Obi-Wan Kenobi - TSC - Basic (SAGA 028)

One of the final figures in 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith line was responsible for setting a new standard for how collectors looked at Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan Kenobi (III 55) was an incredibly super-articulated action figure with a fantastic likeness of Ewan McGregor (despite some minor criticism about his eyes). Not only did the figure look great, but the sculpt also allowed for a ton of extra movement and Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed to have an infinite array of posing options, more than your average super-articulated action figure. The 2005 Revenge Of The Sith figure lacked the status of perfection because of a plastic molded outer robe. We think Hasbro noticed this too and brought back the base figure with a new soft-goods robe for The Saga Collection and made the figure look better than ever. Actually, it brought the figure pretty darn close to definitive status. Along with some insignificant changes in deco (a new paint operation has been added to his sideburns) and a change in accessories, The Saga Collection Obi-Wan Kenobi can be considered a definitive Episode III version of our favorite Jedi Master.

Soft-goods may be the single most controversial aspect of the 3.75” line. Many collectors feel that soft-goods are too bulky and take away from any positive aesthetics the figure may have. We adamantly disagree and think it is one characteristic of action figures that set them apart from the rest. We couldn’t disagree more because realism is more important to us than how a fabric lays against an action figure. Besides, if you watch the films, you can see how extraordinarily large (bulky) the outer robes are on the various Jedi. Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different. Hasbro also drops the headset (thank goodness) and we think this was a great move because it just looked silly. As an extra accessory it's OK, but it shouldn't be the focus of the figure. Obi-Wan Kenobi has slightly angled legs without being too widespread. This allows for that extra movement we talked about and it’s quite impressive that it doesn’t look too exaggerated yet is functional enough to give the collector more options. There is a lot to like here and it is unequivocal that this is now one of the greatest Obi-Wan Kenobi figures our collections have ever seen.

You may also be interested to know that Obi-Wan Kenobi was also part of the 2006 TSC Ultimate Galactic Hunt promotion. You could find this figure with silver highlights on the packaging and packaged with a silver action figure stand. And lastly these "UGH" figures came with a faux pewter miniature hologram. The Ultimate Galactic Hunt program seemed cool when it was introduced, but it quickly lost steam as the figure were very difficult to find at retail and trying to find 12 miniature holograms across 10 figures (where only three of the figure had “good” holograms packaged with them – Han Solo, Scorch and Obi-Wan Kenobi were the only options to get these) frustrated collectors beyond belief. But if you could overlook the exclusivity of this figure, the real focus was the actual ultimate version of Obi-Wan Kenobi himself. It's a truly amazing action figure that appears to be ageless. Loaded with super-articulation and a new soft-goods robes along with the perfect amount of accessories, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a must-have for your collection. It’s [one of] the best Obi-Wan Kenobi yet. If Hasbro continues to utilize the premise of this sculpt for all future versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi action figures, we'll all be in great shape!