Ghostbusters Review: Winston Zeddemore (& Ecto-1 Ornament)

A few days after Christmas, I finally received what will be the centerpiece of my Ghostbusters collection, a movie accurate figure of Winston Zeddemore. As I said in my Ray review, I really can’t pick a least favorite Ghostbuster. Each one has their strengths and their importance to the overall story. It wouldn’t work if one of them were missing. What I can do, is pick a favorite and it’s always been Winston Zeddemore.

Winston is not introduced until almost halfway through the first film, but, even in his limited screen-time, he got all the good lines. One of the most quoted lines belongs to Winston, he’s the one who instructs Ray how to answer future questions about godhood. From working for a steady paycheck to being turned white by the things he saw, Winston provides the scale of how a common man would relate to the events of the movie. Winston represents the viewer. He’s thrust into this world of ghosts and science right along with us and it’s the Twinkie metaphors that keep us in the loop. Despite his lack of a scientific background, he quickly acclimates and stands alongside the team. When victory is obtained, it’s Winston who gives out the “I love this town” to close out the first film. I loved his character as a kid and I still enjoy him the most hwen I rewatch the films. And now, I’m excited to finally have a toy of my favorite Ghostbuster, even if the line that produced it could use some more love from Mattel.

If Winston is your third purchase in this line like it is mine, you know what to expect from the neck down. I’m still not a big fan of the fact that I’ve paid about $70 for three near-identical figures with different heads. It’s not horribly inaccurate since most of the guys were of average build and around the same height, but it still stings a little more when you see the different pieces mixed and matched on Mattel’s other buck-based lines. Peter should be getting some of his own details (he wore his uniform differently), so that may help. Walter Peck should be a new suit body. And hopefully we’ll see more differences in the figures debuting at NYTF and SDCC. A little more variety would help any Ghostbusters shelf at this point.

Winston’s head is probably the best Ghostbusters likeness so far. They’ve all been decent, but Egon was a little too Al Pacino and Ray’s head seemed out of proportion from some angles – like head on. The only drawback to Winston’s head is that it’s a bit glossier than the other two figures. You can see in the group shots that the glare on him is much higher. I might have to use some dullcote to tone that down because it looks out of place.

Instead of including a pack-in ghost, Winston was given the ghost trap. It’s a cool accessory, but I don’t know if it counts the same asa pack-in. The doors have tabs that extend out a bit for easy opening and the cable is detachable so that it’s as functional as a tiny ghost rap can be. The blue lighting effect fit in seamlessly and is big enough to “capture” Slimer in there if you can find the right balance. There is one big drawback though, the cable is curled from being in the package and it likes to push either the plunger or the trap off the ground. I’m going to have to straighten it out without damaging it.

One thing I was excited about was that Mattel said the Containment Unit (included with Walter Peck in March) will be compatible with the trap. But, as I was disappointed to find out today, the figures can’t hold the traps. The handle is probably of accurate size to the prop, but since it’s smaller than the proton wand, the one-size-fits-all hands can’t hold it. For my pictures, I’ve got Winston holding the cable with it twisted loosely around the arm, and the plunger tucked into the proton pack’s cable. It’s not a deal breaker, but this a silly mistake on a $20 toy.

Like with the other figures, the proton pack is permanently attached. That means it doesn’t count as an accessory. The paint apps (less silver brushing and darker reds) are closer to Ray’s then Egon’s, and the cable connecting the wand is again made out of a sturdier plastic this time around. The upside is that the wand was not as warped by the packaging, but the downside is that cable may be more prone to breaking. Overall, the paintwork on the figure is solid. I didn’t have any issues. Continue to Page 2…

22 thoughts on “Ghostbusters Review: Winston Zeddemore (& Ecto-1 Ornament)

  1. Ghostbusters is the biggest ripoff at MattyCollector. Don’t worry, I buy them too, so my complaining can only go so far. But $20 for the same body over and over. And it won’t change. They can repaint them into the other two costume colors. They can exchange proton packs for the slime cannons. They can slime all of them in a rainbow of slime. The only thing they can’t do is Louis in the uniform from Ghostbusters II.

    1. I wouldn’t say outright no to the dark GB2 uniforms, but I know I shouldn’t. If they do Winston with a proper new head in the darker uniform, I might go for that.

      I won’t call them a ripoff, I just think they’re not a good value. A MOTU figure is much bigger, has more unique parts and better accessories. MOTU is selling better now, but going back to when MOTU started with six-week He-Man I’m surprised Mattel didn’t invest more into the line.

      1. Ghostbusters is licensed. He-Man is not.

        Mattel is just unwilling to cut into their profit per figure ratio and since these sell more like DC Classics than MOTU Classics, I imagine Mattel is hurting on the Ghobusters front. I don’t think the line is in danger. Mattel bought those rights for the third film and eight feet of pegspace it will bring in toy aisles. It’s okay for this to flounder.

  2. Does Winston looks real casual or is that just me?

    I can’t believe they can’t hold the trap accessory. That’s just dumb.

    1. I kinda see a “really?” expression which I think fits.

      I was disappointed by that. Universal hands should mean universal handles, even if it’s not to prop specs.

  3. When I was a kid we had a dog and I insisted we name it after Winston because he was my favorite.

    1. You know, this will make me sound dumb, but here goes.

      We got our first family dog back in 84-85 and it was named Winston. I wonder if I named it that. I’ll have to ask the parents.

