SH Figuarts Mace Windu figure review

Mace Windu didn’t get the extensive screen time I wanted in the Star Wars prequels, but there was no denying he was a force (ugh) in the series. Played by Samuel L. Jackson and sporting that cool purple lightsaber, Mace definitely stood out. Plus, it was cool seeing a black man playing such a pivotal role with the Jedi.

I’m slowly dipping into the S.H. Figuarts Star Wars line and figured Mace would make a strong follow-up to my Jedi Luke figure. And by the time I finished with Mace, I’m all the more annoyed Bandai gave the Figuarts Anakin and Padme such an exclusive limited release window.

Packaging:  The packaging isn’t all that impressive. The slender box with the black and silver color scheme are ideal for shelf space, but this isn’t going to be a package you’re going to get much satisfaction with especially for MOC collectors. To some extent, some of the char of the package is lost since it’s in Japanese.

Likeness: I’ve never really had a Mace Windu figure that managed not to look like a generic black guy in a Jedi outfit. Until now. There’s no doubting this is Samuel L. Jackson as Mace. That’s important here as the sculpt needed to be different from a confident Nick Fury expression. This is the stoic, party-ending Jedi and that’s captured exquisitely.

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Hasbro went with a hybrid plastic and cloth for the Jedi tunic. Figuarts opted for a softer plastic, which works just as well. I never had a problem with the Star Wars Black design, but the Figuarts style looks much better.

Scale: Mace is 6’4″ inches, putting him 4 inches taller than Obi-Wan. Not that the Figuarts to Hasbro scale was intentional, but it’s pretty cool the scale matches up even across lines.

Paint:  There’s very minimal paint with this line, but the tiny details like the belt and lightsaber didn’t have any issue. There was some weird black marks along Mace’s right sleeve, but I’m sure that’s not the norm.

Figuarts’ unique face printing technique is improving. I haven’t quite managed to shoot them properly, but from a regular distance, the face looks outstanding.

Articulation:  The Figuarts articulation setup makes posing really fun. I didn’t lack for any good lightsaber wielding poses and the various accessories provided a wealth of options. The soft plastic robe allow for any Jedi movement and is really just limited to imagination. For some poses — specifically leaping — you will need a stand.

I had some problems initially as the right wrist peg was loose and kept falling out. After some super glue, that fit fine, but it’s the kind of mistake I don’t want to see at this price.

Mace has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• bicep
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• ankle
• foot

Accessories:  Figuarts packs in a healthy amount of accessories with these figures. Naturally, there’s Mace’s purple lightsaber The hilt is nicely detailed and source material accurate. Mace’s lightsaber was unique all around so it’s nice to see that captured. The paint on it is very nice with the gold accents.

There’s an alternate head sculpt with a more focused, intense expression. I really like these options as a head swap totally changes the tone and mood to further add to the display possibilities. Additionally, Mace has three pairs of hands — one force gesturing, lightsaber gripping and fists.

Figuarts also included an unlit lightsaber to attach to his belt. The lightsaber blade detaches as well to allow for easier posing, but I didn’t have a problem. The purple is about as strong as it can be. I’m really waiting for a company to just make lightsabers that look like the source material without the need for a light-up feature.

I still wish Figuarts would include Jedi robes with these guys. True, Mace wasn’t a Jedi who wore his robes while he fought, but it would definitely be useful for meeting with the Jedi Council.

Worth it?  Mace will run you about $45-$50. That’s double the cost of a Star Wars Black Series figure. Since we’re still waiting on an SWB Mace figure that makes the decision process a lot easier. For me, the figure quality validates the higher price tag especially for the human characters. I’d pay more to have an ultimate version with the Jedi robe however.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Even without the Jedi robe, I doubt there’s going to be a better 6-inch scale Mace. From the two head sculpts to the accessories this is a sensational figure that I’m glad to have in my collection.

Where to get it?  This is an import figure so you’re either going to have to hope your local comic book store carries these or simply go online yourself. Amazon has one at pretty decent price now at $49. Some of the more popular characters start off reasonably priced and then shoot up so if you’re interested, I’d advise you grabbing him now.