Review of Egon Spengler, Dana Barrett
Ghostbuster Action Figures

Introduction

Things have definitely been scarce at the local store these last few weeks, but I finally finished off the first wave of Hasbro Ghostbusters figures at the local Target. I've already looked at Pete, and tonight I'll cover Egon and Dana Barrett. The rest of the wave includes Winston, Ray, and Gozer, whom I'll be covering in the next couple weeks. And don't forget, buy the full set and you can build the Terror Dog!

Expect to pay around $20 at most retailers for these.

Packaging - ***1/2
These come in boxes with hangers, pretty common for mass market 1/12 figures right now. The packages are collector friendly as well - you can open them up without any damage.  There could be a bit more text, but the retro style graphics look great.

Sculpting - ***1/2
It's taken several companies and a lot of tries, but Hasbro is killing it with these sculpts. It's a huge improvement over what Mattel did a few years back.

This is clearly Egon, and the glasses are even in proper scale.  The hair is nicely detailed, and the concerned but not extreme expression works great. The costume has plenty of detail as well, with some variation in texture and finish. The small details of the belt and pack are terrific, and the only real nit is with the smooth jump suit. A little more texture there would have taken this to the next level.

This body is slightly different than Venkman's too, with a slimmer torso. Mattel's biggest failing with their series was the slim, consistent bodies, but here we are seeing sculpts that better match to each specific character.

Dana is terrific, with a very accurate Barrett sculpt. I love the detail work on the big hair, and it's instantly recognizable as Weaver. Again, a bit more texture on the 'cloth' outfit would have been the key to taking her to the next level, and the legs seem a bit chunky from the knees down, but the portrait is excellent.

Egon stands just a smidge under 6" tall, fitting in with other 1/12 lines. Dana is slightly taller, even without shoes, coming in at a smidge over 6".

Paint - ***1/2
I'm really impressed by Hasbro's recent production paint work in this scale. They've really raised the bar with Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black series, and you can see they are applying what they've learned on new lines as well.

Dana has a beautiful paint job, with almost perfect eyes. The makeup, eyebrows, and iris' are spot on, and the slightly translucent skin is quite realistic. Even the hair, while all one color, is really well done.  The costume has sharp lines too, although a few more details here would have taken her to the full four stars.

Egon has a terrific paint application as well. The eyes, glasses, hair, and face look good, and the smaller details of the costume on the belt and hoses are well done. The pack is particularly clean, but again the jumpsuit itself is a tad on the plain side.

Articulation - ***1/2
Both figures have a ton of articulation, although some folks may find that off putting. Sculpt vs articulation is always a debate.

Egon has exactly the same articulation as Venkman of course. The ball neck works pretty well, and the double pin elbows, combined with the rotating hinge shoulders, wrists, and cut bicep allow for good arm poses. You can manage two handed wand poses as well. The cut waist allows for some rotation, and the hips, double pin knees, rocker/hinge ankles, and cut thighs can manage shallow to deep stances.

Dana is similar. She has the ball neck, rotating hinge shoulders and wrists, double pin knees, rocker/hinge ankles, cut waist, and ball hips. However, she swaps in rotating hinge elbows rather than double pin, which work a bit better with her sculpted sleeves.

Her leg articulation can be a visual distraction, but it does allow for better posing, and I'm always on the side of better posing.

Accessories - Dana **1/2; Egon ***
This series has a Build-a-Figure - a terror dog. Every figure comes with a part to this BAF, and for Dana, that's her only extra.

But Egon has both the terrific pack and a PKE meter. I've discussed the pack with Pete, but it's worth mentioning the overall quality again. I like the way they simply used a peg to hold the wand to the pack - much better than trying to be accurate at this scale - and while he wears it with straps, there's also a post to attach it firmly to his back.

It's also worth noting that while I had a lot of trouble keeping the waist belt attached on Pete, Egon has no such issue. He's a little thinner around the middle, and this slightly different torso sculpt works perfectly with the pack.

Fun Factor - ****
These guys are a ton of fun, and if you add in some of the extras we've gotten from other lines, you'll have a fantastic display.  I'm going to be going with these guys on my DST Roof Top diorama, rather than the DST or Mattel figures.

Value - Dana **1/2; Egon ***
At $20 each, you're getting a solid deal.  I bumped up Egon slightly above average thanks to the quality of the pack and wand.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!  I had no worries working with either of these figures.

Overall - ***1/2
Patience has paid off for collectors that opted out of the Mattel series, although skipping the DST line (and therefore missing out on the amazing rooftop and headquarters front) would not be something I'd recommend. Those that waited for ideal 6" mass market figures have finally gotten their wish with this line, and the Dana Barrett is particularly impressive. Let's face it - female figures usually get the short end of the stick, but this release is accurate, attractive, and well made.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

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

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Last month I looked at Peter Venkman, with the others in the new Hasbro line coming soon. 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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