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Phantasm (Batman: Mask of The Phantasm)

Height: 10cm, 11cm when masked.

Articulation: 4 total points of articulation: spring-loaded right shoulder, swivel shoulder, swivel hip joints.

Accessories: Phantasm mask, bladed gauntlet, gun.

Colors: Molded black, silver, gray, and fleshtone. Painted gray, black, white, light brown, and red(lips).

Release Data: Released in last quarter 1993 for an approximate MSRP of $5.99. This item is no longer in production as of this writing (April 1st, 2005)

Gallery: 7 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was the first movie made by the staff of Batman: The Animated Series, and sadly, the only one to see a theatrical release. It's impossible to review this figure without revealing a major plot point to the film: that the Phantasm's true identity is Bruce Wayne's old flame, Andrea Beaumont. Unfortunately, Kenner also declined to package the Phantasm figure with the mask on, so people were discovering this well before they had a chance to see the movie. Even with that plot point revealed, it's a good film, and I recommend it to any Batman fans.

Before I move on to the review proper, I'd like to point out that Phantasm has been rated and scored relative to other Batman Animated Series figures that I own. Put another way, I'm trying my best to review the figure as if it were still `93. That having been said, onto the review!

The Head

The head is fairly nicely sculpted, with brown shoulder-length hair which, since it's a solid piece, negates any chance of neck movement. This seems to be intentional, as the hair also seems to be glued or otherwise bonded to the back.

The Arms

Black arms with some muscle definition, and gray gloved hands. As with just about all Kenner figures, there are no elbow joints, and certainly no wrist joints. You get shoulder swivels, and on the right arm, a simple pull-and-release spring-loaded slashing feature, to go with Phantasm's bladed gauntlet. Careful with these, as pulling or pushing too far can get the arm stuck in odd angles.

The Torso

The torso is black, and aside from being female in form, doesn't have much in the way of distinguishing features. Can't fault Kenner for that, though, since it matches the animation model. No waist joint, of course. The subtle muscle definition present in the arms is matched in the torso sculpt, though- it looks pretty nice and has as much detail as you can really get into a Batman Animated-style character design.

The Legs and Feet

Black legs with short boots which point at the sides of the cuff. The legs are in a fixed pose with the knees slightly bent, as if Andrea/Phantasm is poised to strike. It looks pretty good, though naturally there's really only one position you can put the legs in if you want the figure to stand up.

Paint and Detailing

Paint is well-applied, with the facial features, both on the face and the mask, being even and clean. There's a tiny spot on the hair near the right cheek that isn't painted, and looks a bit odd when you look at it head-on. Otherwise, the deco is spot-on.

Articulation gets 7/10

Sculpt and Deco get 8/10

Accessories:

-Phantasm Mask

Actually more like a mantle, this is a large gray piece with a black cloth cape attached. The front piece comes down far enough to obscure the wearer's gender for the most part, and broadens the shoulders a fair bit as well. The shape of the shoulders also stops the slashing action on the right arm at pretty much the ideal point.

The only problem with the mantle is that it looks like it should be on someone much taller, and a bit wider. Oversized masks are a fairly common failing of Kenner figures with removeable disguises, and it's not as bad as, say, the Batman Returns Bruce Wayne figure, but it does look a bit off.

-Bladed gauntlet

The Phantasm's distinguishing weapon is soft plastic, and slips over the right hand. It stays in place pretty nicely- it's not gonna fly off when you use the slashing action. If you take it on and off enough, it will rub the gray paint on the glove, though. It's molded of glossy silver plastic, which is entirely appropriate since it's supposed to be metal. Very subtly, the part above the bands has been painted gray- this is the long glove sticking out of the hand weapon. The only complaint I can level against this piece is that the molding could be half a hair sharper on the two wristbands.

-Gun

It's an interesting design- the body of the gun is comprised of a pair of tanks with small circular pieces on the top and back- pressure gauges, maybe? It's hard to tell at this scale. The handgrip for the gun is a simple peg that fits into the figure's left hand. It doesn't fit as snugly as I'd like, but it'll stay, for the most part.

Accessories get 7/10

Closing Remarks:

The Phantasm is a good representation of both of the character's identities, despite the slightly oversized disguise. The decoration is sharp and clean, and it'll go well with your other Batman figures.

I paid the SRP of $5.99 for Phantasm back when it was new, and I think it was worth it. It'll certainly be easier for me to get 6 more bucks than another Phantasm at this late date. If you liked the movie and the character, it's worth picking up if you can. It's a Very Good figure.

-RAC 04/01/2005