Darth Maul - TVC - Basic (VC86)

Where does one begin to speak of the magnificence of The Vintage Collection’s Darth Maul action figure? Should we be frustrated that Hasbro didn’t share with us all of the new things they brought forward with this release or should we bask in the joyous pleasure this figure will bring you in your collection? It’s amazing to us that Hasbro doesn’t go all out and brag that they made updates to Darth Maul that fans have been asking for years to see included. Perhaps it’s because their concentration is elsewhere with their other licenses. And let’s be honest, we’ve made Hasbro’s job very easy and they sort of really rely on Star Wars fan sites to voice these incredible enhancements to their loyal reader fan base. So we will be just one vehicle (of many we're sure) to help spread the reasons why you will need multiple versions of Darth Maul for your collection. Early production samples of this figure leaked out months before this figure officially arrived in stores for purchase and while some of the commentary has been accurate, some of it has not. You need to know that is us unequivocally the definitive version of Darth Maul. And if Hasbro is gracious enough to tweak some of the small things we’d like to see done then we should consider that gravy. But this Darth Maul will absolutely stand the test of time and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts to bring an amazing figure like this to the basic figure line. If you’re fortunate enough to find this on the pegs for $8.99 or $9.99 consider yourself very lucky because this figure is worthy of a much higher price tag. This will be the go to Darth Maul figure for every display, every diorama and every single collector’s collection. Darth Maul has it all. Incredible use of soft-goods have been blended seamlessly in with the sculpted parts and the expression on his face couldn’t be more impressive. Let’s look at this figure up closely.

Darth Maul is graced with 14 points of articulation. The enhancements that collectors have been waiting for here have finally been included and in particular we are referring to three specific points. Darth Maul has been gloriously updated with a ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed elbows and most excitingly, ball-jointed hips. The newly added ball-jointed hips are some of the most functional we have seen in the Star Wars line in general and the ball-jointed elbows are definitely exciting to finally have after being plagued for years with the Evolutions Darth Maul sculpt. (We don't mean to sound ungrateful – it was a great sculpt at the time of its initial release.) But in all honesty, they don’t have a full range of motion that you might expect. The ball-jointed torso is just gravy. It gives you a little bit more playing room, but it isn’t the most versatile point of articulation we’ve come across. So you may become a little disappointed by this. If Hasbro went this far to include them, then why not go “all the way� with them? Still, we wouldn’t have it any other way because the swivel cut elbow joints on the Evolutions sculpt was so 2005. The head sculpt is awesome. We think that the color red used to decorate his face is a little off, but you’ll notice immediately how well it works that to precise tattoo markings and the organic horns on his head. Oh, and those horns. You probably have already heard that they look too chunky for his head. This is only partially true. Every preliminary photo we saw proves this, but if you actually hold the figure in your hand you don’t really notice the disproportion at all. It’s quite a phenomenon to say the least. Darth Maul’s mouth is closed, but his “angry eyes� solidify that this Darth Maul is ready to damage some willing Jedi ready to duel him. What we don’t like (just by a little bit) is that his head, although attached via a ball-socket, always seem to be in a downward position. His left arm has the Sith probe droid caller permanently painted on it, so you’ll have to come to accept that, but we don’t think it is that big of a deal. He comes with his belt assembled backwards, but with a little bit of grit and elbow grease, you can swing it around to be in the correct position. (Expect a running change variation down the road.... maybe.) Our gallery shows the belt on Maul both ways.

Hasbro has included multiple soft-goods for Darth Maul. The skirt portions are cut from the same fabric that has been included with so many of Hasbro’s Star Wars action figures in the past. This shiny/satiny has been added in layers. It’s definitely too shiny for Darth Maul, but for what it is, it has been done very well. Hasbro gave it the perfect length however and it hugs his body closely without inhibiting viable movement of his newly included ball-jointed hips. The best soft-goods here is his outer cloak. It looks like a cotton version of wool crepe and it’s light and airy to the touch. It has all of the necessary fraying and darts have been added to ensure a fitted look when Darth Maul is wearing it. The only issue is that is isn’t totally accurate to the costume Darth Maul wore in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The cloak included here looks rougher and the one in the film looks more refined with a nice vertically pleated pattern running down the front. Darth Maul is well accessorized too. He comes with macrobinoculars that he can hold and finally we have all-new lightsaber accessories! Included here is the hilt of his double-bladed lightsaber and then the lit double-bladed lightsaber that is actually two separate pieces that connect in the middle. They look fantastic! And it was only a matter of time, but we come to the most disappointing part of the figure: the removable hood. This plastic sculpted accessory should have worked better than it did. It doesn’t fit around his head well at all and when you fully assemble Darth Maul, it looks too big and out of place. We know this is a difficult task to master and make look faithful to the film. It’s no wonder Hasbro in the past made the hood part of the portrait in the past. It seems that this method is the only way to make this specific outfit look work. Hasbro has gone above and beyond here to pacify the collecting community. It’s so exciting that we finally have our long-awaited Darth Maul action figure. Make sure it becomes one of your possessions too. You'll be lost without him.