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<\/a>I saw some somber news checking Twitter after leaving work this evening: Mattel has cancelled the 2012 Club Ecto-1 subscription program. There appears to be some shuffling going to keep the line alive and the subscription no longer fit in those plans. It kinda sucks, but the line\u2019s not dead yet.<\/p>\nFor starters, I had a sinking suspicion last week when Mattel announced the reopening of all the 2012 subscription programs except<\/em> Ecto-1. I wasn’t sure to make of it or what Mattel meant with last week’s caveat: <\/p>\n *Yes, we know Ghostbusters\u2122 Club Ecto-1 is not reopened at this time. Updated information about Club Ecto-1 will be announced soon. We have a few additional non-subscription items we are working on so, stay tuned for more news from your favorite paranormal investigators and exterminators!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Roughly a week later, it turns out that all the Ghostbusters items are non-subscription.<\/strong> Here’s tonight’s announcement: <\/p>\n Ghostbusters\u2122 Fans,<\/p>\n Like you, we’re disappointed that the subscription will be going away for 2012, but to show our appreciation for you fans who stepped up and bought a 2012 subscription, we’re working on a “thank you” just for you. Stay tuned as we’ll have something special coming for you in appreciation for your support.<\/p>\n Please know that the Ghostbusters line isn’t over! To do right by all Ghostbusters fans, we’re still moving forward with the previously announced figures for 2012 (Ready to Believe You Peter with Taxi Cab Ghost, The Rookie, Dana as Zuul) and a fourth figure in the fall, to be announced. These figures will be available at our regular monthly sales. Like our other lines, costs have risen since the brand was launched and the price of the 6″ figures will increase to $22 each.<\/p>\n Again, on behalf of the team, thanks for being a loyal fan. Long live the Ghostbusters!<\/p>\n \u2014Matty<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As a newly-former Ghostbusters subscriber, this didn’t fill me with lots of hope, so I hit up the Ask Matty Ghostbusters Forum<\/a> in search of something more. Toy Guru had made a few posts testing out the “loud, but not numerous” line (that I imagine GB collectors will enjoy about as much as the JLU collectors have) alongside one more concrete post about how 2012 will play out for Ghostbusters Classics: <\/p>\n The current plan is for 4 new 6″ figures sold day of only for 2012. The four will be Peter with Labcoat and taxi cab ghost, Dana as Zuul, the Rookie with trap and orange effect, and a fourth figure to be announced. The first three are already tool’d and there won’t be any changes at this time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![](\"newsimages\/matty\/peterTN.jpg\")
<\/a> You know how much love the Matty team has for Ghostbusters, and although we were ready to support a subscription in 2012, sales were lower than we expected. We regret to announce that we have to cancel the 2012 Club Ecto-1 subscription. All 2012 orders will be promptly refunded. If you purchased a 2012 subscription, you should see the refund in your account within 5-7 business days of your refund being processed, depending on your bank. All 2011 subscriptions will continue to ship as scheduled.<\/p>\n![](\"newsimages\/matty\/rookieTN.jpg\")
<\/a>“Now on to brighter news. In celebration of the boo bustin’ boys’ favorite time of the year, we’re going to re-release some of your favorite figures during a special Ghostbusters Halloween sale. The sale will run from 10\/17 through 10\/31, and it’s the perfect time to fill in any missing characters in your collection and stock up on favorites. But wait\u2026 yes, there’s more! Not only will we have a great selection of characters, the October 17 sale will also bring the long-awaited Ghost Trap prop, plus the return of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!<\/p>\n![](\"newsimages\/matty\/danaTN.jpg\")
<\/a> If you’re asking why the sub (and the guaranteed sales it brought) is cancelled, it’s because Mattel can’t\/won’t fulfill the seven figure obligation it puts them under. That part makes sense, but still having to have the price increase is unfortunate. The bright side is that we each have the opportunity to reassess the figures at $22. I was looking forward to Labcoat Peter & the Taxi Cab Ghost as well as the Rookie with the new gear, but I’m not so interested in Dana as Zuul – particularly if she’s going to turn out as bad as Vinz Clortho. <\/p>\n
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Anyway, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. As has been well-documented here at IAT, I quit the Ghostbusters Classics line in early 2010 because it wasn’t going in a direction I enjoyed enough to spend money on. I let the line go (and so did many of my fellow site owners it seemed, it was difficult to find reviews to link to for our