Hot Toys - DX16 / DX17 - The Phantom Menace - Darth Maul and Sith Speeder

[Gipetto0812]

I was curious if it's possible to, considering I read that the bodies apparently broke kind of easy, if you can swap it out for a new body or if the clothes, feet, boots, sculpt won't transition over? And yeah, I read that about the box too. I got it brand new on ebay for $75 and I keep going back and forth about opening it for many reasons

I had mine for a couple years, and didn't have a problem with the body breaking. But plastic does degrade overtime so not surprising seeing how old that figure is. It wouldn't be an easy 1:1 swap to the new body, though. You will more than likely have to mod either the parts from the original to accept the new body or maybe do a little bit of modding to both to get everything to fit right.

here's a pic of the base body. I believe the only differences were the way the boots work on the Darth Maul figure. I think they have a hinge joint at the ankle.

 

[BlakeBurnzy]

I think the TPM Maul sculpt is one of the most divisive (licensed) SW sculpts, where some prefer the HT, others the SS.
Until I got the HT in hand, I was convinced I'd prefer the SS sculpt as well. But after handling it, studying dozens of BTS and screenshots, and particularly after extending the neck and repainting the red, it's just no contest for me.
The one thing the SS version has going for it are the eyes. To be fair, that's a big deal, considering it's what most people tend to focus on first in a face. But the overall proportions, undersized scale and the paint all make it more of a caricatured version IMO.

Anyway, all this talk inspired me to finally continue on the new eyes!
I finished one eye today to see what it will look like, and if I got the sizing right. The gloss coat is still drying, so no shots inside the head yet. I might also have to increase his iris just a tiny bit, but it took me four tries to get it centered, so I'm reluctant to mess with it again.
I'm also quite afraid that the gloss will smear once I insert the eye in the head, since it might not dry to be completely hard and it takes a bit of force to insert the eyes into the sockets. So I hope these shots will not be the last.

Left is stock HT, right is mine. It's obviously less "precise" compared to the HT, but compared to detailed shots of the actual contact lenses, I think it's quite a bit more accurate.
As I mentioned earlier, my goals were: darker sclera, larger iris, smaller pupils.
View attachment 634151


And the actual eyes for reference:
View attachment 634152

Can’t wait to see them in the head! Hopefully the fit isn’t too tight and won’t scratch anything

 

[Dixmois]

I had mine for a couple years, and didn't have a problem with the body breaking. But plastic does degrade overtime so not surprising seeing how old that figure is. It wouldn't be an easy 1:1 swap to the new body, though. You will more than likely have to mod either the parts from the original to accept the new body or maybe do a little bit of modding to both to get everything to fit right.

here's a pic of the base body. I believe the only differences were the way the boots work on the Darth Maul figure. I think they have a hinge joint at the ankle.

View attachment 634164

Had a feeling it wouldn't be simple. Probably just going to leave it in the box for now, as bad as I want to take it out, and enjoy it mint. Thank!

 

[s_mkheidze]

I think the TPM Maul sculpt is one of the most divisive (licensed) SW sculpts, where some prefer the HT, others the SS.
Until I got the HT in hand, I was convinced I'd prefer the SS sculpt as well. But after handling it, studying dozens of BTS and screenshots, and particularly after extending the neck and repainting the red, it's just no contest for me.
The one thing the SS version has going for it are the eyes. To be fair, that's a big deal, considering it's what most people tend to focus on first in a face. But the overall proportions, undersized scale and the paint all make it more of a caricatured version IMO.

Anyway, all this talk inspired me to finally continue on the new eyes!
I finished one eye today to see what it will look like, and if I got the sizing right. The gloss coat is still drying, so no shots inside the head yet. I might also have to increase his iris just a tiny bit, but it took me four tries to get it centered, so I'm reluctant to mess with it again.
I'm also quite afraid that the gloss will smear once I insert the eye in the head, since it might not dry to be completely hard and it takes a bit of force to insert the eyes into the sockets. So I hope these shots will not be the last.

