Hasbro were confirmed as the new licensee for Ghostbusters in 2019, and would be the fourth major figure company to cover the line after NECA, Mattel and Diamond Select. The first wave of the Plasma Series was announced as the four Ghostbusters and figures of Dana Barrett and Gozer.
Packaging 3.5
The Hasbro Ghostbusters are presented in a square box format with a spine down the left and the base of the window and the window then wrapping the top of the box and the right hand side. The design is that of the Ghostbusters uniform, both in colour but also with details like a zip visible and the name of the figure in the same style as the name tags of the Ghostbusters uniform.
The left hand spine uses a generic, stylised, image of our four Ghostbusters against a red backdrop. There is no specific art for the figure in the box as we have seen on other lines like Marvel & Star Wars. The back of the box moves to a black finish with some hatching around the top. We have a short piece of background text under the character name.
"The heart of the team: Ray's ready and more-than-willing to bust some ghosts"
Beneath this is a checklist of the figures in the wave and a picture of the Build-A-Ghost, Vinz Clortho, and confirmation of what parts come with which figure.
It is noticeable that the window for the figure is quite loose and not tight fitting to the box. You can almost push your fingers in the sides and round the back. The reason for this is apparent when you open the figure and find the figure tray and the window are not attached to the box and slide out as one piece. Behind them is a very nice red and black card back featuring blue prints of the Ghostbusters Proton Packs and ECTO-1.
Paint & Sculpt 3.0
Looking first at the head and we have a passing likeness to Dan Aykroyd, but nothing like the sort of likeness accuracy we are seeing in other Hasbro lines who are knocking it out of the park (see my recent Logan & Xavier review). This is certainly better than the older Mattel and Diamond figures and it does use face print tech - but it certainly isn't a nailed on finish.
The head also suffers from the hair execution which is fine in terms of height over the forehead but perhaps too central in the shaping and two recessed at either side.
The Ghostbuster uniform body is the same for all four of the Wave 1 Ghostbusters and is cast in the cream base colour with no other paint apps to add either texture or weathering, which is a shame. Decals are applied on the right shoulder with the Ghostbusters logo and on the nameplate which clearly reads STANTZ.
The belt is an individual cast piece in a softer plastic. It is produced in grey with black painted compartments and then with two trailing pipes - one black that plugs back into a compartment on the belt, and one yellow that plug into the left leg. There is a hook for holding other equipment - although none is provided as you will see in the next section.
Accessories 3.0
Ray's first accessory are his Ecto-Goggles. These are unique to Ray in the line and are cast in a green soft plastic with silver paint eyepieces. The fit over the head is very tight and you have to position the eyepiece first then stretch the strap over the hair and into position. While this guarantees a tight fit - it also puts a lot of strain on the strap which may result in longevity issues.
The main accessory is the Proton pack. Again this is identical for all four Ghostbusters with the exception of the lower circular panels which see the red panel painted in different locations depending on the Ghostbuster. For Ray the red panel is the bottom left circle.
The pack is cast in black with blue, red and silver details picked out. It then sits on a green soft plastic strap that uncouples at one side to allow it to be added to the figure - a plug in the centre lines up and connects to the hole in Ray's back to keep it secure. Once in place the look of the figure is significantly enhanced and the proportions and where it sits are all spot on.
The proton beam emitter is connected to the pack by another flexible tube and this is robust and there is no danger of it snapping like the Diamond releases. The emitter can be held in Ray's hand - one or two handed - or slung on the backpack by means of a peg and slot fitting. This is not overly tight and the emitter can pop off, but it's certainly better again than the Diamond engineering and it sits straight unlike the Mattel solution.
The accessory score for me is more driven by what is not included with Ray. We have a brilliantly designed proton stream piece in the line, and yet that only comes with Winston. So you have four Ghostbusters and one Proton Stream among them. There is also a lack of smaller accessories such as the PKE meter that only comes with Egon and the Ghost Trap that only comes with Peter. Considering the line uses the same body four times in a six figure wave, there has to be some added value from throwing in these pieces with all the figures or perhaps at least a trap with each of them to hang on that belt hook that otherwise is left empty and redundant.
Articulation 4.0
Ray has a total of 20 points of articulation, mirroring more or less the joints we get on Marvel Legends, and the newer Star Wars Black Series figures.
Head : ball joint neck
Body : ball joint waist
Arms : ball joint shoulder, butterfly shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
The inclusion of the butterfly shoulder while subtle, adds a wider range of movement for posing with the equipment - supported by double joint elbows. The bicep swivel does have to be engaged with some poses and that will throw the cut of the sleeve.
The waist ball joint is not as mobile a it could be, but allows you to lean Ray's torso back or forth as the pose requires.
The legs will kneel, just about, and crouch and can also take wider stances for firing and action posing. All the joints are secure and tightly ratcheted and Peter stands fine on his own.
Summary
This is the third time I've reviewed this Ghostbusters buck figure (with a fourth to go when I finish the wave), and while the body is fine in terms of articulation it is lacking in paint application for some weathering.
When you reuse a body so often - especially in the same wave - you need to nail the head sculpt and other accessories and sadly the Ghostbusters line from Hasbro is failing on both fronts. None of the head sculpts are of the same quality and likeness as are being executed by the Marvel team and the accessory pack in are stingy to say the least.
Had we given Ray a proton stream FX piece and a Ghost Trap, and had we perhaps added another layer of wash to the outfit then we would be talking about a much more value for money release. As it stands, Ray for me is nothing more than just an above average figure and scores 3.0 in total.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, hasbro, ghostbusters, plasma, collection, ray stantz