Count Dooku (The Clone Wars) - Maquettes

Dooku was a Jedi Master who fell to the dark side of the Force and became a Dark Lord of the Sith. Reclaiming his birthright as Count of Serenno, Dooku conspired with Darth Sidious to force the galaxy into a war that would bring the Sith to power. As leader of the Separatist movement, Dooku led the organization against the Republic in a conflict that would ultimately become known as the Clone Wars.

You probably know all too well that we have a penchant for raving over The Clone Wars Maquettes line by Gentle Giant Ltd. We will reiterate some of the reasons why it has become one of our most favorite high-end collectible lines here again for you. To date, they are the best and most accurate representations of the characters from The Clone Wars film and television series. The Hasbro line of action figures are a lot of fun and well made for the most part, but they’re a hybrid of realistic and animated styles. In fact, they possess a likeness of their own. They definitely look more like animated action figures than anything else, but the likenesses aren’t spot-on recreations of the characters actually seen in the series. The Maquettes line tears down all the obstructing walls and gives collectors a crytsal clear spitting image of the 3D characters that are part of this groundbreaking property. The curvatures in the lines of the characters are not subdued and the caricatured details in facial structures and extremities are just as accentuated and almost exaggerated just like in every episode you see them. Count Dooku (The Clone Wars) Maquettes is no exception.

Gentle Giant Ltd. did a brilliant job on Count Dooku (The Clone Wars) and he has piqued the interest of many fans of The Clone Wars, above and beyond those that collect the Maquettes line. He sold out in a few short months after his release and the only way you can secure him now is on the aftermarket. Trust us when we tell you that this piece is done so well and certainly warrants its popularity amongst fans of Gentle Giant Ltd. products as well as adorers of The Clone Wars. The expression on his face is flawless and his posture (especially the way he is holding his lightsaber) is cocky at best. The costuming, albeit done in a polystone medium, has depth, texture and is brilliantly recreated. Simply put, Count Dooku is another wonderful art form that is faithful to the small screen character. The sculpting is truly phenomenal. Count Dooku has a grouchy expression on his face that leaks over into his posture. And the painters ensured they captured every last nuance in the hand-painted details. From the dark circles around his eyes, to the shadowing added to his gray hair, Count Dooku has never looked better in any collectible format. And we’re thrilled how wonderfully he turned out.

Count Dooku comes with a removable lightsaber blade accessory. The bonus here is that Count Dooku looks great with or without this additional accessory. With so many of the Maquettes it seems that Gentle Giant Ltd. hasn’t found the best way to make lightsabers appear less obtrusive to the overall piece. In case you need an example of this, check out the worst case scenario of this issue in the Kit Fisto (The Clone Wars) Maquette. Sadly, the same thing happened to Count Dooku, but certainly to a lesser degree. His lightsaber blade points almost straight up. It doesn’t look terrible, so please don’t misunderstand our disappointment when we say we would have preferred to have lightsabers on these Maquettes not interfere with the faces of the characters and instead have them sculpted in some downward motion. The artistic centers of gravity in these pieces are the faces, so it makes sense that it would be best to view them without any distractions getting in the way. Again, it isn't enough to make us disappointed. It's just slightly noticeable. Count Dooku is limited to 800 pieces, 50 more than Clone Captain Rex (The Clone Wars) surprisingly. He is one of the finer Maquettes in the line. Make it a point to check him out.