Sideshow’s New Darth Maul Figure is Only Half as Cool as a Real Sith

With all they hype and hoopla surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many companies have dived in head-first into the uncharted waters of what lies in the future. Some however are still relishing in the past, and Sideshow Collectibles' upcoming Darth Maul figure only serves to show that not everyone has forgotten about the one good thing to come from The Phantom Menace. It's actually surprising that it took this long for Maul to get the sixth-scale recognition he's deserved, given just how many different figures Sideshow and Hot Toys have created under the Star Wars banner to this point. Still, good things to those who wait and all that jazz.

Though he was killed off near the end of The Phantom Menace, Maul was resurrected, given new legs (twice) and has since appeared in the animated series that still count as canon in the Star Wars Universe. Much has been made about whether or not Darth Maul actually counts as a Sith. Since he was killed before his training under Sidious was complete, a case could be made that he's just a Force-positive player in the world like so many others who never had the proper training to master their skills. Whatever side of that debate you fall on, Sideshow's Maul figure comes from a time when it seemed that he would be an unstoppable force of evil on the side of the Sith for years to come. You know, until Obi-Wan gave him that 50% discount on life. Whoops.

I really dig the figure, even if it doesn't come with a whole lot of accessorization. Being that it comes from such a specific moment in the film, there wouldn't be a whole lot to include with Maul besides a few alternate hands and his trademark twin-blade lightsaber. However, Maul has so few different looks in the film, it's hard to believe a large cloak or even those binoculars couldn't have been included. That's double true when you see the price of admission. For $239.99, this figure is lacking.

Sideshow's Darth Vader, which released not that long ago, comes with similar hands and saber accessories, but also features a lighted base, an alternate head and a lighted helmet display for $249.99. For $10 you get a lot more out of your dollar. Obviously value is all relative, but just from a comparison of these two figures, it's hard to understand why Darth Maul comes with so little for so much. Yes, the sculpt looks great, the clothing is on point, and the detailing on even his boots is tremendous. It still doesn't add up to me. Maul is much more in line with the Hoth Luke and Han ($199.99 each) than he is with Vader. I guess you're paying a premium for the name and character.

The Darth Maul: Duel on Naboo sixth-scale figure is available for pre-order now for $239.99, and is expected to arrive in Q3-4 next year.

Check Out More Star Wars Awesomeness in These Videos