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

Overview

Obi-Wan Kenobi Padawan at the Archive Collection captures the canonical The Phantom Menace configuration — Obi-Wan as the headstrong apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn, who after the Jedi Council granted him knighthood fulfilled Qui-Gon’s dying wish by training Anakin Skywalker in the Force. Released late Summer 2024 single-carded in the International Exclusive distribution channel — only available outside the United States. International exclusive at $27.99. 20 joints — above-baseline articulation with butterfly-jointed shoulders, double swivel-hinged knees, and rocker ankles. Two accessories: a lightsaber with a removable blue blade. This marks the fourth time Hasbro has made this particular figure available, dating back to 2019. No robe included — flagged twice as a meaningful critique.

The International Exclusive Distribution

Like the broader Wave 9 cluster (Ahsoka, Grogu, Luke Imperial Light Cruiser), the Obi-Wan Padawan Archive shipped only outside the United States. For US-based collectors building a complete Archive sub-line, this is the final International-exclusive acquisition challenge — Obi-Wan Padawan closes out the Wave 9 set alongside the three Mandalorian-era entries.

The Phantom Menace Era Distinction

This is the structurally distinct Obi-Wan in the Archive Collection — the Wave 5 Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive) covers the ROTS configuration with Kenobi as a Jedi Master with beard, while this Wave 9 entry covers the younger Phantom Menace Padawan configuration with the distinctive Padawan braid and younger facial structure. Collecting both Archive Obi-Wan releases covers two distinct canonical character-era appearances.

The No-Robe Critique

Unfortunately there was no Jedi robe included — and this point is made twice in the figure’s documentation, signalling particular emphasis. The canonical Phantom Menace Obi-Wan Kenobi appears with his brown Jedi robe in the majority of on-set configurations, and both Archive Obi-Wan releases (this and the ROTS Wave 5 variant) share the same no-robe omission. At $27.99 — the premium price point of the Wave 9 International-exclusive cluster — the missing robe is a structurally more defensible critique than it would be at the $19.99 Wave 1 price tier.

For collectors who want the canonical robed Obi-Wan display, the Archive variant requires supplemental robe sourcing.

The Belt-Peg Lightsaber Stowage

The lightsaber hilt has a peg on it so that it can be plugged into the hole on the belt. The same belt-peg engineering commended on the Wave 5 ROTS Obi-Wan (Archive) is present here — the peg-mount stowage delivers a clean canonical Jedi at-rest carrying configuration. The lightsaber fits well into both hands, and the blue blade is easily removable. Standard ambidextrous Force-user weapon-grip engineering supporting both deployed and stowed configurations.

The Paint and Sculpt

The paint application on the outfit looks fine — the food capsules on the belt and the belt buckle were all painted cleanly. The canonical Phantom Menace Padawan uniform details are captured correctly. The figure stands securely on display without falling over. Standard Jedi character-class standing-stability engineering.

Articulation

20 joints. Barbell-jointed neck, ball-jointed lower neck, butterfly-jointed shoulders, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel-hinged wrists, ball-jointed waist, barbell-jointed hip, swivel thighs, double swivel-hinged knees, rocker ankles. Above the 17-joint baseline through butterfly shoulders, double swivel-hinged knees, and rocker ankles. The 20-joint configuration is the highest in Wave 9 and among the better-articulated Archive Collection releases. The butterfly shoulders support cross-body arm configurations for canonical Padawan combat stances.

Obi-Wan’s Three Archive Appearances

Obi-Wan Kenobi has three distinct Archive sub-line entries: the 2019 Repack (the broader OT/PT configuration), the 2021 Wave 5 ROTS Archive covering the Jedi Master with beard in Revenge of the Sith, and this 2024 Wave 9 Padawan Archive covering the young apprentice in The Phantom Menace. Collecting all three covers the canonical Obi-Wan character-era arc from young Padawan through seasoned Jedi Master.

Distribution and the Wave 9 Cluster

International exclusive Archive Collection release at $27.99 — released late Summer 2024 as part of Wave 9 alongside Ahsoka Tano (Archive), Grogu (Archive), and Luke Skywalker Imperial Light Cruiser (Archive). As the only non-Mandalorian-era figure in Wave 9, the Obi-Wan Padawan is the structural outlier in the Wave 9 cluster — the other three are all Mandalorian Season 2 characters.

Other Obi-Wan Kenobi Figures

Obi-Wan’s character-class catalogue spans every era of the Star Wars saga. Other notable releases include the Clone Trooper Outfit variant (figure id=13), the Clone Wars animated figure (figure id=21), the A New Hope release (figure id=132), the ROTS Pilot Gear variant (figure id=161), the AOTC Legacy Collection release (figure id=181), the Clone Wars Space Suit variant (figure id=195), the 2014 ROTS Black Series source body (figure id=2314), and the first Phantom Menace Padawan release from 2019. The Archive release joins this catalogue as the dedicated 2024 International-exclusive Wave 9 Padawan Archive entry.

Secondary Market

Single-carded International-exclusive Archive Collection release with dedicated Archive cardback packaging, late Summer 2024. Available through international retail channels at MSRP and the secondary market with import-pricing premium for US-based collectors. Verify the lightsaber hilt and blue blade are both present.

Verdict

Obi-Wan Kenobi Padawan (Archive) at the 2024 Wave 9 International-exclusive Archive Collection closes out the Wave 9 cluster as its structural non-Mandalorian entry — the 20-joint articulation with butterfly shoulders, double swivel-hinged knees, and rocker ankles delivers above-baseline pose flexibility, the belt-peg lightsaber stowage works cleanly for canonical at-rest display, the canonical Phantom Menace Padawan costume details are accurately represented, and the figure stands reliably.

The missing robe is the meaningful critique at this price point — doubly emphasised in the source documentation and doubly resonant at $27.99 before import costs for US-based collectors. The International-exclusive distribution makes acquisition structurally challenging. The fourth-release-of-the-same-figure framing means collectors with prior Padawan releases have no engineering reason to acquire beyond Archive packaging or complete-set collecting.

Buy this figure if you collect the Archive Collection as a complete set (this closes out Wave 9 and completes the full 36-figure Archive sub-line), if you specifically want the Phantom Menace Padawan Obi-Wan configuration to complement the ROTS Wave 5 Archive variant, if you appreciate the 20-joint butterfly-shoulder articulation as collecting priority, or if you missed all prior releases of this figure. Skip if you own any prior release (the Archive variant adds no meaningful engineering upgrade), if the no-robe omission is a dealbreaker, or if the International-exclusive import premium puts it out of reach.

The headstrong Padawan who fulfilled his Master’s dying wish. The figure with the 20-joint butterfly-shoulder articulation, the belt-peg lightsaber stowage, the no-robe critique shared with his ROTS Archive counterpart, and the distinction of being the only non-Mandalorian-era figure in Wave 9. The Obi-Wan that closes out the Archive Collection complete set. International exclusive distribution, late Summer 2024, Wave 9.

---

Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 Archive Collection. Related: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive) P4-ARC-OBA | Ahsoka Tano (Archive) P4-ARC-09 | Grogu (Archive) P4-ARC-GR | Luke Skywalker Imperial Light Cruiser (Archive) P4-ARC-LIC.