Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi
Starfighter gets a release on a much smaller scale, but that doesn't mean
that his vehicle mode is any less well-proportioned than it was as a Class
II toy. They're pretty spot-on overall, and there are pretty much no mech
mode extras beyond the fronts of his knees sticking out a little noticeably
below what should be the "bottom line" of the starfighter. He does have
two flip out "landing gear" on the bottom (one of them is simply a tab,
but still) that help to stabilize him in this mode, so don't fret about
those extended kneecaps throwing off how he sits on a table in this mode.
For a small toy, surprisingly the mold detailing and paint detailing don't
take a hit, either-- Obi-Wan's got all the mold detailing lines and panels
you'd expect from a larger toy, and TONS of paint apps, with the paint
deco very closely matching the "Clone Wars" version
of his Class II version of this alt mode. The only real difference is that
the cockpit is painted silver instead of being transparent plastic, but
that doesn't bother me in the least. The red and off-white really go together
quite well in this mode in the amounts they're used, and generally make
him look a bit eye-catching in this mode. Obi-Wan also comes with two blue
lightsaber weapons, but unfortunately they don't attach anywhere in this
mode-- worse still, they're just a TAD too small to stick in his exhaust
ports to look like exhaust, which was a really missed opportunity.
Like with most Star
Wars Transformers, Obi-Wan's transformation to mech mode mostly involves
a simple unfolding of his vehicle mode parts out from the bottom. It's
simple, yet it leaves Obi-Wan with a fair amount of kibble in mech mode.
The cockpit and halves of the back end of his vehicle mode behind his upper
back are particularly big offenders, given that they don't peg into anything
to keep them in place anywhere, but the panels hanging off his lower arms
and the landing gear hanging off his right leg are also definitely a a
bit unsightly, too. What I thought was creative in this mode-- and is the
only major way that this Obi-Wan differs in his transformation from the
Class II Obi-Wan with the same vehicle mode-- is how the front points of
the vehicle mode now form his entire lower legs, instead of just being
part of the sides. A bit more creative use of vehicle parts is something
that is definitely needed on more Star Wars TFs. The paint detailing doesn't
let up at all in this mode, with Obi-Wan still having a TON of unique paint
apps here, again closely resembling his "Clone Wars" Class II release in
terms of their placement. The dark greenish blue and white go very nicely
with the other colors, but the pale light orange still isn't exactly the
best color to contrast against the white. The head mold is great, though,
with soem nice bronze and silver detailing, and they seemed to have gone
for a more rectangular robotic look for the head on this version, which
I like more than the more "humanized", streamlined headsculpts. As for
articulation, Obi-Wan can move at the neck, shoulders, elbows (at two points),
hips, knees (at three points), and the ankles. I wish his waist could move
given that there's nothing in the transformation that would seem to disallow
it, but he can still take on some prettty darned cool poses regardless.
Although he has some
kibble problems in mech mode, this version of Obi-Wan Kenobi has pretty
good proportions in both modes, a TON of detailing, and a nearly flawless
vehicle mode, making him my favorite of the Wave 1 Class I Star Wars TF
toys. Mildly recommended, if you like the line.
Review by Beastbot