Count Dooku (Dark Lord) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #27)

Count Dooku ended up being the central villain in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. Some Star Wars fans found it preposterous that an older man became the replacement for the incomparable Darth Maul, but others found Darth Tyranus an ominous threat to the Jedi Order. Count Dooku has Grand Moff Tarkin-esque qualities, and the unique scimitar-handled lightsaber hilt sets the character apart from so many others. It took more time for Star Wars fans to warm up to Count Dooku, but they eventually did. As Hasbro released the action figure interpretations of the character into the basic figure line, they sold briskly, exceeding expectations. In April of 2002, Hasbro released Count Dooku (Dark Lord) with a miniature Darth Sidious hologram. Although planned to be part of the inaugural shipment of figures for the rollout of Episode II action figures, more than a few areas in the USA didn’t receive ample supplies. Coincidentally, Count Dooku (Dark Lord) quickly became an unfortunate “chase” figure, but only for a short time.

Frankly, Count Dooku (Dark Lord) has an excellent sculpt and likeness that will assuredly stand the test of time. That assessment doesn’t mean it’s invincible from obsoleteness, but few can deny that the figure has an excellent likeness to actor Christopher Lee. Like too many other figures in the Star Wars “Saga” line, it lacks articulation and has an annoying action figure worked into the tooling. We concede the play feature isn’t too noticeable. But when fully assembled, Count Dooku (Dark Lord) is a picture-perfect example of how you’d want all your figures to appear in your Star Wars collection. With only seven articulation points, you can’t position this action figure any way you wish, but there is enough here to get the basic poses accomplished. Whether or not you’ll want a geriatric Sith Lord is a whole other story. That may sound harsh, but you have to understand that many Star Wars fans were disappointed to discover that Count Dooku was the new “Darth Maul” in Episode II. But the character was successfully accepted by fans and showed us that he had more tightly-honed Force skills as he escaped leaving the Jedi defeated.

Count Dooku (Dark Lord) comes with a healthy dose of accessories. The figure also comes with Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber in addition to the removable cape and red-bladed lightsaber. Anakin’s lightsaber comes as a separate metal hilt and green lightsaber blade. Additionally, the figure has a magnet embedded in the left hand to grasp the metal hilt effortlessly. Count Dooku (Dark Lord) also comes with a miniature-sized holographic Darth Sidious accessory. Hasbro cast it in translucent purple plastic with a pearly finish to reflect light. It also has a flat surface which allows it to stand upright without issue. We would have preferred if Hasbro added a unique display stand with it. Hasbro has included enough accessories, in all honesty, and we won’t complain that something is lacking here in that area. Count Dooku (Dark Lord) is a fair interpretation of the on-screen character, but there is tremendous room for growth, and we believe that great things will come after this first try.