Ghostbusters: Vinz Clortho (Keymaster of Gozer) Figure Review

Flavor Text:

"It's good to be king!" (chair not included)

"PERSONNEL FILE

Name: Vinz Clortho
           Keymaster of Gozer

Profession:

• Minion of Volguus Zildrohoar, Lord of Seboullia (aka Gozer)

Ghostbuster Status:

• In possession of nerdy tax accountant Louis Tully's body
• Not the sharpest Shub roasting in the depths of Sloar

Quotable Quotes:

"Gozer the Traveler-he will come in one of the pre-chosen forms.  During the rectification of the Vuldronaii, the Traveler came as a large and moving Torb!"

(Page 1)

Habits & Hobbies:

• Property destruction
• Speaks to horses
• Growls

Accomplishments:

• Found the gatekeeper
• Transformed into a Terror Dog with sizeable horns
• Opened a gateway to an alternate dimension

Notes:

Consult Louis Tully regarding the GB "tax issue" after releasing the minion possessing him... and before taking a sample of his brain tissue.

(Page 2)"



Sculpt:

Vinz probably has the most new parts (besides the head, obviously) from Mattel's Ghostbusters figure lineup. While I appreciate the sculpt of the new torso, the material used feels very cheap and "hollow".  It would've been much better if Mattel incorporated the "rubbery" material (used for Courtroom Battle Peter Venkman) for Vinz's light-blue colored button shirt and used an orange-colored torso with wrinkles sculpted into it.  But hey, at least we've got a quasi-ball-jointed torso!

Vinz's facial sculpt ranges somewhere between "good" and "somewhat accurate".  The facial expressions of both heads are pretty darn accurate, however, I don't feel comfortable in saying that the facial sculpt is a "dead-on accurate" representation of Rick Moranis.  Each time I compare the two (the figure and photos of the actor in the Ghostbusters film), it looks like him but doesn't at the same time.  I can settle with the somewhat "cartoony" Vinz head sculpt.



Articulation:

(Vinz Clortho breakdancing)

Vinz has approximately 15 points of articulation: ball-jointed head, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, quasi ball-jointed torso, swivel waist, swivel-hinged legs, swivel knees, and rocker ankles.  Unfortunately, Vinz can't place his arms down to his sides due to the sculpts of both arm and torso.  However, I do recall Vinz walking around with his arms in an "A" shape.  Like the other Ghostbusters figures, Vinz's leg (particularly his left) joints are way too loose.



Paint Application:

Mattel's paint application of Vinz Clortho is quite "iffy".  For instance, Vinz's yellowish-orange shirt hasn't been properly painted (around the collar) because the light-blue coloring of his button shirt is seeping through.  The bottom right crotch area shows the light-blue color emerging in a "peek-a-boo!" sort of way amongst the brown trousers.  There's also some pizza crust "stain" on Vinz's open-palmed right-hand (but that's due to the pizza being wrapped around his hand for too long in the packaging).  There's also a few noticeable "mustard stain" spots on the back of his left elbow joint area.

"Yes, have some."

Vinz's alternate head (with the funky headgear) has a few paint application problems as well.  The wiring on his headgear have been haphazardly painted.  Also, the chin strap (white) paint has bled onto Vinz's face.



Accessories:

Vinz comes with a pretty sizeable amount of accessories: "ruffled hair" Vinz head, "Terror Dog" head, slice of pizza, plastic container (or bowl) of popcorn, and alternate "head gear adorned" Vinz head.

Vinz's head can be removed without too much trouble, but I would be careful when pulling off his alternate "science experiment" head since those tiny "wiring" sculpts on the headgear may break off one day.  Also, the "Terror Dog" head can be placed over the headgear-less Tully head without any problem.  Earlier on, I had trouble popping in either of Vinz's heads onto the peg; the back part of the neck kept on getting in the way of the collar of his shirt.  The best way to approach this is to slide the back of Vinz's neck in first and VOILA!

It's really cool to see Mattel include both the bowl of popcorn and slice of pizza as accessories with this particular figure.  Sure, those props were used for a few seconds or less, but it maintains the accuracy of a specific scene in the movie.  So, thank you Mattel.  However, I found it somewhat of a challenge to have Vinz pose with them.  With a few adjustments, I managed to pose his left arm in such a way so that the jar of popcorn would stay put.  However, the slice of pizza was slightly trickier to manage.



Packaging:

It's the same old "Ghostbusters" packaging with the angry Stay-Puft Marshmallow in the background with the figure behind a large "window-like" display.  I admit, the way the figures have been presented thus far in their  respective packaging really enhances the overall look of the figures.  Interestingly, additional accessories (such as Vinz's alternate head or the fat Scoleri Brother's alternate feet) are kept hidden from sight.



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 with better material 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 be locked in until the next subscription comes around.



The Good:

* Vinz definitely makes a nice addition to the Ghostbusters line who happens to not be one of them!
* Scene/character specific accessories!
* All-around new sculpt!



The Bad:

* Paint applications not up to par as usual.
* Vinz's left leg and ankle are a bit loose.



The Ugly:

* Still a bit too expensive (somewhat regretting being a "Club Ecto-1" member) for my tastes.



Score: