"My master wants you dead!"
The ‘Old Master’ Darth Maul is a Star Wars Black Series Gaming Greats exclusive release originally planned for the Autumn of 2023, but arriving early in July 2023. The figure is exclusive to Gamestop in the US but sold via Fan Channel retailers elsewhere. The figure is a plastic-free release with no figure window. It uses the Gaming Greats blue accent colour on the box and side artwork and this version of Maul is number 23 in the series, following on from the Rocket Trooper from Jedi: Survivor.
This is the 2nd Maul release of the year following on just a few months after the Clone Wars Maul and this Gaming Greats release borrows from that figure, with direct re-use of the robotic legs. The Old Master Maul also looks like it takes the arms and head from the Sith Apprentice Maul from 2021. Over these reused limbs is a new torso section and waistband piece to recreate the Battlefront II look. The body on the whole is cast in black with zero paint apps, with the robotic legs adding the only variation with a glossier dark metallic finish. The arms are cast in red with black painted markings and have new gloved hands with an added rubber cuff at the wrist.
The head features Maul with teeth barred and is cast in black with red painted markings, bone-coloured horns, yellow and red eyes, and yellowed teeth. This opposite application of red on black vs the black on the red of the arms does dull the red finish and the two areas do look marginally different. Considering the time difference that this Maul represents vs his time as a Sith Apprentice the use of the same head is questionable.
Maul has 19 points of articulation on a pinless body and this includes butterfly shoulders to enhance the lightsaber posing as well as a dual joint neck which adds some menace in the way Maul’s head can be posed. The joints all work well, especially the robotic legs which give great stability to the figure when posed. Maul comes with his updated lightsaber as scavenged from an Inquisitor after Order 66 and as seen first in Solo and then in Battlefront 2. It is the first appearance of this hilt in the Black Series. It is cast in a single silver finish and features a slimmer body and curved guard at one end.
The hilt is so slim it does warp easily when held or when inserting the included twin translucent red blades. These blades are cast in the usual red translucent plastic and clip into the hilt at either end by way of a slim peg which can be prone to breaking if you aren’t careful. Maul can wield his weapon as the full two-bladed version, or as a single saber - and the articulation works to support a number of dynamic action poses.
The figure represents the ‘Old Master’ Darth Maul well enough within the scope of most Exclusive Gaming Greats releases which base themselves on existing figures with minor tweaks. It is probably one for the completist offering a partly differing look to the recently released Clone Wars Maul, but does bring us the closest we have so far to a Solo / Rebels era Darth Maul. Will we perhaps see the figure again with an aged Ray Park head? Who knows, but for now this Gaming Greats edition is a reasonable stand-in.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...