Darth Maul - R - 12-Inch Figures

The Inquisitor spins his lightsaber to launch a powerful attack. He can bring even more firepower to the battle with his projectile-firing backpack and combat gear!

Between the indeterminate arrival dates of Rebels products to the questionable approaches of so many of its sub-lines, collectors were in a tailspin as far as whether or not to even get involved with the toy line intended to support the television show. Although most of the products in this line were developed with simple articulation, some of the sculpts were excellent and that remained relatively consistent throughout the entire line. Paint operations however needed more of a learning curve sadly. That’s another story however. In 2013, Hasbro revived the 12-Inch Figure line (scale and not the way the figures were going to be produced) and by the time to Rebels line came to fruition, Hasbro rebranded it the Hero Series line. This somewhat controversial line of figures bring “largeness” into the Star Wars brand, but they really only are supersized Saga Legends figures (with some enhanced accessories and features). Hasbro made quite a few characters in this scale, but it appears that they left out some of the most important. And although mostly focused on the Star Wars: Rebels television show, they did add a few characters outside of the show as well.

As the Rebels line came to a close in 2015, many products still didn’t get completely out. These included the final wave of the “deluxe” Hero Series figures. This wave included two new figures: Garazeb Orellios and Darth Maul. Admittedly, Darth Maul has come out better than we expected. Keep in mind that these figures are cheap, hollow and simply painted 12-Inch versions of Star Wars characters. They function pretty much just like the smaller 3.75” figure. In fact, they’re clearly produced from the same digital files as they have most of the same details, statures and sculpting from one scale to the next. We can see so many similarities between the Darth Maul Hero Series figure and the 2014 Star Wars [Darth Vader/Revenge Of The Sith] Darth Maul (SL15) figure. The similarities are remarkable actually. Clearly, the details and features look tremendously better on a larger scaled figure. And it’s our assertion that this Darth Maul figure is pretty darn nice. It comes with movie accurate accessories and then a nice helping of “Hasbro concept” play features to make the figure a little more interesting for kids. (Due to the relative scarcity of this figure, we really don’t know what kids will even have the opportunity to play with this thing….)

The paint operations are completely fantastic. We don’t think we have seen a Darth Maul Hasbro figure look this good ever. The reds are vibrant and the blacks are beautiful. The sculpting is divine despite its limitations. And the articulation is disappointing beyond comprehension. But that’s the way the line is now. Simple is the way Hasbro is going. We even believe that the extra accessories make this toy a complete value. Sure, they make Darth Maul completely screen inaccurate and make him look downright silly when added to the figure, but they’re extras and that always makes an action figure a fun thing to own. The lightsaber hilt can be split into two pieces and with each half you can plug in a lightsaber blade. Because Hasbro has added extra articulation into the forearms, it makes posing him that much more interesting. Darth Maul can hold the lightsaber a little bit more believably than figures in this line with just swivel wrists. Overall, we have to say that Darth Maul is one of the nicest figures in the Hero Series lineup. It’s a shame that he may not get out in a widespread fashion. Hopefully if you’re interested in him that you will have ease securing him for your collection. But we really have no idea how that will all turn out.