Okay, expect this month of January to be figures I should have gotten to last year…case in point, Hasbro finally released a Mace Windu figure after six years of the line being in existence…
In reality, I did not really need a Mace Windu figure. I previously purchased and reviewed the SH Figuarts version back in 2017 and found that one to be not only acceptable, but surpassed what I could have expected. Even though I really loved that one, I wanted to see what Hasbro would do…and two years later, they finally answered the call.
I’ve said it before and I will say it now…don’t eff with my Samuel L. Jackson figure. The man not only has the highest box office gross of all of his movies combined, the man’s likeness has graced the most action figures ever. And I’m not talking just 20 different versions of the same character. This man has an action figure from almost every major (and some non-major) licenses including Shaft, Nick Fury from the MCU, Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction, and in this instance, Mace Windu from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. We know how Bandai did (8.3/10)…can Hasbro match the same look, feel, and quality? Let’s check out the review…
The packaging of course comes to no surprise to us here. The same basic Star Wars Black Series Hasbro packaging.
We do get a nice drawing of Sam Jackson to grace the front and back covers with in that whole “I’m gonna take this lightsaber and eff you up” look. But already compared to the figure inside, I begin to wonder if it is a misrepresentation.
The figure behind the window of the packaging has a more cold, dead stare…not even close to the picture of the character on the box. I will get into “Sculpt/Likeness” later on in the review, but from what I see here, I’m not instantly impressed.
But…I still get my Star Wars Black Series Mace Windu, so that gets me to overlook that already.
Packaging Score: 7.5 out of 10 
Were you expecting extra hands or an extra head sculpt? Maybe a decapitated Jango Fett head like we got in the 3.75″ figure? (which is kind of morose when you think about it)
Well, all you’re going to get is a lightsaber. Oh, and I guess a removable, soft-goods Jedi robe which really doesn’t fit well, causes the figure to be imbalanced, and looks awkward af. Yeah, let’s take that shit off.
The lightsaber itself is nice. It’s actually a better purple than the SH Figuarts lightsaber. The purple “lightsaber” portion pops out of the hilt, but it actually took a little force on my part to accomplish this, so I’m not actually sure if this was made this way or not, so I would just as well leave it alone.
I really can’t think of any other accessories. Maybe a detachable arm for when Palpatine cut it off would be something. I actually like that the SH Figuarts figure comes with some different poses of hands like the “Force” hands. Maybe that would have been too much like copying.
Whatever, once again Hasbro is like “you get what you get and you better like it and live with it” and we all just accept. it.
Packaging Score: 6.5 out of 10
This figure is plagued with what I like to call R.S.J.F., or Resting Sam Jackson Face. You know, the look of menial indifference, like he just don’t give an EFF about you, but it is also an indiscriminate look. That is, there is little to no emotion shown on this headsculpt. Is he angry? Is he content? Is he happy? Did he just find some snakes on a Jedi warship? We will never know…
Comparing it to the SH Figuarts figure (on the right in the picture), I can tell that the outfits are fairly similar to each other (and the character himself), except the color and rinse that SH Figuarts uses gives the clothes a more “fabricky” look to them. The Hasbro figure looks a little plastic.
Again, looking at the comparison shot, you can also tell what I mean about the head sculpt. SH Figuarts version has some emotion sculpted into it giving him a more Samuel L. Jackson look.
Weirdly enough, the two figures are close to the same height. I usually find SH Figuarts figures to be slightly smaller, but this thankfully was not meaning that if you prefer to go with that version it will fit your current Hasbro collection nicely.
Sculpt/Likeness Score: 7.5 out of10
Sometimes I wonder how Hasbro can make this line and then make Marvel Legends and even with similar articulation, you can have two vastly different types of experiences. This figure comes with about 26+ points of articulation, which is normally pretty good (30+ gets it to the “great” category), but even with so many I start to have issues.
For one, the clothes hinder a lot of the articulation. Just can’t get full range of motion with what we’re given.
For another, the balance is really off, and that’s due to the weird ankles. The hinge doesn’t swing like it should, so getting this figure to stand was nearly impossible with the robe on and still a small act of God with the robe off. I was able to compensate by using the thigh swivel to turn his leg outwards, but even then it was hard.
I really wish it were different. I think I could have liked this figure better than the SHF one, but they missed the mark on this.
Sculpt/Likeness Score: 7.5 out of10
As much as I wanted to love this figure, it came out really average to me. I’m happy to have it, but I really wanted it to be more than what it was. In all honesty, I think this figure would have gotten a higher score if it came out BEFORE the SH Figuarts version, only because it is a figure that I have wanted a long time.
It is, however, another beloved Samuel L. Jackson figure, and it will be cherished in my collection. I now need a Hot Toys 1/6 scale version. It seems Hot Toys and Sideshow can do twenty versions of Darth Vader and not put out one of Mace Windu. Get on that please!
Now that I’m thinking about it, I think my next review is going to be young Nick Fury from the Captain Marvel line. See how that compares with this one. Until then peoples, one love.
