"You are not in charge here. That seat is mine, not yours. I am the next in line."
The Fifth Brother made his Star Wars debut in Rebels and then translated to a live-action appearance in the 2023 Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The first Black Series release of Fifth Brother was taken from the Kenobi series and was included in Wave 8 of the Galaxy Collection alongside other figures from the Kenobi series including Ben Kenobi, Darth Vader and Reva. The Kenobi figures are given an electric blue accent colour for the packaging and this is used in the text and artwork. The Fifth Brother is number 04 in the Kenobi collection following on from Reva from the same wave and preceding the exclusive release of Teeka the Jawa.
The Fifth Brother is a full new figure and incorporates his on-screen Inquisitor uniform with a grey undersuit complete with sculpted Imperial insignia on the arms, overlaid with dull black armoured sections. The armour is further detailed with green and grey controls and indicators with a bold silver buckle to his belt. The head is a reasonable likeness to actor Sung Kang in full makeup, with painted black eyes and darker lips. There is a lack of facial shading, relying on the lighting across the sculpted features. He is wearing his trade mark enlarged helmet which encloses the side and back of his head, comes under his chin, then extends out at the top into a dome. More red is incorporated into the helmet to capture the indicator lights at either side and around the back.
In Rebels, the Fifth Brother is depicted as a tall character, but this was reduced in Obi-Wan Kenobi to a more generalised height. He should sit half a head taller than Reva and the same again shorter than the Grand Inquisitor but the scaling has got mixed up with The Fifth Brother notably short against both the other Inquisitor figures but also generic characters such as Clone and Storm Troopers. This is a shame as he should be an imposing brute and instead lacks that presence around other figures and a rare miss for Hasbro’s Star Wars team who are usually consistent with character heights (Droids and Wookiees aside).
The Fifth Brother has his circular Inquisitorial lightsaber as his sole accessory. This is a chunky piece that is accurate to the screen prop which was adjusted for Sung Kang’s hands. It features an extended plug on the inner section which can be then be slotted into a plug on the Inquisitor’s back as a holstered function. This plug does make it hard to engage fully into the hands, but once gripped it holds secure. You get two translucent red blades to insert allowing both single and dual blade options. These blades are robust enough in their connection and arrive without any obvious warping.
Articulation features 19 points in total, all pinless. The legs provide a wide level range of movement while the arms do come up against a restriction by way of the Fifth Brothers fixed shoulder armour. On other figures this has been hinged to allow the arms to be raised - but not here and that keeps the arms from raising anywhere above the level of the shoulder. The figure does feature a dual joint neck which allows some more menacing head positions in keeping with the Fifth Brother’s mannerisms. The torso joint supports the outer limbs for more dynamic fighting stances.
The Fifth Brother as a standalone figure is well executed, capturing the likeness of the character and with sufficient articulation to wield the included lightsaber. It is let down by being half an inch too small and scaling poorly with Reva in particular and other characters from Kenobi and beyond. The character will also potentially be of interest for Rebels fans to pose with the Ghost crew - and he will also slip comfortably into a display with Cal Kestis with the two of them facing off in one of the supporting novels to Jedi: Survivor.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...