Ghostbusters - Rooftop Temple Diorama

Ghostbusters

Diamond Select Toys 7-inch Figures

Rooftop Temple Diorama

The Destructor has come!  After close to a year in the making, the final wave of Diamond Select's Ghostbusters has arrived and the massive rooftop temple diorama is complete!  While the figures have been hit and miss as far as likenesses and execution, this playset makes it all worthwhile.  It's roughly 34 inches wide, 15 inches tall, and 18 inches deep!  I always hear fans on action figure boards use the excuse of "I don't have room for that" in dismissing playsets and such.  I suspect that there are other reasons to deny such awesomeness (such as a spouse that would "freak" *whip crack sound*). Whatever your lame reasons, just know that if you have collected any kind of GB merchandise over the years, your collection is nullified by this toy's absence, sub-creature.

We'll kick things off with a look at some of our favorite human supporting characters.  This is the third Walter Peck toy ever, after a Minimate and Mattel's release.  Mattel's 6-inch figure was one of the best likenesses in that line, and here I would say the same for Diamond.  Just look at that smirk!  Although Mattel might have this one beat with the accessory included:  a section of firehouse wall with the containment unit.  Here he only came with one of the more massive sections of the diorama.  Oh, well, the containment unit still looks good with this take!

There have been Janine figures in Real Ghostbusters form and Ghostbusters 2 slut-attire, but never before has there been a representation of her from the original film.  Aside from the glasses being a bit big, it's fantastic.  She also has some great accessories:  a phone, the bell signal button, and a couple boxes of "the last of the petty cash."

Louis Tully and Dana Barrett, or Vinz "The Keymaster" Clortho and Zuul "The Gatekeeper - The sculpt on Dana is either weak, or ruined by paint apps.  That, and she can't stand on her own.  Louis' sculpt is better, though Mattel's version had this one beat on accessories (pizza, popcorn, and Terror Dog headpiece...yes, have some!)  Mattel also gave us an alternate head with the colander hat/helmet, which is pretty iconic.  Here they are next to the Terror Dog statues that are pretty solid diorama pieces.




One weakness of the series is this pair of character variants. Mattel choked us and their line to death with them. Thankfully, Diamond only made us buy two to complete the diorama: Slimed Venkman and "Quittin' Time" Ray.  I like the dirty look for Ray, just like I enjoy battle damaged decos of superhero toys.  I just wish he came with a pack of cigarettes and one to put in his mouth, like the scene where they come into the firehouse complaining about a long day and hire Winston on the spot.  I actually got into an argument on a GB forum about this..."boo hoo, smoking is evil!" vs "I didn't say lack of cigarettes ruined the figure, I said it would have been nice!" Anyway, I reminded him that no one is keeping him from his safe space that is the relatively smoke (and joke) free Ghostbusters 2,  that these toys are labeled "adult collectibles," and that Neca already gave us a smoking Flasher Gremlin that could be purchased in Toys R Us.  It's not like I asked for an "Implied Ghost Blowjob" Ray variant.  What an asshole...:P

Slimed Venkman would make more sense, with a neutral "he slimed me" head rather than screaming.  I mean, to make the screaming head work, this is the fraction of the second Slimer passed through him?  Also, the head looks a little more like Will Forte to me.  All in all unnecessary, but decent character variants.

Slimer can carry us over to the ghosts.  In my opinion, these are all a step up from the Mattel figures, particularly with the Librarian and Taxi Driver:  great sculpts and paint.  The details of what you can see through the Librarian's tattered dress are truly frightening (side boob, weird tail tendrils), and the Taxi Driver gets fully fleshed out from the waist down for the first time ever.  Slimer has three different, interchangeable faces.  One looks a lil too GB 2 cartoony for my tastes, so I will be sticking with the standard or the mouth-full-of-hotdogs look.

