20 years later, Ghostbusters is reemerging as one of the hottest properties out there. With a new video game, a new movie coming in 2012 and of course skating rinks around the globe using Ray Parker Jr’s theme song as an old stand-by, Mattel has taken a hold of the opportunity to keep Ghostbusters in the public eye with a series of action figures. The first 12″ figure by Mattel is Ray Stantz, the chain-smoking, ghostbustin’ character played by legendary comedian Dan Aykroyd. How does the Mr. Stantz measure up to other 1:6 scale figures? Read on to find out!

Packaging – 10/10

Mattel definitely had the collector in mind when they designed the packaging for this figure. It’s displayed in a rectangular box with three windowed sides, allowing multiple views of the figure before he’s even taken out of his plastic prison. The colors are nice and vibrant, with generic, somewhat translucent, ghastly green images tastefully placed around the lower half of the package. The iconic Ghostbusters logo is right out there for everyone to see, and the red of the logo and green of the ghosts creates a really cool contrast. The back is what you’d expect – nice graphics, a small character shot from the movie and a brief bio. A very creative addition to the box is the inclusion of a slide-out “locker” that houses Ray’s accessories. Being cardboard only it’s doesn’t do much in terms of displaying it with the loose figure, but is a nice touch to an already impressive package.

Sculpt – 8/10

There are really only two things to consider with this figure when it comes to the sculpt – the head and the accessories. The body is a standard doll style with no exposed parts except the head and alternate hands. The hands could be a bit more detailed – there aren’t even fingernails sculpted in – but with the inclusion of gloved hands its easily forgivable. The accessories are masterfully done. The detail is outstanding and they are very movie-accurate. The head is overall a decent representation of Dan Aykroyd, but there’s something about it that I just can’t pinpoint that keeps it from getting a higher score. I think maybe the nose could be a little smaller, the forehead maybe a little wider at the top but not quite so tall, and maybe the chin a little less pointy. But really, these are nitpicks of what is really a pretty well done likeness.

Paint – 8/10

Like the sculpt, the head and accessories are the two big things to consider when it comes to paint. And like the sculpt, the paint on the accessories is top notch and help make them as movie-accurate as they are. These guys worked around the clock to keep New York free of apparitions, and the paint applications reflect this with little “scuffs” and “nicks”. There is little runover in any of the accessories and nothing seems particularly susceptible to easy wear. The prime issue with this figure’s paint is around the hairline. The transition from forehead to hair isn’t very good, with a little of the sculpted hair having some skin tone to it. Thankfully this is well hidden with his big, poofy hair job. The face paint is a bit shinier than I’d like – personally I think skin tones need to be a little dull and nonreflective, but get this one in the wrong light and he’ll emit a lot of glare.

Articulation – 7/10

As I mentioned before, Ray is equipped with a standard doll body. The articulation could and should be very good, but the elbows seems to be a little more limited than I think they should be. They’re still limber enough, however, to allow Ray to hold is proton gun with both hands.

Accessories – 9/10

Ray includes everything a Ghostbuster needs. For clothing, he’s dressed in full Ghostbuster uniform with a black undershirt, belt, two armbands and a set of rubber boots. But what’s up with that hose sticking out of his leg? It’s sewn right in and not removable, and I can’t even find a place on his pack to plug it in so I had to cram it back between his back and his proton pack. Looks right out silly without his pack on. His equipment includes his proton pack with the gun attached via tubing, a walkie-talkie with a holster that can clip onto his belt, a spring-activated ghost trap with pedal and a set of ecto-goggles. The detail on the accessories is terrific and it’s obvious Mattel went to great lengths to make this figure as accurate as possible. Unfortunately this figure lost a point here for only one reason – the lack of a stand. Having action figures fall over is frustrating. Having a $60 action figure fall and potentially break is maddening! And as 1:6 scale collectors know, the use of rubber boots such as on this figure drastically decrease the sturdiness of the figure while standing free form. Based on imagery from Mattel it appears the next 12″ figure (Egon) will have a stand…so why not this one? The only other minor gripe I have is that the goggles took a bit of effort to get on. You have to stretch them out a bit to get them around his big melon, even with the clasps on the sides.

Play/Pose – 9/10

Accolades all around for this one. From a collector’s standpoint, $60 is somewhat reasonable for a good 1:6 scale figure these days. It displays very nicely, has a good likeness and has a decent variety of accessories to help increase display options. From a kid’s standpoint, this is a nicely done (albeit expensive) toy, with good articulation and again the inclusion of multiple accessories to help recreate the great scenes from the 1984 movie. One thing to note is that this figure is actually a bit taller than some 1:6 scale figures. It seems this varies from company to company now – Sideshow’s and Hasbro’s seem to be a bit on the small side, DC Direct is actually using a 13″ scale…you just never know. This figure actually measures around 12 1/2″ tall, so he’s a bit taller than your average 1:6 scale figure. Aykroyd, from what I can tell, is listed at 6′1″, so it will be interesting to see how the other three scale up.

Closing Thoughts

Ghostbusters fans have been waiting 25 years for good, realistic versions of the main characters from the movies, and Mattel is really coming through with this new line. $60 is a bit pricey, but not bad considering some other companies’ prices on 1:6 scale figures. These are available exclusively through MattyCollector.com, so keep your eyes on that site for the other three ‘Busters to be released.

MY RATING:

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Where to buy:
MattyCollector.com – $60.00