Review: 75109 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Posted by CapnRex101,
There has been a great deal of discussion about the head elements which are included in a couple of the Star Wars Battle Figures. Typically organic shapes like these are ill-suited to Constraction sets and I think that was an apparent negative factor in 75110 Luke Skywalker, so I was eager to take a closer look at 75109 Obi-Wan Kenobi, in the hope that the same would not be true.
I am pleased to report that this figure is far better than that one, in part because we are familiar with stylised versions of Obi-Wan's visage after Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is quite similar to this cast. The rest of the figure is equally impressive, although it is not totally without fault which will be discussed later in the review.
The Completed Model
This figure is based on Obi-Wan's appearance in the earlier seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with a brown cape which was rarely worn in the series but has appeared far more frequently in other source material. The combination of white armour and tan Jedi robes is reasonably accurate, although the robe should be a little longer to line up with the panels used on his legs.
The head sculpt is an integral part of the figure and I think it looks pretty good, certainly far better than that of 75110 Luke Skywalker. I think the expression here looks quite natural, more so than Luke's, but the most important factor is probably the fact that we are accustomed to the angular design of Obi-Wan's face following his appearances in a couple of animated Star Wars shows. The hair and beard look particularly impressive, precisely matching his design in those animated shows as well as Revenge of the Sith.
Among the six Battle Figures this is one of the most faithful to the source material, in part because of the relative simplicity of Obi-Wan's attire. The contrast between the traditional Jedi garb and the armour which reflects the period of war has been captured perfectly by the torso design, although it would have been even better if the chest armour was actually constructed in some way rather than simply being printed.
Obi-Wan is armed with a blue lightsaber which consists of two hilt elements, the slightly rubbery blade and a couple of Technic axle pins. He is easily able to hold it in one or two hands, or even hang the hilt from his belt as it fits onto the side of his leg. The cape completes the figure nicely, folding over his neck and being clamped in place at the front, unlike Darth Vader's cape which hangs from the back. This method of attachment looks far more realistic and even envelopes his shoulders just as it should do.
Overall
This is yet another excellent figure in the Battle Figures range. I was not sure how I would feel about Obi-Wan's head but the moment I poured the pieces out I was pleasantly surprised, probably as a result of the familiarity of stylised designs for the character like this one. The rest of the figure is equally impressive in my opinion, although I don't think it quite matches 75111 Darth Vader for detail.
The figure is priced at £19.99 or $24.99, so is only slightly less expensive than his fallen apprentice. This is perhaps where I have some slight reservations about this model as, despite its excellence, I think 75111 Darth Vader is a superior figure and well worth the additional expense.
However, Obi-Wan's value greatly increases when he is paired with other characters. As you can see the figure is scaled perfectly beside 75112 General Grievous, who seems like the most suitable opponent for Obi-Wan given their rivalry. I will certainly be displaying the two of them together as both can be posed in spectacular fashion!
Thanks to the CEE Team for sending us a copy of the set to review.
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12 comments on this article
Great review!
Great review! It would be great to see him from the back without the cape.
He looks like a great figure! I guess we don't have to worry about the technic showing on the back (like Commander Cody) due to the cape. Thanks for the great review, Capn'!
Wow, he looks EXACTLY like Obi-Wan in Season 3-5 of The Clone Wars. Great job LEGO. I just wish he had some other weapon to justify the $5 markup, like the blaster he kills Grevious with...
He looks more like seasons 1-2 since he has the white armor.
Awesome review! Though again, as with Jango and Cody, you've seemingly aligned the figure's elbows wrong.
I got this figure yesterday. Great design. I expected the figure to be big, but I wasn't counting on how big the head alone would be. I've tried it out on some of my other constraction sets and it looks ridiculously out-of-proportion. Contrast the Batman head sculpt from a few years ago which looks much more natural on the current Bionicle figures. I had hoped to use the heads from these figures to create action figure MOCs of original human characters, but if I'm going to do that I guess I'd better get used to building at a larger scale! On a side note, it's interesting that this uses a different hair color than Obi-Wan minifigures ever have.
Somebody in the comments of another review mentioned that they felt the heads seem too small relative to the figures. I disagree. Obi-Wan's head is about five modules (an inch and a half) tall and his full height is about 32 modules (ten inches) tall, so he's between six and six-and-a-half heads high — perfectly reasonable for an adult human figure, and much more realistic than many action figures and dolls that opt for an adult height of seven or eight heads high.
Besides the head-sculpt, the figure is really well-proportioned and well-armored. The lower leg shells seem incredibly useful and I've already thought of some more "unconventional" uses for them, like air intakes on a spacecraft. I should have a lot of ideas to draw from come Nnovvember this year! The shoulder shells also promise a lot of great uses. Only the torso shell seems too big and specialized to easily put to use for other applications. The shape and print are generic enough to be useable on a generic character's torso but not enough to be usable for much other than a torso.
I think "not being used to" a more stylized design for Luke hardly justifies some of the vitriol I've seen towards that figure's design. I got to see the figure IRL for the first time at the LEGO store, and the head sculpt is not bad at all. Does it look like we expect Luke specifically to look? Maybe not. But it does look like a slightly stylized caucasian, male, dirty blond human head with a neutral expression and a hairstyle approximating Luke's, whereas a lot of people seem to be talking about it as if it's somehow freakish or nightmarish. Maybe it also has something to do with how much more effeminate Luke's head is than Obi-Wan's, because I know that's a thing that makes a lot of people uncomfortable even if it shouldn't.
You're right that the price is this set's biggest shortcoming, and I probably would have waited to get it if not for it being an AFOL discount day.
@Aanchir - You are absolutely right about the arms. I think that must have been how the instructions showed them as I was meticulous in following them, which was probably for the best given my limited experience of CCBS sets. Unfortunately I don't have the booklet to hand so cannot check.
Funny you should mention being used to a cartoonish Obi-Wan due to The Clone Wars. I recently bought the Disney Infinity Star Wars game, and I thought the Anakin and Ahsoka figures looked great compared to the Luke and Leia figures. That's totally why!
If I were to get this guy, it would probably be for the parts. I never watched the Clone Wars, so I'm not particularly in it for the actual model. I really want that cape, though. Here's hoping that the next wave of Bionicle uses them. Or better yet, if Ninjago does another Mech, give it a cape. Mecha with capes are awesome.
Perhaps this is a stupid question, but how does the head scale up to a Galidor head(seeing that was the last unmasked human heads)? With the Luke, Obi-Wan, and the old Galidor Nick and Allegra heads; I see it as possible to assemble a large human construction MOC collection.
@CapnRex101: I did check the digital booklet and the hard-copy booklet in my copy of the set before I brought it up, since I know sometimes the instructions can be awkward when it comes to posing sometimes! Jango, Cody, and Obi-Wan definitely instruct you to attach the forearms the same way as Luke's. Darth Vader's instructions, oddly enough, have you attach the forearms like you have them in this review. Either way, I think the way you have the forearms in your Luke review is the most logical when dealing with this style of upper arm. If the upper arm were a "B" beam like the knee joint then it'd be a different story.
What's interesting is that these stylized human heads are not that much different than the Clone Wars-style action figures that Hasbro sold for years. A Star Wars action-figure collector probably wouldn't bat an eye, but it's different from what a FOL usually sees. Then again, even a nose is different from what a FOL usually sees.