Ghostbusters Fright Features and Ecto-1

 Ghostbusters Fright Features and Ecto-1

Hasbro

Please don't dismiss these as the "kiddie" line.  Yes, they are the smaller, less-detailed, less-articulated Ghostbusters figures hitting the pegs right now, but that term is too often used to dismiss any value whatsoever.  Wanna talk value?  $10 for a figure with accessories AND a mini-villain all is one pack is unheard of these days.  Heck, it was rare in any day, save for the original Kenner Real Ghostbusters line.  Well here it is folks, the spiritual successor to one of the greatest toy lines of all time!

And what's more, it delivers something that line could not:  actor likenesses!  Sure, they've been "tooned", but there's no mistaking who these caricatures are supposed to represent.  This should be enough for full buy in...an opportunity to make a "Get Real" crossover a reality!

The sculpts are great, but do suffer from some cost-saving measures.  All four Ghostbusters share the same basic body, so there are some physical discrepancies (height differences being a big one...suck in the guts, guys?)  With the real Ghostbusters, we got four unique sculpts and body types. I could overlook this, if I didn't know that the new kid Ghostbusters (Afterlife) are getting better treatment with different sculpts.  At the least, I wish they had given Peter his lazy, untucked pantlegs.

Paint is minimal, but appropriate.  I didn't see any paint slop or misapplied paint on this batch.  The GB logo is applied crisp and clean.  With minimal application, and for the fact that they already have gray in their palette,  Hasbro really should have painted the elbow pads.  

The proton packs, while thin, have decently sculpted detail.  They are molded in a flexible black plastic, and they have no paint detail.  Real Ghostbusters packs didn't either, so I guess that can slide.  I feel that the wand needed a different material for the connector hose, or needed to be a little longer, for it to properly hang on the pack.  You can holster them upside down easily, like RGB, but these are the "real" Ghostbusters, man.  Getting them to hang properly requires a bit of work, and often leaves the handle looking as warped as the hose.  Since the action gimmick has been incorporated into the ghosts, these really needed a clip on energy stream effect...dust off the old imagination, I guess.

The ghosts are about the size of the old pack-ins, and are primarily one or two colored in paint scheme.  They each have a push button action feature that reveals a more grotesque second form.  The pastry looking tots I have dubbed "Sin-abons", and the gelatinous creatures with tentacles, well...I'm working on that, because everything that comes to mind is too close to "shubs" or "Slurm".  I ended up with two of each because there was a running change with Peter and Winston to include a Terror Dog and Slimer.  Not sure of the reasoning behind that.  Too bad it didnt include some variance on the busters...would have been an easy add-on to make one "slimed" and the other "marshmallow gooed."

I have managed to pick up one deluxe ghost so far, Afterlife's "Muncher."  I gather he eats only metal things, as a way to distinguish him from Slimer?  The "metal" ball of junk that protrudes in and out of his mouth with the movement of his arms contains the Ecto-1's license plate, and his moving stomach feature has a stop sign and fire hydrant that push in and out with separate buttons.  Gonna have to wait for the movie for context on this one.  He looks neat, if not a little close to "A Bug's Life's" Heimlich.

Finally we come to the Ghostbusters' signature ride, the Ecto-1.  It scales close to the old Kenner model, if not just a little less wide.  There are no opening doors on the driver's side, as they must have used up their door budget incorporating the suicide door gunner's seat from the new movie.

 

  

Other than the swing open gunner seat, there a a couple other action features.  There is a removable ecto-cannon with firing projectile that can be ported onto the roof or the gunner seat.  Opening the back hatch deploys the RC Ghost Trap.  It’s a bit oversized…reminds me of Roller coming out of Optimus Prime.  Even more so because you can plug the canon onto it as well.  They’re gonna let kid Ghostbusters out with that?!

The stickers are kind of a nightmare.  You have to white-wall your own tires!  The green tank on the roof is multiple stickers, and mine seemed to be cut too big to fit in the individual sections.  I had to trim a little here and there to keep them from peeling up.  Other than the stickers, this is a great update.  I like the roof rack details, and the inclusion of the ladder and blue hoses.  

If you loved the Real Ghostbusters of yesteryear, you gotta have these.  I’ll be tracking down Slimer, Stay Puft, and the wave two Junior Ghostbusters soon!

Titan Autobot Ark

 Titan Autobot Ark

Transformers - Hasbro

The Autobot's signature set piece, the mammoth Ark spaceship that brought them to Earth, is finally here!  Instead of just being a playset/backdrop/vehicle, the AllSpark has given life to it, resulting in another Titan Class Transformer.

It may not be Generation 1 accurate, but it's something unique and imaginative.  Transformation was relatively simple, and the bot mode is solid.  Some of the previous Titans suffer from weak joints and weight distribution problems...not Ark.  I found I could get him in some decent poses without fear of him toppling over or dropping body parts/accessories.

The paint is good, as you would expect from a large object that is primarily bright orange.  There is appropriate detailing here and there, with splashes of reds, yellows, grays, and blues.  The fading blue on the thrusters especially stands out.