Left is stock HT, right is mine. It's obviously less "precise" compared to the HT, but compared to detailed shots of the actual contact lenses, I think it's quite a bit more accurate.
As I mentioned earlier, my goals were: darker sclera, larger iris, smaller pupils.
View attachment 634151


And the actual eyes for reference:
View attachment 634152

Look forward to seeing the finished product. If it is an improvement...might do it on my DM.....

 

[MyenShi]

View attachment 634151

If you wrap some black fabric around your fingers, this would look like a hand puppet version of Maul screaming at Obi-Wan in the desert.

 

[Nyhargo Dirge]

I love both but hate when HT does the magnet head. If I could convert my DM to a neck post, I’d be happy. I put my SSC on a phicen body that I tinted. It’s not fit for accuracy but looks plenty bad@$$ for my taste. Options are good.

 

[agonistes86]

First test fitting of the new eye. Happy to report that I was able to fit it in the socket without issue, and I can move the eye around.
Left is the new eye (and repainted eyelids), right is original HT eye. The difference is not huge, but it is noticeable IMO.

Feedback is very welcome! I think the iris needs to be even bigger so there's less white showing on the outside of the eye.

 

[s_mkheidze]

it's an improvement as far as i am concerned...Great job.

 

[Senfi83]

First test fitting of the new eye. Happy to report that I was able to fit it in the socket without issue, and I can move the eye around.
Left is the new eye (and repainted eyelids), right is original HT eye. The difference is not huge, but it is noticeable IMO.

Feedback is very welcome! I think the iris needs to be even bigger so there's less white showing on the outside of the eye.

View attachment 635645

Already a big improvement. Very nice!
Keep going. Your on the right track.

Just slightly bigger iris seems right.
Eye positioning also helps i think, so that theres a bit more white visible on the inside of his eyes and a bit less on the outside.

Maul has this stray eye thing going on which is part of his unsettling appearance for me, where each eye is looking a bit to the outside. It is rather subtile on not nearly as obvious as on the emperor, but it's there.

Anyway, nice work! Very interesting project. Gonna be fun following it!

 

[BlakeBurnzy]

Definitely an improvement, looks great in there.

Although I agree with senfi83 I think just barely bigger iris would be perfect. There’s just a tad to much sclera showing but I’m wondering if it could be the head sculpt itself that just has eye holes that are too wide?

In the first pic of the eye you showed the sclera seems darker, but in the head (maybe the lighting, camera or the contrast to the black) it seems too white similar to the stock eyes

Super cool work though, it fun seeing how much farther the hot toys head can go

 

[agonistes86]

Already a big improvement. Very nice!
Keep going. Your on the right track.

Just slightly bigger iris seems right.
Eye positioning also helps i think, so that theres a bit more white visible on the inside of his eyes and a bit less on the outside.

Maul has this stray eye thing going on which is part of his unsettling appearance for me, where each eye is looking a bit to the outside. It is rather subtile on not nearly as obvious as on the emperor, but it's there.

Anyway, nice work! Very interesting project. Gonna be fun following it!

Thanks! I tried moving the eye a bit, that does help a bit. But yeah, the iris needs to be a bit bigger still.
Interesting about the stray eye, I never noticed that. I think it wasn't there in every scene, or at least in the action scenes. But I do agree that it enhances that creepy & menacing look!

Definitely an improvement, looks great in there.

Although I agree with senfi83 I think just barely bigger iris would be perfect. There’s just a tad to much sclera showing but I’m wondering if it could be the head sculpt itself that just has eye holes that are too wide?

In the first pic of the eye you showed the sclera seems darker, but in the head (maybe the lighting, camera or the contrast to the black) it seems too white similar to the stock eyes

Super cool work though, it fun seeing how much farther the hot toys head can go

Thanks! And yeah, agreed on all points.
With the naked eye, the sclera is a bit darker than in the picture (and certainly darker than the HT), but since it reflects a lot of light, I think I have to go even darker.
The large eye holes was also something I noticed, but it's not something I'll touch. That seems just a tad too risky.

I prepped 6 eyes, while only needing 4 (2 for Maul, and 2 for Asmus Gandalf), so luckily I have two spares. So instead of repainting the current one, I'll just paint another. That should make it easier to compare and make the right adjustments.

