Ectotron and Starscream's Ghost

Ectotron and Starscream's Ghost

Ghostbusters/Transformers

Hasbro

Gozer is trying her hand at taking over Cybertron and the Transformers dimension.  Sure, why not?  That's the Traveler's MO and team-ups seem to be IDW's thing these days.  I liked the Batman/Ninja Turtles book, and all of their Ghostbusters books so far.  I haven't read this one yet, so I'm not sure how or why the Ecto-1 becomes a sentient Transformer...but it sure looks cool!  So cool that backstory isn't even necessary.  This is the kind of mash-up toy I had hoped for with the Transformers Star Wars letdown.  (The robots were basically mech suits that looked like their drivers instead of being separate characters.)

Is it worth $50?  Depends.  The concept works:  I think both car and bot mode look great.  The transformation is simple enough.  I like all the Ghostbusters nods like the name tag and the ecto-goggles on the head. Having the proton pack rigged inside the roof rack worked better than I thought it would.  The packaging was a nice throwback to old-school, Generation One Transformers. (This is one box I might keep.) 

There are a few gripes to mention.  The knees on mine are a bit floppy, making this photoshoot a bit frustrating.  The proton pack kept falling off the back, and the blue hose kept falling out of it's port on the wand.  The wand is not hidden in the transformation (a peeve of mine with all Transformers:  weapons not being properly integrated into the "disguise.") and is just pegged onto the side of the rack.  The articulation on the bot makes it difficult to hold the wand proper two-handed, Ghostbusters-style.  There is no logo on the back door.  And I hate that the Slimer figure has a Ghostbusters 2016 sculpt!  (Might be the biggest offense of all.)

Size comparison: just a bit smaller than the Jada die-cast, but should still look good with the GB minimates.

It would have been nice to have a few more, standard GB accessories, like a proton stream and a ghost trap.  I mean, how is Ectotron going to wrangle and incarcerate my bootleg/knock-off of Starscream's Ghost?  Yes, news of this figure had me searching again for the translucent seeker that Hasbro should have given us a decade ago.  I think it ended up costing me about $15 from China.  It has a few problems, like the shoulder ports for his guns being too loose to hold them, and I had to dremel down a metal pin that kept the cockpit area from transforming properly.  Still, I love that classics sculpt!

I preordered Ectotron on Gamestop's site some time ago, but it has since sold out.  He is a bit pricey considering Voyager Class Transformers go for about $30 these days, but I assume the extra went into making this happen with rights/licensing fees.   I hope to be able to track down the SDCC exclusive Optimus Prime in Ghostbusters deco soon to really make this mash-up pop.  Then the only problem I should have is which collection shelf they should sit on!  I would love for Hasbro to work out deals to turn other classic screen and television cars into Transfromers.  The Delorean time machine, 007's Aston Martin, KITT, the A-Team van...just as long as they are each given their own sentient identity or that of an existing Transformer character.  (Man, I'm really bitter about Star Wars...)