Toyark Review – Gentle Giant Star Wars Darth Malgus Deluxe Mini Bust

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a game that, when initially released, took Star Wars and action role playing fans by storm. The game featured a fantastic story, great combat, and stunning visuals (for the time). It also introduced us to one of the Star Wars Expanded Universes best ever villains…Darth Malgus.

Gentle Giant has taken this vile Sith Lord and crafted a stunning mini bust that Star Wars fans have eaten up (pre-orders through Gentle Giant are currently sold out). I am pleased to present a thorough review and 46 high resolution photos of the Darth Malgus Mini Bust. Read on to read the review and to check out all of the photos.

From Gentle Giant:

“I fight because that is what I was made to do and the Empire is the instrument through which I realize my purpose. The Empire is war made manifest. That is why it is perfect.”
―Darth Malgus

In the days of The Old Republic, there was a Sith Lord whose name struck terror in the hearts of any that heard it: Darth Malgus. Raised in the Dark Side since childhood, Malgus swiftly ascended through the ranks of the Sith, destroying all who stood in his way, eventually declaring himself Emperor. His strength in the Dark Side was matched only by his confidence. After all, the Force gave him a vision of galactic domination and the destruction of the Jedi by his hand… it was to be his Destiny…

Thanks to the master artisans at Gentle Giant Ltd., you can add Darth Malgus to the ranks of the Dark Side in your mini bust collection! This incredibly detailed mini bust has been cold cast in the highest quality polystone, fit for an Emperor.

Individually numbered and hand-painted, this limited edition bust includes a matching certificate of authenticity.

Packaging
The Darth Malgus Deluxe Mini Bust comes in a black cardboard box. Featured on the front and sides are photos of the bust itself. The back of the box depicts a beautiful piece of artwork from Star Wars: The Old Republic. It also features a brief bio for Darth Malgus. The box is well made and sturdy, allowing it to stand up to shipping without the fear of damaging the box or its contents. The underside of the box also shows your limited edition number.

Inside, the bust sits in a fully enclosed styrofoam tray. The top of the styrofoam also displays your limited edition number. The bust and the two interchangeable right hands are placed within plastic bags for added protection. The fit snugly in the styrofoam preventing it from sliding around.

The box is a nice display piece from the front or back. With no window, it means you can display the bust and box separately. The sturdy construction and the styrofoam tray allow it to be packed away without it being crushed or damaged.

The Bust
Darth Malgus is a cold cast polystone bust. Each one is hand painted and individually numbered. Included are two interchangeable right hands, one holding a Lightsaber and one without it. The blade of the Lightsaber is cast in translucent plastic and can be removed from the hilt. The hands use magnets to stay in place. Also included is a trading card styled certificate of authenticity.

The bust itself features a highly detailed sculpt, with clear differences in texture between the armor, cloak and skin. Detail is sharp and the lines are very clean. The texture work stands out when looking at this bust up close. The brushed metal work on the chest plate, shoulder pieces and arms is especially impressive. The cloak has a very fine cloth grain to it, while the skin features a very lifelike quality, with pores and wrinkles visible up close and from a distance.

As stated above, the busts are hand painted. Each piece is painted in a different way to give the look of different materials. The hand painted face features a very translucent, pale skin quality that is eerily lifelike and unsettling at the same time. The red and black eyes have that “I am going to murder you and there’s nothing you can do bout it” look about them. The armor uses and antiquing paint technique where they applied a dark or black paint over it and then wiped it off so that the black paint gets into the crevices for added depth. The areas that would feature lights are painted in a stark bright, solid color, which helps them stand out from the metallic areas. It all comes together to create top notch display piece.

Review
Busts of iconic characters can easily be hit or miss. Some companies nail it, while other companies struggle to get the details right to pull off a likeness. Thankfully, the Darth Malgus bust is a spot on representation of the character. Right now, it’s one of the top takes on Darth Malgus, probably only bested by the Sideshow Life Size Statue. And who really has $6,000 to spend on that? This is a much more affordable alternative, and no detail was spared.

The bust has some serious weight to it. It feels rock solid and I never felt like I was going to snap a piece off while moving it around to photograph. The paint applications on this are really amazing. I cannot believe how good the face turned out as it captures the deathly look that Darth Malgus has. The sculpt shows no flaws or blemishes. There no areas where I could see mold separations or gaps.

For a bust of this size, the sculpt features a high level of detail. I mentioned the brushed metal look of the armor pieces already. Those areas feature scuff and wear. Nothing feels unnatural and each area, from the hands, to the cloak to the base all feature great care and detail. Paired with the painting, it give Darth Malgus an aged look of a battle hardened Sith Lord.

Bottom Line
If you are into Star Wars and collect busts, this is a no brainer. As an entry into the Star Wars bust collecting, it doesn’t get much easier to recommend. It captures the menacing look of Darth Malgus perfectly. Gentle Giant doesn’t skimp when it comes to their details and this is no exception.

You can view Gentle Giant‘s product page by Clicking Here. Keep an eye on that page in case additional busts become available.

*Gentle giant provided the mini bust for review.