With the recent (and controversial) re-release of TPM in "3D" on the silver screen, this was a great opportunity for Hasbro to produce new toys (or is it the other way around...?)
Darth Maul being one of my favorite SW characters (shame we didn't see more of him in TPM) I couldn't help but heading towards the toy aisle yesterday to see if the new stuff was worth some of my hard earned cash.
Aside from the usual action figures, masks and vehicles, the "laser swords" shelf caught my eye.
I'm not usually interested in toy lightsabers because (in my opinion) they are overpriced, innacurate and ugly (i'm saying this now as an adult collector. But when I was 11 these things were the best I could ever wish for). MR/Hasbro FX lightsabers are much better though, with a metal hilt, convincing sound effects as well as the now famous scrolling LEDs. But they are $100 a pop.
Although I must admit that the recent line of "Ultimate FX" lightsabers was a very pleasant surprise. A great alternative for the younger collectors or for people on a budget.
Anyway, yesterday I picked up this very cool looking brand new Maul saber :
Some of you may remember the very first double bladed lightsaber we got from Hasbro back in 1999 for the original release of TPM (here on the left) :
As you can see, the new one is a tremendous improvement over the last version. It is now silver instead of dark grey, has bigger buttons and more accurate emitters. This time around they also went the extra mile and molded a separate covertec wheel... Unfortunately it still won't attach to the actual belt clip but at least it looks the part.
Since it's a toy, it also has telescopic blades :
They are fully collapsible inside the hilt (unlike the older model) and extend to over 5 ft. long. They are not spring loaded, but they come out nicely with a flick of the wrist. Also worth noting is that you have to actually push a button (one for each end) in order to release the blades.
This is very cool as it allows you to hang the hilt from a belt without having to put tape on one end as you would have to do with some other models i've seen.
Now the sad part : This new version, despite being a lot more movie accurate, doesn't sport any lights or sounds. I guess fully collapsible blades come at that price. But still, it would have been a welcome addition, especially since the 1999 toy did pretty well in that regard.
On a side note, no electronics means no batteries and thus no ugly battery cover. That's always good.
Final thoughts...
Pros :
- Probably the best licensed Maul saber hilt replica ever made (aside from the MR versions, of course)
- Would look great on a costume, and even on display
- Lots of fun to play with (YMMV on that part lol)
- For $20, you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking replica of this saber
Cons :
- No electronics
- Look carefully before tossing one in your cart and make sure it doesn't have any noticeable factory defects (mine is okay but i've searched through a whole shelf and many had scratches and blemishes)
- A bit on the bulky side, but it's really not too bad in person
So overall, i'm extremely pleased with my purchase. My expectations were quite low to begin with, but the lack of electronics make these pretty good value for money and the accuracy and overall look of the hilt was a nice surprise.
I've owned the MR Limited Edition as well as the double bladed FX, yet this one is the coolest in my book. For $20 you can't go wrong!
NB: As i've mentionned earlier, the "Covertec" wheel attached to the hilt is not compatible with an actual Covertec belt clip. But since it's a separate piece you can always replace it with an actual one (it's screwed in place).
If you want one, here's the box to look for :
Darth Maul being one of my favorite SW characters (shame we didn't see more of him in TPM) I couldn't help but heading towards the toy aisle yesterday to see if the new stuff was worth some of my hard earned cash.
Aside from the usual action figures, masks and vehicles, the "laser swords" shelf caught my eye.
I'm not usually interested in toy lightsabers because (in my opinion) they are overpriced, innacurate and ugly (i'm saying this now as an adult collector. But when I was 11 these things were the best I could ever wish for). MR/Hasbro FX lightsabers are much better though, with a metal hilt, convincing sound effects as well as the now famous scrolling LEDs. But they are $100 a pop.
Although I must admit that the recent line of "Ultimate FX" lightsabers was a very pleasant surprise. A great alternative for the younger collectors or for people on a budget.
Anyway, yesterday I picked up this very cool looking brand new Maul saber :
Some of you may remember the very first double bladed lightsaber we got from Hasbro back in 1999 for the original release of TPM (here on the left) :
As you can see, the new one is a tremendous improvement over the last version. It is now silver instead of dark grey, has bigger buttons and more accurate emitters. This time around they also went the extra mile and molded a separate covertec wheel... Unfortunately it still won't attach to the actual belt clip but at least it looks the part.
Since it's a toy, it also has telescopic blades :
They are fully collapsible inside the hilt (unlike the older model) and extend to over 5 ft. long. They are not spring loaded, but they come out nicely with a flick of the wrist. Also worth noting is that you have to actually push a button (one for each end) in order to release the blades.
This is very cool as it allows you to hang the hilt from a belt without having to put tape on one end as you would have to do with some other models i've seen.
Now the sad part : This new version, despite being a lot more movie accurate, doesn't sport any lights or sounds. I guess fully collapsible blades come at that price. But still, it would have been a welcome addition, especially since the 1999 toy did pretty well in that regard.
On a side note, no electronics means no batteries and thus no ugly battery cover. That's always good.
Final thoughts...
Pros :
- Probably the best licensed Maul saber hilt replica ever made (aside from the MR versions, of course)
- Would look great on a costume, and even on display
- Lots of fun to play with (YMMV on that part lol)
- For $20, you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking replica of this saber
Cons :
- No electronics
- Look carefully before tossing one in your cart and make sure it doesn't have any noticeable factory defects (mine is okay but i've searched through a whole shelf and many had scratches and blemishes)
- A bit on the bulky side, but it's really not too bad in person
So overall, i'm extremely pleased with my purchase. My expectations were quite low to begin with, but the lack of electronics make these pretty good value for money and the accuracy and overall look of the hilt was a nice surprise.
I've owned the MR Limited Edition as well as the double bladed FX, yet this one is the coolest in my book. For $20 you can't go wrong!
NB: As i've mentionned earlier, the "Covertec" wheel attached to the hilt is not compatible with an actual Covertec belt clip. But since it's a separate piece you can always replace it with an actual one (it's screwed in place).
If you want one, here's the box to look for :
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