Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 7/04/2013 12:48 PM

It kinda feels like the militarization of the Jedi should have been visually reinforced on the big screen by having the peace keeping Jedi wear the armor of a combatant.  Sadly the prequel trilogy missed that.  But both the well received Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars microseries and the hit or miss Clone Wars cartoon captured that element.  It may be a fraction gratuitous in that we’re programmed to think anything in the white armor of the republic/empire is cool, but on the other hand we think anything in the white armor of the republic/empire is cool, so….neat!

This is the third time an Obi-Wan in Clone armor has been released with the first two releases being based in the aforementioned microseries.  The first was the 2005 Jedi vs. Sith battlepack figure which had limited articulation and snap on armor. It was more chore than anything else to display properly.  The second release came in the second wave of the Legacy Collection in 2008.  The figure itself was brought up to modern aesthetic and articulation, but the head sculpt was questionable. 

The third release pretty much nails the concept.  Again being based on the Clone Wars cartoon and not the microseries, there are stylistic differences from the previous releases so depending on your definition this may be either an upgrade or a brand new figure.  I’m taking a more liberal outlook on this and treating “Obi-Wan in armor” as the same concept, so I consider this an upgrade and a very good one.  Some of the fancier new articulation such as ball jointed hips and wrists are lacking, but that doesn’t impact my appreciation of the figure.  I can pose it adequately and it looks great standing there.  9 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 10/02/2018 07:05 AM

This is the third realistically styled figure based on The Clone Wars animated series in TVC, having been proceeded by Anakin and Ahsoka.  In the subsequent Black Series line, Hasbro also gave us Mace Windu and Captain Rex.  It was a small, but welcome gesture, given that Hasbro robbed us of an entire collection of realistically styled Clone Wars figures after opting to go with animated styling in a separate line.  I have never forgiven Hasbro for breaking the covenant they had with me, but I will nevertheless happily take these figures, and hope that someday we will see more.

The three versions of armored Obi-Wan that Chris mentioned are depicted together in the lineup in the gallery above.  The first two were inspired by the Tartakovsky Micorseries.  Both figures have capes and removable helmets.  The design concept was carried forward into the Filoni series, with some alterations, which is the inspiration behind this figure.  VC103 is by far the best version of clone-armored-up Obi-Wan, and while you might want the previous 2 versions for sentimental reasons, this is the Clonebi-Wan to own.

The figure is beautifully sculpted and articulated.  Ball jointed hips (required for proper Jedi figures in today’s world) and ball jointed wrists are missing, and would be a welcome, if low priority, upgrade.  The usage of soft goods in the outfit is outstanding.  Obi-Wan has a nice, wide range of motion. He can support a solid array of dynamic poses, even without ball jointed hips.  The paint applications to the body are excellent, especially the dirt on the armor.  I think the face sculpt is decent, but not great.  It’s certainly leaps and bounds beyond the monstrosities found on the previous to iterations of this character.  The TLC version looks kind of like Gimli, if Obi-Wan had longer hair.  He comes with a saber hilt that fits nicely in the belt hole, unlike Anakin which inexcusably is lacking this feature.  He can wield the saber to perform the THWG (Two handed weapon grip) and the THOHC (Two handed overhead chop). 

Mostly, this figure just looks awesome when lined up with his fellow TVC Clone Wars figures.  Hasbro, please make more.  While ball jointed hips would be an improvement, I’m satisfied calling this a definitive version of Obi-Wan in clone armor. 

The figure is definitive, and was hard to get.  It’s sells for $75-100 carded on ebay, with current asking prices regularly over $100.  Good luck finding a loose one “cheap.”  The figure is a good one, but unless Hasbro plans on pushing some kind of figure/toy support for the return of The Clone Wars animated series, this figure is probably best left alone for now.  A multi-pack with other realistically styled TCW figures would be interesting, especially if it included a couple of brand new figures.  But it also might be a decent seller by simply re-packing Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Mace, and Rex in a commemorative 5-pack and calling it a day.

Updated Review:  Bret - 9/19/2020 07:05 AM

Another update to a Clone Wars figure, this time we get Obi-Wan Kenobi.  It’s got a Photoreal update, and not a whole lot more. We gave this figure a 9 out of 10 in or earlier review. While it’s a great figure, Hasbro can definitely do better in 2020.  It would seem to be more appropriate for this to be an 8, when compared to what we’re getting today.  So is it worth an upgrade and can it re-achieve the 9/10 score?

The Photoreal application is definitely better here than it was on Anakin.  But as seems to be the case, especially when retroactively applied to older figures, the technology isn’t perfect.  In my sample, the eyes are ever so slightly off, but not so much as to be cross-eyed or somesuch.  It’s marginally better in my opinion, but your mileage will likely vary.

The coloring is slightly different.  Not sure if this was intentional, but the brown on the hair and the belt is darker this time around.  I would chalk up any other changes in the colors to manufacturing differences spanning the 8 year difference between releases.

The battle damage appears to use the identical “stamps”, but in some cases, the application is askew.  I notice on the left forearm, the marks are the same shape, but seem to have slid to the side a bit.  The armor on the back of the left hand is clean, unlike the original, but it’s possible the application is off here as well, and disappeared in the black part of his fingers or palm.  Some of the marks are a different color for whatever reason.  I believe all of this isn’t noteworthy, and is just due to the manufacturing process.

The one change that is most definitely noteworthy is that the lit lightsaber on the original 2012 figure is flared at the base near the hilt, while the 2020 version has the 2001 style non-flared straight blade.  I don’t know why Hasbro did this.  Perhaps they couldn’t locate the tooling to Obi-Wan’s flared blade?  It’s a strange choice, in the absence of a known reason.

Is it better?  Eh, maybe ever so slightly.  It’s still a great figure, and with most of these re-releases, it’s a great opportunity to pick this up without paying Ebay prices.  If you don’t have the original CW Obi-Wan, this is something you should have in your collection.  If you already own it, it’s a real toss up as to whether or not it’s a worthy upgrade.  In the end, while I’m happy to have this, I’m a bit disappointed that Hasbro doubled down on this figure instead of giving us a real modern upgrade with ball joints hips and rocker ankles.  We’ll keep it at the aforementioned re-adjusted 8.