Review of Peter Venkman - Ghostbusters Action Figure

Introduction

Ten years ago, you couldn't find a Ghostbusters collectible to save your life. But as it is with many licenses, it's a cycle of famine then feast, and Ghostbusters are very much in feast mode these days.

We've gotten action figures in multiple scales from multiple companies over the last few years. Mattel took a pretty big shot, and Diamond Select, Mezco, and Blitzway have all had their run.  Hasbro steps in now, picking up with the original movie and a wave of 6 figures. These are true 1/12 scale, each coming in around 6" tall.

This first wave includes Venkman, who I'm reviewing tonight. He's the only one I've stumbled on so far, but Winston, Ray, and Egon are in this set as well. There's also a Gozer, and a Dana Barret, and when you pick up all six, you can build a Terror Dog.

I found Pete at Target for $20, but he's showing up at online retailers as well.

Packaging - ***
The simple box with plastic hanger looks good and works well. It's collector friendly, but you'll want to open it from the top, not the bottom. Trust me on that one, it's a lot easier.  The interior plastic tray and cover hold everything safe and sound, and it has a key on the back showing which figure has which BAF part.

Sculpting - ***1/2
No one has ever done a definitive Venkman in any scale. They all nail the hair, but getting that perfect Bill Murray likeness has eluded them, even the higher end versions.

However, in this scale at this price, I have to say this one is pretty nice.  It's an improvement over both the Mattel and DST versions, but is still a bit more cartoony than I'd like.  They got the hair of course, but the eyes, eyebrows, and smirk seem on point as well. There's something off about the nose, and I'm not quite feeling the shape of the jaw...but it's still a recognizable result.

The most noticeable advantage these have over the Mattel releases is the body sculpts. Those were too thin and svelte across the series, but here we have a much more realistic looking torso and legs. They did a great job on the belt, pouches, and hoses too. Had I been reviewing only the portrait, this would have been a three star score, but the work from the neck down takes it up a notch.

He stands almost exactly 6" tall, a bit shorter than the Mezco line, but he does fit in great with the Mattel scale. Although the are smaller than the DST figures, they do go nicely with the BAF dioramas. I've included a photo with a DST Zeddemore and a Mattel Zeddemore at the end of the review.

Paint - ***
The paint work is a little sloppy in spots, but for the price and scale it's good work.

The hairline does run down onto the forehead, but the majority of the buckles and belt accessories are clean and neat. The logo on the shoulder looks great, and the name tag is clean and easy to read, even in hand. I wish there was a bit more to the suit though, because much of the sculpted detail - wrinkles, folds, creases - gets lost in the cast color.

The eyes, eyebrows, and lips are quite nice, and the skin tone is even and appropriate. There's some good work on the pack and trap as well, where small wires and doo-dads are sharp and detailed.  The pack could use a few more operations, but it's a minor nit.

Articulation - ***1/2
He's nicely articulated for this scale, with plenty of useful joints.

The ball jointed neck has a bit of tilt and lean, and the rolling waist joint allows you to break up straight lines in the upper body. The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists all work great, and you can easily get two handed wand holding poses. He has similar leg articulation - hips, thighs, knees, ankles - and can take shallow to very deep stances. The rocker movement in the ankles is excellent, as is the forward and backward movement.

Accessories - ***1/2
Most figures at your local store in this scale and price range don't have too many extras.  Venkman has them beat pretty quickly, thanks to the wand and pack.

Mattel did most of their figures with the pack sculpted in place. It was too thin, and out of scale for the actual figure. When they released the four pack, they went with removable packs, and these were much better, although still too small.

Hasbro has gone with a removable pack, and the scale and proportions are much, much better. There's plenty of small detail work too, and they are the first company to get the wand attachment to the side of the pack right. Everyone else has tried to be accurate, going with the V shaped post. It never works well. Instead, Hasbro decided to go with something that will actually hold - a simple but sturdy round post.

There's also a post to attach the pack to the back, so you aren't dependent on the straps for keeping the pack in place and straight. That's another smart idea, since wearing the pack is probably the way you'll display the figure most often.

The belt on the pack unhooks on the left side at another post. Unfortunately, this post doesn't hold as well, and I had to constantly pop it back on. I gave up after awhile, and just tried to keep it out of view. Long term, I suspect I'll glue it, since I don't plan on having him without the pack on the shelf.

He also comes with the small ghost trap. While there is a small hole in his belt on the right side, there's no way to attach the trap. Still, the sculpt and paint are quite good, and it's an obviously important extra.

Finally, he comes with a BAF piece for the Terror Dog, one of the legs.

Fun Factor - ****
Once I have the rest of this set, I suspect they'll be a lot of fun to pose together. Now I need to break out the Ecto-1's to see if we have a good match!

Value - ***
Most 1/12 figures at mass market right now are in the $20 range. This guy fits right in, and has a decent set of extras as well. I bumped him up slightly above average because the pack and wand are more complex extras than we usually get with a Marvel Legends or Star Wars figure.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!  I did have trouble keeping the belt strap snapped together on the side. You'll see what I mean when you put the pack on.  I suspect I'll just be gluing it for the long term display.

Overall - ***1/2
When I first opened up Peter and worked with him a bit, I was thinking three stars. But as I got more into each category, and as I shot the photos, I found that he's a better figure than that. No, it's not an ideal sculpt, but the rest of the work is well above average, and he's the best in the cheaper mass market 1/12 scale figures so far.  I don't know if the rest of the Hasbro line will be as good - I'm a tad worried about Dana, based on the marketing photos - but so far so good!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has Venkman at $20, or the set for $165.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Ghostbusters include the Blitzway Ghostbuster figures of course, including Winston, Ray, Egon, and Peter and the Ecto-1. If you're more interested in the small figures, there's the One:12 releases, including Zeddemore, Stantz, Venkman, and Spengler. Also in the smaller scales, you have those done by Diamond Select Toys, as well as those released by Mattel.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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