Here is General Grievous in-hand. The figure you see here is actually a repainted version of the regular Black Series figure in the color palette of his appearance in Clone Wars, which has a light blue gray for the joints and a pristine white for the cape. Said cape looks cheap on a figure with as much sculpt work implemented onto him as possible. As for the palette, it does look a little unusual to see a more cartoon-based deco on a 3D figure like this, due to it adhering to the way it looked in said cartoon rather than looking realistic like the ROTS version. It CAN work for a more pristine Grievous, though some may find the blue a little odd. It is better than the cel-shaded Marvel Legends or that horrible Lightning Collection comic Pink Ranger. The back panel on my copy does have the left side slightly warped, which should mean it's not glued in properly. But otherwise, it's the same cool design for Grievous, just in a slightly different color scheme.
Head sculpt is done up very well, with the proportions and subtle details captured very well on a small head like this. Though I will say that the panel-lining on the forehead and the mouth grille look a little thicker than they should be. The eyes are the best part of the head, with the slightly exposed flesh and the eyes themselves being equally organic. His articulation is pretty massive in terms of the amount of joints present, so bear with me: his head is on a bit of a ball and swivel joint, shoulders can move front and back on one joint if they were combined while they can move front and back on their own as well as in and out. The elbows can bend and swivel above said joints, in addition to the swiveling forearms. There is a bit of a diaphragm joint, the hips move around on ball joints, there are double-jointed knees, and the feet can hinge below the shin as well as have various joints at the ankles, with a swivel and hinge for pivot movement. He can wield 4 lightsabers that he can grip better than the Elite Series version, though getting them into his hands is not easy. And yes, the cape is removable.
And here is Obi-Wan Kenobi, based on the aforementioned appearance in Revenge of the Sith. The robeless Jedi wardrobe Obi-Wan wears looks well textured on the figure, with the layers, folds, and slight creases giving it a cultured appearance that wouldn't be found on normal outfits. I do wish it had a subtle wash to make it more defined, but at least the belt is detailed nicely. And yes, the "skirt" is made out of a cloth good, but it fits in better with the figure and isn't cheap like Grievous's cape.
His likeness to Ewan McGregor in 2005 is mostly good. Maybe the hair color isn't 1:1, but it does match his appearance pretty well. I think a lot of the Black Series figures nail the likenesses of their actors a lot more than either Marvel Legends or Lightning Collection apart from Mark Hamill. As for his articulation, his head is on a ball joint as well as a neck hinge, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, the forearms can swivel and bend at the elbow (typical of the Black Series), wrists swivel and hinge, there is a diaphragm joint, hips move front and back as well as in and out if you move the skirt up, thighs swivel, knees double-bend, and the feet can hinge up and down as well as pivot. And as you can see, the Lightsaber can go from being pegged on his belt to held in his hand with the blade attached.
The original version of Grievous is based on the ROTS appearance, with the more beige and dark grey color palette as well as a double+layered cape. His lightsabers appear to be different in transparency compared to the ones on the Clone Wars release. As for Obi-Wan, the face sculpt is worse on the Wave 3 version and maybe the colors are off but there is otherwise no difference between the two versions of the bold one.
And that does it for the review, as we have them duel like in the good ol days. Both figures are solid releases, especially if you pay them for cheaper prices. I say that since they're not really the same value that Marvel Legends go for (and trust me, Legends are starting to not be worth the money) thanks to the slightly limited arm articulation and accessory count. I got Obi-Wan for a good price while Grievous was a little closer to $30.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for both
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