Obi-Wan Kenobi (Duel At Mustafar) - ROTS - Basic (Exclusive)

Obi-Wan Kenobi obeyed his Jedi Master's dying wish and trained Anakin Skywalker in the ways of the Force. Now he is pitted against his former Padawan in a lightsaber duel of epic proportions!

Like Jedi Padawan like Jedi Master. If the apprentice is updated with a new paint job then that means that the teacher must receive the same treatment. Well, that’s exactly what Hasbro did at least when it came to the Duel At Mustafar figures that were released in October 2005 as TARGET exclusives to help celebrate the yearlong release of the last Star Wars film ever. Revenge Of The Sith exceeded expectations on nearly every level. And maybe it wasn’t so much that it exceeded expectations, but maybe because the film “lived on” so strongly in 2005 and met the expectations of licensees, filmmakers and the general public to expected levels. We’re not financial analysts or marketers, but it can be easily said that Revenge Of The Sith was indeed a summer blockbuster and made a splash that was heard around the world. It only made sense that various retail chains released one exclusive after the other in support of the film. Such is true for TARGET who released their second and third “Lava Reflection” Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi figures. Surprisingly, although initially well received, they just didn’t have the sell through power of the Utapau Clone Trooper or the Clone Trooper (based on the 91st Reconnaissance Corp battalion) released earlier in the year.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the same exact figure as 2005’s ROTS Obi-Wan Kenobi (III 1) figure except this time the figure only comes with the hand attachment holding his lit blue lightsaber and an all-new paint job to recreate the reflection of the lava glowing against his silhouette on Mustafar. For good measure Hasbro also includes a repaint of the “Mustafar flames” base that came with figures in the basic figure lineup like Mustafar Sentry (III 56) for example. The action figure base accentuates the figure incredibly well and makes it easier to forgive all of the things that are wrong with it. The action feature is still here and the articulation is annoying loose in the upper body and basically impractical in the lower body. This combination makes Obi-Wan Kenobi a miserable action figure for collectors. What does make Obi-Wan Kenobi (Duel At Mustafar) better is its excellent paint job. Hasbro used a new color to bring a whole new level of authenticity to the figure. We even find ourselves surprised that we are praising a figure with some extra golden/orange/metallic paint on it. But it looks so good. And those of you who build realistic dioramas are going to find figures like this especially useful since that “lava glow” is already in place.

When displayed together on their respective bases, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker look rather fantastic. As ironic as this may sound, these figures (despite being installed with action features) work best standing still on a shelf on their environmental bases. It sounds completely opposite of how they should be utilized, but that is the best result we feel you can get with them. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Duel At Mustafar) was a great concept. But the way Hasbro approached this action figure will leave collectors feeling that they want more. With a great sculpt like 2005’s ROTS Obi-Wan Kenobi (III 55) already completed, why couldn’t Hasbro have taken that figure, removed the outer plastic cloak and decorated it in the “Lava Reflection” format. That figure is super-articulated and would have stood the test of time. Perhaps they felt that having action features specifically related to the scene the figures were based on was more important. But there is no denying that Hasbro could have found better ways to appeal to collectors (and even make the $12.99 price tag a little bit more palatable for everyone). Obi-Wan Kenobi (Duel At Mustafar) is a nice memento for Revenge Of The Sith, but it really isn’t the action figure you’d expect Hasbro to make as an exclusive. Varying opinions will contradict this we’re sure.