Obi-Wan Kenobi (Class I; Episode II Starfighter)
Vehicle ModeMech Mode
Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Moderately dark dull red, tannish off-white, dark greenish blue, very pale light orange, and some white, silver, dark brick red, transparent light blue, dark metallic blue, metallic gunmetal gray, black, light blue, and metallic copper
Rating: 8.4

    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.



Obi-Wan Kenobi (Class I Episode II Starfighter) Bio:
Flying his starfighter, Obi-Wan Kenobi hunts down General Grievous, then changes his Jedi vehicle into a mech to finish the battle with Grievous, lightsaber to lightsaber.

Review by Beastbot

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