Prior to the action figure drought (which ran from mid 2012 to mid 2013) Star Wars action figures were being released fast and furious through multiple lines such as Movie Heroes, The Clone Wars and The Vintage Collection. With so many releases it was easy to fall behind and become fatigued with the amount of reissues Hasbro was providing. The Vintage Collection’s Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter from the opening of Episode III’s Battle of Coruscant sequence was released prior to the drought with little fanfare as most collector’s already had this vehicle and preferred their “vintage” vehicles to be from the Original Trilogy. So Obi-Wan’s Jedi Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor sat on Toys ‘R’ Us shelves and eventually turned up at discount stores such as Tuesday Mornings.
Now that sounds like a sufficient life cycle for a toy that most collectors had little desire for. We here at From 4-LOM to Zuckuss fell into this category of little desire and care and it wasn’t until recently that we found new interest in the vehicle.
After seeing a loose version of The Vintage Collection starfighter which my friend’s 4-year-old owned did we start to realize that this version was more than a reissue and repaint.
When one compares the 2005’s Revenge of the Sith version with that of 2012’s The Vintage Collection a few differences begin to appear:
The gray and burgundy paint colors are slightly different shades (as seen on the R4-P17s below) which only makes sense from the 7 year difference in production.
The hull burn marks are much more darker and prominent on the 2012 release.
The underside of the 2012 craft has changes to the mold to provide additional Hasbro UK information:
Hasbro SA
Represented by Hasbro
Europe Stockley Park
UK11 1AZ
UK
The underside also has an engraving of the number “13321” not present on the 2005 release.
And finally the most notable difference is the change to the headrest within the cockpit. The 2005 release had a gold and black rectangle headrest whereas Anakin Skywalker’s yellow Jedi Starfighter released at the same time had a gold and black oval headrest.
For the 2012 release, Obi-Wan Kenobi has been given an all gold oval headrest. Now knowing this is a repaint, you may simply assume it is a repaint of not Obi-Wan’s 2005 version but Anakin’s as detailed here at Rebelscum. But if you look closely at the back of the seat where the headrest fits you will see that Anakin’s starfighter seat is different from that of Obi-Wan’s.
Also Obi-Wan’s 2012 is adjustable whereas Anakin’s is not.
So in conclusion, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter from The Vintage Collection is both a repaint and a slight yet uninteresting mold update which now includes a different adjustable headrest. If you are a loose completest like we are here at From 4-LOM to Zuckuss, this is one you may have thought you didn’t need but should now take a second look at. The great thing is that if you do want it, it can now be found on Amazon at Tuesday Morning prices.