    1. I think a lot of fans need confirmation that we’ll get all four before they commit fully. I know of a couple fans who have all three figures so far, but unopened. Ready to sell them off if they don’t get an unslimed Venkman.

      Plus, it’s hard to get excitement up. We have three figures and are still in the beginning of the three month gap between Winston and Walter Peck. I feel “done” almost, but I know I just have to wait until the next release.

  4. I agree with what TomB68 said. It’s a shame that the GBers can’t hold the traps. That would’ve made for some good posing.

    I think, of the figures done in this line, Winston is my favorite as far as looks go. Egon’s my favorite GBer (I dig the nerdy guys 😉 ) but his head sculpt doesn’t look quite right. He looks…. old. Too old for the character anyway. A little like Scott Bakula in “Men of a Certain Age.”

    And the ornament is awesome! I just wish, along with the theme snippet, it had the sound the siren made (as semi-annoying as it was). It would’ve been better if it came with the siren noise and if the red lights lit up and spun like the car.

    But, I guess, that’s probably asking too much.

    1. I think I’d rather it have lights and sounds than the music too. I just found out that Hot Wheels is doing an Ecto-1 and it should be out soon. Hopefully, we can find it despite the Hot Wheels folk being early risers.

  5. i wanna know why winston’s head is so shiny… did he just go for a jog? is this after the boys had to climb the stairs to dana’s apartment? i like that he appears stoned too. that’s nice.

    man, i tell ya, there’s a point there the idea of “exclusives are just more expensive” that i disconnect w/… and it’s evident here. i don’t care if the production run was five, i don’t see 20 bucks worth of toy in these. even MOTUC i still chafe at paying that much and i love them… but they don’t look like 20 bucks worth of toy. i know, everything is getting more expensive and all that, but i don’t buy it. the toy manufacturers are raising costs at retail faster than the cost of materials and labor have gone up… in other words, they’re gouging us. cuz they figured out the magic formula… the ILLUSION of scarcity causes a commensurate ILLUSION of value. oil companies figured out the same crap decades ago. when you have a simple populace, who are detached from an industry whose goods they consume, you can tell them anything at all about how hard it is, how scarce it is, how expensive it is, and the mindless consumer will simply continue consuming. i’m not calling out just mattel here, the entire industry is like this, but some places are better than others. and right now, the only folks trying to offer consumers a “good deal” in toys are the smaller manufacturers!! that immediately and directly puts the lie to the idea that production limits raise costs.

    1. The gloss on the paint is the individual figures biggest weakness. I need to send him up to Lay Ze-Man for deglossing. LOL

      The value is what kills these for me. I want all four (And I’ll have ’em), but paying $80 for the set kinda blows when you get four of the same body, 4 heads, 2 (3?) ghosts and one trap.

  6. If it wasn’t because the GB mini-mates keep falling over due to being terribly unbalanced, I wouldn’t bother with the Classics line (probably). I think it’s hard to appreciate them on their own, when you get one every couple of months and Venkman is still months away and you don’t know when unslimed Egon is coming. Once you can put the whole team together I think it will change a lot of minds. I’m two figures in and feel a little bummed about the line, but I’m confident that once I have the 4 standing side-by-side on my shelf, I’ll fall in love with them. It’s kind of like the X-Men. Who wants Storm standing solo on their shelf? Nobody! You need the whole team.

    1. They can be a pain, but I’m used to it with the mates, none of ’em are balanced! I’ve processed through most of them. I kept the three Stay-Pufts (had to) and I kept the three GBII uniforms (and they better do Egon).

      I do think you’re right. I’ll feel a lot better once Peter’s in my hands (in the Fall…)

      1. Yeah, we need GB2 Egon. I may as well buy him, too, I have all the other guys already. But, again, AA dropped the ball by not having the slime-blowers w/ GB2 Ray & Winston.

  7. Agree on the handle, and yes they are expensive for reused mold, but it’s to be expected.

    I’m just so glad we’re getting freakin’ Ghostbusters movie figures!!!! I’m not too fussed on the slime on Egon… mine’s fairly light. I won’t mind it on Venkman, either (particularly if it’s heavy), and I think it helps individualise them a bit.

    What will piss me off is when they release an Egon with a PKE meter and Ray with his goggles… I just know it’s gonna happen. I’ll probably hold off on Walter Peck as well, because I have a MOTU subcription for March and it’ll cost a buttload to ship one figure to Australia :(. Hopefully Peck will be around when Venkman is released, because I only really want him for the containment unit (cleverly used as an accessory for Peck, otherwise he would hardly sell).

    Plus, another thing with the trap… I reckon it looks better with a ‘buster holding it by the chord, dangling a bit. Plus the foot pedal has a handle that fits perfectly over the fingers of the right hand. I currently have Ray holding it.

    1. I agree that they should hold it by the cord, the handle just bugs me. It’ll bug me more when I get the containment wall.

      If the cord would come unplugged at both ends and I could wrap it and hang it on the belt, I’d be satisifed with that. I’d also like more traps too.

  8. BTW, not sure if it’s the pictures or not, but my Winston is nowhere near that glossy… he looks the same as Ray and Egon do in terms of glossy.

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