Freeco Speeder With Obi-Wan Kenobi - TCW [R] - Deluxe

Obi-Wan uses a Freeco speeder to traverse the snow-covered planet of Orto Plutonia while investigating an attack on a Republic outpost. The speeder has an enclosed cockpit designed to shelter the rider from the cold. The Jedi heads into a snowstorm, following tracks in the snow that will lead him to the perpetrators of the assault.

Why is it that the Deluxe line from Hasbro either really delivers or leaves a lot to be desired? The Freeco Speeder Bike With Obi-Wan Kenobi falls on the "worse" side of that sliding scale and it should have been a set that we thoroughly enjoyed because it was inspired from one of the best episodes in season 1 of The Clone Wars television series. But between the Freeco Speeder's shoddy construction, to an incorrect version of Obi-Wan Kenobi that came with, this Deluxe package is wrought with issues that probably couldn't have been fixed anyway and perhaps should have been nixed altogether. Wow, that was harsh. We don't exactly know what it is, but the deluxe line has the propensity to sail quickly off course or it becomes so repetitious that collectors (and perhaps kids) can't keep interest in the line as a whole. And with the proof that the Deluxe line sits cold on the shelves (there are some quick sellers of course), it makes us wonder if Hasbro is about to call this line quits too. This is certainly an exaggeration, but it is our opinion that the line is making inferior products and do not warrant the $15.99 + price tag they are commanding.

That doesn't mean that the Deluxe line isn't important in some ways. It's a medium to get kids (and collectors) lower-priced vehicles (we use the words "lower-priced" loosely) and figures that may not be able to afford the much bigger ones. But we think the line needs a brisk invigorating to make it new, fresh and exciting again. But making a set like the Freeco Speeder With Obi-Wan Kenobi is definitely not the way to do it. First of all, it comes with an Obi-Wan Kenobi figure without his snow gear. That figure, Obi-Wan Kenobi (CW48) obviously wasn't ready in time for this set, but that brings us to our point. Why not delay this vehicle set until Hasbro can make it a complete and episode accurate set? Collectors (and we imagine even kids) prefer when a toy matches faithfully to a specific source or, in this case, television episode. We bet that would ensure better success of these sets at retail. But as a sub-line that is geared towards kids who aren't nearly as obsessed as collectors are with accuracy, Hasbro may just believe that they can squeak something like this by us all. (We aren't implying Hasbro is malicious in deciding what toys they will release.) But it would have meant a lot more to produce something that makes better sense.

So how does this set measure up? It's actually beter than you may realize. The benefit here is the updated Obi-Wan Kenobi figure. He is now super-articulated. The vehicle however is a different story. There are some glaring shortcuts made on this mini-vehicle that we just can't let go of including the canopy that attaches to the vehicle via a lip that tucks under a ledge. The canopy slides forward like it does in the episode but it looks rather cheap in our estimation. When you try to put Obi-Wan Kenobi in it to pilot the vehicle, it isn't the easiest feature to control. The rest of the vehicle is simply painted and it has retractable landing gear, a feature we are surprised Hasbro included considering the overall "cheap" look of the vehicle as a whole. The Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is not bad at all. Hasbro included extra articulation points that weren't available on 2008's TCW [B] Obi-Wan Kenobi (No. 2) figure including knee joints and it really does a lot for the figure in its entirety. He also has a soft-goods skirt which allows him to pilot his speeder without issues and comes outfitted with a lightsaber (with a very dark blue blade). Other than that, there isn't a lot more else we can comment about this set. We truly like some of the Deluxe line, but this isn't one that excites us and it certainly doesn't rival most of the line. But you'll have to decide this one yourself.