Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive) — Star Wars The Black Series

Overview

Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Archive Collection captures the canonical Revenge of the Sith configuration — Obi-Wan forced to battle his friend Anakin Skywalker in a devastating lightsaber duel after Anakin turns to the dark side. Released Fall 2021 single-carded as part of the Wave 5 Archive Collection. Mainline non-exclusive at $22.99 — standard mainline pricing. 19 joints. Two accessories: a lightsaber with a removable blue blade. The figure is a re-paint of the 2014 Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi (figure id=2314) with photo-real face printing applied.

The year imprinted on packaging reads 2013, reflecting the original Black Series Phase 1 figure’s release era rather than the 2021 Archive release date — a standard source-era packaging imprint.

The Photo-Real Portrait

The figure sculpt is identical to the previous version, but Hasbro updated Obi-Wan Kenobi’s face with the photo-real print for a more life-like appearance. The head sculpt looks good and the photo-real update makes this figure better than the previously released figures. Across multiple Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi ROTS releases, the photo-real implementation is the Archive variant’s distinguishing contribution — the 2014 source body’s hand-applied pre-photo-real portrait being noticeably inferior at display viewing distance.

The paint application overall is well done — subtle grey highlights in the hair and beard, and various shades of brown and grey on the Jedi tunic capture the canonical ROTS Obi-Wan uniform configuration with appropriate material and colour depth. This is more colour-detail commitment than many Archive Collection tunic-and-robe figures deliver.

The No-Robe Critique

Unfortunately there was no Jedi robe included. This is the Archive Obi-Wan ROTS’s structural shortcoming — the canonical Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan always appears with his brown Jedi robe in the on-set configurations, and the Archive variant ships without it. The same critique applies to the Wave 9 Obi-Wan Kenobi Padawan (Archive). Both Archive Obi-Wan releases have the no-robe omission as a recurring structural critique.

This is consistent with the broader Archive Collection approach where Hasbro occasionally omits accessories that the source material clearly includes in canonical display configurations. For collectors who want the canonical Obi-Wan-in-robe display, the Archive variant requires third-party or other soft-goods robe sourcing.

The Lightsaber Belt-Peg Engineering

The non-ignited lightsaber hilt can be plugged into a hole in the belt — this works and looks great. Specific belt-mount engineering commendation — the peg-mount stowage (as distinct from the hook-mount approach on Luke Skywalker Archive figures) delivers a clean at-rest saber-carrying configuration without the hilt appearing to float alongside the figure’s body.

The figure has no trouble holding the lightsaber hilt with either hand. Standard ambidextrous Force-user weapon-grip engineering. The blue lightsaber blade is removable — standard detachable-blade engineering supports deployed-saber and stowed-hilt display states.

Articulation

19 joints. Ball-jointed neck, swivel neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel-jointed thighs, swivel-joints above knees, swivel joints below knees, ball-jointed ankles. Standard Phase 4 baseline. The figure keeps its balance very well even in more dynamic battle-oriented poses — the ROTS Obi-Wan character class’s duelling configurations are well-supported by the standard articulation engineering.

Distribution and the Wave 5 Cluster

Standard mainline Archive Collection release at $22.99 — released Fall 2021 as part of Wave 5 alongside 501st Legion Clone Trooper (Archive), Darth Revan (Archive), and Princess Leia Organa (Archive). Wave 5 covers broad era-spanning character-class diversity.

For collectors building canonical ROTS Mustafar duel diorama configurations, Obi-Wan ROTS Archive pairs with Anakin Skywalker (Archive) (Wave 2) for the canonical master-vs-apprentice final-duel pair. For Obi-Wan complete-Archive-release collectors, this is one of three Archive Obi-Wan entries: the 2021 ROTS Wave 5, the 2019 Repack, and the 2024 International-exclusive Padawan (Archive).

Other Obi-Wan Kenobi Figures

Obi-Wan Kenobi has one of the broadest character-class release catalogues across the entire Hasbro Star Wars figure history. Other notable releases include the Clone Trooper Outfit variant (figure id=13), the Clone Wars animated release (figure id=21), the A New Hope variant (figure id=132), the ROTS With Pilot Gear (figure id=161), the AOTC Legacy Collection release (figure id=181), the Clone Wars Space Suit variant (figure id=195), and the 2014 Black Series ROTS source body (figure id=2314). The Archive release joins this character-class catalogue as the dedicated 2021 Wave 5 Archive Collection re-paint with photo-real portrait upgrade.

Secondary Market

Single-carded Archive Collection release with dedicated Archive cardback packaging, Fall 2021. Available through wide retail channels at MSRP and the secondary market. Verify the lightsaber hilt and blue blade are both present.

Verdict

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive) at the 2021 Wave 5 Archive Collection delivers the canonical ROTS Jedi Master configuration through the standard photo-real portrait restoration mechanism — the updated photo-real portrait makes this the best-looking Black Series ROTS Obi-Wan at display viewing distance, the subtle grey highlights in hair and beard and multi-shade tunic paint commit appropriate character-class colour depth, the belt-peg lightsaber stowage works cleanly, the blade-detachment engineering supports deployed and at-rest configurations, and the figure stands reliably in dynamic duelling poses.

The no-robe omission is the meaningful structural critique — the canonical ROTS Obi-Wan in-robe configuration isn’t deliverable without supplemental robe sourcing. The identical sculpt to prior releases means there’s nothing mechanically new for collectors who own earlier iterations.

Buy this figure if you want the best-portrait-quality Black Series ROTS Obi-Wan at retail pricing, if you build canonical ROTS Mustafar duel diorama configurations (essential paired with Anakin Skywalker Archive for the canonical master-vs-apprentice pair), if you missed the 2014 source release, or if you collect the Archive Collection as a complete set. Skip if you specifically want the canonical in-robe configuration and aren’t willing to source the robe separately, or if you already own a ROTS Obi-Wan and don’t value the photo-real portrait refinement.

The Jedi Master forced to duel his apprentice on Mustafar. The figure with the photo-real portrait upgrade, the multi-shade tunic paint detail, the belt-peg lightsaber stowage, and the no-robe critique that matches his Wave 9 Padawan counterpart. The ROTS Obi-Wan that pairs with Wave 2 Anakin Skywalker Archive for canonical Mustafar duel assembly. Mainline distribution, Fall 2021, Wave 5.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 Archive Collection. Related: Anakin Skywalker (Archive) P3-ARC-AN | 501st Legion Clone Trooper (Archive) P4-ARC-501 | Princess Leia Organa (Archive) P4-ARC-PLA | Obi-Wan Kenobi Padawan (Archive) P4-ARC-OBP.