Friday, November 28, 2008

General Obi-Wan Kenobi by Sideshow

From the Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed "Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)" micro-series comes General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and the Republic's champion in the Outer Rim campaigns. "Star Wars: Clone Wars" was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (who first gave us Samurai Jack, a 4-time Emmy Award-winning animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network and was noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing. The distinctive style of Samurai Jack is what drew Lucasfilm to recruit Tartakovsky for the "Star Wars: Clone Wars" animated series. Much of the signature cinematic style of Samurai Jack lives on in Clone Wars, such as lightning-fast combat, extended sequences without dialogue, explosions, epic vistas, etc.) Source: Wiki

The Clone Wars series was a fresh, stylized take on Star Wars that remains true to the spirit of the saga (not to be confused with the recently released 3D CGI "Star Wars: Clone Wars" which was panned by many many people, including faithful Star Wars fans). They chronicle some of the epic battles that occur between Episodes II and III as the Clone Wars rage across the galaxy.

In "Star Wars: Clone Wars", General Obi-Wan Kenobi fights an alien bounty hunter, Durge on the planet Muunilinst with his Republic clone troopers mounted on swoop bikes and using lancers against the IG lancer droids led by Durge. This was the first time we see General Obi-Wan Kenobi wearing clone trooper armor riding his swoop bike and wielding his light saber.

This 1/6 scale 12" General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master from The Battle of Muunilinst (first previewed here) was released by Sideshow recently. This is the first look at Sideshow's attempt to make Star Wars armored troopers since Obi-Wan is wearing the full suit under his Jedi tunic and cape.

Since Ewan McGregor did not star in the animated Clone Wars or provide the voice, I think Sideshow was trying to make General Obi-Wan resemble a much younger Ewan McGregor as Sideshow already captured Ewan's likeness from their earlier release of Episode III Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm glad Sideshow didn't go all animated on this and produce a 12" animated Obi-Wan Kenobi.

General Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with four hands (two pairs) including posed gloved hands for grasping a blaster although no blaster is included and the usual light saber hilt (lit and unlit)

The clone trooper armor's okay, would have preferred it if it was more snug and not so loose at some points


Obi-Wan's Jedi cape moved aside to reveal the clone trooper's utility belt and thermal detonator underneath. You can make out the backplate of his clone trooper armor where the power pack and pressurized gas system is housed. For extended exposure to open space or extreme environments, troopers wear extended backpacks connected to the backplate, like the Sandtroopers and Snowtroopers.




Sideshow 12" General Obi-Wan Kenobi in clone trooper armor with his light saber and Force gesture

Nice details of his lightweight plastoid-alloy composite armor, which was based in part on the battle gear of the Mandalorian Shocktrooper supercommandos, of which Jango Fett is a survivor and whose DNA was used to create the clone troopers.

More details of his leg armor, knee plate and boots with high traction soles


General Obi-Wan Kenobi with the DC-15 Blaster (NOT included)


While Sideshow's clone trooper body glove and armor is up to standard, the main problem is the Sideshow body which SUCKS big time! The design may have been good but the quality of production is sorely lacking, resulting in a very loosely jointed figure which cannot hold most poses. You can probably switch bodies for the other figures (which is ridiculous since we already paid the price for the Sideshow body as well) but you cannot change the bodies for these armor troopers because that would mean ripping apart the body glove - bah hambug!


Comparison of two Kenobis
There's also Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Obi-Wan Kenobi or old Ben

4 comments:

fotokalender said...

Wow, this is the most natural looking Obi-Wan I have ever seen!

LEon said...

Somehow the head seems too big for the body. Ain't the body a little short for a stormtrooper? Like your blog new look. :)

alex teo said...

perhaps my pictures not doing it justice; maybe must take some more and post new ones ha! ha!

thanks for noticing the new look :> easy to follow steps from blogger's new template design - I liked that it allows for 3 columns CHEERS

Arnkell said...

I wish they'd included a Clone Trooper helmet, like he had in the animated "Clone Wars" when duelling the mercenary Durge.
IMO the helmet is the only cool thing about the clones, which was soon ruined by the bucket-looking pseudo-stormtrooper helmets of Episode 3. *sigh*