Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,858: Darth Maul (Mandalore, The Vintage Collection)

DARTH MAUL (Mandalore)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1892
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #201
Includes: 2 lightsabers
Action Feature: Lightsabers can connect
Retail: $13.99
Availability: July 2021
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: Darth Maul orchestrated the siege of Mandalore as a means to draw Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to him with plans to kill Skywalker, depriving Darth Sidious of his new apprentice (Taken from marketing copy. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: While Hasbro gives us precious few 100% new The Vintage Collection figures, they're largely all excellent. Darth Maul (Mandalore) is new parts. He's also the second figure of Maul in this costume - we got a 5-jointed one during the Mission Series 2-pack line, which involved 5-jointed figures, in two packs, for $10 each. And you monsters didn't support them nearly as well, thus giving the market the impression that what you only wanted was vintage, so this is the line we have today - and it's good when it hits right. On the bright side this is one of Hasbro's best figures!

I would love to say this is the best Vintage Maul ever, but unfortunately Hasbro made a remarkable one back in 2012 complete with robes, a plastic hood, and macrobinoculars - and it was cheaper. What a difference a decade can make! Of course, this new one is no slouch with better paints, better articulation, and of course robot legs. He has thigh swivels, bend-and-swivel wrists and hips, and his vest is a separately molded piece of plastic. Wow! The face paint is vibrant and expressive, arguably the very best we've seen so far in this size. The horns are painted well, the chest is done perfectly, the belt looks good, the robes don't get in the way of his leg movement, and the gloves seem excellent too. He's not too skinny and he's not too bulky.

With 27 points of articulation, The Black Series fans will no doubt be jealous of this 3 3/4-inch release complete with two-part lightsaber. It's amazing just how far Hasbro has come (and equally amazing how old the reissued figures look) when you pick up Maul and see more articulation than ever without visible pins. Remember pins? Action figures used to be lousy with pins. Getting him to balance may take a tiny bit of effort - the hips on mine were a little weird - but you can swing arms forward and help him balance without too much fuss.

You have to get this one. I don't care if you don't like the prequels or cartoons, this is a superb figure and it was done nicely. I hope Hasbro follows him up with the Solo Maul in a few years, just to see if they can push toy tech further. It's wonderful to see Hasbro find ways to make a $14 figure look impressive despite having fewer accessories, and with rampant inflation in the toy business I have to say I'm a little surprised that this is better than just about any other Hasbro Darth Maul I've seen so far. I hope we see more The Clone Wars figures in this style, because now that Hasbro can make utterly stunning little masterpieces, why stop here?

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,858: September 23, 2021