Batman: The Animated Series is one of my favorite TV shows of all-time, and easily my number one cartoon. It premiered just before I hit junior high and I was completely obsessed, diligently VHS taping it every Saturday. More often than not, when I'm working on pieces, I have the DVDs on in the background. For whatever reason, the direct-to-video Batman movies don't get the credit they deserve, especially Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The production is top-quality and Phantasm has one of the best costumes in Batman's rogues gallery-- what's not to love?
Produced in Winter 2012, Phantasm is primarily a super-poseable Darth Maul with an in-scale skull head from the Toy Graveyard and a removable kit bashed arm blade. While the colors remain largely intact, I took some liberties with the design-- I wanted more layered, ragged robes for a ghostly effect, topped off with a realistic skull. The metal skull mask design from the movie is amazing, but I felt it looked cheesy when I experimented with the look. I found a realistic-looking human skull would be genuinely terrifying and a believable first incarnation of the Phantasm costume.
I don't normally like real "soft goods" cloth at such a small scale, but when I walked past this figure in the store, I literally saw Phantasm in that little plastic bubble... I fell in love with the hyper-articulated Maul, and still feel it's the perfect base for the character. Ever since its construction, I've been wanting to use the same base for a very different hero...
