Play Arts Kai Darth Maul Review - Star Wars Variant

Wow, the Play Arts Kai Star Wars Variants are really becoming very interesting. We just had Lord Vader a couple of articles down, that Bounty Hunter and, of course, this fearsome Dathomiri Zabrak warrior...or was it Dathomirian?...ehhh, whatever. Just careful not to attract the ire of die-hard Star Wars fan, they can be very finicky if you know what i'm saying and by the Force! they are everywhere. 

That proves very well indeed for the Star Wars Variants, i heard they are steadily increasing in price and demand these days. Well, at least for the SW and Pop Culture poster-boy Darth Vader, still i'm quite confident that Maul would follow suit. Also...ehhh...what is a Dathomirian Zabrak? They are a race in the Galaxy, the result of a hybridization between humans and Zabraks. And yeah, it does sound like Zebra, i dunno if that is connected but the first time i saw Maul in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace he looks like a zebra to me for some weird reason. Just thought i mention it. Anyway...

Before anything else, thank you Clandestine toys and The Convergence Group for the Play Arts Kai Darth Maul figure. We're opening some more POs for upcoming PAK figures very, very soon so stay tuned. 

Pardon me once again for the lighting, having trouble with it during this outdoor review session. Well, Maul is packing the usuals, 3 pairs of alternate hands, a fierce, grinning face, a couple of Lightsaber handles and of course his famous "Saberstaff." A pretty iconic weapon in it's own right in the Star Wars Universe and for good reason if you've watched this Sith Lord in action wielding that awesome, awesome weapon. I mean, come on, a Lightsaber is cool so combining 2 Lightsabers would be doubly cool right? 

For a Play Arts Kai Variant, Maul is pretty faithful to his original design except for a few accents and liberties SQEX infused into the basic design like those chest, hands and feet pieces. Some parts we're modified as well though i'm kinda wishing they included the option to replace his feet with the mechanized ones he's sporting after being cut in half by Obi Wan. I suggest you look for it online, i think i saw a Sideshow statue of that Cyborg Maul and it's really really good.

I love the balance of Maul, you can easily pull off poses and stances on this figure. His feet are very sturdy and he's not encumbered by top-heavy details like Vader's. Maul comes out very ninja-like to me so props to SQEX for executing that design very well. The only thing i think i'm missing is an "effects" part similar to Vader's.

I think the only drawback i found with this figure is his long neck, i've seen some poses online that makes him look stupid and that's simply unacceptable. It's a small gripe, however, since you can easily hide the flaw via angles. Something i was able to achieve in the shots i presented upstairs. Paint job is pretty decent on the figure i got and if there are wayward strokes they are easily hidden by the predominantly black theme. Even if there are minor flaws i failed to notice, the two heads are flawless so i'm pretty happy with the end product.

Here are some more action shots courtesy of Bryan. 

I am not a Star Wars fan, though i honor and recognize the significance of the series, but if i have to pick one favorite character from that Universe it would easily be Darth Maul on account of his pure badassery and intimidating looks. What do you expect from the pupil of Darth Sidious eh?

We have a lot of really strong Play Arts Kai figures released and to be released this year but i'm betting Darth Maul would make the Top 10 at least.