from its original 1995 release, many collectors were mildly disappointed to see this figure added once again into the revitalized basic figure line. Convincingly, the Freeze Frame Action Slide became the tempter for them, and many conceded defeat and repurchase this “old” figure once again. A fixture in any basic Star Wars action figure line, collectors shouldn’t be surprised to see this figure once again.

The likeness of Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi isn’t terrible. The figure lacks in more important ways than the likeness. For us, the 1995 release had a heck of time standing unassisted. We’ve noticed this time around, the center of gravity is a little more balanced, and the figure didn’t fall over that much when posing it for the Photo Gallery. The angled legs are confusing as all heck, but at least something was “done” this time to keep the figure upright when holding its lightsaber. Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi does resemble Sir Alec Guinness more than a reasonable amount, and the costume and accessories help with its authenticity. We would have much preferred the use of soft-goods here instead, but we’re often in the minority when it comes to that type of detail. In 1995, collectors were scooping up Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi like there was no tomorrow. We’re not sure if this version will go over as well with collectors. Will the pack-in premium make the figure more desirable? Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi comes with an outer robe/inner robe shell that is easily removable. However, like most figures from this era, they look awkward and wonky without them. As fate would have it, the “outerwear” accessory encumbers the figure’s movement.

Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi comes with six points of articulation. While the figure doesn’t have a wealth of articulation, there is enough here to make it worthwhile. The POTF2 range of figures is "cookie cutter." You know what to expect with almost every figure released in this line. Yes, you have a small playing field of poses, and you’ll quickly get bored with what the figure can do, but it is what it is. You’ll probably notice rather quickly that there is some mass or bulk to this action figure that the on-screen character didn’t have. The all-new sculpts in the “Freeze Frame” line the aesthetics are more streamlined. In addition to the outer shell, Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi also comes with his signature lightsaber. This time you get the “shorter” version of it. The hands can hold the lightsaber quite well. All in all, Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi looks decent enough, but we imagine the figure will age as Kenner/Hasbro make new versions of the character in a 3.75” scale. For us, we’re suckers for the Freeze Frame Action Slide pack-in. They used a classic Kenner reference image of Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi, turning off the tractor beam while on the Death Star. These slides are “real” and are standardized to work in a real projector. We think that’s a pretty nifty extra.