Since RTBY Egon is a low investment figure, he does include something that is sadly all too rare in the line – a proper ghost! In this case, it’s the Library Ghost from the beginning of the first film. Like Nunzio Scoleri, she’s a little undersized, but she’s easily the best ghost yet. Slimer holds a special place in my heart of course, but the cool detail work on the Librarian is hard to deny – and that face sculpt is downright creepy. Paintwise, she’s molded clear and painted in varying degrees for a cool fading effect at the edges. The Library Ghost includes three swivel joints at the head and shoulders as well as the standard… uh, stand.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle over Egon’s accessory. If you’re a sharp-eyed Ghostbusters fan, then you know that Egon had a stethoscope in the commercial while the PKE Meter was off and hanging out of Venkman’s pocket. I can’t find the link at the moment, but Toy Guru noted that they’d taken a stab at the stethoscope and the results were less than stellar. 1/12th scale stethoscopes do exist though, so I might seek one out if I get ambitious (I don’t really mind that he doesn’t have a stethoscope, but I gotta mention it).
What Egon did include was three PKE Meters, two of which are new sculpts. Each represents the PKE Meter in various states of activity – off, on, and… really on? Wings partially extended and fully extended basically. They’re all nice pieces with sharp decos and I did laugh when I saw the “off” meter didn’t have any paint on the screen. The only problem I have with the Meters is that Egon can’t hold them all that well. I’m not sure what Peck’s hands were designed for, but it wasn’t holding PKE Meters. They’ll balance in there, but it’s not the same fit we’re used to with the wands. It’s not a deal-breaker, but in a line that needs to be done so cheaply, you’d think they would’ve skipped having two different sets of hands.
Overall, this figure isn’t going to set the world on fire. Heck, the whole line appears to be operating a shade or two above the minimum amount of interest possible – the price is high, the part reuse is heavy, and even my inner child has a hard time going “wow! a guy in a lab coat!” even if it is Egon Spengler.
That said, if you’re buying the line, there’s some fun to be had with this figure. It’s mostly a 4H sculpt, it looks good on the shelf, and he’s from the one subset of Ghostbusters that we know Mattel will finish (though, I oddly want a plainclothes Winston to hang out with ’em). If you’re buying the line for the ghosts, as some are, the Library Ghost is a great addition to the little roster. If you’re still buying the line to give the accessories to your main guys, as some are, then three PKE Meters in various states ain’t bad (where’s that figure with three proton streams?). Basically, if you’re buying Ghostbusters Classics, then you’re going to pop this figure onto your shelf and be satisfied – if you’re thinking about getting into the line? Well, don’t start with this one… okay?
Check out our Ghostbusters Classics Collector’s Guide.
That last pic is great!
Thanks!
“yeah no human can stack books like that.” favorite line from ghostbusters.
Tell ’em about the Twinkie.
LOL. I have to say that all my favorite GB lines are spoken by one man: Ernie Hudson.
It’s a nice figure, but sadly Mattel had killed my interest in the line a long time ago. If they do an accessory pack before they kill teh lien, I might bite…
I was kinda wondering if that was what would be a good item to sell to subscribers would be – the gear. I doubt the special item will be anything cool though.
They really need to do some box sets combining the ghosts in the top pic with the team in labcoats or in the RGB colors or something. Take some pre-orders to see if people bite cause I would be in….
I’m not sure what they’re going to do. I’m curious if the line will even go on beyond this “4th figure”.
The comment about the PKE meter says volumes, really.
OTOH they could have just made one, right? so…I don’t even know.
I’m glad they did this, definitely not knocking that. Better to get all three than just repacking the old one. It’s just weird how the toy world works.
I always want some of the ghosts from this line
Mattel miscalculated on the ghosts, I think. It’s a crying shame we have so few, regardless of what the logistics dictated.
I’m beginning to think they’re purposely packaging all the good ghosts with shitty variants no one wants.
