I just wanted to inform all of you, that the set is now available in Poland in shops SMYK. Every 2 sets SW (planet + figure + SW micromachine) you buy together, you receive for free this set with Darth Maul (5000062-1).

Whoever wants the set, please, contact me: [email protected].

When this polybag was first revealed it was immediately a must have for me and although I waited for the price to drop due to its wider availability, I am pleased that I did and am delighted with the Minifigure as a whole. The figure is based off the shirtless Darth Maul while he is being trained by Darth Sidious from some Star Wars comic books set prior to Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace. However with some very minor changes, it is possible to turn this figure in to the bisected Darth Maul from the Clone Wars doubling the appeal of the Minifigure for me and for many others I would imagine!

Parts

As usual I shall start at the top with the Zabrak horn piece which has found in two sets prior to this one, both from summer 2011. This is the exact same piece as we saw in set 7961, Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator and is made of a rubbery plastic like the other one. It is cast in black and printed on the front with some small red designs. Around the edge of the piece are nine horns of alternating sizes which are just like those on Darth Maul in the film and the Clone Wars television show, but these are black like much of the rest of the piece, and not dark yellow in colour like the actual Darth Maul. The piece slots over his head nicely and there is no chance of it coming off unless you remove it yourself.

The head is printed quite differently to the Darth Maul Minifigure in set 7961, and is a huge improvement in my opinion. He has the very same tattoos and markings on his face, but his yellow eyes are narrowed and his teeth are bared in anger on this occasion which is much more suited to this cruel and malevolent Sith lord. The back of his head is unprinted so it is plain black.

The torso is my favourite part as it is the most detailed. On the front his elaborate tattoos are printed with some muscles and a ragged dark grey belt and on the back are more muscles, more tattoos, and the remainder of the belt. The design may be quite simple, but is incredibly detailed and extremely accurate to both the comics and the Clone Wars show as one would hope. Where Lego have really gone above and beyond on this figure however is with the fantastic arms. They are mostly red but are also printed with black tattoos similar to those on his face and chest, his hands are red which looks superb.

The legs are simply plain black with no printing whatsoever. This is accurate to his comic book appearance, but in the Clone Wars Darth Maul has of course suffered a grievous injury at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which has resulted in him having mechanical legs.

This is where the Minifigure can be changed slightly to appear more like his Clone Wars incarnation. There are two simple ways of customising this figure (in a purist fashion), the first of which is to take the legs from the Space Villain from Series 3 of the Collectable Minifigures, and to replace his standard left leg with another prosthetic one like his right leg. This gives an excellent overall appearance which allows you to pose these mechanical legs in the same way as regular legs. Alternatively, to give a more accurate appearance for display, but at the cost of poseability, you can use the legs from the Bionicle Minifigures released in 2006 and 2007. For the most accurate colour, I would suggest black, however this does reduce the playability of the Minifigure and I prefer the simpler first option. I am sure there are other ways of customising the figure to be more like Darth Maul is in the Clone Wars, but I think that these are the best two options.

He carries one weapon, his legendary double bladed lightsaber which consists of a metallic silver hilt, and two translucent red blades.

Summary

This is an absolutely outstanding Minifigure, if you are able to obtain it as a free gift in some kind of promotion, lucky you! If however like me, you have not been able to get it for free, I would not hesitate in purchasing the figure if you can find it for a fair price. I highly recommend this Minifigure to any Star Wars fan and if you are a Darth Maul fan in particular, this figure is an absolute must have!

Overall - 10/10