1988 Phantom X-19

Did anyone else that grew up in the late 80s/early 90s ever participate in an annual school Christmas fund raising event selling wrapping paper? If so, do you recall the catalog of potential prizes you could claim depending on the amount of wrapping paper sold? Odd questions to be asked but this is where I got my first exposure for the topic of this writeup - the Phantom X-19. I came across it as one of the potential prizes and was very much enamored with it, not enough to go out and sell wrapping paper but it certainly caught my eye, imagination and left a lasting memory for me to seek out as an adult collector. The Phantom X-19 was one of those vehicles that floated around in my subconscious toy collector mind for decades despite never seeing it outside of a wrapping paper catalog and the internet.

When it comes to collecting over the past 10 years I cannot always recollect the exact time I acquired something for my collection. Acquisitions during collecting do not unlock those same core memories or nostalgia like those from childhood or even my late teens/early 20s era but I can confidently say that the Phantom X-19 has come into my collection at some point over the last 10 years. I would say it lived up to the expectations I had for it as a child.  The design even today nearly 40 years later still feels very modern. When watching Top Gun: Maverick a few years ago and the Darkstar experimental jet was shown my mind went immediately to the Phantom X-19. The jet is based on the F-19 (credit to Formbx257), the fighter everyone anticipated would be the Stealth Fighter during the 1980s prior to the F-117 Nighthawk being unleashed onto the world in Operation Desert Storm. ERTL Force One (a very cool not often discussed toy line in it's own right) released a version of the F-19 in the 1980s. My older brother received for his birthday at some point in the late 80s and I remember using it heavily in our plastic army men battles at my grandmother's house over the years through the mid 90s. It's very obvious Hasbro used the F-19 as the basis for the Phantom X-19 and did a great job combining military realism, experimental aircraft design into a great toy. It honestly looks like it could have been a Skunk Works prototype.

The size, features, colors and design of the aircraft really work well together. The sleek aerodynamic profile of the Phantom X-19 along with it's size, being 28" long which is the longest aircraft in the ARAH run (credit Formbx257) gives off a very different look than it's predecessors the Skystriker and Conquest X-30. Where those look much more like standard fighter jets of the era, the Phantom X-19 has always been more of a stealth spy plane used for reconnaissance or a high altitude bomber with it's two guided missiles (or bombs). To me it is the GI Joe equivalent to the Night Raven (not the Condor). The black and grey base being broken up by the bright neon yellow actually works pretty well, it's not a garish use of neon. The wing mounted guns are probably the weakest point just because the pop out feature does not work reliably and the guns would have been better served in a grey or silver color. The sliding rail canopy is a unique feature much like the Night Raven's lowering and raising cockpit. It gives a nice view of both the pilot/co-pilot with the nice tinted blue glass. My favorite features are the airbrake and the landing gear. It's an odd thing to appreciate but I think those small features are fantastic, the attention to detail just makes me appreciate what Hasbro was doing when GI Joe was king of the toy aisle and their creative department was running on all cylinders.

As mentioned above the Phantom X-19 is almost more of a world building piece to me. It plays a role when called upon, it serves as a nice backdrop to the Skystriker and Conquest logjam on an airfield but it's not a jet that I would deem necessary to have more than one of. Need recon photos of a Cobra island or a guided bomb dropped then it is perfect. It's hard to envision it ever being in a dogfight and even as a kid when I first came across it I felt similarly when I would daydream about it and how it would have fit into my adventures. The Phantom X-19 also comes with a pilot, Ghostrider. His design is a good match in terms of colors used although a jet capable of Mach 3 would probably make more sense to have a pilot in a suit like Ace's v1 design. I'll delve into Ghostrider more in a different write-up if I get to it.

Not sure what the popularity of the Phantom X-19 was in it's heyday. I cannot recall ever coming across one "in the wild" as a kid. My only experience was seeing it in the wrapping paper catalog as a prize/reward as mentioned earlier.  Even in the present day collecting climate it does not seem to move the needle like the Skystriker, Conquest, Rattler or Night Raven. In the Joe aircraft hierarchy those are all the top echelon/most iconic jets of the line and the Phantom X-19 and anything release after 1986 doesn't have the same level of popularity. It's release year of 1988 saw it as the largest aircraft available that year. It's design actually fits in really well with that of the Skystorm chopper also released in 1988- two futuristic designs one would come across in an issue of Popular Mechanics from the 1980s that mesh well together. Makes me wonder if Hasbro did that intentionally.

When I check the aftermarket the prices range all over the place depending on condition and completeness (with shipping costs also playing a role). The price range all seems to be pretty static over the past 5 years too. The most common missing item is the front nose cone which I have seen missing from several otherwise complete X-19s on the aftermarket. It's also a fairly expensive piece to procure on it's own. The 3D print community filled the void with several different Ebay vendors offering a nose cone that does fairly well as a replacement. I did purchase a 3D printed nose cone and had it for awhile but eventually bit the bullet to get the original nose cone which cost me $30 or so dollars at the time I purchased it probably 5-6 years ago.

Operating off assumption but I would think most O-ring collectors with the available space to have this jet probably already have one. I do think it's a worthwhile vehicle for a collection and could be a fun restoration project. Even 40 years later it really does not look like it's a dated design especially when compared to the Skystriker and Night Raven which were based off two Cold War era aircraft.