Before you begin:

• The idea: that in 1974, George Lucas decided to start with Episode 1 instead of Episode 4. That would mean the first figures produced in 1978 would include, of course, Darth Maul. I set out to create this alternate reality vintage figure.

Step 1

Remove arms and legs from figures.

Step 2

Replace Ben's arms and legs with those of the Tusken Raider. (Where Ben's cloak cuts off will give the impression of Maul's tunic.)

Step 3 (optional)

Smooth the outer sides of the legs to more closely match Ben's torso.

Step 4 (optional)

Cut off one hand with exacto knife and glue back on at an angle that still allows the figure to hold a double saber.

Step 5

Carefully sand all features (except the ears) off Ben's head.

Step 6

Attach horns to head. Many methods will work. On my initial figure, I glued the horns on after painting, but applying them first may be better and will allow the paint to help in realism.

Step 7

Paint entire figure black. Try to not paint horns, if you've already attached them.

Step 8

With straight pin (or a fine tip brush if you're good) paint Maul's tatoos in red. Also use the pin to paint the eyes. (My method was to drop in a bunch of white, swipe orange down the middle, then cut off the tops and bottoms with black till they looked like eyes. Then I added a drop of black in the center of each eye.)

Step 9

Paint horns white (if necessary).

Step 10

Using the Tusken Raider's cape as a guide, cut a cape for Maul. The hole punch should be wide enough to get the arms through and not look jagged.

Step 11

Put cape on. That's it!

Maul should be able to hold any Hasbro double lightsaber, or you can make one. It should be sufficiently cheesy to look as if it had been made in 1978. Remember, attention to detail is not important. It's supposed to be 1978, after all. Getting the details right wasn't a priority in those days.

Tip provided by:  rhindle@hotmail.com Philip Frey