If I have any complaints bout the robot, it's that his head isn't quite as "classic" as I would like (just a bit too "Cyberverse" toony) and he has zero weapons to clutch.  His hull does have tiny gun turrets still visible on the outside, but no large gun or sword or anything.  Cost saving measure?  Or did they figure he was badass enough without one?  You do get a couple of transparent blue thruster effects (that barely port into the thrusters) that would look just as good coming from the end of the weapon that he didn't come with.  I expect a third party company to come up with something suitable for him soon.

Even though I may have preferred a fold out play set over the Titan mode, you do get a key accessory built into the Ark's robo-buddy, Mainframe.  Mainframe is dispatched from the center of the ark, underneath the main bridge viewing area.  Here, you can place a super tiny Optimus Prime in command.  Neat detail, but Im not sure I needed the reminder of how one needs to overlook wonky scale issues throughout their collection.

Pulling out the bridge area leaves a decent sized cavity that can act as a cockpit for smaller Transformers.

Mainframe transformed is a bit larger than current deluxe figures, but still smaller than leader class.  He's more "classic" feeling with his blocky body.  What's more is that he transforms into the Autobot computer, Teletraan 1!  While not guns, he does have a few accessories built in.  The Sky Spy satellite camera can be dispatched from his torso, and he has a few important data discs for the Autobots to record it's findings on.

Overall, I'm quite please with this.  I'm not sure how often I will have Ark transformed into Titan mode. It's a neat feature, but I quite like having the ship mode on display with other space-related Autobots.  It looks great docked and ready for takeoff with Titan Omega Supreme's "city" mode and Commander class Sky Lynx's shuttle mode.  I know...kind of an expensive background piece, but it really brings my collection to life for me.  My Titans are complete, and I've got just a few more updated characters I would like to see in the Kingdom line before I can feel satisfied closing the book on Transformers.

Take a look back at other Transformers Titans:

Omega Supreme - https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2019/10/omega-supreme.html

Trypticon - https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/01/trypticon.html

Seinfeld: Jerry's Apartment

 Seinfeld:  Jerry's Apartment

Funko Mini Moments

Funko has finally done it!  They made a product that doesn't disgust me in any way!  While it's not surprising that Funko would go after one of the greatest sitcoms of all time in their quest to engulf and market every facet of pop culture with their soul-less, black eyed, vinyl POPS line, this entry is a total shocker.  And a most welcome one:  notable Seinfeld characters with a build-a-playset gimmick!  Giddyup!

Jerry's apartment comes in six pieces, each packaged with a minifigure.  Some sections are bigger than others, while the smaller pieces come with additional set dressing like the couch, table, chairs, coffee table.  The detail is great for as small as it is, and it should check most "must-have" boxes for die-hards:  little things like Jerry's cereal boxes, rarely-used computer station, fridge magnets...even Superman has some representation (just enough to skirt copyright laws).  They only took one liberty with the overall layout: access hallway to Jerry's bedroom is missing.  They went with a straight hall to the bathroom, but kept the bike hanging on the wall.  Oh well, Little Jerry here doesn't come with a girlfriend-of-the-week to necessitate total accuracy here. 

The figures, though simple and cartoony, capture the essence of the characters, and are way cuter that their larger POPs counterparts.  Mouths, Funko?  They work to save your plastic doppelgangers from Uncanny Valley territory.  They stand about 2-inches tall on average, Kramer getting a little more height with his hair, of course.  

Character selection works for the most part.  You get the big four plus Newman, who makes sense since he lives in the building and is commonly seen at Jerry's front door.  Uncle Leo is a bit of an oddity.  I know he must have been in Jerry's place a handful of times, but it's hard to recall.  I think of him more when it comes to stop-and-chats on the street or out and about, stopping to irk Jerry with some cousin Jeffrey news.  Though if not Uncle Leo, I'm not sure which other character would be better suited for this set...Frank Costanza (one of my favorites) or Mickey?  Both were Kramer business associates that dropped in from time to time.  Oh well, Uncle Leo is still great (if not difficult)!

"Hello, Newman..."

Funko usually tries to ruin completists' collections and fuel terrible aftermarket prices with chase variants...this line is no different.  At least they are just wardrobe variants for the main characters (surprised they didn't go super-cheap on an eyebrow-less Uncle Leo) that I can pass on without feeling my set is incomplete.  As iconic as the puffy shirt is, it's one episode.  Standard Jerry is all I need.  I did, however get lucky on the best of the bunch...Amazon delivered me the chase George, which features his red-orange style jacket (No, not the Gor-Tex one) that runs through a bulk of outdoor shots, pop-ins, and seasonal episodes.  

I would love to see this line expand to, say, Monk's Diner and have a reason to get more mini-staples of the show.  I'd even go for a Del Boca Vista wave, though I imagine this is a one-and-done.  Funko doesn't really have a great track record for seconds.  Either way, this is still one of, if not the best Funko outing ever.  Maybe there are some other classic series that deserve the full-set treatment in the works?  (*crosses fingers for "Cheers"*)

"Mary Hart's voice!  Don't you see?!"