OBI-WAN KENOBI and Darth Maul
Galactic Heroes Two-Packs
Item No.: Asst. 85208 No. 87092
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Green lightsaber (non-removable), Darth Maul figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: 2006-present
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi, later known as Ben Kenobi, was a Jedi Master who played a significant role in the fate of the galaxy during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. He was personally responsible for the death of Darth Maul, and indirectly caused the deaths of Darth Tyranus, Darth Vader, and Darth Sidious by training Anakin and Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: As the second release of Obi-Wan Kenobi from Episode I in the Heroes scale, one might wonder what could be changed about the figure. Easy-- his lightsaber! The first release from 2002 had a blue one, this one has a green blade representing Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber. Like all figures of this scale, he has very limited articulation and is sculpted with a giant head. Aside from the lightsaber hand, there's really not a whole heck of a lot of movement in this figure. He can stand, he can fit in vehicles, and not too much else. Thankfully, the sculptors did a great job on it and it's a fairly durable design. There seems to be no danger of it falling apart easily, and it seems if you left this one in harsh playing conditions, it'd survive. (Although probably with some paint scratches.) This is one figure you ought to buy.

Collector's Notes: Since its introduction in 2006, the set with this figure and Darth Maul have shipped fairly consistently and it seems it will be available for part if not all of 2008. It's a great set if you want figures on your desk at work, and I'm sure your kids will dig it too. There are a couple of packaging variants but nothing so major that it would likely cause you to want multiple versions. The blue lightsaber version of this figure comes in two sets: One is the 2002 "Playskool" figures set, and the other is in the 2007-2008 Toys "R" Us exclusive Naboo cinema scene pack. The 2007 set has pretty much everything you'd want from the 2002 set but at a much lower price, given that the 2002 set was somewhat collectible.

Day 660: February 25, 2008