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I think SHF did a good job with the articulation on this particular figure given the design limitations of Maul's clothing. He's got huge sleeves and pants so the joints will be more noticeable(bigger ball joints?) compared to more form fitting armor or clothes. SHF probably didn't want to sacrifice it's trademark articulation.


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Thank you! The articulation on this figure is definitely good. He looks pretty good despite his joints being noticeable. That's my biggest gripe with Revoltech. I'm going to add this to the list of wants for Christmas and hope my wife decides to get it for me.
 
I think SHF did a good job with the articulation on this particular figure given the design limitations of Maul's clothing. He's got huge sleeves and pants so the joints will be more noticeable(bigger ball joints?) compared to more form fitting armor or clothes. SHF probably didn't want to sacrifice it's trademark articulation.


View attachment 213681

Yeah, I think they really do the articulation on a case-by case basis depending on the design of the character and the sculpt. Notice how they didn't add a second ab-crunch to Maul like how Luke has, as it would really break up the sculpt. And if you look at the pics of obi-wan, the shoulder articulation is very well hidden under his robes. And then for armored characters they seem to put the joints where it is natural for them to go, they don't just cut into the armor and break up the sculpt for the sake of adding articulation.
 
I haven't put Maul through his paces, articulation-wise and likely won't for a while with my workload; it looks a little restricted here and there but the trade-offs for sculpt vs. articulation are fair; he looks stunning and feels like quality. The lower half of his robes are very soft and flexible. His right arm wasn't attached when I pulled him from the tray which freaked me out, but it just popped back on very securely.

  • Hasbro accidentally creates a great sculpt every now and then, which is instantly let down by materials quality and paint apps.
  • Revoltech are generally stylized, and don't look good in neutral poses but are unbeatable for dynamic, crazy poses. They're definitely niche.
  • MAFEX will look lanky, may have loose joints; stormtrooper sculpt looked good but I haven't seen production, Vader will likely be a matter of personal taste.
  • Figma has done nothing.
  • Bandai model kits take some work to fully bring out their strengths, character selection is low and they have some anatomical flaws (shoulder gaps etc.)
  • SHF isn't perfect, but they tend to have good proportions, and quality is high; plus character selection is good so far, albeit not deep.

Unless something big happens with Figma, I can't imagine SHF being challenged on Star Wars. Who is left that could afford that license and offer anything comparable?

ThreeA had those Action Portable prototypes way back when, but now, post-Disney they just have a couple of weird nods to the property worked into their Tomorrow Kings line or whatever; no trace of that fantastic Boba Fett or the cool stormtrooper prototypes from when they were pitching.

And just before I go back to work...a nice, geeky list. SHF to date; items in bold already released or at pre-order status:

  1. Stormtrooper
  2. Shadowtrooper (Upcoming Exclusive)
  3. Darth Vader ROTJ (With a re-issue coming)
  4. Luke Skywalker ROTJ (Re-issue rumoured)
  5. Scout Trooper & Speeder Bike (Exclusive / Pre-Order Status)
  6. Battle Droids (Pre-Order Status)
  7. Obi Wan ep. 1 (Pre-Order Status)
  8. Qui Gon (Rumoured)
  9. Darth Maul
  10. Phase I Clone Troopers (Pre-Order Status)
  11. Kylo Ren (Pre-Order Status)
  12. SHF Captain Phasma (Pre-Order Status Upcoming)
  13. SHF First Order Stormtrooper (Pre-Order Status)
  14. Luke Skywalker ep. 4 (Teased)
  15. Han Solo ep. 4 (Teased)
  16. R2D2 (Teased)
  17. C3PO (Teased)
  18. Boba Fett (Rumoured)

R2 and C3PO are technically one release. That's a fair bit already. I wonder what they'll reveal next.
 
Another review.

I love how it catches the light, you can see the quality of the plastic just in that. At worst it looks like a cool 3D render, unlike the BS which looks like a lump of glossy cheap plastic :lol
 
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I'm just amazed at the quality of the head sculpt achieved in such a small scale.

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I haven't put Maul through his paces, articulation-wise and likely won't for a while with my workload; it looks a little restricted here and there but the trade-offs for sculpt vs. articulation are fair; he looks stunning and feels like quality. The lower half of his robes are very soft and flexible. His right arm wasn't attached when I pulled him from the tray which freaked me out, but it just popped back on very securely.

  • Hasbro accidentally creates a great sculpt every now and then, which is instantly let down by materials quality and paint apps.
  • Revoltech are generally stylized, and don't look good in neutral poses but are unbeatable for dynamic, crazy poses. They're definitely niche.
  • MAFEX will look lanky, may have loose joints; stormtrooper sculpt looked good but I haven't seen production, Vader will likely be a matter of personal taste.
  • Figma has done nothing.
  • Bandai model kits take some work to fully bring out their strengths, character selection is low and they have some anatomical flaws (shoulder gaps etc.)
  • SHF isn't perfect, but they tend to have good proportions, and quality is high; plus character selection is good so far, albeit not deep.

Unless something big happens with Figma, I can't imagine SHF being challenged on Star Wars. Who is left that could afford that license and offer anything comparable?

Yeah, I can't really see Figma doing Star Wars figures. I would think that if they were gonna do them, they would have done or announced them by now, especially with the new films coming out. And looking at their offerings, they don't seem to make that many characters from a specific non-anime franchise, mostly it's just 1-shot characters. The most I have seen is the 4 figures from the first avengers movie, so I can't see them making as many SW figures in the breadth and scope that SHF seems to be doing.

I mean maybe they will take the MAFEX route and try to make a Vader and Stormtrooper, but with Hasbro, SHF. Revoltech and MAFEX already beating them to the punch they may not consider it a viable option in an already saturated market.
 
Even if they did, I can't see them challenging Figuarts at all, when it comes to realism, SHF is above Figma.

Their Leonidas looks alright, but it wont look that good in hand, and the rest of their realistic human figures look beyond silly.
 
Is it ok to talk about the Bandai model kits here? I found some pics of the new Boba Fett in-hand: FULL REVIEW: Bandai x Star Wars 1/12 BOBA FETT plastic model kit. No.48 Big Size Images | GUNJAP

The base sculpt looks good, but the shoulders really look way too wide. Plus, the seams in the mask are pretty noticeable.

I feel like these kits work well for characters like Vader, the troopers and droids as they have a fairly limited color scheme and deco, whereas figures like this Fett require a lot of extra detailing and paint work beyond the decals to make it accurate.

I was gonna get one, but I think I'll just save my money towards the inevitable SHF Fett.
 
Yeah I'm gonna wait for SHF too.

That one doesn't look bad, but it requires a lot of paint skill to look decent.

That's why Vader works so well, the glossy plain finish suits him perfectly, no paint apps or weathering.
 
I gotta admit though, I am pretty addicted to the model kits. I have 7 Stormtroopers, 3 Vaders, 1 R2/R5 set, and 2 Scout Troopers.
 
I have Luke, Vader and two Stormies. I want Maul, but I can't work him into the same display smoothly ... guess I'll have to mess up continuity for his sake! He looks incredible.
 
I have Luke, Vader and two Stormies. I want Maul, but I can't work him into the same display smoothly ... guess I'll have to mess up continuity for his sake! He looks incredible.

Nothing a rift in the Toy-Space Continuum won't solve.

I'm almost shocked to say I got a payment request from Amiami for the MAFEX Stormtroopers, by the way.



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