Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi - POTF2 [FB/CT] - Basic

A long time ago....
A new Star Wars movie will premier in movie theaters next Summer. It is Episode I of the Star Wars saga and the first movie in a new trilogy that goes back in time a full generation to tell the story of Luke Skywalker's father Anakin. We will see how Anakin became a great Jedi Knight but then turned to the dark side to become Darth Vader.

Legendary among the heroes of the Rebel Alliance, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi is regarded as one of the greatest Jedi Knights ever to have lived. As a young Jedi who had just completed his own training, Obi-Wan made a solemn pledge to train young Anakin Skywalker in the ways of the Force. Anakin became a Jedi but then turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader. Many years later, destiny would have an older and wiser Obi-Wan guiding Anakin's own son, Luke Skywalker, in the ways of the Force, and ultimately, in turning Vader back to the light side.

One of the biggest complaints to Kenner/Hasbro collectors aired was that Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi has yet to be made with the hood from his cloak over his head. It’s really a signature style for the character. If you think about it, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi entered many scenes in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope disguising himself or covering his head. When he frightened the Tusken Raiders from doing more damage to Luke Skywalker, or when he drove in as a passenger into Mos Eisley utilizing a Jedi mind trick against the sandtroopers, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi was all about hiding his true identity. After all, he did seek refuge during the Clone Wars to escape recognition and eventual harm. He is all about playing it calm, cool and collected. Perhaps the most popular scene involving him wearing his hood up was in his final duel with Darth Vader. So Hasbro decided that it was time to tool an all-new Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi action figure that was based on this very scene. Released in The Power Of The Force “2” FlashBack phase of the line, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi delivers some aspects of what collectors want to see in this character, but not everything.

Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi still feels too “POTF2-sy” and by that we mean there are no efforts to update the facial expression. Sure, most of his head is covered in the hood of his Jedi robes, but this is a lot like looking at a deer in headlights. The sculpt as a whole is rather fantastic. Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi is in a quasi action pose, leaning forward to tackle the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader head on without worry. The robes flow nicely and thanks to an excellent center of gravity, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi has very little issues when balancing unaided. The figure has been enhanced with swivel elbows and swivel wrists. As you can easily imagine, this makes holding the included lightsaber accessory effortless. You can recreate an awesome little diorama with the FlashBack Darth Vader figure that looks like it has been ripped right out of the film. Along with a too animated look in his face, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi also has some body issues when it comes to realism. These POTF2 figures are a whole lot better than they used to be, but there are still some bulky proportions that make the figure not look entirely right for us. Thankfully, the paint operations are decent and the one seamless color hides much of this bulkiness.

You already know this, but Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi comes with a lightsaber. And it looks tired and old, like it has since day one in 1995. It’s time for Kenner/Hasbro to deign better lightsaber accessories for these action figures. The only other accessory, should you consider it one, is the removable shell of his robe. It is a bit difficult to remove, but it can be and we’re not so sure why Hasbro has made this an option. It doesn’t help out the figure’s articulation and it certainly doesn’t look right when you have it removed. For us, soft-goods are the only way to go for this figure. Hasbro is missing the boat trying to make plastic molded robes work in these instances. While the figure cannot sit in a landspeeder, this is the premier Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi figure to utilize in your final duel diorama scene when he faces Darth Vader for now. As with almost anything Hasbro makes, better will come in the future. We just this one took a few more steps forward. The updated articulation is of course a tremendous benefit, but the inability to articulate points like in the hips is quite frustrating when other parts of the figure inhibit their movement. We suppose you just need to consider this figure a miniature stature. But always remember that the updated articulation in the upper body really allows you to pose this figure in some tremendous “lightsaber dueling” ways.