SEARCH      FEATURES    NEWSLETTER    EMAIL     HOME
Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Egon Spengler
Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure

Blitzway
Date Published: 2017-12-22
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Please share with your friends!

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Introduction

Each of the four Ghostbusters provided a different sort of personality, a different angle, a different point of view.  Egon's role was clear - he was the brainiac. You knew this because he was wearing glasses.

I've already covered two of the four figures released by Blitzway based on the classic film - Stantz, and Venkman. Tonight I'm checking out the brains of the group, Egon Spengler, and before the year is through, I'll be finishing things up with Zeddemore.

You could pick these guys up several different ways: as singles for around $220 each; as a three pack of the 'doctors' for $600 or so; or as I did, in the special four pack, which ran around $800 - $850 depending on the retailer.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Packaging - ****
This box is exactly the same as the others, with the character personalization you'd expect. It's all collector friendly too, and the double plastic trays inside hold the accessories and figure safe and sound.

And just like the other two, it's the uber-cool 1:1 scale embroidered Spengler shoulder patch on the front of the slip cover that rockets this packaging to the top.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Sculpting - ****
When these first shipped, a lot of people were ragging on the portraits. How they were way off from the prototypes, and how they looked nothing like the characters. Pish posh.

While the paint work isn't quite up to the prototype quality - more on that in the next section - the sculpts certainly are.  Of the three I've looked at so far, Venkman is a little off, not quite hitting the level of accuracy of Stantz and Spengler. In fact, Spengler is so good, I suspect he'll be the best of the bunch for many collectors.

It really is extremely accurate, right down to the highly detailed hair sculpt. I can't stress the work on the hair enough, because too many other smaller sixth scale companies can't seem to get the fine stranding that it takes to really set a portrait apart. Blitzway does it as good as anyone on the market.

This is a very realistic sculpt as well, with some excellent skin texture, wrinkling, and musculature. This is the sort of work that can be mistaken for a real person with a quick glance, even in macro photos.

And then there's the emotive aspect, another home run for Spengler. Like Stantz, they captured the feel of the character with the slightly quizzical WTF look, and it even improves the overall accuracy.

Ray is still my personal favorite in this category, but there's no arguing that Egon is just as good, and it's a tough call as to which is truly better. That's the sort of quandary I like to have.

Spengler is about 12 1/4" tall, and the hands are in proper scale and sculpted in poses that work nicely with the various accessories.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Paint - ***1/2
If you want to pick a nit between these production figures and the early prototypes, this is the category where there's some validity.

That's not to say that this is a bad paint job - it's not, at all, in any way. But the prototype paint work was outstanding, and probably more than anyone could hope for in a production paint job from anyone.

Egon is great work, with a subtle variation in the skin tone that is quite realistic. He's not as washed out as Pete, and there's more depth and detail.  The eyes, lips, and eyebrows look great, and even the hairline has a nice transition between the hair and skin color.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Articulation - ***
I dinged Egon a little harder in this category this time, because I had some more issues than I had with the previous figures, and I have to admit that I've been a bit too easy on them with the ankles.

While I really like the look of the one piece head and neck, it does make the head a little less realistic in action poses. I wanted more tilt and lean than I could get from the joint in the torso, but it's not a deal breaker.

The shoulders, elbows, and wrists all work good, and can take any normal human pose including a two handed hold on the wand. Of course, it helps that they sculpted one set of hands to work perfectly with this pose as well.

The hands were a little tougher to swap this time, but it wasn't impossible, and the torso bends and turns even within the jumper.  The hips, knees, and ankles should be able to take just about any stance, but the hard sculpted boots don't allow the ankles much movement. This restricts how deep you can get the stance, and reduces the number of possible poses without using the display stand.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Accessories - ****
Like his comrades, Egon is well outfitted.

He has five gloved hands, all the same as we saw with Ray and Pete. There's the same two relaxed hands, the same two wand grasping hands, and the single radio gripping hand.

He also has four bare hands, including the pointing hand and the hip-holding pair that we've seen before. He has a second bare right hand sculpted to work with the PKE Meter.

And yes, we finally get the PKE Meter with Egon, which makes sense. He was the one usually using it. The arms can be lifted in or out manually, but there's no lights on this tiny extra.

He has the radio and holster as well as the gizmo bag and daughter board, all attached to his belt right out of the box.

Another unique extra is the gamma rate meter, and the sculpt and paint/sticker detail work on this one is really outstanding.

You could put his glasses in the Outfit section I suppose, but I'm including them here. The scale is good, and I like the use of actual thin lens. I'm hot thrilled with the way they rest on the ears though, and I prefer when the arms slip into holes in the hair, particularly on a figure like this were he'll never be sans glasses on the shelf.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Like the other 'busters, his best extra is the proton pack and wand. I've already raved about the amazing detail on it, from the tiny wires to the Slinky like tubes to the amazingly detailed stickers.  I did end up having a breakage issue this time - I damaged the thin silver 'antenna'. I'm going to have to come up with some way to glue it, but take head and be very careful not to bend it while working with the arms or hands. Believe me, it's easy enough to do.

