Review : Marshmallow Winston Zeddemore, Ghostbusters Special Release (Diamond Select Toys)

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Review : Marshmallow Winston Zeddemore Ghostbusters (Diamond Select Toys) Wave/Series : Special Release Released : September 2017

£24.99

Pros : The proton stream is fixed, as is the way the emitter clips to the proton pack. The stand is awesome! Cons : lacking a little in articulation around the arms. The wire on the trap is unwieldy

UK fans will be familiar with the Ghostbusters Select figures from Diamond Select Toys. What you may not know is that as well as selling the same version in the US, Diamond do a slimmed down version of the figures which are usually sold exclusively in Toys R Us. This basic version comes on a blister card and does not include the diorama piece.

As well as the basic range - Diamond have also done some "Specials" in this slimmer packaging, and these are all based on the end of the movie where all the Ghostbusters have been Marshmallowed when the Stay Puft meets his end. Peter Venkman and Ray Stanz (Marshmallow) were both San Diego Comic Con exclusives. The figure we are looking at here, Winston, got a broader release as a comic book store special and is the easiest of the three to track down. So far we've not had a Marshmallow Egon figure.

This new packaging does take some inspiration from the larger Select packaging. The card carries the green hued image of the Ghostbusters crossing the streams at the end of the movie - although the details of this illustration is covered by a Diamond Select Brochure taped in the middle of the card behind the blister and tray insert.

There is no large Ghostbusters logo, instead the base of the blister carries an insert which is headed up by the Ghostbusters text logo, where the O is the "No Ghost" logo. Under this the character name is laid on top of a yellow hatched design - reminiscent of the top of a Ghost Trap. The character is listed as Winston Zeddemore, with the Marshmallow in smaller letters above the name, T the side, just in case you didn't know, is the confirmation that this is an Action Figure.

Round the back of the card we are back to what we would expect to see on a normal Select release. The card back uses the same green with darker hues design and the four silhouetted Ghostbusters can now be seen clearly. Where the streams cross the card explodes with lightning and over this is the larger "No Fraid" logo.

An image of the figure takes up most of the right hand side of the card back. And to the left of this is a short bio about Winston. Rather than repeat the one on the Series 1 Select release, this text is more generalised and talks about Winston joining the team and his role in defeating the Stay Puft Marshmallow men.

Under the text is the "Also Available" insert, complete with that black & yellow hazard stripe. Here we get head shots of Marshmallow Peter and Marshmallow Ray. This feels a bit naughty considering the two figures were exclusives to SDCC and are now at least double if not triple the price on the secondary market - not quite "available" in the truest sense of being able to pick one up easily.

When you unpack Winston the blister pops off the card and allows access to the figure tray. Make sure you don't discard the Ghostbusters mini-brochure that is taped to the card. Inside this is a spare clear clip for your Proton Stream effect.

The first, and pretty awesome, difference I came across was that this figure is packed with a stand! And it is a very nice stand too - plenty of weight, nice and glossy and it fits the peg hole on the figure perfectly on either foot. Considering one of my biggest concerns with a lot of the Ghostbusters figures to date has been stability - this thing is awesome and with DST selling these in packs, they've just made a sale providing I can find a UK stockist.

The sculpt on Winston utilises the Series 1 Winston figure, so there is nothing here we haven't seen before. The likeness to Ernie Hudson is pretty decent and while most of the Marshmallow effect is done with paint there is some physical additions on the head to demonstrate the bulk of the Marshmallow.

The GB uniform is well done and all the details we saw on the standard release have made it to this version. The name plate sits clearly on Winston's chest and is legible. The GB logo sits on the right shoulder and the belt is full of buckles and straps and a couple of cradles which we will get to later.

After the head, the rest of the Mashmallow effect is painted in place. This is pretty well done and goes across the boots and belt also for full coverage. The suit is an accurately coloured beige and the paint finish is neat and consistent with no concerns.

The Proton pack is a loose piece, but is not easy to remove thanks to the glued straps and the waist strap in particular. From this hangs the Proton Stream Emitter.

Issues with the Proton Pack seem to have been fixed on this (and other more recent GB figures) and the once frustrating triangular clip now holds the Proton Emitter perfectly when the weapon is not in Winston's hands.

