Wrapping Up 2022: Ben Kenobi #572 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

 

   I'm close to wrapping up my 2022 reviews and while I don't review a lot of non Masters of the Universe Funko POP! vinyls (which were pretty scarce last year, actually), I did want to show off this very cool Ben Kenobi POP! based on the original Marvel comic series from 1977. The art, especially the covers, was fantastic and very colorful in that series and these POP! vinyls are very eye-catching. I actually found Ben Kenobi #572 at the bin store I frequent for $4 bucks, though I'd seen these before at Target and really liked them. This one is based on the cover of issue #24 (by Carmine Infantino and Bob Wiacek), "Silent Drifting," which tells a flashback story set in the days of the Galactic Republic. It's actually the first Star Wars story to be set in the Galactic Republic era when the Jedi were high flying and not being hunted down. Let's take a look at Ben Kenobi #572 after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 4 1/2 inches (mounted to stand)

Articulation: Bobbling head

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $12 dollars

The Positives:

* Obi-Wan looks really cool, just like on the cover of the comic. The pose is excellent and shows Obi-Wan ready for some action, definitely a more dynamic pose than we see from him in A New Hope. He's a bobblehead, so you can shake his head or very carefully turn it if you want to. 

* The sculpt looks good, sure, but it's the paint applications that really sell this POP! and Obi-Wan's are quite keen indeed. I love the color choice here, which is much of a compliment to the original artists as it is to Funko, but Funko did replicate it well here. The thicker, black lines "inking" the figure really give make the color and design pop, looking like he stepped right off the page. The color and paint goes all the way around as well, so he looks pretty solid from multiple angles. 

* This is a really nice take on Ben. He's got slightly longer, hair that's swept aside and a more intense look on his face. I reviewed a Smuggler's Bounty box Ben Kenobi POP! 6 or 7 years ago and this one is a major improvement. 

* The lightsaber is really cool, too. On the cover of Star Wars #24 Kenobi is wielding a pink or red lightsaber, so that's what we've got here. It's a cool little detail. Lightsaber color were kind of fluid back then, weren't they? Blue, white, yellow, pink; just give them any color that looked cool!

* The Star Wars POP! vinyls all come on bases which look cool but also apparently have something to do with licensing (the same reason Marvel and Star Wars POP! vinyls have bobbleheads). I do like the consistency.

The Negatives:

* I'm not a fan of the removable bases, though, which seems to be fairly common now from what I hear. Apparently they're easy to remove, which I imagine some collectors definitely want to do.

   This is an excellent version of Ben Kenobi with a cool paintjob that really stands out. It's been a few years since I last picked up a Star Wars POP! vinyl but this one really jumped out at me. Plus, I got him for $4 bucks, but even at the normal retail price he's a solid purchase. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and having him definitely tempts me to check out the other releases under this comic inspired line. They'd probably make a great set, especially with a few framed vintage Marvel issues. 

I've reviewed quite a few Obi-Wan Kenobi toys on here including the Micro Machines Classic Characters Obi-Wan, Funko's Ben Kenobi #99 and Obi-Wan Kenobi #214 POP! vinyls, the Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi from Revenge of the Sith, Force Spirit Obi-Wan Kenobi, the SDCC 2016 Obi-Wan Kenobi from A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Padawan), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Knight), Clone Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Wandering Jedi), and the Micro Force standard ROTS Obi-Wan Kenobi and the holographic Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Advent Calendar.

For more POP! Star Wars reviews check out the following:
Aayla Secura #217
Ahsoka #130
BB-9E #202
Ben Kenobi #99
Boba Fett #102 
C-3PO [Unfinished] #181
Captain Cassian Andor #139 
Captain Phasma [Chrome] #91
Captain Rex #164 
Chewbacca #63 [Flocked]
Chirrut Imwe #140
Count Dooku #233
Darth Maul #165
Darth Vader [Bespin] #158
General Grievous #129
Grand Moff Tarkin #159
Greedo/ Hammerhead/ Walrus Man 3-Pack
Han Solo (Carbonite) #364
Hera #136
Hoth Han Solo with Tauntaun #125
IG-88 #103
Imperial Death Trooper #149
Jyn Erso #138
Jyn Erso #148
K-2SO #146
Kanan #132 
Luke Skywalker with Speeder #175
Medical Droid #212
Obi-Wan Kenobi #214
Poe Dameron with X-Wing #227
R2-D2 (Jabba's Skiff) #121
R5-D4 #180
Red Snaggletooth #70
Sabine [Masked] #131 
Sabine #135 
Scout Trooper with Speeder Bike #234
TIE Fighter Pilot #89