"PERSONNEL FILE
Name: Peter Venkman
Profession:
- Doctor of Parapsychology
- Doctor of Psychology
- Salesperson for the GHOSTBUSTERS
- Occasionally develops equipment for the GHOSTBUSTERS
- Hosts a psychic-themed talk show
"We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the only Ghostbusters."
(Page 1)
Habits & Hobbies:
- Enthusiastic voter
- Thinks hairless cats are weird
- Great with kids
- Came up with the idea to start the GHOSTBUSTERS
- First Ghostbuster to have "physical contact" with a ghost
- Bravely fought the Scoleri Brothers' ghosts
Office Supplies-
Butch Carpathian Compendium
Love potion aerosol, Stool sample kit
(Page 2)"
Sculpt:
Most of Venkman's body is composed of the previously released (and heavily reused) "Movie Masters: The Dark Knight: Gotham City Thug" action figure. There is no doubt that the sculpted tie comes from the "MM: TDK: Harvey Dent" action figure as well.
Aside from that, the proton pack straps have been sculpted onto Venkman's jacket suit, which looks convincing enough. It's just a shame that Mattel still hasn't found a way to incorporate a "removable" proton pack (like the old Ghostbusters figures with the proton streams sticking out of the neutrino wand... remember those?).
And speaking of proton packs, since Venkman's isn't removable (like the rest of the Ghostbusters), there's a huge block of ugly plastic that sticks out to accommodate the proton pack on his back.
The facial sculpt of Venkman isn't too bad. The wrinkles on his forehead and the "wise-ass" smirk on his face definitely match his character. Of course, it still looks a bit "baby-face" for me, but hey, if Bill Murray is okay with it, I guess it's okay.
And what is up with those veiny hands of his? Been working out much? It just looks a bit out of place.
The creases in the [fat] Scoleri Brother's shirt and pants are extremely detailed. The front of his shirt with the buttons struggling to keep the shirt closed does well to portray the Scoleri Brother's gigantic [ghostly] gut as well.
Articulation:
Venkman has approximately 18 points of articulation. Fortunately, he doesn't suffer from "perpetual bent elbow" syndrome like the rest of his Ghostbusters brethren (in uniform). However, he can't seem to bend his elbows at the ninety degree angle, which is due to the design of his elbow articulation. Also, Venkman's leg joints are way too loose.
Although the [fat] Scoleri Brother is considered an accessory, he has 5 points of articulation: swivel head, swivel arms, and jointed feet. His head can only do a partial "swivel" due to his gigantic face being restricted by his open-collared shirt. The right arm can be "swiveled" without much trouble. However, the left arm is so tight, that it takes a bit more work to move it (I actually prefer the tight arm joint). While it's nice to have some articulation in an accessory, it would've made more sense if the Scoleri Brother was given ball-jointed arms giving him a bit more life (it would also partially justify the overall price of the figure). This limited articulation is a throwback to the times when most action figures had limited articulation (look back to the old "Real Ghostbusters" action figure line).
Being able to "switch out" the Scoleri Brother's feet is a nice touch, but wholly unnecessary. Including a flight stand for a "flying" ghost would've made more sense (and again would partially justify the overall price of the figure).
Paint Application:
Mattel has done a pretty good job on this figure with painting, but then again almost the entire figure is in black. Unfortunately, my Venkman figure had visible brown paint on his left cheek, under his chin, and in his left ear. At first glance, I didn't catch this, but for some unknown reason, Mattel thought it was okay to paint Venkman's lips. The more I looks at it, the more it seems Venkman was trying on a different shade of lipstick. Awkward...
The color of the [fat] Scoleri Brother is a bit too bluish-green for me. In the movie, he seemed to be more grey with a slight tinge of blue. Also, what is up with black-colored "outlines" on the Scoleri Brother's face?
Accessories:
"Courtroom Battle" Venkman comes with his trusty [non-removable] ghost-bustin' proton pack with neutrino wand stick. He also comes with a "pack-in" ghost: one of the Scoleri Brothers (the fat one). Surprisingly, the large Scoleri Brother comes with an extra pair of "flying" feet, which can be found at the bottom left of the package (don't throw your packaging out before you take them out!).
Packaging:
It's the same old "Ghostbusters" packaging with the angry Stay-Puft Marshmellow in the background with the figure behind a large "window-like" display. The only difference is the "Ghostbusters" logo is correctly showing the "Ghostbusters 2" logo ghost. I admit, the way the figures have been presented thus far in their respective packaging really enhances the overall look of the figures. Unfortunately, once removed, that magic is gone.
Price:
It goes without saying the price paid for this figure is just ridiculous (and that goes for the rest of Mattel's "Ghostbusters" line). I've seen far more articulated and better sculpted figures go for cheaper than what Mattel is charging for each individual Ghostbusters figure. If you've subscribed to Mattel's "Club Ecto-1," you'll continually pay highly inflated prices for not-so-good quality figures.
The Good:
* If you missed the previously released Peter Venkman figure(s), this is another chance for you to get him!
* A Scoleri Brother in plastic form!
* Comes with additional [ghost] feet.
The Bad:
* Constant reuse of body parts from previous figures.
* Paint applications not up to par as usual.
* Venkman's legs are bit too loose for comfort.
The Ugly:
* The highly inflated pricing of these figures. Definitely not worth it (not too pleased with being a "Club Ecto-1" member)!
Score:
