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:

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SCRE4M: Ghost Face "Zombie Mask" Figure Review

Flavor Text:

"Ghost Face (The Icon of Halloween):

The icon of Halloween returns with this brand new action figure complete with knife accessory and over 14 points of articulation.  Highly detailed and fully poseable.  Watch for more Ghost Face figures & collectibles coming soon!"



Sculpt:

Although I liked NECA's utilization of cloth for their Dante figure, I'm not a fan of "cloth" incorporated Ghost Face figure.  While the cloth streams are appropriate for GF's elbows, the cloth skirt isn't impressive and is quite a distraction from the overall figure.  The top-half of Ghost Face is adorned with wrinkles and creases in his outfit.  However, as your eye wanders downward, the semi-transparent and unwrinkled fabric "skirt" just stares conspicuously right in your face.

Despite all the expertly sculpted wrinkles and creases of the overall body of the figure, Ghost Face is one plain-looking figure.  After all, there's only so much you can do with someone dressed in all black.  However, the sculpt of Ghost Face's hood is actually very good.  The fold and wrinkles (all over the hood) are realistic and there's even a tip left on the back of the hood which you can slightly fiddle with.

The "hood" part of the figure is composed of two separate pieces: the inner ("meat and potatoes") piece is sculpted with the Ghost Face mask; the outer piece is composed of slightly pliable plastic.  Unfortunately, I couldn't separate the outer piece from the inner piece, most likely because it's glued or molded together.  It's too bad because it would've been interesting to see Ghost Face without the outer cowl.

If you lift up Ghost Face's "skirt" (sorry, old habits die hard) you'll notice the ugly-looking joints.  When I say ugly-looking, I'm referring mostly to Ghost Face's "tight jeans" butt.  While this type of joint/sculpt gives Ghost Face maximum leg articulation, there's got to be a better way because it looks real ugly.  And I mean "Marvel Legends" and "G.I. Joe" type ugly.

There's also space right below the [swivel] waist where the elastic of the fabric "skirt" is kept in place.

However, the sculpted creases and wrinkles detail found all over the bottom-half (the pants and pant legs) are superb.  It's also interesting to see how NECA's sculptors went about covering the knee articulation (the front of both knees are sculpted long enough to cover the joints).

Like your average figure, on the bottom of Ghost Face's right foot, you'll see "NECA 20XX Made in China" stamp.




Articulation:

Ghost Face has seen the light

Ghost Face is endowed with: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, swivel waist, ball-jointed hips, ball-jointed knees, and ball-jointed ankles.

Although Ghost Face has a fair amount of articulation, there aren't many poses you can do given Ghost Face's occupation.  The figure's range of movement is also restricted by the strange ball-jointed hip design and the fabric "skirt".  You may recall NECA's previous offering of the Ezio action figure (from Assassin's Creed 2) and the similar ball-jointed hip articulation.  Trying to pose Ezio with that articulation was more trouble than it's worth.  My only guess as to why they've incorporated the ball-jointed hip into these figures is due to budgeting concerns.

I do love how NECA finds innovative ways to enhance their offerings to their customers, whether it be through incorporating LED lights or including fabric with their figures.  However, the fabric "skirt" falls short and is more of a hindrance.  I don't understand the purpose of incorporating articulation in the bottom half of the figure just to have it restricted by a fabric "skirt".




Paint Application:

A character that dresses up in all black is pretty hard to screw up, right?  Unfortunately, under Ghost Face's fabric "skirt" was a strange splotch of light brown paint (not really sure how that even happened).  Also the color of Ghost Face's jeans is navy blue; I don't know if that's movie-accurate or not for the Ghost Face character.  There's also some "yellow stain" marks in Ghost Face's mouth and some paint missing from it as well.



Accessories:

Ghost Face comes with his trusty slasher knife, which fits perfectly in his [right] hand.  I've read from other reviews that the knife wasn't big enough, but I disagree.  In proportion to the Ghost Face figure, I think the knife is just about the right size.  I do wish however, that the knife handle were a little bit longer, that's all.  It would've been interesting to see NECA include a "chase" version of a bloodied knife, since NECA is well-known to do these types of variations across their action figure lines.



Packaging:

Ghost Face comes in your typical clamshell packaging with a display front that is large enough to show the entire figure and accessory.  The background design of splashed blood is nice and fitting of Ghost Face himself.




Price:

I purchased this online via eBay for $12.00 (a damn good deal, if I may say so myself).  I admit, the price is what prompted my purchase.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have even bothered with this figure.




Additional Information:

Product Development
Randy Falk

Sculpt
Kyle Windrix

Paint
Jon Wardell
Geoffrey Trapp

Fabrication
Brad Haskins

Prototypes
Adam Smith

Photography
Stephen Mazurek

Packaging
Nick Scragg

Special Thanks
Fun World Staff
Nate Ragon




The Good:

* Got it for a relatively cheap price.
* Impressive details (creases and wrinkles) in outfit.
* Given more than enough articulation.



The Bad:

* Fabric "skirt" is distracting and doesn't provide that much space for extreme leg poses.
* Finding hairballs and strings each time I handle the figure.
* Strange and ugly hip joints (reminds me of Ezio's flawed articulation).


The Ugly:

* The fabric "skirt"!



Score: 

Ghostbusters II: "Courtroom Battle" Peter Venkman Figure Review

Flavor Text:

"PERSONNEL FILE

Name: Peter Venkman

Profession:

• Doctor of Parapsychology
• Doctor of Psychology

Ghostbuster Status:

• Salesperson for the GHOSTBUSTERS
• Occasionally develops equipment for the GHOSTBUSTERS
• Hosts a psychic-themed talk show

Quotable Quotes:

"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

Accomplishments:

• Came up with the idea to start the GHOSTBUSTERS
• First Ghostbuster to have "physical contact" with a ghost
• Bravely fought the Scoleri Brothers' ghosts

Notes:

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:

Dead Space 2: Necromorph Slasher Action Figure

Flavor Text:

"Slasher:

Made from the bodies of their victims, the Slashers are Necromorphs with the sole purpose of creating more corpses.  They relentlessly hunt the living, prowling in ventilation ducts and jumping out when least expected to eviscerate their prey.  They possess a decentralized nervous system and can only be killed by dismembering their limbs."



Sculpt:

Having played the first "Dead Space" so many times, I was surprised at the accurate sculpt of the hideous Necromorph Slasher figure.  Regardless of whether you've ever heard of Dead Space, let alone even played the game, this Slasher is one ugly mother in action figure form.

For those who haven't played any of the Dead Space video games or read any of the graphic novels, you can tell the Necromorph used to be human; just look at its receding hairline and (yes) its nipples.  The ripped apart flesh with all the sinewy red "meat" is extremely detailed and looks so real that it sometimes makes me feel a bit sick.  If you've come across any interviews behind the design of the Necromorph, you'll feel just as sick as I did.

The Necromorph's rib cage pokes through the almost-hollowed out flesh in the front of the torso, which you can follow all the way to the back where the spinal cord and the rest of the rib cage is now exposed.  You can also catch a glimpse of the partially exposed (and mutilated) pelvis along with the partially exposed shoulder blades.

Probably due to the lack of space, the soles of the Slasher's feet don't have the "NECA 20XX Made in China" stamp (that stamp is now placed less noticeably on the back of Slasher's right leg).  Instead, we have sinewy pieces of flesh detailed on the soles of the Necromorph.

The Necromorph seems to be much more smaller in comparison to Advanced Suit Isaac and Mining RIG Isaac.  It could be due to the heavy armor, but that doesn't seem to be the case when compared with Advanced Suit Isaac (since the Advanced Suit is less bulky).  Screenshots from the video game of Necromorphs taking a bite out of Isaac are either equal in size or slightly larger.  Also due to its small feet, the Slasher has trouble standing even with the base.  The base peg needs to be a lot taller and the Slasher's feet need to be wider.

*It would be really cool to see an alternate [Enhanced/Super] Necromorph figure, with the dark-colored flesh tones with the equally intimidating glowing eyes for this year's San Diego Comic Con.*



Articulation:

The Slasher is articulated with: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed "claws", ball-jointed [extra] clawed hands (from its stomach), ball-jointed hips, swivel knees, and swivel ankles.

To maintain video game accuracy, NECA incorporated the "removable limbs" feature for the Necromorph figure.  While this is a bit on the gimmicky side (also innovative), it works really well.  However, the biggest issue I had with the "removable limbs" feature is to distinguish which limbs were actually removable.  A little cheat sheet would've been helpful.  I was able to safely pull off the Slasher's: head, arms, and legs with little or no trouble.  I managed to even pull off the elbow (but I wouldn't recommend it; shoving it back in is a bit more of a hassle than the rest of the body parts).  I have to mention the Slasher's "removable limbs" feature is a huge improvement over NECA's Resident Evil 25th Anniversary Zombie figure (although the Zombie's removable limbs came off easily, they were much harder to put back on).

The Necromorph wasn't endowed with any articulation in the waist.  However, I did find a slight line that circled around the Necromorph (mid-torso), which neatly aligns with the spines in its back.  The absence of any waist articulation is probably due to the cost of tooling.

However, with all that aside, this is still a highly-articulated figure that NECA tends to produce from time to time. I would love to see more articulated figures from them.



Paint Application:

Aside from a splotch of black paint on the right leg, everything is just fine.  As expected, there are massive amounts of blood dripping from all over the place.  This is a perfect example of how great sculpting and having the right paint application can make a figure look really really [disgustingly] good.



Accessories:

"Momma?"

Not including the removable limbs, there's only one accessory: a glossy basic plastic base.



Packaging:

Due to the massive amount of space the Slasher figure took up, NECA resorted back to using the larger clamshell packaging (probably also used to prevent the arms and legs sculpt from being crushed), which works quite well.  The background design of the packaging [of Advanced Suit Isaac's face] is nice, no doubt taken from the video game cover of "Dead Space 2".  However, the background design from the first "Dead Space" action figure packaging with the shadows of the incoming Necromorphs is no doubt still the best package design.

Interestingly, the slightly enlarged photo of the Necromorph Slasher at the bottom left of the packaging shows a slightly pissed Necromorph with gaping eye holes.



Price:

::angry Splicer yell::

I pre-ordered Isaac Clarke through CornerStoreComics for a total of $40.14 (this also included a Necromorph figure) and from an eBay seller (also purchased together with the Necromorph) for $34.42.



The Good:

* The highly anticipated Necromorph finally makes its appearance in plastic form!
* Extremely (and disgustingly) detailed Necromorph Slasher figure!
* Highly articulated.
* Video game accurate sculpt.


The Bad:

* Size of Necromorph is a bit small.
* Has trouble standing on its own from time to time, which limits the number of action poses.
* One accessory.


The Ugly:

* The long wait it took to finally get this figure in my grubby hands!



Score: