Darth Talon - Mini Busts

Raised and trained on the ancient Sith burial world of Korriban, Darth Talon was a third-generation Sith. Styled with black Sith tattos covering her body, head, and lekku, Talon earned each of these markings in ritual combat. Darth Talon made her debut in Star Wars: Legacy 0, the pre-release supplement of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series.

2010 is certainly turning out to be a year focused on Darth Talon. But we really have Hasbro to blame for starting the ball rolling on this beloved Expanded Universe character. First appearing in the Darth Talon/Cade Skywalker Comic Packs set in the blue phase of The Legacy Collection, it was only a matter of time before she was crafted into some high-end collectible. But fans of Star Wars: Legacy not only have the mini bust to drool over, but Sideshow Collectibles also crafted a stunning quarter scale Premium Format figure of her as well (and it remains the definitive collectible of Darth Talon). But you'll have to read that review to find out just how amazing that piece is. The Mini Bust line by Gentle Giant Ltd.. has certainly crossed over into the mainstream as they are a relatively affordable collectible that Star Wars fans feel comfortable buying for their collections. The line has certainly taken off into a frenzy and at times it's nearly impossible to keep track of all of the mini busts coming out. The announcements are fast and furious, yet the actual releases of the mini busts are feast or famine. While it's indeed possible to keep of with the schedule, there will be times when you become unnecessarily confused over what is actually coming next.

So how does the mini bust version of this character fair? Well, it certainly isn't a bad piece. The likeness is decent, the tattoos are all there and in place and the pose is rather tame for such a powerful warrior. It isn't nearly as impressive as the Premium Format figure and this makes sense simply for the fact that you get the entire character in that scale. But while the mini bust is good, it is the slightest bit boring. Darth Talon looks a little too thin and long. The portrait is well done but her lekku look a little too long. The tattoo patterns are nicely placed, but upon further inspection you'll find that the paint deco is not entirely perfect. There is a glaring seam on one of her lekku where it attaches to the head. This is intentional as it is two separate pieces that are glued together, but at this stage in the game, Gentle Giant Ltd.. needs to find ways to hide these rather "embarrassing" points of contact from their high-end collectibles. This is much too juvenile for a licensee who has been in this industry since 2002. It just looks half-baked in our opinion. Both Sideshow Collectibles and Gentle Giant Ltd.. have the capability and have already produced large pieces of seamless polystone? So why assemble mini busts piecemeal here? The answer is unknown.

All of that being said, most collectors should find the Darth Talon mini bust a pleasure to add to their mini bust collections. The coloring is fantastic. There are multiple shades of red strewn throughout her body and her eyes are probably the standout characteristic on her. There are different interpretations of Darth Talon throughout her many appearances in the Expanded Universe, but it looks as if both Gentle Giant and Sideshow Collectibles took the best of them all and applied it to their respective collectibles. As a scantily-clad character, the mini bust doesn't offer much to show off this style of hers. But you do get the top half and that should give you something to talk about here. Limited to 3,850 pieces, Darth Talon is almost double the edition size of the extremely awesome 4-LOM mini bust. Does anyone see a disparity here? Is it possible that there are a lot more EU mini bust collectors than movie-based collectors? It is strange to say the least. But this should allow Darth Talon to have a bit more shelf time at retail and she should be a little bit easier to locate that many of the Original Trilogy characters. But whatever your choice, the Darth Talon mini bust at worst is a more than fair attempt at this very cool Sith lord. It will be interesting to see how well she performs and if Gentle Giant Ltd.. will continue to seek the Expanded Universe for candidates in the Mini Bust line.