Darth Maul - TBSA - Six Inch Figures

The evil Sith apprentice Darth Maul engages in a fierce lightsaber duel with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

When The Black Series 6” line made its debut in 2013, one of the standout figures from the first wave was Darth Maul. Now, six years after its original, the figure has seen two additional releases within months of each other. One was the 2019 TBS [TPM20] Darth Maul (Jedi Duel) San Diego Comic Con exclusive. The other is this The Black Series Archive line version. Both are identical figures. Hasbro enhanced Darth Maul with better packaging (three total unique styles thus far) and then gave both 2019 versions “photorealistic” enhancements. Symbolic of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul exemplifies the plot of the film and the character never tires as a collectible with Star Wars collectors. So, it’s a safe assertion to make that this figure is one of Hasbro’s smartest re-releases for 2019 which is the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace. We’re growing quite fond of The Black Series Archive line, and Hasbro is picking an all-star cast of characters to release in this assortment. Darth Maul is a highlight of any toy line, and he shines beautifully here too.

With so many versions of Darth Maul already in the toy line, perhaps you don’t need a repeat of this 6” version, but admittedly, it’s nice to have this figure upgraded to look better than ever. It may not be in the special exclusive packaging, but Darth Maul feels truly commemorative in every way. Describing Darth Maul may be redundant, but let’s run through some of the figure’s key points and see why the figure still rocks after so many years. Darth Maul comes with 28 points of high-quality articulation. The articulation gives the figure full range mobility and, like other figures in this line already, can attain positions without limits or reservations. Like the original version, Hasbro included the interchangeable portrait of Darth Maul with this release. And with all 6” figures now receiving updated "photorealistic" technology, this shouldn’t be a surprise for you in this line. It's difficult to see it clearly, but up close you can tell this is the route they took with this figure. The rest of Darth Maul didn’t get any other noteworthy updates.

Darth Maul’s paint job is relatively simple, save for the newly approached portraits. Hasbro minimally improved upon some of the applications when compared to the original release of this figure. But like so many other figures before him, time heals all wounds. The tattoos on his face are applied with great care. They’re straight, symmetrical, cleanly-applied, and the red color, which serves as the backdrop to the black facial tattoos, is moderately colored without appearing too bright or obtrusive. Because the rest of Darth Maul’s outfit is black, there isn’t much to worry about as far as paint operations are concerned. Overall, the figure looks fantastic. In addition to the portrait/cloak piece, Darth Maul also comes with macrobinoculars and two lightsaber hilts that attach to form the complete double-bladed lightsaber hilt. The blades are also removable, so it gives you more options with how to pose him. Once again, Darth Maul is a perfect addition to The Black Series Archive line. We look forward to whoever else is on tap in this line that needs desperate updating.