Bio: A Jedi must always be well equipped for any circumstance. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a loyal and disciplined Jedi, is often sent by the Jedi Council to resolve matters on worlds where the environment is very cold. He often must prepare for these missions by bringing special gear with him to handle the colder temperatures. (Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: At some point, Lucasfilm planned another big Multimedia licensing orgy called Jedi Quest. This never came to be, but it did inspire a few products, namely a comic and some figure designs like this Obi-Wan Kenobi. Based on a mix of hiking gear, Hoth gear, and Jedi gear, the figure is a unique synthesis of a direction left untraveled in the Hasbro brand. You see, the toy maker could have just as easily done up more designs like this and eventually started making its own outfits for new adventures. They didn't, which I sometimes wish they did. Figures like this Obi-Wan are lots of fun.

With only six points of articulation, there's not a lot of movement here. On the other hand, Hasbro did design the figure to be a good toy first and the whole notion of it being a collectible isn't really present in its design. The figure can hold on to his weapons and accessories, he's colorful, yet realistic, and his limbs don't pop off. If you want a good solid figure to play with in the snow, this is it. The design is excellent, the head sculpt is appropriate for his time, and the spiked boots are a nice touch. The only real downer on this figure-- for me-- was that Hasbro elected to paint his lightsaber grip entirely silver, and it was lacking in the extra paint applications we saw on other Episode I-era Obi-Wan weapons. If you can get into the new design, this is an awesome figure I would suggest you buy. I love it, it's definitely one of my favorites in spite of it being a little strange in the context of the toy line. After all, it's not like we saw Obi-Wan go skiing much.

Collector's Notes: Another one-shot wonder, this figure has never returned to market. Little to no demand helps these things. The figure can be had for about $7 shipped as of press time.

Day 764: June 8, 2008