Definitely. Only the shitty figures allow for the tooling to be spent on the ghosts. š
Question: Can these “Generic” lab coat figures cross-over into the DC Universe? I can think of several examples like Black Mask, Doc Magnus or change the lab coat to a suit jacket and pop a Lex head on it. Customizers would love a civillian “Army Builder” for Perry White, Pre-Human Metallo, or tons of other “suits”.
Are there some stupid contractual elements that forbid it?
I’m sorry, I have to do this. DR, Noisy, forgive me.
That’s a really logical, sane idea. Of COURSE it can’t happen! I’m sure there’s SOME reason Mattel can come up with for not being able to do that thing.
I mean, not like they have a suited buck from Two-Face (and Walter Peck of course), and I think there’s a Comish. Gordon in suit and raincoat just out in a 2-pack? So put Luthor’s head on an existing suited buck? IMPOSSIBLE! MADNESS!! š
and hush yo mouth ’bout a Doc Magnus figure. You make me crazy with wanting. š
They don’t crossover the bucks. š The suit bodies for Ghostbusters are different than the suit bodies for Dark Knight.
The scales also don’t quite mesh. Mattel says the lines are all 6″ scale, but the Movie Masters are smaller than the DCUCs.
Between mattel-owned properties, it would be crazy not to reuse where possible. But given that these are licenced figures, it makes sense that they can’t use the bucks across lines.
But Batman/DCU aren’t Mattel owned either. Re-cutting/re-purposing existing tooling is one of the main ways of recouping the costs of said tooling.
See also Kenner. I won’t even make a Bolo launcher reference here. š
see, here’s where i have to say… where are the mattel lawyers? because the simple answer to this is, no, right now, mattel can’t cross apply bucks across licenses because essentially, the licensor owns the materials… but that’s a TERRIBLE contract from mattel’s standpoint. they should be writing contracts that allow the licensor to rights to the finished product, and not a damned step earlier in the creation process… so like, the licensor does not get rights to the paint masters, or any of the protos, and certainly not the master tools. if mattel’s lawyers aren’t writing contracts keeping mattel in charge of all the production materials, either A) they lack the clout they used to have to keep things profitable for them (cuz those molds ARE mattel’s bread and butter, and are in all fairness, their business and no one else’s) or B) they’re too damned incompetent to do their jobs properly.
either way, if mattel was effectively defining the master tools as tools of their trade, and thus proprietary to their business model, they could cross apply bucks and a crapload of their figures would look the same, but their toys would be cheaper.
DR, I’m not calling you out but I do have to ask, just how sure are you about that ‘licensor owns the materials’ issue?
I understand the IP. I understand the distinctive likenesses. I understand that ‘proton pack’ is a distinct design part of the IP. But a male body in a baggy jumpsuit? Just router out the bits that make it ‘Ghostbusters’ specific and it’s a male body in a baggy jumpsuit.
It’s not like Sony/Columbia is going to run to China and have the multi-ton tooling shipped off to Macau for their own use.
I SUSPECT any comments from Mattel about what a licensor owns may be boilerplate from some other question.
Now, mind, I’m sure the USE of the molds in their unaltered state is controlled by the license. Mattel can’t whip out their own line of “Phantom Containers’ figures with new heads on the unchanged in any way GB bodies. I get that.
But if Kenner could turn a Gammorian Guard into Friar Tuck… just saying, OK? š
(actually, I bet it boils down to internal politics. Look at the replies about the MotU Polly Pockets thing. “we can’t do anything, that’s THEIR department! “)
I don’t know about this one. I mean, I’ve stopped collecting these. There is just so little variation, I really think that these don’t really deserve this price point, especially the new, $22 bucks price. The Dana figure looks nice, and I would like the Ray with the slime blower, but I don’t know…
I’ve resolved to be back in. I do think the price point isn’t really great, but I do know that I’ll have the core guys and the ghosts in my collection for a long time to come with no regrets. Dana is the one I’m not sure on at the moment.
Well thanks to the new Ghostbusters video slot machine “Ready To Believe You” Winston now does exist. If this line lasts another full year he will show up.