The Proton pack remains a really nicely decorated piece with the various coloured wiring and its silver features. The decals are still there too with various warnings and labels. The bottom two of these are still a bit big for where they've been placed and there is a risk of the peeling off. The Marshmallow paint job has been placed across the Proton Pack too.

Articulation is not a strong point on Select figures from Diamond and Winston is no exception and comes with about 17 points of articulation all in all. The head is ball jointed and has a wide range of movement up and down and rotating round as required.

The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, but it is at the elbows that things are a little restrictive as the bulkier arms don't allow a full 90 degree bend. The hands are jointed on the pegs that plug into the sleeves. Upper body articulation is bolstered with a torso joint and there is a waist swivel, but it doesn't move too well.

Legs start with the T-Shaped joint used on most Selects. Winston will sit and kneel, but it looks pretty awkward when he does. As you move down the legs we get a thigh swivel ,double jointed knees and an ankle rocker. Even with these, Winston is tough to stand without the assistance of that peg stand. The stability issue appears to be down to the figure being off balanced by the Proton Pack.

You aren't short on hand options for WInston starting with 6 different skin toned hands - four right and two left. The reason for the disparity seems to be as the accessories are designed to be held in the right hand - giving need for more options. These all plug in and out easily.

With the gripping hand in place, Winston will hold the Proton Emitter securely, but with the limited elbow bend it's tough to get it posed in an action shot.

Once you have achieved a two handed pose, and if you like the FX pieces, you can add his proton stream piece. This is a flexible piece of orange plastic, wrapped in a blue plastic. While it does the job of representing a proton stream, it is a little too pastel in colour and might have been better with some translucent pieces. The stream clips to the emitter by means of a small clear plastic widget. One comes with the stream, and as we mentioned there is a spare in with the brochure. Be very careful with your streams - as well as making sure they don't cross, be warned the clip end is fragile and will snap quite easily. Mine went within a few minutes of getting Winston out of the pack and we had to call on the trusty super-glue before we carried on the review.

As well as the skin toned hand, Winston gets the black gloves. There are four of these, two left and two right. These slot in just as easily, and can be changed so that you have a long sleeve or short sleeve glove - by removing or adding the rubber cuff.

LIke all GB figures released so far, Winston gets a Walkie Talkie. This is a plain black plastic cast piece - but with this being Marshmallow Winston, Diamond have added a splash of white to the corner.

This Walkie-Talkie fits into the right hand, but the elbow fails to bend enough to make it look like Winston is talking to anyone. When not in use it slots into the front holster snugly.

Winston was the only Select Series Ghostbuster to come with a Trap, and that same trap is packed with Marshmallow WInston. The trap is neatly done with a black and yellow hatched top, silver side with a black frame and some indicator lights. There is a flexible rubber hose going from the trap round to the foot pedal. This too is well painted with some yellow and blue connections and a white light.

The hose is a little fussy and it takes a while to stretch it out for a Ghost Catching pose. It looks much better coiled and in Winston's hand.... two in the box ready to go (yes, I realise that is a GB2 reference).

One feature I missed on the Series 1 Winston was that the trap has a socket built into the base that corresponds to a plug on Winston's belt. This means the Trap can be hung on the belt when not in use - although the coiled wire is difficult to secure away.

This feature is present on other GB figures too, so if you didn't want Winston to have the Trap you can have it worn by one of the others.

As a special / exclusive this is a very nice figure and actually fixes some concerns that the original release came with. The Marshmallow paint effects are done pretty well and are spread to accessories and the Proton Pack. The head has even been tweaked to give the Marshmallow volume rather than just sticking with paint. While stability remains a problem, throwing in that gorgeous stand resolves that brilliantly.

The only downside to the figure is the articulation - particularly in the arms when trying to pose him with the Proton Emitter. There is also a completist issue here with Peter and Ray in the same decor relatively hard to find at a good price - and a Marshmallow Egon not produced (at point of writing this review).

Marshmallow Winston is not perfect, but he isn't far off and with the current price under £25 then I score him a 4 out of 5.

Checkout the Diamond Select figures available at Toys in the Attic