Review: Star Wars Black Series Force Spirits 3-Pack featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Yoda from Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary
- Mephitsu
- Feb 8
- 10 min read
“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you.”
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away where Force Spirits are a thing, it is of course inevitable that we will see a replication of these Ghosts in figure form. It was kind of done in the original Kenner line, although they didn't even try to give the original Anakin a spiritual glow. There have then be a number in the newer 3.75 inch line, such as the mail-away 1997 Obi-Wan and more recent Vintage Collection releases of Obi-Wan, Anakin and Yoda.
Obi-Wan and Yoda vs their original Force Spirit releases (right)
Force Spirits have also been done in the Black Series with a 2017 Walgreens Exclusive Obi-Wan Kenobi, a 2019 Walmart Yoda, and, most recently, a 2023 Walmart & Fan Channel release of Qui-Gon Jinn from the end of Kenobi. The gap had always been that of Anakin Skywalker, either in his original release guise of Sebastian Shaw, or the Special Edition update to show Hayden Christensen on the Ewok Village walkway.
That gap was filled in 2023 as part of the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi, with Hasbro creating a new set of three figures to replicate the final scenes of Jedi, including Anakin. The set was released using Kenner inspired packaging, and that meant an outer 3-pack with a hanging tab and an open window showing off the figures within, exactly as we got in the late 70s and 80s. The box itself was mat black, and the Hasbro and Black Series logo’s notably missing from the front with the orinal ROTJ kenner logo in place alongside the tramline border and a blue Kenner-branded logo. There was even a replicated call out sticker in yellow confirming the three figures included and this was set against an image of the three figures all posed on an Ewok Bridge diorama (more on that later). The only noted newness to the box was seen on the hanging tab with a modern Warning label and age rating at one side, and the Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary badge on the other.
Each of the sides features a cut-down version of the figures on the Endor bridge, as well as the Kenner ROTJ logo. The back of the box is then turned over to a very large image from the movie, special edition release, showing all three characters. There is no text around the character, only a short piece on celebrating the Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary with new Star Wars Black Series releases.
Inside the box were three individually carded figures, overlapped carefully so the blisters were presented on display through the outer box window. Each card matches all of the other 40th Anniversary series and uses the same logo’s, design and artwork principles from the original movies. The back of the cards are less reflective of the 80s and while there is a checklist of other releases, it does not mirror the one we were all used to following and ticking off growing up with lines and lines of releases. Instead there is a single row of six figures of which three are the Force Spirits from this set, and the other three are The Emperor, a Stormtrooper, and Chewbacca. There is also no character bio, with all of the cardbacks identical and referencing the same text as the main box, around marking the Return of the Jedi 50th Anniversary. In a neat nod to carded collectors, all four cards come unpunched.
We start with Obi-Wan, who uses the original 2017 release as a base body. To reflect the Force Spirit aspect in figure form, the approach has been taken (as it was in 2017) to cast Ben using translucent blue plastic. This is used on the arms, potentially the torso, and definitely down the softer plastic skirt piece and the legs within it. Paint is then applied, with its own pearlescent finish, to the top of the figure, defining his upper robes, inner tunic, and even his belt. From here downward, the paint fades, leaving the translucent blue behind, a technique repeated on the arms.
Over all of this we then get a blue sheer robe, tailored like the usual Jedi soft goods robes, to fit the figure with tailored sleeves to slot over the arms. This final layer is to give a shimmering effect and works to a certain extent. They have, however, left a hood attached, but this is stitched down, unable to be raised and worn over Ben’s head, and therefore sits as a flap of excess fabric behind the head and might have been best served cut away or left as a smaller collar piece. None of the way the body is executed is substantially different to the original release of the Force Spirit. It is also worth noting that the figure still has the built-in hook on the belt for a lightsaber that, of course, is not needed in the afterlife and is not included.
The head itself is the original and only Alec Guiness sculpt in the line, dating back as far as 2016. The likeness is enhanced considerably on the first release by using face print tech, while also applying a pearlescent paint or sheen into the figure across face, hair and beard.
Ben retains the 16 points of articulation from the original figure, including pinned double jointed knees relatively locked behind a plastic skirt. Articulation is needed most in the arms, considering that on screen Ben was seen just standing neutrally, but with one arm outstretched behind Yoda. Obi-Wan includes no accessories.
Moving onto Anakin, and I had expected this to be a full re-use of Ben but with a new head. Interestingly, it isn't, and it also doesn’t appear to obviously use any of the Qui-Gon Jinn Force Spirit parts, which would have been my second guess. In fact, I could not immediately place any of the parts directly, so it does appear Hasbro has sculpted most of the figure as new Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi from Return of the Jedi for this set.
Treatment-wise, the figure follows the same principles as Ben Kenobi with translucent blue plastic, overpainted at the torso and partly down the arms and skirt, where it then fades off to leave the blue plastic behind. The painted sections have a pearlescent finish, notably on Anakin’s inner robes, which are a more vibrant blue than Kenobi’s.
The outer robes are the same material and tailored finish, possibly not quite the same robes as the hood is different and even worse than Ben’s in terms of its shape, how it is fixed to the robes and is left flapping around even more prominently on Anakin. With my Qui-Gon out for some comparison as I write this review, his hood and collar was perfectly tailored indicating it could have been done, but a decision was made not too and left us with these unsightly finished versions.
