14.09
The Toys R Us exclusive Ghostbusters Minimates have been very popular and 2 waves have flown off the shelves. This is a review of the wave 1 set of Ghostbusters 2 Winston Zeddmore and the fearsome Terror Dog.
Packaging
The packaging for this set is the standard for Toys R Us releases – you can see each figure through a small window, there are control art-type pictures on the front for each character, a photograph of each figure on either side, and a picture of all figures in the wave as well as a blurb about each figure in the pack on the back.
The Figures
Ghostbusters 2 Winston Zeddmore
This is the first released Minimate version of the most frequently over-looked Ghostbuster–Winston Zeddmore. The reason for over-looking him is easy to understand. He was not one of the original Ghostbusters, failing to appear until half-way through the first film. Then, when he does appear, it is not as an equal partner with the other Ghostbusters, but rather as an employee. Finally, though he has a few funny or memorable lines, he wasn’t as constantly and intrinsically funny a character as Ray, Peter, or Egon in my opinion. However, he was a crucial member of the Ghostbusters, and any Ghostbuster Minimate team would be incomplete without him.
This figure represents Winston from Ghostbusters 2. His face is cleanly shaved as he appeared in the sequel (he had a mustache in the first film). There seems to be a lot of space between Winston’s eyes and mouth, and he looks really young since there aren’t many lines to represent his age. A nice face, but as with the other Ghostbusters so far released, I don’t see much of actor Ernie Hudson here. The hairpiece is pretty nondescript, but works fine. Though the likeness isn’t great, this is the only African American member of the Ghostbusters (they others are all white). As such, it would be hard to confuse this Minimate with any other member of the team.
The powerhouse-type chest piece on this Minimate is another new sculpt, being slightly different from either that used with Gooey Ray or Egon. The cross-stomach strap is lower and thinner than it is on Egon, but does not reflect the pudginess that you see with Ray’s piece. The uniforms from Ghostbusters 2 were a dark gray with light gray elbow pads versus the lighter gray (or even tan in some lighting) suits with darker gray elbow pads worn by the Ghostbusters in the first film. This uniform is thus a much darker gray than that seen on the Ghostbuster 1-era figures. The color is similar to the gray color on the straps and belt on the Egon figure previously reviewed. Speaking of the straps, they are the same color as the rest of the suit on GB 2 Winston. Winston’s legs are the same gray color as his powerhouse piece. His belt (sculpted onto the powerhouse chest piece) is black, as are his boots. The belt contains a yellow walkie-talkie, various pouches, and a coiled, copper-colored wire, similar to that on Egon’s belt. All of these pieces are sculpted to the powerhouse piece. There do not appear to be any pegs to hold extra accessories on Winston. The elbow pads, again, are accurate to the film in that they are a lighter gray than the rest of his uniform. The Ghostbusters logo on Winston’s right arm is also accurate to the film, as the film is giving the “peace” sign, or the number 2, as was the logo for the second film.
The Proton pack, again, is fantastic, but appears the same as the one that comes with both previously reviewed Courtroom Peter and Egon figures. As such, there is nothing much new to say about it.
In conclusion, the likeness isn’t great, and I personally don’t care as much for the darker color scheme as I do the lighter variations from the first film. This figure is still better than the average Minimate because. . .well, he is a Ghostbuster, and because he has the awesome Proton pack. Plus, he is a cool variant, and will be essential once we get the rest of the Ghostbusters 2 team (though DST has yet to announce Ghostbusters 2 Egon as of this writing, given the popularity of this line, I’m assuming that we will get him at some point).
MMC Score – 7 out of 10
Terror Dog
The Terror Dogs played a significant role in Ghostbusters. They are demons born from gargoyles, who proceed to possess Dana Barrett and Louis Tully, turning them into the “Gatekeeper” and “Key Master,” respectively. When these two characters later meet up, they help to bring Gozer into the world, turning into Terror Dogs in the process.
The Terror Dog figure does not bear much resemblance to the typical Minimate. Perhaps necessarily so, given that he has 4 legs, a tail, horns, and an elongated, dog-like face. As such, the Minimate is chock full of sculpted pieces – a sculpted head, a sculpted torso piece, a sculpted pelvic/tail piece, and 4 sculpted feet. However, under all of this is a Minimate block torso, crotch piece, head, and 4 legs. The final result is a really great looking figure, despite the fact that it doesn’t look like any other Minimate (the size and joints of the legs perhaps being the only indications without removing parts). There is absolutely no doubt that this is the Terror Dog from the film, which makes the sculpted pieces much easier to accept. It also looks appropriately proportioned, which is important, and the face is appropriately menacing with its evil, snarling face.
A regular Terror Dog, similar to the Egon in the first Toys R Us wave, was released in the first Ghostbusters box set as well as at Toys R Us. However, whereas Egon appears pretty much the same, the Terror Dogs in these separate releases differ in one important aspect. In the 4-pack box set, the Terror Dog doubles as Louis Tully, whose base parts are hidden under all the sculpted pieces. In the Toys R Us pack, Terror Dog is just a plain, black blank Minimate under all that sculpting. No Tully face, and no extra pieces to allow for a “2-in-1” Minimate as was the case with the box set figure. As such, this figure isn’t as great as the 4-pack Tully, but it is still really nice.
In conclusion, despite the fact that I’m not generally a fan of overly sculpted Minimates, it was necessary with this figure, and it works very well. The 4-pack version would get a higher score because of the great looking figure inside the extra parts, but this one still deserves a very high score because it is a great figure, and another essential part of any Ghostbusters collection.
MMC Score – 8 out of 10
Review and pictures by karamazov80
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