Packaging - ***1/2
Medicom packaging fulfills the 'collector friendly' expectation that most of
us have for high end sixth scale figures. There's no damage, no
twisties, no tape, no need to damage anything getting the figure out or
putting it back.
The boxes are also smaller than back in the day when Medicom did their
Vader, for example. That's a good thing, although they could still
stand to shrink a hair more. Still, if they stay this size, I'll be
happy.
The thing holding them back from the four stars Sideshow usually gets is
the lack of text and information on the box. There aren't even any
photos of the character or the figure, even on the inside of the fifth
panel. All that real estate, and it's pretty much wasted.
Sculpting - ***1/2
There's no way people won't compare this to the Sideshow
version. It's natural, and I'll do it a number of times as
well. But it's very important to keep in mind that the SS version cost
almost one third of the cost of this figure.
When it comes to the sculpt, it's almost a toss up. Leave the paint
out of it - don't take that into consideration (including the eye
work). Instead, you have to focus only on the sculpt. This
version is very detailed, and very realistic, but I don't think it's quite
as accurate to the actual shape of the face and skull of Parks. It
also ends up being a bit pin headed, due in part to the long neck and skinny
shoulders and chest of the RAH body.
The face does look more dangerous and deadly than the Sideshow version,
but that's the paint, not the sculpt. Under the paint, the sculpted
expression is very similar - one of stern determination.
The sculpted hands all look terrific, and all work well with the
accessories. The figure stands fine on his own in plenty of stances
and poses, just like you'd expect.
Paint - ****
When it comes to the paint job, I definitely prefer the Medicom
version. The unique tattoos look fantastic, and the eyes are
posed looking more through the top of his sockets, rather than
straight out. Unlike the Sideshow version, which has the zombie thing
going on, the Medicom looks much more realistic and deadly. The eyes are
clean and straight as well, with just a touch of gloss to give them that wet
look.
This paint job is simply outstanding, and turns this in to the BEST
looking Maul head produced by anyone to date.
Most of the rest of the figure is devoid of paint, but the hands and
rubber cuffs match well, even though they are made from very different
materials.
Articulation - ***
Normally, I'd be giving the RAH body all kinds of props. It holds
poses great, and hangs naturally. This time he's fighting the rather
difficult boots, which makes his stances not quite as normal, but he can
still hold more stances (and deep ones) than most other sixth scale bodies.
So why the hit on the score? Oh, that's easy. This guy is a
giraffe. Medicom has had their neck issues in the past, but this one
is easily the first to really, really annoy me.
Oh, you can hide it, especially when he's wearing the heavier outer
robe. But in the thinner, tighter tunic alone, it's very
obvious. On the plus side, it's jointed at the top and bottom of this
thing, but you'll have to use every bit of that articulation to get it in a
pose that looks right. If you stand him up straight, looking normal,
he looks absolutely ridiculous.
The rest of the articulation is solid as usual. The rubbery boots
only allow a limited range of movement with the ankles, and it seemed like the seams
were a little weak on the calves (they were splitting when I tried to do
anything with the boots), but the only major negative is that neck.
Does there have to be more?
Accessories - ***
If i were scoring this on sheer number or accessories, I'd add another star
even at this price point. There's certainly plenty of goodies here,
and other companies should take note.
He comes with the usual Medicom display stand, which works fine, but
really isn't needed with this figure. The clear stands are preferable
over the black, at least in my opinion.
He also has two single bladed lightsabers (representing the cut full
saber), as well as a longer handle for
the double bladed look. The two red blades can be removed from the
single hilts and put in either end of the double hilt.
This is an area where the Sideshow version is much nicer. These
lightsabers practically scream 'Hasbro', especially the thick red
blades. The posts that hold these blades to the hilts are very small,
which means they often suffer from "droopy saber-itis", an
affliction a Dark Sith Lord is not about to admit to. Perhaps that's
why he was so anti-social?
There's also the funky binoculars, which he spied on the Jedi with in the
desert. This is well sculpted and nicely painted, and is the best single
accessory of the bunch.
Then there's a TON of hands. He comes wearing a pair that are full gloves
and very posed, designed for a very specific look. I used them for his
audition as back up singer to the Temptations, but they are really intended
for the 'crossed arms' pose.
There's also two grasping hands to work with the sabers, two grasping
hands to work with the binoculars, two soft gesturing hands, and one very
open, splayed right hand. That's 9 hands in total!
