Holographic Darth Maul - Mini Busts

Added: June 13th 2013
Category: Mini Busts
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Holographic Darth Maul
Type: Mini Busts
Number: Item No. 9056
Edition Size: 2500 (Star Wars: The Exhibition (Brussels) Exclusive)
Source: The Phantom Menace
Availability: February 2008
License: Gentle Giant Ltd.

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Originally a Zabrak from the planet Iridonia, Darth Maul abandoned all traces of his former identity when he took on the Sith name and became a deadly disciple of the evil Darth Sidious. His devotion to the dark side was so extreme that he underwent the application of detailed tattoos to his entire body.

Darth Maul’s primary weapon is a double-ended Sith lightsaber. It can be selectively used with only one end ignited. Customized controls increase its lethality and allow each blade’s length to extend from half a meter to one-and-a-half meters.

Should it be the equivalent of Gentle Giant Ltd. scraping the bottom of their barrel of ideas when they resort to manufacturing a “holographic” Mini Busts for the line? It seems even less appropriate to release it as an exclusive, especially for a population of people who rarely get to see any exclusive Star Wars events, like the Star Wars: The Exhibition in Brussels. Perhaps we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth either. Gentle Giant Ltd. got right to work immediately for an exclusive Mini Bust for this event. They defaulted to developing an already made sculpt, but to cast it in plastic instead of polystone this time and add a light-up feature to simulate a hologram effect. Yawn. Yeah. We already now how unexciting this is, but it’s the exclusive release for this 2008 event. Limited to 2500, a portion was held back for Gentle Giant’s elite PGMs to ensure they could secure one for their own collections.

The Holographic Darth Maul Mini Bust isn’t engaging or remotely exciting. Admittedly, we fall for things that light-up. Whether it’s because they catch our eye or captivate our attention, we can’t help but get suckered into these electric blue collectibles. The battery functions lights up the entire Mini Bust very well. The light permeates the piece evenly from top to bottom. As a display piece, it’s very difficult to make out the facial features of Darth Maul. On the regular polystone Darth Maul Mini Bust, his head was pointing downward with a hood hanging low over his head, so it was very difficult to see his features when they were painted to be realistic. So they’re even more difficult to make out is light clear blue plastic. The only way this piece can really be appreciated is if it is in “light up” mode because otherwise it may be considered one of the most boring Mini Busts Gentle Giant Ltd. has produced to date.

We have come to the conclusion that Gentle Giant Ltd. makes two types of Mini Busts. They include novelty Mini Busts and collectible Mini Busts. It is our strong opinion that Holographic Darth Maul falls under the novelty banner. Even zealous collectors of the Mini Bust line are able to sleep at night after they’ve chosen to pass on Mini Busts in this range. Some have even gone as far to call these types of Mini Busts gimmicks and not worthy of the molds that make them. Our opinions are less harsh and our fondness of them fall somewhere within the middle of those. It’s common knowledge that Darth Maul is a very popular Star Wars character. But we think that this particular version of him is an easy pass for even the most eager of Darth Maul fans. In fact, between the lack of interest in this exclusive and what we consider an overproduced edition size, you may just be able to find this collectible for a reasonable price years down the road.

Collector Notes

Holographic Darth Maul

Status: Laser scanned in three dimensions directly from the original costumes and props in the Lucasfilm archives, this collectible piece is unmatchable in its level of authenticity. Digital modelers processed the raw data, sculptors perfected the design, and painters brought the pieces to life. The talented artisans at Gentle Giant each contribute in their own unique way to the quality of this piece. We hope you enjoy it.

Exclusivity: 2008 Star Wars: The Exhibition (Brussels)

Assembly: N/A

Date Stamp: 2007

UPC: 871810001415

Retail: $54.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

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