DARTH NIHILUS Sith Lord
30th Anniversary Collectoin Evolutions
Item No.: Asst. 87480 No. 87564
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, hood, cape
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Early 2008
Appearances: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray.

Bio: The menacing Sith emerge again and again through the centuries, teaching each generation their dark secrets. A thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, Darth Bane brings the Sith Order back from near extinction in his quest to reclaim their glory. His legacy is carried on by Darth Nihilus, who blights whole worlds in his desire to destroy the Jedi. Darth Maul serves a power-hungry Sith Lord who plots the elimination of the Jedi. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Commentary: I have a long standing grudge against KOTOR in my columns-- not because of the games or the characters, but because a lot of the fans rub me the wrong way. It's all in good fun, and it's great to see a good figure emerge from the game that pretty much anybody could appreciate. The ghoulish Darth Nihilus was made to look sort of like Skeletor, but not. You've got a skull-like paint job on a human face, which actually is on a full head complete with hair under the removable hood. This is the kind of detail you rarely see on a Hasbro figure of this size, generally the hood and head are a single piece. When dealing with Sith, generally what you get is a lot of black-- and Nihilus is no different. You get black cloth robes, black boots, black gloves, in short the figure can't be much more black.

Knowing full well the figure would likely never see a resculpt, it seems they did it right the first time. Nihilus' hand is outstretched in an evil gesture, and he has the super-articulation we've all come to love. The only downer is that his sculpted tattered plastic robes may get in the way of hip movement, but still, it's an awesome looking release. The fact that it looks quite moth-eaten is a real bonus, as most figures tend to look, for lack of a better word, very "new." This guy has been around a bit, and shows obvious signs of having been through a few battles. This tiny visual cue makes a good figure even better, and I'd advise collectors who are even the slightest bit interested in Expanded Universe lore to get it. I've never played the game, but I know a cool looking figure when I see one, and this one is definitely cool.

Collector's Notes: This figure was released in early 2008, but proved popular enough to warrant a rerelease in the near future.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 800: July 14, 2008