Tuesday, October 22, 2024

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: The Phantom of the Opera (The Silver Screen Edition) from Universal Studios Monsters by Sideshow Toys

 

   I've done a couple silly or cutesy reviews over the past couple days, so let's get back to something really scary with a look at the Silver Scream Edition of the Phantom of the Opera from Sideshow Toys' Universal Studios Monsters toyline. I've looked at one figure from this line already this year (Frankenstein from series 1), so let's jump in and take a look at a series 2 figure. Lon Chaney's Phantom was part of the regular series 2 alongside of the Bride of Frankenstein and the Creature, but was also part of a Toys 'R Us exclusive "The Silver Screen Edition" series which offered the figures in a black & white greyscale color scheme. Sideshow has been one of the most prolific companies to release Universal Monsters merchandise (they still do today), and they included far more characters than most other companies, going back to the silent era films and including more sci-fi characters like the Metaluna Mutant and the Mole People. The Phantom was one of the few characters to get a true non-color scheme variant in the line with a Mask of the Red Death variant in series five. This is the basic Phantom, though, and sculpt and paint-wise, I think it's held up pretty well. Let's check out the Phantom of the Opera after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 8 inches

Articulation: Hinged knees, V-swivel hips, swivel waist, swivel shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, and a swivel head. 

Accessories: Display base, 2 portraits, and a cape.

Year of Release: 2000

Original Retail Price: $10 dollars







The Positives:

* This figure really looks good in that greyscale/ black and white color scheme. Usually I prefer colorized versions of characters from black & white films, but this one just really appeals to me. This figure is now 24 years old (which means it originally came out when I was a Sophomore or Junior in high school), but I haven't had it that long. I probably bought it back in 2009 or 2010 when it was only about a decade old. I think it's held up quite well. It's articulated, yeah, but it's still mostly meant to be displayed rather than truly played with. The Phantom's suit is nicely detailed with a tie of some kind (a cravat, perhaps?) and buttons on the cummerbund. He's a bit preposed, but I think it works. 







* The portrait is the star of the show here and brilliantly captures an incredibly expressive look of Chaney's Phantom. From what I've been able to find, this line was sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigson, who definitely did a killer job on these. That grin, those eyes, and those teeth? Just fantastic. This is definitely one of my favorite portraits of the Phantom of all time and the greyscale paint makes it look even better than the color version. 






* The Phantom comes with a second portrait that is wearing a hat and the weird mask he uses to look more human. It's very off-putting and bizarre, but in a great way. The way the mouth is covered is just so darn weird. I love it! The head takes a bit of pressure to swap but the neck peg is really think and chunky, so it's plenty durable.





* From the back you can see some nice work on the Phantom's snazzy tuxedo. He's a snappy dresser!














* The Phantom completes his outfit with a very thick soft goods cape. It's a really nicely made piece. Probably too thick, sure, but it doesn't look horribly out of scale or anything. Soft goods used to almost always be a weak point on smaller than 1/6th scale figures so this one was surely a nice standout at the time. 







* The figures in this line each come with a display stand that also serves as a nameplate for the film and the star. The Phantom's looks like some old stone steps with a bit of carpet running next to it. It's basic, though the texture on the stone is nice, and it keeps him standing up alongside the other figures in the line.



* Here's a closeup of the name plate. This one is nice and shiny with Lon Chaney's name and the year of the film's release (1925) below the title. These are just so darn classy and cool!








* In my review of Frankenstein, I mentioned that these figures were pretty on par for articulation for the time (and maybe even a bit ahead of some figures). Series 1 was quite prone to breakage but series 2 seemed to fix the problems of the clear plastic joints that disintegrated.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, the elbows are loose and can just come out. It's weird and I'm not sure why the joints don't stay in. The addition of V-swivel hips is also a weird new feature.



   I'm really trying to remember if I ever saw any of these on store shelves. Maybe at places like Media Play or in ToyFare magazine? The Universal Monsters definitely weren't too much on my radar at the time but looking back I wish I'd collected these instead of some of the other things from the late 1990s and early 2000s I collected. Are they great action figures? They have some decent movement but the joints have problems and they're really meant for display. Are the great likenesses though? Absolutely. I love the unmasked portrait of the Phantom here and getting things like swappable heads and a fabric cape would have still been quite novel in 2000. This is a Great and a 1/2 figure and the display presence on the shelf is just excellent, especially with that cool display stand. I'm honestly thinking about working on completing a set of these over the next year or so. I wonder how difficult that would be? Some of the later figures were produced in more limited numbers.


 If you're looking for more of the Phantom of the Opera then check out my review of Funko's ReAction The Phantom of the Opera, Super7's ReAction of The Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death, and The Phantom from Monster in My Pocket.

For more reviews from Sideshow's Universal Studio Monsters line check out the following:





2 comments:

  1. Very nice. But yeah that alternative head is freaky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure is. It's supposed to make him less creepy, but it sure doesn't work.

      Delete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?