Review : Star Wars Black Series Kenner Inspired Obi-Wan Kenobi, Amazon Exclusive
- Mephitsu
- Mar 26, 2021
- 4 min read
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Lucasfilm, Hasbro have released a number of 6 inch Star Wars Black Series figures in 2022 not only on Vintage Cardbacks, but also repainted to match their 1978 Vintage release from Kenner. This practice is not new, and has been done already for figures like Boba Fett, 4-LOM and Zuckuss. This new wave, exclusive to Amazon, goes further than the previous releases which still retained a level of real world paint decor, and repaints the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Greedo and a Jawa in their original Kenner colours.
Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives in an outer cardboard sleeve. This is a welcome addition as previous Amazon exclusives have suffered from damage in transit. The box does go someway to protect the card, but is itself slightly too small which means your card still arrives with a noticeable bend.
The card itself is a recreation of the original 1978 Card with Alec Guiness posed with a yellow lightsaber. The only additions for this modern interpretation is the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversay logo and a Couple of safety icons. The Kenner logo is retained over that of Hasbro or Disney.
The cardback is less impressive than previous Vintage Carded Black Series figures, foregoing the iconic colour block checklist and instead of inserting an image of Obi-Wan battling Darth Vader on the Death Star from A New Hope. The Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary theme then takes over and the timeline, as seen on the Archive figures, plots the figures place in the 50 years of Lucasfilm and has the wording:-
"Commemorate the first 50 years of Lucasfilm with figures inspired by the original Star Wars trilogy"
The figure has to be ripped off the card, 70's style, and is set into a small inner tray behind the blister with the lightsaber to one side.
The figure is simply the original 2016 Obi-Wan Kenobi figure cast now predominantly in the orange plastic we associate with the original 1978 figure. The soft-goods robes have been removed, and a vinyl cape accessory added that slots over the arms and wraps the body with a fold-down collar - exactly as the Kenner versions used to work.
What is odd about the release, and the reason I and many others will buy it is that while the body is a Kenner homage, the head is given the modern face print tech treatment. This makes the likeness much improved on the original Obi-Wan Kenobi figure.
The two heads are interchangeable and therefore the new photo-real head will go on the film accurate body to create a much improved Obi-Wan Kenobi for your display. In a way then the old head does look marginally more in keeping with the Kenner decor.
Obi-Wan includes his lightsaber accessory. While it may not now slide out of his right arm, it has been left unpainted as a further nod to Kenner accessories. The blue translucent blade is straight and true and can be clipped in and out of the saber hilt as needed. When not in use the saber hilt hangs on the hook on Obi-Wan's belt.
The cape can be removed and if you go down this route, you are left with a fully sculpted and painted figure underneath. Putting aside the nostalgia element for a moment, this look without the cape is not too bad and gives another option for display.
Obi-Wan's articulation, a total of 16 points, remains as was vs the old figure. The arms are single jointed at the elbows and can just about get to a double saber grip but lack the cut to the elbow to extend the movement for wider arm posing. The legs are essentially locked in by the skirt but do include a full suite of joints including double joint knees. Obi-Wan's joints are all tight and secure and he stands perfectly in a number of posing options.
The whole principle of this Amazon Exclusive line is one of nostalgia, but that is very confused when you consider the use of face print tech that makes this a better likeness to the original release. What you end up with is a Kenner inspired body and a head that would fit into the range today.
It may have been easier to release this figure in its normal colour scheme but with updated faceprint decor simply as an Anniversary figure on a Vintage card, or as an Archive collection. This is certainly a figure that will divide opinion, and as a side line it will be dependent on how deep Hasbro are willing to go with this Kenner paint job variant line?
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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