Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) - EI - Basic

As the invasion of Naboo rages outside, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi battles the evil Sith Lord, Darth Maul, in a fierce lightsaber duel. The outcome could change the galaxy forever!

The Episode I line was all over the place when it came to articulation. First, figures came simply articulated with the standard six point of articulation. Then Hasbro started getting adventurous by adding a few elbow and wrists joints here and there. By the time the line came to a close in early 2000, the extra articulation disappeared and the format when back to the standard it always was. Hasbro did however add some other extra premium features to the figures instead (whenever they could). For Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight), collectors were treated to premium soft-goods hair. The bulky molded right-sided braid was replaced with a much more believable and accurately thick hair braid. It was made so well that it even included red and yellow hairbands to keep it all together. Collectors were equally impressed as well as disappointed. (We were somewhat sad to see the extra articulation go away.) But the realism, in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight)’s case, of the soft-goods hair was a tremendous step forward that it made us forget about the articulation. It seemed like the approach to making Star Wars figures as realistic as possible was heading in the right direction.

But the “real feel” hair braid wasn’t the only accoutrement added to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight). He also has been give a soft-goods skirt which, if he came with more articulation in the legs, would have helped the figure with an endless array of posing opportunities. Obviously that isn’t much of an option here, but the soft-goods skirt does allow for more movement had the figure been given a molded skirt instead. The pose of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) is very compact, so it’s not like “action” was the first thought that came to mind when he was being developed. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) has an average likeness. It look about as much as actor Ewan McGregor as it doesn’t. So we’re not sure how that assessment testifies to the accuracy in the likeness. You’ll have to decide. He has a thin yet athletic frame which is probably as screen accurate as any of us would expect. Part of the figure’s appeal however was that he was quite difficult to find. And when it comes to Star Wars collecting, a rare figure adds monumental appeal for obvious reasons. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) was victim to bottlenecked distribution and it was honestly a miracle that any figures from the final couple waves ever made it out.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) comes with two simple accessories. The first is his lightsaber. The second is a communicator. Hasbro graciously added a nub/notch the figure’s belt which allows you to attach the communicator when not in use. The lightsaber follows the same format as so many The Power Of The Force “2” figures with a smooth cylindrical blade. It feels a bit outdated already, but the design of the hilt is actually very nice. Perhaps just a lightsaber hilt with the option to attach to the belt would have been the best option here. After all, this isn’t a very “action like” interpretation of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe this should have been the version to show him at “rest”. Then again, that might not have gone over well with younger fans. As with all Episode I figures, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) comes with a CommTech chip which features a shiny foil image of the character as well as a micro bio on the back. It functions as an action figure display stand when not being used to make the figure talk. Overall, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight) probably should be rated as an average action figure. Hasbro hasn’t broken that much ground as far as screen accuracy is concerned. But there is no doubt collectors will appreciate the few strides of improvement made here.