For accessories, you get some symmetrically stacked books, the mangled steering wheel of a cab, and some "flight stands".  The stands are frustrating as they can barely support the figures weight, no matter how many sections you remove.  They may require some tightening with a screwdriver.  There is a spot to connect Slimer and his stand to the right side of the diorama, but I have yet to get him to stay in place.

The only ghost left in the cold by Diamond is the "Subway" ghost.  Mattel's fills in nicely if you've got one.

Gozer and Terror Dogs - The biggest failing of the Mattel line was the lack of these key, first movie villains.  NECA did a set (along with Slimer) back in the early part of this millennium, but those have been rendered unobtainable by over-inflated Ebay prices.

Being lucky enough to have the NECA Gozer, I can say that Diamond only has her beat in articulation.  NECA's, however, has a set of interchangeable lightning hands and a second scary, open-mouth headsculpt.  Diamond threw in an extra head, but I can't tell much difference other than a slightly open mouth.  It's almost as disappointing as if they hadn't included one at all.

I don't have the NECA Terror Dogs to compare these to, but I like what I got here.  Lots of appropriate articulation.  I especially like the hinged jaw.  You do have to buy two of these to make right by the movie, but to make it better, Diamond has thrown in another set of shorter horns so you can differentiate between Vinz and Zuul.

It's the boys in gray (or faded-gray, tan, khaki, or whichever color variation you get depending on which film transfers/saturation you're watching) here to bust some heads...in a spiritual sense, of course!  The detail on the fight suits is top-notch, and the articulation makes for some great poses where other versions have failed before.

The proton packs are separate pieces that also look fantastic.  The only downside is that they were not meant to be removable, but totally look like they should be.  You can carefully pop the little peg on the strap where the shoulder and waist straps meet, but this met with varied results.  On some, the peg or strap broke, other were just fine.  I suppose one could use little magnets to fix any mishaps and allow for easy on/off access.  This feature seems like a strange oversight (particularly with "quittin' time" Ray, who was not featured pack-on with that look) by Diamond.  Also, while the v-hook to connect the wand to the pack is accurate, it's way too small and flimsy to keep it connected for too long.

Likenesses are hit and miss.  Ray/Dan Aykroyd is probably the strongest.  Egon/Harold Ramis is almost there, but marred by over-large, wrong style glasses.  Peter/Bill Murray is a light suggestion that could be stronger with better paint apps. And Winston/Ernie Hudson is way off (while Mattel knocked this one out of the park.)  Just for comparison's sake, here's a look at some of the Mattel figures I recently found at a discount store (sans Egon - I really just bought these for the ghost logo.)

Overall, it's a mixed bag on the Ghostbusters themselves.  Nothing so bad that dissuaded me from buying them, of course.  They come with quite a number of accessories:  alternate gloved/bare hands, Motorola MT-500 walkie-talkies, a PKE meter (Egon), Ecto-goggles (Ray), ghost trap (Ray), and proton streams.

Aim for the flattop!

Some time back, in anticipation of this series and the diorama, I bought Diamond's 24-inch tall Stay Puft bank.  He's been waiting so patiently.  I...I couldn't help it...it just popped in there:

What just popped in there?

What did you do, Ray?!  Oh, Shit!

It may not have any articulation, but it's the biggest, most solid representation out there.  The paint apps are great, especially the blue hues they added here and there to give him some dimension.
There's an angry-faced version out there that might be preferable to some.  Buy both, just to be a completist?  They are kind of expensive for hollow banks, so one will do for me.  Hey, at least I didn't puss out with "I don't have space for two Stay Pufts."















Well, there you have it...quite an awesome set, if you ask me!  And there's just enough breathing room to take it all in before Diamond hits us with Ghostbusters 2 and Real Ghostbusters figures in the fall!  This time we're getting the facade of the firehouse HQ as a diorama.  Still no word on tackling GB 2016...(sarcasm) What a crime.

Gremlins Ultimate Gizmo

Gremlins Ultimate Gizmo

NECA Toys

"Bright light!"

