S.H. Figuarts Review | Obi-Wan Kenobi (A New Hope)

Force fuel your Star Wars action figure collection with the S.H Figuarts Obi-Wan Kenobi from A New Hope

After releasing versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi from both The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones, S.H. Figuarts have enhanced their collection with an all-new action figure from A New Hope. It was released alongside the figures from Solo: A Star Wars Story.

As always with this brand, the paint application is top notch and the likeness to Sir Alec Guinness is astonishing. I have noticed something since the release of Luke Skywalker (The Last Jedi), Figuarts have improved their digital face recognition software to a level even more impressive. This relates to Luke (TLJ), Luke (ROTJ re-release), Han Solo (ANH re-release), Chewie (Solo) and this new one. It’s far more realistic, to the point that I’d say Luke and Han are not re-releases but brand new figures! I think they have reached the pinnacle of what they can achieve in terms of likeness.

The Figure:

Now, they need to work on fixing other niggling issues because Obi-Wan Kenobi is not exactly perfect. One recurrent problem with Figuarts range is how they produce capes. For Darth Vader (ANH) they used tissue like fabric with a wire built inside it for flexibility. However, it wasn’t quite an exceptional result. I don’t think they know how to use tissue with wire and simply tissue on their figures. When you compare these results to the MAFEX range they simply nail it on this matter. And so Figuarts opted for a plastic version for this incarnation of Obi-Wan. Seeing the promotional pictures, I really didn’t like the plastic hood system, it looked weird. However, seeing it in person is quite different. It’s not amazing but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s an easy system, you can remove the hood without any trouble and can reattach it to the cape just as easy. But when Obi-Wan has the hood on, it doesn’t feel realistic, it feels cartoon-ish and that’s too bad because it’s quite an excellent figure.

And as for the Jedi robes, it’s in plastic as well so in terms of poses, you can’t do much. His legs may be super-articulated but the articulation is severely restricted by the robes. I don’t want to say this figure is a disappointment but the use of plastic here was a poor choice. At least the cape should have been made from tissue like fabric if not the Jedi robes. Though, in terms of screen accuracy, Figuarts nailed it once again.

Up Close:

S.H. Figuarts Review | Obi-Wan Kenobi (A New Hope)

The figure comes with one hilt and one lightsaber. The hilt can be attached to the belt. It comes with 7 interchangeable hands. A plastic cape for when Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to Vader if you want to recreate that scene. And you also have an interchangeable head with his eyes closed for that scene. This head is also quite impressive. It’s not necessarily the alternative head I would have chosen but it’s pretty cool nevertheless.

Final Thoughts:

So this figure has an incredible likeness to Sir Alec Guinness, it’s like a mini Hot Toys version. However, the use of plastic for the cape and Jedi robes are a minor detraction for pose-ability and when the hood is on, it’s too cartoonish.

It’s a great figure but it has some issues.

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