THE PHANTOM

POWER STARS (BOSS FIGHT)

Okay, so, before I get into the main body of today’s review, I’ve got a semi-related plug.  Not the sort of thing I usually do, but I’ve been going down the Super Powers-adjacent rabbit hole the last couple of months and really quite enjoying it.  With McFarlane losing the DC license at the end of the year, there’s some concern about the future of SP-style figures.  One of my personal favorites, Longbox Heroes, just launched a Kickstarter this week for their second series of figures, and if you’re a fan of the style and want to see it continue, I urge you to check that out!  There’s an Arthur and a Tick, and that’s got to at least count for, like, a whole thing!  Okay, that’s the plug, onto the actual review!

Back in the world of Super Powers-adjacent reviews, I’m heading back into Boss Fight’s own similarly styled line, Power Stars.  I looked at Flash Gordon and Ming, and when you’ve gotten the King Features Syndicate rights, then your next stop is very frequently Lee Falk’s The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks.  Predating Superman by two years, Phantom is a very early costumed hero, with a very classic design, which is super great for toys.  And it’s surfaced as a toy going back to even the days of Captain Action.  So, here’s another of those, but now a bit more retro-y.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Phantom is part of the first series of Power Stars.  The whole set was King Features based, but Phantom is the only non-Flash Gordon character from the bunch, so he sort of stands out.  He’s seen here in his classic purple costume, and even still has those striped shorts that the first NECA figure lacked!  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  His movement is the same as Flash and Ming, which is to say it’s pretty good.  His sculpt is again very similar to the others stylistically, but has no actual straight overlap of pieces, with each part getting at least enough small detailing to keep him unique.  I very much like that.  For a character such as the Phantom, who has such a simple design, it’s easy to sort of phone some things in, so things like the patterned sleeve cuffs or the raised ridges on the shorts are really cool to see.  His paint work is pretty basic, but does what it needs to, without any real issues.  I certainly like the actual shades picked, which is another leg up on the NECA figure.  Phantom is packed with a pair of pistols, which he can dual wield, or store in the working holsters on his belt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was grabbing Flash and Ming, and Phantom was also there at the same time, and I figured, why not?  Actually, it was more than that.  He sort of helped sell me on the idea of grabbing more than just Flash.  I had the NECA figures, and they were fine, but they didn’t really do it for me, and so being able to get all three characters in a style that more appeals to my sensibilities was actually pretty nice.  Flash is still my favorite, but Phantom’s no slouch at all.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.