Nothing says "we're done" with a line like a company issuing an "ultimate" version of a figure that includes variations of several figures you've already paid out for as a loyal fan.  It has been a great run, with NECA producing a good mix of Mogwai and Gremlins from both movies.  The sculpts and paint have been, for the most part, great. I think I enjoyed collecting the Mogwai a little more...might have something to do with being able to move their eyes around. Anyway, enjoy a look at this final figure and take a look back at all the Gremlins I collected from this line.

Gizmo Caca!

"Cute...isn't it?"

"To survive a war, you gotta become war."

Do you think the Gremsters can stand up to the Hulkster?!

Hollywood Hogan

Hollywood Hogan

Storm Collectibles - Ringside Collectibles Exclusive

Storm Collectibles and Ringside have joined forces to bring you the most controversial action figure since "Math Class is Tough" Barbie.  Yes, the WWE and Mattel might have tried to erase the legend, but there are still Hulkamaniacs out there runnin' wild and there's money to be made!  Hulk's bad guy, New World Order turn made it as far as prototype designs before the scandal pulled the plug on any current and future merchandise.  How well does this figure fill that gap in the collection?  Pretty good, if you ask me, brother! As you can see above, he stands in scale perfectly with Mattel's figures. 

The paint and articulation is better than you would get from other companies (which might make him stand out too much amongst your Mattel figures.)  Double-jointed elbows, upper torso ball joint, and "butterfly" shoulders can give you more and better classic Hulk posing than ever before.  Also, something else he has going over Mattel:  he has nipples!  Why don't most wrestling figures have nipples?  They will go out of their way to flock George "The Animal" Steele with faux body hair but not give him nipples?!  Weird.

Check out the apps on the boots and tights!

He also has more accessories than your standard Mattel Elite figure.  You get an extra set of gripping hands and several removable clothing items: bandanna, sunglasses, cross necklace, black and white "feather" boas, weight belt, and shirt.

There are a few nitpicks about this otherwise awesome figure.  The crotch section is just a rubber piece that kind of floats over the t-joint legs.  Because of that, it takes some readjusting when posing to cover up the floating look between the waist and torso.  And while you do get better articulation, paint, and accessories, it does all come at a slightly higher price than a Mattel Elite.  Hollywood Hogan runs wild at $35, which is about $15 more.  I think it's worth it for the quality, let alone the uncertainty that we'll ever see Mattel get to do a take.  Don't miss your chance to fill this important gap in your collection.  It's just too sweet!

NWO for life!

Spider-man Homecoming Marvel Legends

Spider-man Homecoming Marvel Legends

Hasbro 6-inch figures

Well, Spider-man Homecoming is out and it's passable.  Spider-meh?  It's better than the last three Spidey movies, but not good enough to make me want to buy it's movie-themed action figures.  As I've mentioned before, movie and tv figures are generally placeholders on my shelf until comic accurate figures take their place.  I might have gone in for the movie Vulture because Michael Keaton is always rad...but the figure doesn't come with an unmasked head, and he's wing-less unless you buy the whole wave of figures!  What a lame "build-a-figure" concept this time!  Let's take a look at the figures I did get from this wave, without their wing pieces...as they are heading to Ebay.

Spider-man was once granted enhanced abilities by the Uni-Power to become Captain Universe.  All of his regular abilities got amped up and he could fly...so long web cartridges!  He also got the CU costume, which leaves only the mouth portion identifiable as Spider-man.


Love the shiny, cosmic blue with the white speckles.  The figure would be pretty basic if it didn' come with 2 alternate heads:  a traditional CU head, and a bearded Peter Parker (from an alternate universe where he got to keep the powers?)  I added some "cosmic" power effects from DC Universe Classics Firestorm to make him picture perfect.







