“I am Darth Malgus. I speak with the full power of the Sith Empire. And I am in command, now.”
Darth Malgus is the third release in 2023 from the Old Republic video game series following on from Darth Malak and Bastilla Shan. Malgus is a Deluxe release, packed in the wider Galaxy Collection packaging but using the same side artwork and blue accent colour aligned to the Gaming Greats series. The packaging is windowless as Malgus was released just ahead of Hasbro’s reversal of this decision and the reinstatement of window boxes. He is number 24 in the Gaming Greats series following on directly from the Darth Maul ‘Old Master’ release and sitting before the ‘Battle Damaged’ General Grievous. Darth Malgus is not an exclusive release, sold via all Fan Channel retailers and Hasbro Pulse.
Out of the box and it is clear why Malgus required Deluxe status, with the bulky Sith standing well over 7 inches tall (18cm). He is modelled after his appearance in The Old Republic video game by Bioware. This is a cast grey armoured body with painted black ribbed panelling across the armour. Further details are included on the chest segment with a silver central disc and a pair of red indicator lights and on the two wrist bracers where white and red paint replicates further indicators and controls. The belt, part of the waist sculpt, includes some additional silver details that extend all the way around the back. The paintwork overall is neat and tidy but there are elements of the black ribbed sections where the black doesn’t quite go all the way to the edge. The outfit is finished off with a soft goods black cape that sits under the two enormous shoulder armour sections and around the neck, hanging down to the floor. The material is the same as that used on Vader figures so while it doesn't perhaps crease or fold as we might want a Jedi robe to do, it hangs perfectly on Malgus - with some tailoring added around the head to add a hood that can be posed up or down with neither looking awkward or out of place.
The head is cast in a pale skin colour and captures the various scars and features of Darth Malgus from the ridges of the wrinkled forehead to the sunken eyes and the red scars around the left side of his mouth. Photo-real application has been used to enhance these sculpted details, adding depth and colour with the red eyes, in particular, impressive considering their size and location in those sunken eye sockets.
Malgus is wearing his respirator mask - and this is removable as seen in the promo images. The mask is cast in deep grey with silver and red details and shaped to fit over his mouth and secure around the back of the head. Rather than clipping off as we saw with Malak, you will have to pop off the head to remove the mask - revealing the full sculpted head beneath (I would use some heat to warm up the plastic to do this as the neck ball joint is quite slim considering the size of the figure).
Darth Malgus comes with his lightsaber, an impressive piece on its own with a grey and silver hilt with twin prongs and a thick and hefty translucent red blade - the whole thing is almost as tall as a standard 6-inch figure. The saber hilt fits in either hand and the blade, as is the usual form, can be removed depending on your preference for display. There is no apparent holster, hook or socket to secure the saber hilt on the belt which is a bit of a miss.
Darth Malgus represents the newer range of articulation that Hasbro is now building into the Black Series, with the thigh swivel removed and leg movement served by the hips and a rotating knee joint along with the standard ankle rocker. There are two torso joints to service the figure's size and stature with the arms inclusive of wrist, elbow, shoulder and butterfly shoulder joints. The shoulder armour, despite its size, moves with the arms so as not to resist movement. The head also features two neck joints giving a wider range of head positions. That puts the articulation count at 18 in total.
The joints all work as designed, with a touch of looseness in the hips which must be a common issue with Sith Lords considering Darth Vader figures have a similar ailment. This doesn’t affect posing or standing positions but may become a problem over time. The elbow joints don’t quite bend far enough as I’d like, as it would be good to have Malgus posed adjusting his mask or taking down his hood. There is however sufficient shoulder movement to allow two-handed lightsaber poses. Malgus can also kneel, although only for the Sith Emperor of course!
The fact we have a Darth Malgus figure at all, and the other Old Republic characters, is both a testament to the fans who support this area of the Star Wars universe and to Hasbro who were confident to move the Gaming Greats line out of standard repaints and tweaks to development of full characters like Malgus, Malak and Shan this year alone. The Malgus figure has very few flaws and looks impressive when posed on display. It could have done with a bit more movement in the elbows, some tighter hip joints, and perhaps a way to hang the lightsaber on the belt - but these are all very minor in terms of how very much is right with Malgus including that head sculpt, the soft goods, the armour and the accessories. The mask also is a nice touch to make it removable, some clarity on how to do this and ideally a clasp to release it would have been welcome. The fact that Malgus sold out his preorders pretty quickly indicates that, like Revan, this will be a sought-after item in the future, so one to act on now rather than risk trying to find him on the secondary market.
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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...