Cyborg Darth Maul (Darth Maul With Mechanical Legs) - Premium Format Figures

Darth Maul has undergone such a vast transformation in the Star Wars universe. From his debut appearance in The Phantom Menace to his altered presence in Visionaries, Darth Maul's story really starts to become muddled when considering which parts are canon or non-canon. When it comes to Cyborg Darth Maul, well, you will have to assume that all of these non-canon portions of a resurrected (or cloned) Darth Maul are actually part of the continuity, otherwise none of it makes sense. Thankfully, Sideshow Collectibles crafts a stunning rendition of the Cyborg Darth Maul and the masterpiece inundates your mind with how beautiful of a collectible it is and things like canon and continuity become secondary. The Cyborg Darth Maul Premium Format figure was quite a shocker when it was announced by Sideshow Collectibles in 2010 because with so many other main characters not made in this scale, we wanted to know why Sideshow was bringing us another Darth Maul. (The first Darth Maul Premium Format Figure was based on The Phantom Menace.) But the final piece is quite an amazing accomplishment for the line and lovers of all things Darth Maul will have something additional to smile at in their collections. Just to give you a quick synopsis on this particular version of Darth Maul, you may find it interesting to learn how he became this way. Various Sith followers believed that Darth Maul was the ultimate Sith weapon. And from this line of thought the desire to resurrect him started becoming a necessary step in the Siths’ progression. Interestingly, it remains unknown exactly how Darth Maul got resurrected and some even blame the Jedi for involvement in this process. It’s quite an interesting history to be quite honest. But needless to say, it was a mission to bring Darth Maul back to wreak havoc on the remaining Jedi.

Darth Maul first reappeared shortly after Darth Sidious (now Emperor Palpatine) established the Galactic Empire, but Darth Maul had one main goal in his mind which ranked second to none. And that goal was to enact revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man responsible for his mortal injuries. Darth Maul heads to Tatooine in cyborg form to lure Obi-Wan Kenobi out of hiding by attacking Owen Lars and his nephew, Luke Skywalker. This mission ultimately becomes futile and in a desperate effort to protect his nephew from harm, Owen Lars shoots Darth Maul in the head leading to this Sith’s second death. (This whole storyline was beautifully captured in the Hasbro exclusive Darth Maul/Owen Lars Comic Packs set that was a Comic Con exclusive in 2010.) Sideshow has created a remarkable interpretation of Darth Maul in his Cyborg form. Collectors of the Premium Format line should find this piece quite impressive. The Premium Format Figures line usually always impresses as far as scale is concerned, but something about Cyborg Darth Maul takes the cake with its wowing factor. You see the anger in his face and the desperation to harm those close to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul takes you to those very dark places quite easily and we’re impressed that the sculptors have successfully captures these emotions in the included portraits. One has Darth Maul snarling showing teeth while the other has his mouth closed, but the same angst is present in the facial structure. The musculature in Maul's torso is quite impressive and every muscle in the Zabrak form is there in beautiful detail.

The Cyborg Darth Maul Premium Format Figure is truly a work of art and we won't stop saying it. Sideshow Collectibles has given the newly added mechanical legs a gorgeous weathered finish, yet remains shiny and new overall. The nicks and scratches in the shiny finish are expertly added and the monstrous scale of his Grievous-like claws are quite intimidating. The still-remaining organic pieces of Darth Maul (his upper half) are beautifully painted and his tattoos are neatly applied. Removable parts like the portrait and arm are reinforced with magnets. And we’re impressed how tattered yet tidy Sideshow Collectibles made Darth Maul’s outfit on this piece. It sort of looks like Maul has been to hell and back yet is still organized to plan his next devious subterfuge, yet he has a grace in his athletic silhouette. The base is a little too simple for our liking but it serves its purpose well, and that is to hold the Darth Maul figure upright. The elongated horns on Darth Maul are unbelievably realistic. Truly organic in every sense of the word, the horns are absolutely representative of just how much talent the painters at Sideshow Collectibles are. It’s just mind-blowing how real so many parts of Darth Maul are so we encourage you not to take them for granted. The Cyborg Darth Maul Premium Format Figure will not need much promotion to perform well for Sideshow Collectibles. First of all this is Darth Maul we are talking about and secondly, the exclusive version (only 500 pieces) and the regular version (only 1250 pieces) don’t total to a large edition size and will likely become unavailable before we realize it. Sideshow Collectibles is committed to the Premium Format Figures line and they want to bring both movie-specific and Expanded Universe characters into it. And that’s exactly what they’re doing!