GRAND INQUISITOR
STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)
While some of Kenobi‘s returning characters were picking up from where they’d left off earlier in the timeline, there were also a few that were *technically* making their earliest appearances within the timeline. Today’s focus, the Grand Inquisitor leans heavily on the “technically,” since, via retcon, he was actually present in one scene in Clone Wars, but as far as proper appearances go, the Grand Inquisitor truly hails from Rebels, where he serves as the primary antagonist for the first season, and ultimately closes off his story. For Kenobi, he’s more of a background character, sidelined for most of the story, but he’s still present enough to justify some toy coverage!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
The Grand Inquisitor is the fourth figure in the Kenobi-series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, the fifth overall series of the line, and the third at mass retail. Thus far, this is his first figure from the show, since his Black Series offering is still pending. The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation. He’s sporting an all-new sculpt, obviously meant to be based on his live-action design, though thanks to the styling of the line, he serves as a nice mid-point between live action and animation. The sculpt on this guy is pretty decent. Obviously, lighter on the detail side, but all the key stuff is there, and his outfit is actually quite well detailed. It’s cleanly handled, and the details are well rendered. He’s got another vinyl cape; this one’s got a far more unique cut to it, which fits the design from the show pretty well. It does make it a little trickier to get it on and off, but it’s certainly not impossible. His paint work is again probably a touch too involved for proper vintage coverage, but it’s consistent with that of Reva, so they go well together. It also still dials things back just a little bit, so it won’t look too out of place with actual vintage offerings. The Grand Inquisitor is packed with his lightsaber, which is similar to Reva’s, but has a guard that goes all around, accurate to his personal weapon.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I enjoyed the Grand Inquisitor well enough in Rebels, but given how his story wrapped up in that show, I wasn’t really sure there was much more to do with him in Kenobi. I actually kind of liked the misdirect within the show, and I don’t mind the opportunity to get him in figure form. This one’s actually a lot of fun, more than I was expecting, even. He honestly makes me kind of want the proper Rebels cast in this style, just because that seems like it would be pretty nifty.
Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review. If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.