Also like the other figures, there are several soft goods, including a large oblong Ghostbusters sticker, a small No Ghosts sticker, three newspaper front pages, and three magazine covers. And I almost forgot - the watch!  It's hidden under the left glove, so be careful not to lose it when swapping hands.

Lastly, there's the adjustable stand. You don't have to use it, but with the restricted ankles, it can be the only way to get and maintain deeper stances.

If you're looking for photos of the soft goods, base, watch, or any other accessories not pictured in this review, check out my earlier reviews of Ray and Pete.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Light Feature - ***
The light feature is easy to set up and use. Pop the pack off the frame and you can get to the battery compartment. Open it up, pop in two CR2032 batteries (not included), close everything back up and reattach the pack, and pressing a small button on the bottom lights him up.

Photos don't really capture the moving lights, but the blue light moves up and down while the orange/red lights move in a circle. The tip of the wand simply remains illuminated.

All this works well enough...but not with Egon. The battery compartment doesn't stay shut tightly enough to maintain a good battery connection. I had this same problem with Ray. WIth both, adding some padding between the pack and frame helped push the top of the compartment down, but this issue ended up pulling the score down here.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Outfit - ***1/2
Spengler has the same costume as the other two - black t-shirt, tan flight suit, elbow pads, sculpted boots, and military belt.

The quality of the materials and construction is excellent. I had no problems with any area, and the properly scaled zipper and various pockets look great. The belt includes a couple metal clips already attached, and there's even the 'pee tube'. This tube can pop out of the gray coupling pretty easily, but popping it back in is just as easy.

The only disappointment here is the boots, with a less than exciting sculpt and paint job. They are also pretty restrictive, and make even medium stances tricky.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Each of these figures is a lot of fun on his own, but put them together and you've got a party on your shelf.  There's a ton of potential poses, and setting them up in interactive ways just adds to the fun for fans and collectors alike.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Value - ***
Normally I wouldn't be telling you a $220 figure is a great deal, but these aren't normal. They have a ton of accessories, a light up feature, some terrific outfits, and far better sculpts and paint jobs than some have given them credit for.  You're getting all that at the average market price, no premium mark up. And that gets them a slightly better than average Value score in my book.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Things to Watch Out For -
The pack and wand have a little of small bits, areas where you really don't want to squeeze or put pressure. Be careful when posing the arms or creating new stances, because it's way to easy to get handsy with the pack. You'll regret it.

Otherwise you should be good to go! If you have issues with the lights, remember to try squeezing the battery compartment tighter. If that works, you know where the problem lies, and it is fixable albeit annoying.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Overall - ***1/2
Venkman has gotten more heat than he deserves, but if complaints about the sculpt on Spengler or Stantz are even farther off base. This is an excellent likeness, and add in another terrific set of accessories and a high quality outfit, and you have another real winner.

The big question is - which is better, Ray or Egon?  I'll give you that they both beat Pete, but against each other it's a much tougher competition. I'm sticking with Ray for now, but Egon might convince me otherwise after I've had them for awhile.

Next up is Winston, and I'm going to warn you - I've only glanced at him so far, but I don't think he's going to rival anyone for the top spot.

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

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Dividing Bar

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- have pre-orders at the site for $230.

- set their pre-order price at $900 for the set of four and $215 - $230 each, depending on the characters, but they appear all sold out.

- originally had the full set of four at $1100, with the singles going for $275, but they are long sold out on pre-order.

- Entertainment Earth had the set for $896, and the singles for around $220, but like everyone else, they appear sold out.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I already covered Venkman and Stantz.Winston is right around the corner.

Other recent Ghostbusters merchandise includes the smaller 7" scale series from Diamond Select, including Terror Dog, Library Ghost, and Taxi Ghost; Walter Peck, Gozer, and a Slimed Peter; Quittin' Time Ray, Slimer, and Janine; Ray, Louis, and Winston and Dana, Egon, and Peter.

Recently, Playmobil released their Ghostbusters sets, and I reviewed the Ecto-1.

If you're looking for sixth scale Busters at a cheaper price, check out the Mattel 12" Zeddemore, and the 12" Ray and Venkman. In the six inch scale, Mattel also released the SDCC exclusive Egon, Ray, Venkman, and Winston. Mattel's classic line was also re-released recently, and they did a wave based on the new film with Rowan and Jillian and Patty, Abby, and Erin.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Please share with your friends!

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters sixth scale action figure by Blitzway

Back to Main Page
This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.