Well, Ghostbusters fans, this is not going to be a requiem for the Ghostbusters action figure line, I promise you that it is not. The past 18 months (give or take) have been a strange and often frustrating time for Ghostbusters action figure fans. We have seen the cancellation of the proposed 2012 subscription (due to lack of sign-ups), Zuul moved to, essentially, a convention-exclusive “staction,” and we were told at SDCC that, after one more release, the GB line is going on hiatus until Sony sorts out the direction they are going to take the property in the future. I don’t think that was much of a surprise, and you know that the real financial reason for getting the GB license at this point is for any future potential merchandising that would go hand in hand a third movie. So that leaves us with one final figure for 2012 and it comes to us in the form of Courtroom Battle Ray Stantz.
I know what you are thinking: he is not the most exciting figure to be the swansong for the line (at least for now), especially when very important characters like Janine, Gozer, and Janosz are still outstanding. I really thought that, even when things looked rocky, we would at least get a Gozer figure out of the deal, but for now, it is not meant to be. However, the good news is that Ray is not traveling alone since he is bringing Tony Scoleri with him. Yep, Nunzio is no longer along and the ghastly and ghostly murderous brothers can work together to get back at Judge Stephen “The Hammer” Wexler. I know, I know, he is no Gozer, but I really like the design and concept of the Scoleri brothers, so I am glad I can now add him to my shelf.
The courtroom scene was really the big kick-off to the boys in grey (so dubbed Casey Kasem) being back for their second stint, and while you can argue the merits of the entire second movie, you have to admit that, from Louis Tulley’s hapless turn as a night school-educated lawyer to Wexler’s anti-spook diatribe to the final busting of the Scoleris, it was a pretty entertaining scene. That being said, the Ghostbusters in their courtroom attire were not at the top of my want list for this line, but once it became clear that variations on the “main four” would be the foundation for releases, it made sense that the courtroom crew would be included. I suppose Egon won’t be making his way to our shelves anytime soon, but since Pete and Ray were the ones that actually captured the Scoleris (Egon provided the trap assist), it makes sense that we get those two first.
You can probably already tell just by looking at the pictures, but as far as Ray goes, I don’t think there is a scrap of anything new in terms of figure construction. This figure is, for all intents and purposes, the Courtroom Battle Peter Venkman figure with Ray Stantz head we have seen several times before. The colors in his suit have been adjusted to match what Ray was wearing in that scene (though, they look a little too vibrant, especially in the teal/green shirt), but other than that, there is nothing new to report. Not that I was expecting anything groundbreaking in terms of new tooling for a final figure, but there is just not much to report due to that fact. All of his joints are solid and he balances just fine with his (non-removable) Proton Pack, so if you were expecting the heavy reuse from Courtroom Battle Peter, then the construction will be pleasing since I cannot really find anything in terms of engineering to nitpick. Like I said, though, I do wish the colors in the suit, tie, and shirt were a little closer to the movie model, but that might boarder on being particular.
I have to be honest, though, I really saw this set as a reversal of roles for what is being offered, and while Ray is most certainly the anchor, I was anticipating Tony Scoleri a lot more. I think that they have some of the best ghost designs from both movies and the way they wreaked havoc on various court officers was great. I always preferred Tony to Nunzio, so while it was a long wait to get my favorite brother, I am glad the team is complete. We were able to complete the Scoleris, but not the Courtroom Battle Ghostbusters; if I had to make my choice between one of the two, I am glad we got the former.
As you know, Tony is the tall and skinny brother of the crew, and if you stand him next to Nunzio, it is very apparent in his plastic realization. They have about the same amount of articulation (not much below the belt), but Tony does not feature the swappable feet that were included with Nunzio. Also, as you can see in the pictures, Tony is a different color than Nunzio. Now, I might have been assumptive in thinking that they would be same, but Tony is a lot darker blue and does not have any of the greenish overtones that are present in Nunzio’s deco. He does retain the translucent quality of his brother, but since the sculpt is more detailed and there are more cloth folds and bone structure, it is not as clear as before.
Also, I was surprised when I was inspecting the Tony figure that he actually shares some tooling with the previously-released taxi driver ghost. That, of course, is confined to the upper body, but I can see some similarities in the build that might make sharing appropriate in some areas. I believe the torso is still unique, but there is definitely sharing in the arms. I *think* that in the movie, Tony has his sleeves pushed up like Nunzio, but they move around so fast and are onscreen for such a short period of time, I cannot be 100% sure. I do really like the all-new head sculpt and it keeps a good likeness to Tony and brings out his crazy and maniacal personality to coincide with his portly brother. Plus, for being a guy that is now a ghost and was executed via the electric chair, the dude has a very nice head of brown hair on him.
So this looks like the end to an era of Ghostbusters figures, at least for the time being. We have actually gotten a good deal of figures, and the Ghostbusters themselves have been represented in their most important incarnations, from their standard “busting” suits to their lab jackets. But I cannot help but think of what did not come to pass during this run as well; I know I have already mentioned Gozer and Janine as the big ones, and those two alone make the collection feel a little incomplete. Courtroom Ray is really not the most exciting way to go out, but I think he was chosen so that we could get Tony Scoleri into the line because just having one of the brothers would have been a crime. I do hold out hope that we can see a return to the line at some point and that it will satisfy the needs that are still outstanding, as mentioned above. Ray and Tony go on sale on November the 15th (that is just two days away) for $25.00.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to Toy Guru and the Ghostbusters crew for sending these guys along for a First Look.
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