Bane Malar - TLC - Basic (BD 7)

The mysterious bounty hunter Bane Malar occasionally visits Jabba’s palace on the Western Dune Sea. He reveals little of himself, causing suspicion among the Hutt’s hangers-on and rumors that Malar is a telepath who steals people’s secrets to use against them later.

Darn you Bane Malar for making us initially think your were Sergeant Doallyn! And darn you Hasbro for not making Sergeant Doallyn! We are only kidding here, so don’t take out exclamations too seriously! But we really did want Sergeant Doallyn! Bane Malar however, is actually a very cool (and short) bounty hunter that made a very welcome addition to The Legacy Collection. Bane Malar gets sourced to the Expanded Universe character by default because he did appear in a deleted scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi (stock photographs exist of his character and costume back from 1983 – see Wookieepedia for more). His cool likeness was not to be wasted and was resurrected (not created) for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. This card game has done a great deal to help many of our action figures see the light of day and/or provide back stories to some of our favorite characters and Malar was a great choice. But we wish we could have seen him in action in the film and we suppose there may be a split second somewhere in Episode VI where he could be seen, but at this moment, we are assuming he isn't there. No matter where he appears, Bane Malar is a very cool bounty hunter and we think he fits right at home in Jabba's Palace. He comes across as a very mysterious Star Wars character and this must be derived from his navy blue outfit and space helmet that is a metallic black and opaque. Helmeted figures always tend to be cooler and Bane Malar is no exception.

Bane Malar is super-articulated and we have to say this may be honestly too many points for him. (Don't take that too literally however.) While it may seem blasphemous to wish for less points of articulation, we do have to say that less is more for this particular action figure. The joints are great to have, but they don’t do that much to help the overall aesthetic of the figure. And they can even work against him when you articulate them because not all of the limbs move the way needed to change his positions (and allow him to stand unaided). Not to strike fear in you, Bane Malar is nonetheless an excellent figure. He is not a misfit toy, but he does have a few small issues. He suffers a bit from too wide a stance and his legs must be positioned in an awkward manner to get him to stand up on his own. These multiple points of articulation work in his favor here actually, otherwise this would be impossible to execute. But while the extra articulation helps to stand him up, his position looks bizarre as a result. Legs just aren't meant to be posed in certain fashions, it just looks unnatural. On a more positive note, Malar is painted excellently. For example, the silver paint used picks up light very well and gives authenticity to the fact that these parts are metal. It has a reflective property that is quite stunning and very realistic. He does have an articulated head, but by its very design is limited in its movement. His helmet is painted in a metallic black and at times you think you can see a face behind the mask, but this is only an illusion! You can suspect that we are quite impressed with the sum of the parts of the figure. Despite its minor flaws, this action figure is really something else. Figures in dark uniforms look quite ominous and Bane Malar is the definition of this.

Bane Malar comes with two weapons: a strapped blaster rifle and a blaster pistol. Both guns suit the figure very well. He can hold them without issue and they are properly scaled so they look like very believable weapons for him. They are well sculpted and the smaller pistol fits into his working holster without issue. Likewise, you can strap the large rifle across his back and it makes him look sublime. Bane Malar is indeed the surprise figure of the year and as we mentioned earlier, he is a bit short in stature. This doesn’t make him inferior, but it does make him stand out from the bunch. And of course this doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the action figure we do wonder how Hasbro got the proper scale correct for this figure. Those Lucasfilm references clearly must be loaded with the finest details that the casual collector cannot see. But without a doubt, Bane Malar will serve your Jabba’s Palace dioramas excellently and if you wish to complete your R7-Z0 Build A Droid, his purchase will be required for the droid part. There are no Greatest Hits figures that come with the R7-Z0 droid parts. If Bane Malar is any sign of how well Hasbro can sculpt a Sergeant Doallyn for us, then we have a lot to look forward to. We really hope that Hasbro will attempt to make his “strong resembling” counterpart sometime in the near future because we need a figure that Chewbacca can knock to the ground when he feel threatened or tested. In the meantime, Bane Malar will have to do. And he will "do" just fine in your ever growing collections.