DSC_5064
So here's something that came out relatively recently.
80s kids like myself got a double dose of nostalgia when Hasbro announced the solicitation of Ectotron, the Autobot with the ability to bust some ghosts. I think it was a character from a comic cross over of sorts, but I'm not really a comic guy so it's not something that I can personally verify short of a screen capture I believe I saw.
This combination, of course, got the attention of people, myself included. When I heard it would be made available to the good people of Canada through EB Games, I figured why not - it seemed easy enough to get. So I put a deposit down and waited.
The figure itself is based on the Hot Spot/Onslaught Voyager sized toy from the Combiner Wars series, neither of which I actually ever bought.
Unpacking the gorgeous G1 styled box (down to the recycled art work that has made a comeback via the Walmart exclusive items), Ectotron is packaged in vehicle mode. I gotta say, this mode looks sharp. Some white paint so that the body of the vehicle doesn't look so plastic like would have been nice, but the overall feel of the mode definitely scream Ecto-1 to me. While not chromed, the appropriate parts are painted silver, and colours on the wheel covers are well done as well. Truly the only thing that would have made vehicle mode more glorious would have been Binaltech/Alternator levels of detailing.
Robot mode, however, is very, very, meh, indicative of its heritage.
The mode features alright articulation, but lacks any waist movement, upper arm swivel, or ankle joints. Coupled with a tiny head that really only turns side to side, finding a cool pose to put him in is a struggle.
I do really like the proton pack is the vehicle mode roof equipment transforms into, very reminiscent of the actual packs worn by the Ghostbusters themselves. Detailing is quite good here, down to the various cables sticking out the pack and into the actual wand itself, which is modeled after the human sized ones - sadly Ectotron doesn't hold it the same way.
The pack also comes with a translucent Slimer, which has great detailing and is of a decent size. There is also a hole on the bottom of it such that if you find the right stand you can mount the piece on its own.. something that the set really, really, really should have come with, especially considering the MSRP.
Overall, this release didn't really impress me. It was alright, and if you're buying it for the novelty factor of having a transforming Ecto-1, you'll be fine. If you're looking for an actual good robot mode though.. .avoid, avoid, avoid.
DSC_5064
So here's something that came out relatively recently.
80s kids like myself got a double dose of nostalgia when Hasbro announced the solicitation of Ectotron, the Autobot with the ability to bust some ghosts. I think it was a character from a comic cross over of sorts, but I'm not really a comic guy so it's not something that I can personally verify short of a screen capture I believe I saw.
This combination, of course, got the attention of people, myself included. When I heard it would be made available to the good people of Canada through EB Games, I figured why not - it seemed easy enough to get. So I put a deposit down and waited.
The figure itself is based on the Hot Spot/Onslaught Voyager sized toy from the Combiner Wars series, neither of which I actually ever bought.
Unpacking the gorgeous G1 styled box (down to the recycled art work that has made a comeback via the Walmart exclusive items), Ectotron is packaged in vehicle mode. I gotta say, this mode looks sharp. Some white paint so that the body of the vehicle doesn't look so plastic like would have been nice, but the overall feel of the mode definitely scream Ecto-1 to me. While not chromed, the appropriate parts are painted silver, and colours on the wheel covers are well done as well. Truly the only thing that would have made vehicle mode more glorious would have been Binaltech/Alternator levels of detailing.
Robot mode, however, is very, very, meh, indicative of its heritage.
The mode features alright articulation, but lacks any waist movement, upper arm swivel, or ankle joints. Coupled with a tiny head that really only turns side to side, finding a cool pose to put him in is a struggle.
I do really like the proton pack is the vehicle mode roof equipment transforms into, very reminiscent of the actual packs worn by the Ghostbusters themselves. Detailing is quite good here, down to the various cables sticking out the pack and into the actual wand itself, which is modeled after the human sized ones - sadly Ectotron doesn't hold it the same way.
The pack also comes with a translucent Slimer, which has great detailing and is of a decent size. There is also a hole on the bottom of it such that if you find the right stand you can mount the piece on its own.. something that the set really, really, really should have come with, especially considering the MSRP.
Overall, this release didn't really impress me. It was alright, and if you're buying it for the novelty factor of having a transforming Ecto-1, you'll be fine. If you're looking for an actual good robot mode though.. .avoid, avoid, avoid.