The sculpts look good, but I had much more trouble with them staying on
the thin pegs on their side of the ball. Rather than slipping out of
the wrist joint, the hands tended to pop off the peg, and with the rubber
glove 'gauntlets' pushing on them, they tended to pop off pretty easily on
their own as well. Even worse, there was one that was completely
missing the metal rivet through the center of the wrist ball, making that
peg completely worthless.
As I mentioned, there are also soft rubber cuffs for the hands. The
one pair of cuffs are plain, and there's a second cuff with the metal 'band'
on it from the desert scene. These look really good when they are on,
but as I said, they tend to push the hands off the pegs because of the tight
fit.
I started by saying if I were grading by sheer number, this guy would get
another half star at least, perhaps a full four. But because of the missing rivet on the
one hand, and the cheap looking and feeling sabers, I just couldn't cough up
more than three.
Outfit - ***
The outfit is a mixed bag, with some excellent features, and some very
mediocre ones.
The outer cloak is the best part of the entire costume, made from
extremely nice material. There are long wires in the hood, and not
just around the outside edge, but from the top of the head down the back as
well. There are also long wires running down the arm sleeves, allowing
you to pose these flowing pieces of clothing in action.
The hood posed well too, much better than the Sideshow versions.
The cloak has a hook clasp at the front, but you can also just use the
wiring around the neck of the hood to hold it in place.
The tunic and pants are made from a very fine material, with excellent
tailoring and stitching. The pants tend to pop out of the boots
easily, but with a little effort you can get them back in place. The
tight tailoring tends to accentuate the skinny chest and the thin shoulders,
however.
If the discussion ended there, the outfit would have been another half to
full star above my score. But it doesn't end there.
The belt is made from a hard plastic, and it fits quite tightly around
his waist. It rides high on his body as well, and doesn't look as good
as the Sideshow leather version. There's a clip for the saber hilt on
one side, but that's the only feature.
Along with the mediocre belt, there's the boots. These are made
from a softer material, but still not soft enough to allow the ankles much
posability. They also don't hold a sculpt as well, and it's a bit too
soft in appearance.
Fun Factor - **1/2
Kids would be frustrated by the sabers, and would break the small pegs
holding the blades in place quite easily. The hands would be pretty
frustrating as well. But I wouldn't recommend spending this kind of
green on your kid's toys anyway - this is one for the shelf.
Value - *
And here comes the real sticker. Medicom figures cost serious
money. This figure cost almost three times what the Sideshow version
did, and it is certainly not worth that kind of money. While the RAH
body features the usual posability, that neck is really distracting.
The costume has some wonderful features, but the belt and boots are not at
the level of quality for this price point. And then there's the
sabers, with the extremely thick blades and rather cheap looking hilts.
Things to Watch Out For -
The smaller wrist pegs on the hand side can be broken, so take some
care. The hands tended to fall off these smaller pegs more often than
usual for me.
Overall - **1/2
Am I being harsh on this figure? Probably. I almost went
with three stars, but the truth is that this figure is NOT worth three times
the Sideshow figure, not by a long shot. There are some really nice
features, like the paint, the cloak, and the multitude of hands. But
there were 5 major issues for me - the neck, the missing rivet, the belt,
the boots, and the cheap looking sabers - and at this price point, that's
about 5 issues too many.
Medicom did a great job with the Fetts, and their troopers are
nice. But this guy is far too expensive for what you're getting.
Had he been $100, he would have gotten that extra half star, and at $75 he
would have gotten another half star easy, probably the full four. If the value of a purchase
doesn't mean anything to you, your score will be much higher, but if you're
expecting a lot for this much cash, you may find yourself disappointed.
If you really have money to spend, pick up both this figure AND the SS
version. Swap the belts and lightsabers in from the SS version, and
make some modifications to the body. By that I mean pad it up,
especially in the chest and shoulders, with some toilet paper. It
might take some practice, but you can tape down some TP around the torso and
get a nice, full look on the chest and shoulders, greatly improving the
appearance. This helps the long neck too, bringing the tunic up higher
on the newly padded shoulders. Put these two figures together and you
will end up with the nicest sixth scale Darth Maul ever made. But
you'll be the one making it.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - *
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
There are several online options:
- CornerStoreComics has
him at $135.
- Amazing Toyz also has him in
at $135.
- if you're in the U.K, check out Forbidden Planet where they are on sale
for £99.99.
- and Sideshow is the official US distributor, and they have them available
for $150.
- and you can search for any of the versions on ebay using the sponsor My
Auction Links.
- Related Links - I've done tons of sixth scale Star
Wars reviews:
- the last was the exceptional Palpatine/Sidous
and ANH Obi-Wan, and the not quite so
exceptional Ilum Padme.
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