Concept Obi-Wan & Yoda (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series) - TAC - Basic (Exclusive)

In his sketches, concept artist Ralph McQuarrie evokes the graceful power of a ninja master or samurai warrior in his drawing of Obi-Wan. The diminutive Yoda appears leaner and more whimsical than he will ultimately appear in the films, yet he still exudes mystical strength.

2007 was all about Ralph McQuarrie. Well, a subset of action figures were at least. They became part of the basic figure line and even a few became convention exclusives. They were popular and it seemed that collectors couldn’t get enough of them into their collection and many wondered when hasbro would be gracing the basic figure line with more of them. StarWarsShop.com also wanted to join the party and Hasbro set aside the Concept Obi-Wan & Yoda two-pack for them. It’s interesting that Hasbro packed multiple Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series action figures together to make a duo, but that’s what they did here and also what they did with the Concept R2-D2 & C-3PO two-pack. All four action figures probably could have sold individually. And in all honesty, were they packaged individually and added to the basic figure line instead as sold as exclusives, perhaps many collectors would have saved a few dollars. But regardless of the way they came, it’s great that so many core characters from Ralph McQuarrie’s prolific mind has been forever immortalized as action figures. And for that we’re extremely thankful.

Concept Obi-Wan looks like nothing you’d probably expect. He has a fair likeness to the artwork of McQuarrie, but we think he’s off a little bit and his outfit doesn’t closely match the reference material we’ve been able to come across in our research (unless some images exist that have been completely off of our radar). As an action figure, Obi-Wan is excellent. He comes with 12 points of articulation. He lacks ball-jointed knees, but is loaded with premium articulation elsewhere. He comes with a soft-goods skirt that is well-fitted and Hasbro designed a clip on his belt which snuggly fits his lightsaber hilt. (He also comes with a lit lightsaber as an additional accessory.) His outfit is mostly white with red and purple details and he looks like an average bald man than a Jedi Master. While that may be an unfair statement, we can admit that there are some remote Jedi nuances about his costuming, it just doesn’t scream “Jedi” to us. The figure has a great center of gravity and while he does have great flexibility, his poses will ultimately be encumbered by the circumference of his soft-goods skirt.

Concept Yoda is the star of this two-pack as far as we’re concerned. Looking a lot more like a troll than a diminutive Jedi Master, he has nonetheless been designed excellently and also includes many points of premium articulation, especially for such a tiny action figure. He comes proudly with a ball-socket head and then ball-jointed shoulders and elbows – that is simply amazing to us. These are tiny parts and since Hasbro has successfully added them to this small of a frame, we believe that anything is possible at this point. To make things even better, Hasbro incorporated an awesome and tattered soft-goods skirt. There is a lot of fraying on it and even a few tears. Concept Yoda only has articulation in the hips (below the belt) and that would have been fine if Hasbro ensured that they allowed them to stand flat on the surface you place him. That isn’t the case. You’ll need to futz, pull and stretch the legs to get them both flush against the ground. We find this disappointing, but certainly not a deal breaker. Concept Yoda also comes with his famous gimer stick (or cane if you prefer that description). Concept Obi-Wan & Yoda is a must-have. Find it for your collection because you need this two-pack!

ARTIST PROFILE

The vivid imagination of conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie brought to life the characters and worlds envisioned by George Lucas. McQuarrie’s paintings and drawings were instrumental in the push to bring Lucas’s saga to the big screen, giving shape and form to a multitude of fantastic individuals, creatures, planets and technology encompassed in this epic tale. Developed in collaboration with McQuarrie himself, this remarkable action figure series pays tribute to the man whose art defined some of the most memorable characters in film history.