Not too long ago I reviewed the first release in Mattel's 12 inch Ghostbusters line, and today I'm addressing the second, Egon Spengler. While this is still far from a perfect figure, there are some definite improvements being made, and my faith in this particular line is steadily growing. Stop in and see if you feel the same!
Name: Egon Spengler
Line: Ghostbusters 12 Inch
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: December 2009
Price: Online: $60.00+
Scale: 12.00 in.
Accessories: PKE meter, ghost trap with foot pedal, alternate hands, removable proton pack, elbow pads, jumpsuit, undershirt, removable boots, belt, and walkie-talkie
This Egon Spengler figure's biggest jump in quality over the previous release comes from the head sculpt. Ray Stantz's was absolutely terrible, cartoony, and likeness-lacking, while Egon's is a little better at capturing the actor's appearance on screen. This head doesn't look exactly like Harold Ramos in his Ghostbusters days, but from certain angles and in good lighting conditions you can definitely see the resemblance. It's still rather cartoonish, yet it's immensely better when it comes to crispness. You can see that the sculptor(s) took more time on the smaller details, as they're much sharper than on Ray. The nostrils run deeper, you can see tight lines around his eyes, and his lips show more depth. Egon looks a lot better thanks to all those small touches, and he still seems to match the style of Ray as well, so it's the best of both aspects. His glasses aren't perfect, though they get the point across without too much fuss. All the wiring could certainly be thinner, but they turned out okay. I do hope that the next few releases follow suit and show the improved attention to detail on the face sculpts, although if things improve too much, there may be some issues with line-wide consistency. Whatever the case, this is a decent head sculpt that's more in line with what one expects at this price range.
Everything else about the figure is completely identical to Ray Stantz. The costume is the same, the proton pack is the same (in regards to sculpt), and the base body is the same. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. All the costume details are rather nice, both looking like the on-screen versions and looking good in this scale as well. The sewing is tight and straight, the various zipper additions are placed appropriately, and even the tube running from his leg turned out great. The accessories take things to another level entirely; they're some of the best I've seen in this scale or any. Where Mattel may have skimped on the body and head, they sure went all out on the proton pack, ghost trap, PKE Meter and various other plastic costume elements. There are little screws with threading sculpted in, wires of various shapes and thicknesses, tiny raised buttons, and just about anything else you'd find on the real-life versions. I really can't ask for more in regards to the details on these accessories. My one complaint is that the alternate gloved hands are closed too tightly and made of a much too firm plastic. It's almost impossible to get the wand into those hands with snapping something in two. I eventually heated his hands and still had to pry the wand into them before attaching them to his body. Definitely not a fun experience and a simple design issue that could be easily resolved.
I do think this base 1:6 body is a little more fitting for Egon Spengler's proportions. It's long and skinny just like it should be. Of course the muscles might be a little too much, but the costume hides that well enough. As a whole I feel like this body creates a fairly accurate representation out of the package, and doesn't take too much adjustment to look like the movie character, unlike Ray. If you're not convinced about the effectiveness of this body, just check out the comic at the bottom of the review. That's a dare.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
I hate to keep comparing Egon to his predecessor, since this is his own review and all, but once again, I must. Egon's head is once again markedly better than Ray's, this time thanks to improvements in paint. Egon lacks the shiny glean that made Ray look sweaty, his lips are painted a subtle pink to make them look more realistic, and even his hair and eyebrows feature better color applications than Ray's. The eyes are clean and crisp, although no better than average in regards to life-like they appear. His hairline is much more realistic and attractive, and the slight flush to his turned out so much more smoothly and consistent than did Ray's. All those improvements definitely make Egon a superior looking figure, aiding the sculpt in getting the actor likeness almost right. Unfortunately, those same improvement don't really make this a good paint job in comparison to other 12 inch figures. It still looks a little weak, like no one really put their heart and soul into it (which I'm sure they didn't). It's really no better than the same kind of applications you'd find on a much cheaper 6 inch He-Man or Superman from Mattel's other lines.