Moon Knight is a kind of a Batman rip-off with some Egyptian mysticism and even more mental health problems.  This is the second Marvel Legends figure of MK, with the first being a more classic interpretation in the Toy Biz days.  I like this modern take pretty well.  It's not a huge departure from the classic look, and sports some nifty "armor plating" that is separately molded pieces.  He comes with the often-repacked separating staff, alternate hands, a large moon weapon, and three very small moon weapons (that could very easily be mistaken for nail clippings if left anywhere in your living room.)











Finally!  The most preferred Beetle look fans have been asking for!  Toy Biz released the big, armored Beetle back in the day, and Hasbro decided to go with Ultimate Beetle and Lady Beetle before we got this.  The Sinister Syndicate is complete!  This is the second costume for the original Abner Jenkins Beetle.  I doubt there is any demand for the first, for obvious reasons.  Creepy!

He's got some nifty articulation for the shell and wings.  This allows many fun flight poses and can be removed from the figure when not in use.

Tombstone is everyone's favorite albino, African-American enforcer!  He also happens to be the father of the Lady Beetle mentioned above.  Originally just one tough mutha with a skin condition and filed-down teeth, he gained some enhanced strength and invulnerability from some experimental gas...typical.  He also gained some fashion sense, ditching weird outfits like this and donning tailored suits and ties.  But since suited action figures are kinda boring, this outfit will do.

Spider-man and Mary Jane

Spider-man and Mary Jane

Marvel Legends Two-pack

Plus:  Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy customs

Spider-man has one of the most recognizable casts of supporting, non-powered characters in all of comicdom.  Outside of the Superman and Batman families (Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Alfred Pennyworth) most people have at least heard of Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, and Aunt May.  If you have been to the movies in the past 15 years, how could you not?

While there have been some movie figures here and there in the past, Hasbro's Marvel Legends is finally giving these characters the 6-inch comic treatment. (Well, for the most part. Sometimes you have to make due with just the head.)

This Toys R Us exclusive pack delivers a full-fledged Mary Jane Watson.  She may not be the classic 60's look that most fans would prefer, but I'll take modern over nothing.  The outfit is kinda bland, but there is some nice fading going on with the jeans.  The head sculpt is where this figure shines.  She has some great detailing on the ends of her hair, and the freckles on her face are a nice touch.  M.J. comes with one accessory: a handbag.  I didn't call is a purse, because I wouldn't want to offend the Green Goblin or Hobgoblin for shopping at the same store.  

M.J. comes packed with a redecoed  "Pizza" Spider-man.  I assume (with the difference in the leg pattern and spider symbols) that this is a modern take on the suit.  He has some neat, green shadowing in his eyes and around the chest symbol.  Radioactive blood side-effects? (Sorry, I don't know -- I haven't read a Spider-book since the horrible Clone Saga).  He comes with some different hands and an unmasked Peter Parker head.  This head should have been included with "pizza" Spidey, but if it helps get Mary Jane out there, so be it.  

All-in-all, not a bad set.  $40 might sound a bit steep, but I can't see Mary Jane being offered as a single-packed figure.  

Using the unmasked head accessory and a dirt-cheap Batman v. Superman Lex Luthor figure, you can make a pretty decent, modern Peter Parker in civilian clothes.  The neck peg had to be built up a bit.  I did so by using some masking tape.  Fits snug, and no damage done to either component...but who cares about hurting a Jesse Eisenberg Lex, right?  I added a camera accessory from the old Toy Biz Spider-man Pete.

Having purchased the Spider-Gwen figure from a couple waves back, I had been searching for a decent civilian body that might work with the unmasked Gwen Stacy head.  I found that a head-swap with Diamond Select Toys' iZombie Liv figure looks great and only needs some paint if desired.  I will be tackling this modern take on Gwen with some green for her coat and purple for her skirt.  

So, there you have it.  I've got Mary Jane, Gwen, and J.J., Hasbro...all that's left is Aunt May with Ms. Lion accessory.  If she needs to come in a two-pack with Firestar, even better!  I don't care how many Spidey variations you make me buy to get this done...make mine Marvel!  Or at least give me a piece of a figure that I can customize using a DC figure.