EGON SPENGLER

GHOSTBUSTERS: FRIGHT FEATURES (HASBRO)

Hasbro became the latest holders of the Ghostbusters license last year, and, apart from one set of Plasma Series figures and the two Transformers crossovers, they didn’t have a *ton* of product.  Afterlife getting pushed back I’m sure didn’t help things, but with its release actually happening this year, things are starting to make their way out again.  Hasbro’s doing the Hasbro thing and diversifying their output, with a few different styles of toys based on the franchise.  On the more all-ages side of things is Fright Features, a new line of stylized figures based on the core team.  I’m taking a look at the Egon from that line today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Egon is part the initial shipments for Hasbro’s Ghostbusters: Fright Features line.  There are two case pack-outs floating around, which swap out which ghosts Peter and Winston get.  Egon, however, is the same across both.  The figure stands about 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The designs on these new figures have a little bit of a Real Ghostbusters vibe, but mixed with the actual film designs, so he’s a cartoony Egon that still kind of looks like Harold Ramis.  It’s an aesthetic I can get behind, and it makes for a pretty nifty looking figure.  All four ‘Busters share the same base mold, which can be a little tricky on more realistic lines, but works out okay in this more cartoony set-up, I feel.  If nothing else, it works for Egon, and with him being the only one I currently have, that’s cool by me.  About the only complaint I might have is that the arms are just hanging straight down by his sides, meaning he can’t two-hand the wand, but that too sort of fits with the pseudo-RGB vibe of the line. His head sculpt is his one unique piece, and it’s a good effort on an Egon that isn’t a spot-on Ramis, but still feels like Ramis’ Egon.  All of the important character elements are there, and it’s adapted well to the style that they’re going for.  Egon’s paint work is a rather simple endeavor, but it gets the job done, and the application’s all pretty clean.  He’s packed with his proton pack, which is a rather simple piece itself, but works well enough to be what it needs to be, so that’s cool.  The “Fight Feature” comes not from Egon himself, but rather from his other accessory, a small little ghost, which has a spring-loaded feature that makes it “scarier.”  I’m not sure exactly what ghost this is meant to be, but it’s a fun little gimmick, and I’m all about giving all of the main guys a ghost to square off against right out of the box.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When these figures were first shown off last year, I was vaguely interested, but was mostly focused on the Plasma Series offerings.  I really only need so many different versions of the whole team.  I did like the looks of them, though, so, when they finally actually started showing up, I went ahead and snagged myself an Egon, because how can you go wrong with an Egon?  You really can’t.  This is a pretty fun little figure, especially for the price, and I’m curious to see what else Hasbro plans to do with this line.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.