Darth Maul - SW [TPM 3D] - Discover The Force (2 of 12)

Darth Maul tracks the Jedi on Tatooine. The mysterious Sith Lord sends out a probe droid to locate his quarry on the desert planet. Wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, Maul attacks Qui-Gon Jinn in a fierce duel.

If we were to rank the Top 10 most repacked figures of all time, the Evolutions Darth Maul would have to be one of them. But to be honest (and for reasons unknown) it seems so much more palatable to get Darth Maul over and over again than say a character like Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Editor’s Note: 1999’s POTF2 Han Solo (Cantina) would probably take the number one spot.) So here this figure is again in 2012’s Walmart exclusive Discover The Force line. This is indeed a decent sculpt of Darth Maul. He really only lacks perfection because he comes with swivel elbows. He’s a tad too tall, but his sculpt and costume are excellently designed and the paint job is better than excellent. In fact, the paint job may be better than the one included with the all-new 2011 TVC Darth Maul (VC86) figure because the red is deeper and not so pink. The head sculpt is great, but is definitely reeks of 2005 technology. The horns on his head are a tad too stubby and his hateful grin is a bit too dramatic, but it works.

You should know this figure inside and out at this point, but if you’re new to collecting we’ll go through all of the key points for you. Before we start, did you know that this is the very first release of it as a basic figure? Yes, technically it's an exclusives, but the first time on a basic figure card back. Darth Maul comes with 14 points of articulation. A ball-socket head is accompanied by ball-jointed shoulders, knees and ankles. The Hasbro added swivel elbows, swivel forearms, swivel waist and swivel hips. He comes without any soft-goods cloak (he does have soft-goods incorporated into the skirt) this time. And interestingly Hasbro took the accessory last seen with 2006’s TSC Sith Training Darth Maul (SAGA 053) figure (it originally came with 2002’s SW Darth Maul (Sith Training) ('02 #42) figure) and included it with this Discover The Force version of him here. Obviously a new combination of accessories doesn’t make a figure worthy of an additional $8.99 out of your toy budget, but a tiny tweak may change your mind instead. Or maybe not. It's your prerogative.

Darth Maul’s head sculpt has been given a slight revision to its paint operations. While we’d bet that the changes we are seeing are directly related to better technology a lot more than a new approach, the changes are evidently visible, albeit not that obvious. That may sound like a paradox, but you'll have to see the figures side by side to see the changes. His teeth are much more pronounced and there is a clearer (and cleaner) delineation between the red and black colors that make up the pattern on his face. It’s negligible, but it’s there. It may be nitpicking because the figure held up well throughout the years, but we’re just not sold on the fact that he needed to be seen again (multiple times) in 2012. (This Darth Maul was also released multiple times since its original release in the Evolutions set as well.) The repacking in general for 2012 is honestly becoming torturous for collectors. Darth Maul may be able to skirt by these criticisms because it seems most supporters of Hasbro’s line just can’t get enough of Darth Maul, but we would like to see this figure get retired. Start reusing that glorious VC86 figure multiple times instead, OK Hasbro? We don't think that figure will tire anyone.