Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi - SW [S - P1] - 12 Inch Figures

Relive the explosive battle between two highly skilled fighters! The combat continues between the courageous Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and the ruthless bounty hunter Jango Fett! Obi-Wan expertly wields his lightsaber as he uses the power of the Force and his Jedi training to deflect Jango's savage attacks, while attempting to capture the bounty hunter!

Often, Hasbro’s novelty products dictate how they should have approached their mainline products. Nothing could be truer when reviewing the Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi and Electronic Battling Jango Fett. Hasbro’s long-running 12 Inch Figures line has some fantastic moments, but overall the line suffers from poor likenesses and much-too-bulky figures. The 12 Inch Figures line for the Star Wars “Saga” line show that significant strides have been taken to update the line as much as possible, but sadly, the figures never turn out the way one hopes. However, when you look at a figure like the Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi, it provides evidence that Hasbro should develop the 12 Inch Figures line like they are making giant action figures. This approach means that the figures should not look too differently than what Kenner did for many of their figures in the Large Size Action Figures line that ran from 1979 through 1980. It also means they should be different in approach from how they’re producing 3.75” action figures. The Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi, although strewn with action and play features, has an astounding 25 points of articulation, an excellent likeness of actor Ewan McGregor, and “fun” play features that don’t necessarily destroy the aesthetics of the figure. (But we’d still prefer if they weren’t added in here.) The MSRP is higher, but we imagine if the electronics were removed that Hasbro could price this line at $19.99 or close to that price.

Although there is no officially names “Attack Of The Clones” line, Hasbro developed an Episode II-heavy line with additions from the rest of the Star Wars saga in it. And 2002 was a big advancement year for the basic figure line for Hasbro. For the first time, they began using scanned digital files of actors to design action figures with the supposed best likeness possible for the toys and collectibles lines. Some likenesses turned out better than others, but the Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi proves that this technology, when developed in a larger scale like a 12 Inch Figures, is impressively accurate and good for the Star Wars toy line. The Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi looks very much like the on-screen character, and both the articulation and the paint operations should assure collectors that Hasbro possesses the capability to design excellent Star Wars toys. Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi moves beautifully, poses wonderfully, and comes with a host of features that will not only enthrall younger Star Wars fans but entertain longtime collectors. There are too many things here to make you laugh, enjoy, and approve of that will prevent you from criticizing it. That said, we would covet the opportunity to see a line like this replace the current 12 Inch Figures line, and remove the bells and whistles like electronics and lights in favor of a super-articulated “big” action figure instead.

Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi comes loaded with fun features. The figure speaks many lines by touching the pouch on the figure’s belt. However, if you hold down the same pouch, it ignites the lightsaber. The lightsaber technology impresses us. A tab on the hilt plugs into an area right above the figure’s wrist. This is the area that provides electronic interconnectivity. Once the pouch is depressed appropriately, the lightsaber blade ignites in a bright blue color. It’s beautifully implemented here. And the figure looks natural with or without the lightsaber. The lightsaber attachment doesn’t harm the aesthetics of the figure all that much. The figure makes plenty of sound effects, too, like grunting and shouting. Bumping the figure or articulating the figure will activate them. They won’t stop until you put the figure down because they’re so easily activated. Lastly, Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with a “Force capture” clip. It’s attached to the figure’s left arm and pulls out with some resistance. You can attach the clip to the Electronic Battling Jango Fett figure, and it will pull it to the ground. There is a button on the back of Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi’s left arm, which will recoil it quickly back into the figure’s arm and remove the slack. The Electronic Battling Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is bittersweet. We love how excellent it is visually. But Hasbro won’t take the 12 Inch Figures line this route for the rest of the characters.