Darth Maul (Sith Lord) - EI - Basic

Wielding the power of the dark side, Darth Maul confronts Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in a deadly clash of lightsabers inside the Theed generator complex.

What a shame. As new action figures of the same characters steadily improved with each successive release, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) seems to have headed in the opposite direction. It’s certainly not the worst action figure we have ever seen produced by Hasbro, but because of the figure’s wonky pose and limited articulated, we have to question why Hasbro even bothered here. Darth Maul (Sith Lord) is one of many Darth Maul action figures in the Episode I line. Previous versions in the line reflect the various costume styling changes the character experienced throughout Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But the basic core of the character is the character with a lightsaber. So how many unique ways can you really make him look. Hasbro has tried nonetheless. With some first time soft-goods materials and a removable blade on one of the double-bladed lightsaber hilt halves, Hasbro certainly tried to make the old new again, and because of his popularity, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) will undoubtedly sell very well.

The issue with Darth Maul (Sith Lord) however is going to be the action figure’s pose. What the heck is up with his left arm? Is it a half salute? Is it a karate chop gone wrong? Or did he break his arm and is just waiting for a sling? We’re not sure, but Darth Maul (Sith Lord) does look a little ridiculous in our opinion. Save for the upper body Darth Maul (Sith Lord) is a rather static action figure. The left arm must be bent for some lightsaber action, but we’re unable to make it look like a natural pose. And we don’t like how his arm rests against his torso either. As previously mentioned, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) comes with a soft-goods skirt. This also makes articulation more useful, but since he only comes with swivel hips, there isn’t much you can do with this figure anyhow. As far as the figure’s paint operations are concerned, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) has been given a decent paint job. But it really isn’t any better or worse than what we’ve already seen Hasbro do with this figure with the previous releases.

Darth Maul (Sith Lord) is a little bit light on accessories. He comes with a double-bladed lightsaber and one of the blades is removable. You’ll have to utilize the left arm when it comes to the lightsaber. But with some time we’re sure you’ll be able to find a pose that accommodates this wonky sculpt the best. We really wish that Hasbro would have taken this opportunity producing a new Darth Maul action figure and make it more articulated. This is the figure’s weakest aspect and extra articulation would have remedied the wonky pose and make the most use of the soft-goods lower skirt. Like all Episode I figures, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) comes with a CommTech chip that dually serves as an action figure display stand as well as a medium for the action figures in the Episode I line to talk. The opinions of these CommTech chips seems to be evenly divided as there are people who like them and people that loathe them. In short, Darth Maul (Sith Lord) is not Hasbro’s greatest effort. And that might not be so bad since he is impossible to find.