Hasbro Star Wars - Power of the Jedi Sith Lords (Darth Vader & Darth Maul) Review

Although I have been a Star Wars collector for over 30 years, I have normally focused most of my attention and money onto the 3.75-inch "action figures and their associated vehicles and "playsets." A limited budget and even more limited shelf space are the two biggest factors in my collecting decisions, and with the prices of even the small figures rising with inflation and sometimes even price-gouging, even going on "figure hunts" is a rare occurrence these days.

However, to every rule there is an exception, for in addition to some 200 3.75-inch action figures -- some dating all the way back to 1978 -- I have five 12-inch-scale action figures, including the 1999 Portrait Edition Princess Leia in Ceremonial Gown, the 100th Action Figure Edition of Luke Skywalker, and The Sith Lords.

While I still have Luke and Leia in their original packaging, I decided to open my Sith Lords double pack for two reasons. First, I wanted to show them off, or at least have the satisfaction to see Darth Vader and Darth Maul standing in menacing "masters of the Dark Side" poses.

Second, unlike the aforementioned Skywalker twins, the Sith Lords are not very interesting while still in the box. (Leia, for instance, comes in a nicely designed package that allows you to admire the Princess in her Ceremonial Gown from the throne-room sequence in Star Wars -- Episode IV: A New Hope, while Luke can be seen in the center of his Hasbro Power of the Jedi package, wearing his Tatooine garb and poncho, with his X-Wing Pilot uniform and other accessories neatly arrayed to the sides.)

No, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to see the Sith Lords looking evil and ready to conquer the galaxy for Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine, you'll have to open the box and assemble the figures.

:Within the darkest shadows of the galaxy exists the Sith, a sinister order devoted to the dark side of the Force and led by the fearsome Dark Lords of the Sith. Of these dreaded figures, none are more notorious or more dangerous than Darth Maul and Darth Vader. Both masters of the dark side share a legacy of servitude under the most powerful force of evil the galaxy has ever known. Darth Maul, a master of hand-to-hand combat, was a lethal warrior and a key figure in the Sith's rise to power, while Darth Vader hunted down and exterminated nearly all the Jedi Knights-an act that made way for the Empire's galactic reign of terror. Each was finally defeated by their own slavery to the dark side of the Force.  - Package blurb from Sith Lords

You see, both Darths appear as they did in their final scenes in the Star Wars films, Maul in The Phantom Menace and Vader in Return of the Jedi. Accordingly, Maul comes in two halves that have to be snapped together before you can pose him with that wicked double-bladed lightsaber he wielded to good effect against Qui-Gon Jinn. (More on this lightsaber later.) To recreate the rather "splitting" demise of the future Emperor's first Sith apprentice, a gentle twist -- no more than that -- of the torso and Maul comes apart neatly at the waist.

Maul's head and face are nicely sculpted and painted. Every detail of this ferocious young acolyte to Darth Sidious is very nicely recreated. Maul's seven vestigial horns, red-and-black tattooed face, piercing yellow eyes, and hate-filled snarl are beautifully rendered, and so is his black Sith fighting suit.

The problems I have with this action figure are limited to two areas but vex me nonetheless. For instance, Maul's split-in-two feature is fine for the child who wants to play with his Sith Lords and any action figure in the 12-inch scale collection. Like Hasbro's GI Joe figures from the 1960s, both Sith Lords can stand the normal stresses of imaginative play and, of course, were designed for such activity.

However, the two halves come apart much too easily, as I have discovered during the once a week dusting session my collection requires. Just moving the figure from point A to point B without it splitting in two requires much concentration on my part, since the mechanism that holds the upper and lower halves together doesn't have a lock. Maul stays together well if he's posed with some support to keep him balanced, so displaying him is no major hassle...as long as you remember that he does come apart very, very easily.

The other feature I don't like is the double-bladed lightsaber that comes with Darth Maul. Like the figure, it too can be split in two to simulate the damage inflicted by Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber during their duel in The Phantom Menace. In theory, this wicked looking weapon would look awesome if the handle and blades looked properly straight when both halves are joined. Instead, the "energy blades" (done in traditional Sith red) droop slightly downward and the handles don't quite mesh well. (Maul, however, does look awesome holding the "normal" one-blade lightsaber; this is how he stands upon my dresser, staring balefully at the universe with his hate-filled yellow eyes and fierce, gloating grimace.)

Darth Vader is far more elaborate than his Sith predecessor or some of the earlier 12-inch renditions of everyone's favorite Dark Lord. Not only can you pose him in his normally menacing stance with his helmet-and-mask combination donned and with his deadly red-bladed lightsaber, but also you can -- with great care, of course, remove the headgear to reveal the scarred yet kindly face of the dying Anakin Skywalker as he appears in Episode VI.

His skin, which hasn't seen any sunlight in over 20 years, is a pasty white, and a horrible looking scar (from his first lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith) which runs from the top of his hairless skull to the back of his head. (In fact, when you see the Sith Lords' package you'll see Vader/Skywalker without his helmet and breath mask. The helmet and mask aren't hard to assemble; just snapping the inner mask onto Vader's head, then fitting the helmet over the mask will suffice.)

Although Vader is far easier to pose because the center of gravity is more stable than Maul's, I have to pose him without his trademark lightsaber. Part of it is aesthetics; the Dark Lord looks impressive just standing there in his armored suit with its flowing black cape and the life support gizmos on his chest.

The other reason for not having Vader hold his lightsaber is that his right hand -- the one cut off by Luke during their final duel in the Death Star's throne room -- comes off very easily and doesn't grip the saber handle well. This feature also means that care is needed when handling the figure lest the right hand fly off and rolls into a corner of a room that's tough to get to.

Weapons and Accessories: 

• Vader: Removable Two-Piece Helmet
• Vader: Removable Hand
• Vader: Lightsaber
• Maul: Body Splits in Half
• Maul: Dual Bladed 2 Part Lightsaber

Whether you get this as a toy for play or a collectible to display, Hasbro's Sith Lords two-figure set is an outstanding purchase, even if the figures have a few annoying vices.