Anakin’s head is new, a smiling Hayden Christensen with a good likeness, facial print tech and a slightly glossy pearlescent finish but not to the extent we see on Obi-Wan. His hair is an individual piece, with a side parting and combed long go the side and back - a look we only see on this final vision.
Anakin has 17 points of articulation, and is a mix of old format joints on the legs and newer configuration on the upper body. These double jointed pinned knees on the legs finally give away one donor figure as Mace Windu, with Anakin utilising Mace’s legs with their knee high sleek boots. While on paper the legs have plenty of movement, the plastic skirt holds most of it in check, and as a Spirit, we do not need Skywalker to do anything overly dynamic. There is expression in the arms to add character to a pose, and the neck is a twin joint allowing the head some movement in tilting as well as rotation.
There are no accessories with Anakin either, and the substantial gap here is not including an alternative Sebastian Shaw head to give collectors the choice for display. The Vintage Collection took this opportunity with their version of the set, but the Black Series has chosen not to.
That leaves us with the final member of the set, Yoda. While a Yoda Force Spirit had been released previously, it was on the original Yoda figure base, which was always criticised for being badly scaled. This 2023 set instead goes to the 2020 Empire Strikes Back release of Yoda from the Dagobah training set, a much better scaled version with an improved likeness against the Original Trilogy puppets.
Again, the principle of a base translucent blue plastic is used, more of it being visible on Yoda’s smaller frame. The chest and top of the arms and legs is given a darker brown tone, and his belt a similar brown finish. The bulk of the arms and legs are left translucent, and with not as much room to fade in as the two human Jedi, the cut on Yoda is a little bit more severe from paint to blue plastic. Again, Pearlescent is added to the finish and also on the small pendent Yoda continues to wear around his neck.
Yoda’s robes are cut from a similar soft goods material, but instead of blue, it uses a yellow, almost golden finish. Initially, that feels odd, but what Hasbro are trying to do is use the final layer to give the glowing effect but in line with the character's actual outer robes. For Anakin and Obi-Wan, these outer robes are a deep dark brown and therefore glow as blue. Yoda wears lighter robes, and while still glowing blue on screen, the robes themselves look to glow with a more yellow hue. It's not perfect, but nothing will ever replicate the special effects as a 6-inch figure on a shelf.
Yoda’s head is a good likeness, painted green with printed eyes and mouth detail, and more pearlescent in the finish. Yoda comes with the sole accessory in the set, a tiny version of his walking stick. This again is taken from the 2020 set, cast in brown and also given a slight blue tinge.
While the walking stick is not seen in Return of the Jedi, I suspect its inclusion is a nod to the Force Spirit appearance of Yoda in The Last Jedi, where he has and uses his stick.
So our trio of Force Spirits are assembled, and now it's time to display them. And that is the elephant in the room as despite showing them posed on a diorama bridge in the promo shots and on the box itself, there is nothing included. That leaves you to either display them stood side by side, which looks a bit odd for Yoda in particular, and not in keeping with the scene its recreating.
Or we can turn to the secondary market.
It is here I would usually point you to a Figure Hack at the end of, and separate to the main review. But here, this Ewok Village bridge is so integral to the display of these three figures that I want to include it within the review to demonstrate how integral the Ewok Bridge is, and how the set can be enhanced substantially, thanks to talented fans and creators. There are two versions on the secondary market, one with a single rail and the one we bought with twin rails and a built in bracket for Yoda. This was designed by the very talented Landspeeder Luke who's designs and printing files are then available to those who wish to print the pieces. Our version was bought on eBay and comes printed in brown, and for many, would be ready to use out of the box. It does need assembly, glueing the two rails into the main uprights. These are shaped so everything slots neatly into place and fixes really well.
I chose to paint my version and used my go to brand of Army Painter paints, and for ease, their Speed Paint line, which allows a single application to pick up highlights and shadows, giving definition to any piece with texture or depth. This works really well on the grain of the timber on the cast bridge. More advanced painters may also want to pick out additional detail like the vines and ropes.
Once assembled, painted, and dry, it provides - as it was designed - a perfectly compact display for the three Jedi Spirits. Yoda, most importantly, has an integrated bracket which he sits into and which hen holds him in the seated position on the log rail as we see him in the ROTJ scenes. The inner part of the bridge between the two rails has enough room for Obi-Wan at one side, and Anakin at the other. And once in place its absolutely perfect in terms of a display.
This set does a lot of things right. The improvements on Obi-Wan are notable, and moving to the newer Yoda is also a good move. Anakin, while reusing some parts, is practically new and the smiling headsculpt is such a good look and perfectly matched to his expression in the scene. The soft goods shimmer robes are ok, but those hoods needed to follow suit with how it was fixed and tailored on the Qui-Gon release.
The bigger problems are in the pricing, at £80 when the set launched, which is over the standard price of three individual figures and considering the size of Yoda, who was first released as a companion piece to another figure and not warranted a release on his own at this size. The second is the lack of a Sebastian Shaw head, something the Vintage Collection recognised and included. The third, and biggest, is the lack of a bridge diorama. This is in line with the decision to not have a Throne with Jabba, and the set is so difficult to display in keeping with the scene without extra help. Thankfully, that extra support is available on the likes of eBay and Etsy and with a small amount of work, the posed set looks amazing, particularly when lit from above or behind in a display cabinet or similar.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...
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