 

[Dixmois]

I saw a youtube short a few weeks ago (which I can't find now) of a really cool Maul pose with the speeder. Mine has been in the box since I got Maul, but I broke it out and tried my best to replicate it so it would still fit in my crammed besta... definitely need to strip him down and get rid of the fat suit tho.

 

[TheClient]

Question for those who own the speeder: I finally got my own speeder out and the clear tube that is supposed to connect the speeder to the stand does not go in all the way on the stand. In the speeder it is quite snug and secure, but on the stand it just kind of “rests” in there. The speeder does not fall over, but it does tilt one way or the other however you move it. Is this normal, or a defect?

It would look weird for it to be straight up and down on display, but I want to know if this is something I need to disclose if I decide to resell.

 

[Dixmois]

Question for those who own the speeder: I finally got my own speeder out and the clear tube that is supposed to connect the speeder to the stand does not go in all the way on the stand. In the speeder it is quite snug and secure, but on the stand it just kind of “rests” in there. The speeder does not fall over, but it does tilt one way or the other however you move it. Is this normal, or a defect?

It would look weird for it to be straight up and down on display, but I want to know if this is something I need to disclose if I decide to resell.
View attachment 638625
View attachment 638626

It does! I promise. I got mine out a few weeks ago for the first time and thought the same thing. Then I started getting annoyed and really pushed down on it and it popped in all the way and wasn't budging, and stood straight

 

[Senfi83]

It does! I promise. I got mine out a few weeks ago for the first time and thought the same thing. Then I started getting annoyed and really pushed down on it and it popped in all the way and wasn't budging, and stood straight

 

[Gipetto0812]

Hey guys, question for those that have or had both Sideshow Maul 2.0 (Dual on Naboo version) and HT DX16/17:

I've only ever had the EX SS Maul 2.0 but have gradually, over the years, acquired parts from the DX. Basically, all that's left of the original Sideshow figure are the body, boots, gloves+wrist parts, and headsculpt. I have all the accessories from the DX (lightsaber+blades, clothing+robe, probe droid and binoculars). I don't have the display base as I chose the one that came with Qui-Gon and put a custom metal nameplate on it, so it fits in with the rest of my HT SW figures.

Sideshow Maul 2.0 is the last Sideshow Star Wars figure that I haven't replaced with a HT counterpart. At the time the DX16 came out I didn't have the money, but I was able to get the EX Sideshow Maul for cheap since ppl were dumping it for the HT.

I'm starting to ponder if I should just sell the Sideshow figure and put that money towards a full on official DX16? I still have all my original SS parts, so I can sell it as complete and then sell my DX parts for extra money as well. Or does it not seem worth the trouble? I know the HT goes for quite a bit now but figure I can offset a decent amount of the cost by selling the other bits. And, while I'm not saying price doesn't matter as I won't just pay any price for a DX16, I will say it's not the biggest factor in the decision making process. More of since I pretty much have nearly the entire DX16 already, should I just bite the bullet and buy the real deal instead of holding onto the pieced together version that I currently have?

 

[DarthAlias]

I have both Mauls and it’s a tough choice indeed. While the SS has the best portrait to me, the body is terrible and very lacking in accessories. HT is the better overall figure if I had to only choose one.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I have the SS 2.0 Maul and never felt the urgent need to replace it with the HT version but I did pick up the speeder bike and display base.

I agree that the HT version is all around better, but my SS 2.0 just looks good on display.

I don't have him in a crazy pose, either, so perhaps that is why I haven't come across an issue with the body.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Thanks for the feedback guys

For the SS body, I was able to fix all his loose joints so it’s thankfully not an issue for me. Accessories aren’t an issue either since I have all the main DX accessories to go with it. Don’t have the speeder but never wanted it to be honest even though it does look cool.

I never had an issue with how the SS looked on display either. Just late night wondering I guess when looking over the collection.

I guess I’ll stick with my SS+HT mix mash for now. Seems like someone is always selling the HT figure so it’s not going anywhere yet.

 

[IronPatriotFTW]

Needing some collector advice.

I ordered a DX-17 on Mercari for a decent price , it was missing a light up saber hand, but said everything else was included.

I get it , and it has some knock off droid and doesn’t have the foot pedals for his bike.

I’m kinda peeved.

What would y’all do?