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DST struck gold when they acquired the Ghostbusters license. The Ghostbusters sets have been flying off the shelves of local comic book stores and DST has had 2 very successful waves of Ghostbusters 2-packs, with more product in the pipeline. The Minimate Multiverse messageboard has had an influx of fresh Minimates fans on the back of the license. It’s nice to see DST have such a success with something that isn’t their flagship Marvel Minimates line.

Here we have the second 4-pack set that rounds out the Ghostbusters and their main adversaries in the film. In fact, between the 2 sets, the only glaring omission would be Slimer, although he was more popular after the first film as part of the later “Real Ghostbusters” cartoon.

Packaging

The packaging is identical to the first set. Not a problem, as it’s nice to have a consistent approach. All the Minimates can be seen easily and the packaging does a good job in showing them off.

 

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The Figures

Ray Stantz

Unlike Venkman and Spengler in the first boxset, poor Ray doesn’t get called “Dr.” on the packaging. Ray is the heart of the Ghostbusters, a dreamer, his enthusiasm for what they do comes from both pushing back scientific boundaries and the fact he loves being a Ghostbuster.

As with the first Ray Minimate available, the “gooey” version, the Minimate’s likeness to Dan Akroyd really isn’t there. It’s acceptable though and you can see that effort has been made to catch some of the wide-eyed wonder of Ray along with his chubby chin.

As discussed in many of our Ghostbusters reviews, the Ghostbusters outfit is recreated very well. The logo, the name tag, the elbow pads, all excellent, the proton pack likewise.

Ray gets the usual proton stream attachment that all the other Ghostbusters get, but where he really stands out is the inclusion of 2 great accessories. He comes with the goggles he uses in the film, these fit tightly over the hairpiece and he looks great using them. Also, Ray gets an actual ghost trap! It clips to his belt when not needed, and it’s well sculpted and detailed. It’s a perfect accessory and is exactly the sort of thing DST has excelled themselves with in this line.

In conclusion, Ray is probably the best regular Ghostbuster Minimate due to the accessories he comes with (and not because he’s my favourite of the Ghostbusters, oh no).

MMC Score – 9 out of 10

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Winston Zeddemore

Recruited after the initial success of the Ghostbusters business, Winston is the only non-scientist of the 4 Ghostbusters. Laid back and approachable, Winston helps defeat Gozer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. This is the second Minimate of Winston to be made, as the TRU 2-packs had Winston in his Ghostbusters 2 outfit.

The likeness to Ernie Hudson isn’t stellar, but you can definitely tell who it is, with the detail on the mustache and around the mouth. The hairpiece is different to the Ghostbusters 2 version as well.

Winston gets the same Ghostbusters outfit as the others, however he does not get anything to peg onto his belt. The outfit is as well executed as the other 3 Ghostbusters, and as always the standout is the proton pack and neutron wand, which remains a very playable addition to the Minimates arsenal.

Winston’s only accessory is the translucent piece to attach to the wand, simulating the proton stream.

In conclusion, Winston is the weakest of the Ghostbusters as he is the most basic, with no extra accessories. That’s not particularly a criticism as the bar has been set so high, and he remains an essential figure due to his status as one of the four.

MMC Score – 7 out of 10

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Gozer

Gozer was arguably the film’s main baddie, if not in the end the most iconic or well-known. How’s that? Well, this “nimble little minx”, played by a European supermodel, could change form. She tells the Ghostbusters to choose the form of the Destructor and becomes the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

For a character who didn’t have a great deal of screen-time they did a bang-up job on Gozer. The heavily made-up face is well done, her expression seething with hatred. The hairpiece wouldn’t look out of place on Wolverine, it’s a beauty!

Gozer’s body is made with the same pearlescent sheen effect seen on Moonstone and 90s Storm in the Marvel line. It does well to add a little extra something to the appearance. Couple this with the simple but effective detailing lines and circles, which even appear on her arms and the sides of her legs, and it’s another winner in this set.

Gozer has no accessories, although if you have a couple of Terror Dogs to flank her then she’s all set.

In conclusion, whilst the character is more well-known in another form, they’ve still done an excellent job recreating Gozer as a Minimate.

MMC Score – 7 out of 10

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Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

The last figure in the set is Gozer’s form as the Destructor, the form that Ray chose for it to attack New York City – the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. We have already seen an exploding Stay Puft in the Ghostbusters Minimates line, but this is the iconic look from the film.

Obviously the issue of scale is apparent. DST were never going to make an in-scale Stay Puft Marshmallow Man as a Minimate, so chose to keep the 2″ scale and bulk it up with additional pieces to help recreate the character. This works, and how, as this version of the Marshmallow Man is absolutely spot on.

The head features the happy yet vengeful expression that the monster had as it stomped through the New York City streets, as well as the Stay Puft logo on the sailor’s cap. DST have really done a great job capturing the expression.

The main bulk of the figure comes from the massively oversized chest piece. It is so big that an additional piece is needed to elongate the torso peg in order to fit the lower torso on seamlessly. The look is completed by oversized hands and feet. It’s an amazing engineering feat that this figure is built on a standard Minimate body, sadly the price of this is that it loses a lot of articulation, such as at the neck and shoulders.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man has no accessories.

In conclusion, visually a dead-ringer for its cinematic counterpart. Scale issues aside, this Minimate is superb.

MMC Score – 10 out of 10

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Overall Thoughts

Another flawless Ghostbusters release, all four Minimates here are spot on to the film. The two boxsets together are the easiest way to assemble all 4 of the Ghostbusters and some great supporting characters and enemies. Each set is a must buy, more so if you can’t get hold of the TRU 2-packs, which provide even more ghosts along with some different versions of the Ghostbusters.

 

Review and pictures by Danny Mills

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