You know, I think Ghostbusters II gets a bad rap. Sure, when you hold it up against the original, it is not even in the same class, but really, the original Ghostbusters is an elite movie. That might make the sequel unneeded (indeed, a THIRD installment is currently in production) but I find myself enjoying most of the movie and there are some scenes and moments of comedic gold that can hold up to just about anything. A lot of those moments are attributable directly to Bill Murray’s Dr. Venkman. I think it is safe to say that Peter is the most popular Ghostbuster and certainly the smoothest (mot of them are pretty stiff) so it comes as little surprise that the first Matty Collector Ghostbusters II figure would be him. In fact, this Courtroom Battle Peter Venkman marks the fourth Peter figure in the line overall and if we are talking about my favorite scenes from II, the Ghostbusters’ trial is certainly one of them.
In the discussion of viable character variants from the GB movie universe, there aren’t really a ton of options. We already have the standard suits from movie one for all four of the boys, and the gray suits from two came together in a Toys R Us gift set, but past the already in-progress slimed and lab coat looks, the suited deco makes the most sense. Heck, the first time the good doctors heat up the Proton Packs in years after the Marshmallowing of Manhattan (good thing for that extensive power cell half-life) they are wearing their best formals. So, for GB fans, this is a good representation of Peter for us to get because really, I will take just about any version of Venkman they can offer.
Like most of Matty’s collector lines, the GB figures rely quite a bit on base body reuse to get the job done. Such is the case with this Venkman; he has, to a degree, become what he hates the most as the figure is constructed mostly of the suit body first used for that slimy Walter Peck. It works fine for those purposes and it has been decoed in the proper colors to match the movie. The requisite Proton Pack has also been added and like all previous installments, it is not removable. Pete’s head is also a carry over and now for the second time the original un-slimed head has been utilized. I think the Venkman head is the best of the original four in terms of likeness and as Murry did not change a whole heck of a lot between appearances in the films, it works.
Aside ffom the fact that this is a figure of Peter Venkman, the big selling point to this figure (I would expect) is the pack-in ghost included. Getting more ghosts is one of my most urgent wants out of the line right now so the more the merrier. This time it is one half of the murderous brotherly duo that Judge Stephen “The Hammer” Wexler gave “the chair”, Nunzio Scolari. Nunz is, of course, the more portly of the two (Tony being the other) and appropriately so, Dr. Venkman trapped him with jeering taunts of “C’mon fat boy!” to save the day. I was excited to see that Nunzio was going to get a figure at SDCC as the Scolaris are certainly my favorite “ghosts” from GB2 (The Vig notwithstanding).
I think you most certainly must consider him a pack-in or accessory rather than a figure that stands on his own merits. What I mean is, this is not a ghost that you would get single-carded all by himself. For one thing, he is pretty small, about half to two thirds the size of a standard GB figure. This kind of threw me off at first as I always just considered the Scolari ghosts to be the same size (or slightly larger at times it seemed) as a normal bloke. But since he is a free-floating, full torso apparition that is particularly mischievous, he can be any he size he wants, I suppose. He is cast in a translucent bluish plastic that matches his movie color quite well and has articulation at the neck, shoulders and ankles.
Nunzio also has two different pairs of feet: one for standard standing and one for ghostly floating. This is a nice touch that Mattel decided to include and since he can look natural careening through the air, I might just have to display him that way. Though, it is nice that he can stand just fine on his own too. The feet switch out very easily but also stay securely once they are fitted. Overall, he is most certainly my favorite pack-in ghost that we have gotten in the line thus far and I am now excited for a Courtroom Battle Ray Stantz so Tony can join his brother.
I am sure that we will be seeing the aforementioned Ray as well as Egon in their courtroom togs, it just makes too much sense and is too easy for Mattel to do for them not to do it. What I HOPE for though is getting characters like Judge Wexler at some point in the line too, not to mention, Dana, Vigo, Janine, Gozer… Pete is available now while supplies last and Nunzio is a fun pack-in to get along with an appropriate Peter variant. As I said though, along with Lab Coat Ray, we need the rest of the gang in this look to get the full effect.
*Thanks for reading and thanks once again to the Busters in El Segundo for making this possible!
Additional Links
According to this link:
http://84.16.88.15/~spookcentral/media/gb2_behind_the_scenes06.jpg
I would guess that they were originally slightly larger. Also grey, if you look at screen caps.
I really like this set, but I would have preferred a 2 pack of the Scoleri brothers. Also, is it just me, or were the Scoleris more grey than blue in the film?
I have to agree with you that GBII gets bit of a bad rap. The overall plot and villains are not up to the first flick for sure, but the character moments between the crew are all fantastic. The Scoleri pack in feels a little small, especially when you place him standing next to Venkman. He actually looks a lot better in the flight mode whilst in the package. In the movie at one point he’s flying with the DA in his hand. Still it’s a cool looking ghost.