The quality level is stepped up for the accessories. They look leagues better than anything in smaller scales, and honestly look as good as some of the high end equipment you'd find from a Hot Toys or Sideshow figures. It seems every detail has received the paint it rightly deserves, from the smallest little button to the giant stripes on the ghost trap. All these details "stay inside the lines" and when you see it as a whole, all the intricacy really makes each piece a beautiful one. This is especially true on the masterful proton pack with its distressed metal painted on and loads of nifty little stickers. Oddly enough, this proton pack is missing some of the stickers that Ray's had, so I don't know if this is an oversight in the manufacturing process, or an accurate detail of which I'm not aware. Either way, Ray's pack stands out a little more with the flourish of text that the stickers ad; Egon's looks a little flat and empty without them. All the costume colors are just right, while the Ghostbusters emblem and name tag came off splendidly.
Paint Score: 8 / 10
This is an effective 1:6 body that offers a good range of motion and lots of poseability. There are definitely a few more points that could have been added to make this a top-of-the-line buck, but as it stands now this is still a competitive one, especially considering the price range it falls into. You can simulate very natural human poses and realistic stances, while these joints also enable Egon to hold all of his equipment as it's intended to be used. Once again this figure finds itself gaining ground on Ray Stantz because these joints are tight and firm, while Ray's were loose and flimsy. That helps a ton when trying to balance Egon wearing the proton pack, allowing for lots more wiggle room with dynamic and action-packed poses. There aren't any problems with stuck or broken joints, the articulation is obviously well hidden underneath his costume, so looks aren't a problem. This is altogether a suitable articulation model that's free of any major problems and accomplishes what it was created to do, make a poseable high quality action figure. It's not ideal for playing with, but it's not supposed to be either, so I can't complain.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
As I just mentioned, this isn't really a figure designed to play with. I can't recommend tossing this one into the play pile if you want him to escape the battle whole. His clothes, accessories, and even the figure itself are all a little more fragile than the standard 6 inch figures you'll find on Wal-Mart's shelves. He's designed for collectors with an eye for a glass case and a careful grasp. But the problem is that the same collectors who would so lovingly take care of him, probably aren't going to be too intrigued by the toyish face sculpt and questionable likeness. Sure it's better than the past example, but it's still not as good as what most 12 inch figure collectors are looking for, regardless of the lower price point.
What Egon does have going for him is the accessories which look like they were pulled right off your 19 inch TV screen. They're full of so many neat little nods to the real versions that Ghostbusters fans casual and hardcore will be screaming with glee when Egon's PKE meter activates and pops out its prongs (via button press). The proton pack also lights up, and ghost trap opens up, and the walkie talkie... goes in its holder. There are some fun action features packed in to spice things up and make this an item you can show off to your nerdier friends. The sounder articulation helps make posing Egon more enjoyable and you might even be inspired to change his pose every once in a while, a fun process every time. That is unless you want to remove the wand from his grasp, in which case you'll need boiling water, patience, and fingers of steel. It's frustrating and tiresome.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
If you compare Egon's price ($60 + $8 shipping) to some of the higher end 1:6 collectibles, you might think he's a total bargain. Coming in $100 cheaper than some of Hot Toys' offerings does make him look comparitively cheap. And then when you consider that Ghostbusters figures half his size only cost $20 or so, you can see the other side of the argument. I'll just admit that he's certainly a better deal than many 12 inch figures, especially when his head sculpt at least looks a little bit like the actor on which it's based. The fantastic and numerous accessories help a lot too, because unboxing the figure takes some time, making you appreciate how much stuff they packed in. His costume is well made, and neither it nor the body underneath seem susceptible to damage. I think chopping $10-$15 off the price of these figures would not only make more people commit to the line, but also make those who have already committed issue a big sigh of relief. I feel like Egon has reached a nice balance between quality and cost that's hard to achieve in this scale, at least more of a balance than Ray.
Value Score: 7 / 10
8 / 10 - It actually looks a little like Egon.
8 / 10 - The accessories look outstanding, while the face is just okay.
9 / 10 - This body works wonders when free of problems and full of tight joints.
7 / 10 - He's got lots of extras but some lacking elements too.
7 / 10 - A well made figure at a reasonable (not great) price point.
77 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Mattel has made a definite improvement from the last release to this one, making me feel much more at ease about my committment to this line. Egon Spengler is a good 12 inch figure that will satisfy long-time Ghostbusters fans. For those of you just wondering what he's like, I think the price might be a little too much for an exploration into the line now.
-The Articulated One
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!
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