Release Date: August 2022
RRP: $55.99
Star Wars just wouldn't be Star Wars without the work of Ralph McQuarrie. Throughout the creation of the original trilogy and beyond, the artist designed the look and feel of the Star Wars galaxy that we are all familiar with. There might have been some changes as it leapt from paper to screen, but the influence is undoubtedly there. While Hasbro have paid homage to McQuarrie's original designs for these iconic characters in the past, the Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader Concept Art Edition set is the first time they are doing it in their premier six-inch collector figure line. Originally revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2022, the set releases as a ShopDisney online exclusive also available at Galaxy's Edge.
"Ralph McQuarrie's contribution to the look and feel of the Star Wars galaxy is immense. His unique style provided a visual language and guide for the saga's costume designers, set builders, location scouts, and model makers, and laid the groundwork for a consistent Star Wars aesthetic that is still seen and felt today. McQuarrie's work has and will continue to inspire artists and fans around the world for years to come."
This special concept art set comes in some special Black Series two-pack packaging, which is largely similar to the standard boxes but has a few key differences. The most obvious is of course size, but more significant each side of the box connects at an angle so that both sides feature the usual mural artwork. While there's nothing for it to connect to here, it means both Obi-Wan and Darth Vader adorn the sides of the packaging in newly created artwork that pays homage to their Ralph McQuarrie designs. Colour-wise the box features the same orange accents as the other figures from A New Hope, as opposed to having its own unique colour designation. Rather than a character bio the back of the box features a very brief blurb about the legacy of McQuarrie's concept art, and then inside both figures are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray. As an extra special detail, the silver backing card behind them features faint images of the actual concept art as well.
First up out of the box is concept Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the first thing that should be noted is that neither of these figures are 100% accurate to the art itself. Rather these are repaints of older figures with brand new head sculpts, with this Kenobi logically being derived from the original trilogy Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. However by removing the cloak and giving the body a vastly different colour scheme it almost looks like a brand new figure, with the blue robes being quite a departure from the sandy white fans are more used to seeing. But alas as a repaint there are some obvious inaccuracies, most of which are visible even when comparing the figure to the box art. The robes sit slightly differently, and the figure lacks the shoulder pads the blue strips should protrude from. In the grand scheme of things it isn't a huge difference, but it is a shame that Hasbro didn’t opt for all-new moulds (or at the very least more new parts) for this special release. The new head sculpt does however make all the difference, and is quite the contrast to the familiar face of Alec Guinness. This stern-faced Obi-Wan is clean shaven and balding, with a strip of white hair running around just above his ears. But as different as he may be, he gives off that same sage-like vibe befitting of the Jedi Master. It's an interesting figure that probably doesn't have quite as wide appeal as the Vader does, but an interesting piece of Star Wars history that it's great to see in the Black Series.
Even as an older figure Obi-Wan does pretty well on the articulation front, but unfortunately there are some pretty significant design drawbacks that impact on the figure. Altogether he features;
- Ball jointed head, waist and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Hinged neck, elbows and knees
- Thigh swivels
It's not so much the articulation that's the problem, more that the legs are completely surrounded by soft plastic robes and don't allow more much movement or posing at all. While there are slits at either side which the legs can poke out from, the result usually looks rather awkward. On the one hand it's a figure that's pretty well suited to the kind of poses Kenobi was doing in A New Hope (other than sitting down that is, no chance of that here), but not so well suit to action poses or lightsaber duelling. When it comes to the latter you can get the most basic poses out of him, which is enough to do the job but remains frustrating when so many Black Series figures have adopted soft good robe pieces by now.
Obi-Wan's only accessory is his lightsaber, which as you'd expect is also based on McQuarrie's artwork. At one point in the film's conception lightsabers were just a general weapon rather than something specifically used by Force users, as evidenced by the various bits of art there are with Stormtroopers using them. As such the lightsabers have a far more generic design compared to the personalised hilts seen later, with this one having a silver and black ribbed hilt and a thick white blade that narrows as it extends. It's very different to the finished versions but still instantly recognisable as a lightsaber, and the simplicity of McQuarrie's design has been captured brilliantly here. The blade feels as though it can be removed however given the fragility of the clear plastic pegs I chose not to risk it for these photos, and although there is a hook for the hilt on Obi-Wan's belt there's no hole on this one to fix it on.
Meanwhile concept Darth Vader is a repaint of the relatively recent Empire Strikes Back Vader figure – completely repainted in a new blue colour scheme with a brand-new head based on McQuarrie's artwork. This helmet is far more angular in design, similar to Vader's appearance in the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon (which was in fact inspired by McQuarrie's work). Though the helmet is blue, it retains those slightly red-tinted lenses seen in A New Hope. It's a great looking figure but once again sadly not that accurate to the actual art, a fact which is most notable in the torso area. The chest unit and belt retain the buttons of the actual suit when they should be flat panels, and the robes around the torso should be absent - leaving only the cape and skirt pieces. Due to being a remould things like the overall texturing on the suit aren't quite right either, but that's much less of an issue compared to the other things. But even with those inaccuracies, this figure just looks great. The new head sculpt really makes Vader look that much more sinister, while the blue colour scheme is a big departure from the all-black suit we're more familiar with. Truthfully it should be more of a blue tint rather than an outright blue, but in the certain lights (or lack thereof) the colours feel less off. The massive cape makes the figure feel so much more theatrical too, and even without having a wired frame there's a certain satisfaction to swooshing it about and posing it in the most dramatic way possible.
Despite their difference in age Vader features roughly the same articulation as Obi-Wan, consisting of;
- Ball jointed head, torso, waist and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Hinged elbows and knees
- Thigh swivels
There's absolutely no worry about soft plastic robe pieces getting in the way of movement here, with the soft good robes and cape the perfect compliment to articulation the figure has to offer. Despite its hefty size and weight the cape doesn't impede on balance either, so you can get some really great poses out of Vader that make full use of his intimidating size. At a push you could perhaps argue that the ankles have a little restriction from the shin armour, but it's minor at best. Overall it's a great figure that may not make use of every bit of updated articulation new Black Series figures have, but cherry picks some of the highlights to make a wonderfully expressive Darth Vader figure.
Vader's sole accessory is another concept art lightsaber – completely identical to Obi Wan's. Both the hilt and blade are exactly the same, which (in a rare instance for the line) is perfectly okay because there's no variation between them in the art itself either. The simplicity of the hilt actually works really well with concept Vader's mono-colour scheme, while the white blade is a stark difference from the more familiar red. Despite its simplicity it looks fantastic in Vader's hands, largely due to just how chunky it is compared to the finalised sabers. While perhaps not as elegant, these things look and feel like they could do a lot of damage.
Six-inch Ralph McQuarrie artwork figures are something many Star Wars fans have been clamouring after for a long time, and although the Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader Concept Art Edition set doesn't quite deliver what they wanted it still manages to be a pretty great set in its own right. While the fact Hasbro opted for repaints rather than new moulds is disappointing, the new heads and colour schemes still do a wonderful job of both conveying what these figures are meant to be and standing out from their "true" counterparts. The Obi-Wan mould might feel a little antiquated by this point and as such has slightly less to offer, but Vader more than makes up for it. For McQuarrie diehards these are certainly no replacement for the more accurate 3.75" figures Hasbro did for the 30th anniversary, but it's reassuring to know these amazing designs haven't been completely forgotten about.
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