But there is something I do find even more unforgivable than a wrong hair color and that’s the articulation. There’s a lot of good articulation: ball-joints at the neck (limited) and shoulders, swivels at the boots, waist and wrists, hinges at the elbows, knees, and ankles, the Mattel hips (limited), and rocker ankles. Two things would’ve made this figure loads better. The minor one is thigh cuts because they would open up his stance – particularly when they’re partially blocked by his armor. The one that really bugs me though – the elbows. This figure needed either ball elbows or swivel biceps. Vigo doesn’t need to move much, truthfully the leg articulation is probably fine as is, but he does need to be able to do a few things for me to be happy and one of them is to be able to be in his iconic pose.
I know I just said that I can overlook that the figure itself doesn’t quite match the actor or the oil painting, but this one just bothers me – because it’s stupid. The sculptor did a decent job on the head and just didn’t find the telling details to make it Homburg. But the engineer behind this articulation blew it by cost-cutting the elbows down to hinges. This figure couldn’t hold a baby if his life depended on it. Dumb.
Since Vigo is an all-new sculpt, he ate up the ghost pack-in budget pretty much entirely. For accessories, the gang at Mattel came up with a decent idea – a lenticular “poster” that features all three versions of his painting. The lenticular side can be moved so that Vigo appears to disappear (and it does work better than in these pics, I just couldn’t quite catch it with the camera) while the backside features the Ghostbusters portrait from the end of the film. It’s a nice pack-in, but I wish Mattel had the foresight/budget to include his base. Where’s the mountain of skulls? The little wall of the castle of pain? I think it’d be awesome to have that as a base here, but, again, he couldn’t pose on it properly. Still, I like the little painting and I need to go about getting a little frame for it (I don’t care about the GB-side). I’m sure the folks in the GB community, ever vigilante and creative, have already figured out the perfect frame for it.
Overall, I know I’m going to take some flak for liking this figure. I’ve heard a lot of bad things about it, but I really do think that’s more about things endemic to the line than this figure itself. The sculpt is likable despite being a little off-model (and might look better as a blonde, I’m tempted to do a little paint work), the other paintwork is solid, and the articulation is really just a few aggravating points from being… how does Mattel put it, “extremely posable”?
I do want this line to be better though. I want it to get very far away from Vinz Clortho and, for the most part, it looks like Mattel is moving that direction even as the line seems to be on life support. They still got me to pick up RTBY Peter, so I’m in for another few months, but Dana is going to be another 100% in-house sculpt and if she’s not as good as Vigo or better? Well, Mattel cancelling Club Ecto-1 just might work in my favor…
Check out our Ghostbusters Classics Collector’s Guide.
A couple of thoughts first of I think all your though sabot the line the figure are pretty much right on. I personally think that the figure look fine, if it came at a much lower price point. Not to bag on Mattel we all have our opinions, but the cost of the figure (and yes I consider shipping part of the price) makes you just need more. Second, Ghostbusters is what we get from a “dream line” and makes me glad that we never got that Breakfast Club line. But great review.
Side note: Ghostbusters 2 was a turning point in my childhood it came out the summer of my freshman year. I still had that kid thing were I never saw a bad movie. That was why I was baffled when exiting Ghostbusters 2; I knew I did like it. I pretended that I did with bunch of friends I was it with, but deep down I was like mood slime WTF???
I was young enough that I still enjoyed GB2 unquestioningly! As an adult, I know GB1 is vastly superior, but I still enjoy both. Even the mood slime!
The cost of shipping Venkman brought the figure to $33. I finally did it, but it hurt.
I would like to buy JUST the painting! He should have come with a baby!
Haha Oscar would’ve been a great accessory!
I wish Mattel had handled Ghostbusters with more care. One of my favorite properties of all time…and the whole effort has been mediocre.
That said, I like Vigo for what he is…and because any Vigo is better than no Vigo.
I know that Mattel will have a million and one explanations, but ultimately it does just come down to the fact that it doesn’t feel like anyone at Mattel ‘loves’ this line. It’s the same feeling that DCUC gave off in that last year.
It’s a decent enough figure for a villain who spent much of his time trapped in a painting. Had they included the Demon head that turned up on the ‘bay, it would have been better. they were able to cost the second head for Vinz, but not Vigo? BULL.
Still wish we had gotten a Janosz figure to complement him. He would have been a great complement to Vigo and slimed Ray. Is it too much to hope he’s the “mystery surprise” that Matty is teasing? I would rather hope for Janine, but he’ll do.
As for the painting, I can’t seem to get the angle right to show as much of Vigo as you do in your pic. Bill looks weird and I just realized there’s a small hole in Egon’s hair above his right eye on my poster?
(And Danny had NEVER been that buff, even back in the SNL days! even his face looks like a bad photoshop! LOL)
I don’t know what’s up with that demon head. Vigo’s head is not intended to be removed…
I’m not sure what the surprise is, but I don’t have that much faith in it being cool (I’ll happily eat my words on that though). That business decision by Mattel ultimately could cost me up to $50 in double shipping.
Ironically, I can’t get my Vigo to completely disappear…
Vigo… Vigo… Vigo… When this line was first announced he was one of the figures I knew I wanted. Then the line actually happened. When Vigo went up for sale I was already logging onto Matty to buy my Wind Raider, so the questions was whether or not I wanted to pick up Vigo. I was on the fence but I went ahead with it… and now that I’ve had him I can’t decide if I just want to leave him MOC in box or open him up. He looks like a fine figure. The soft facial sculpt is actually kind of forgivable – let me put it this way, is it a perfect likeness of Wilhelm von Homburg? No, but it is kind of how I see Vigo in my mind’s eye.
I would’ve been super happy with a Homburg head (though it wouldn’t have looked like the painting), but I do think this is close enough for horseshoes. My wife and friends knew it was Vigo.
Man, looks like this guy’s suffering from more than just Carpathian Kitten Loss. A figure befitting Vigo the Butch should have at least ball elbows.
More and more, it looks like the only possible dip I’d make into this line would be to catch the TRU 4 pack on clearance.
dude, if they’d included a little cat w/ him, i think the easter egg effect alone would have bought them a lot of leeway… and had they included both heads, and then two lenticulars, the one we got, and a bonus lenticular w/ the cat “painted” into the image, and then the giant head “talking” all the paint ops and soft sculpts could be forgiven. this was a chance for them to really get it right, and they botched, completely.
Dana’s really the one I’m on the fence about. The few-and-far-between ghosts have been what’s kept me tagging along. I didn’t really spend $33 on RTBY Venkman so much as the Taxi Cab Ghost. I’ll buy the Rookie for the gear alone. Dana’s not got much going for here unless they deliver a really nice figure…
Man, that elbow thing really makes me sad. He should have been awesome, and yet, he remains only mediocre. So sad how downhill Mattel seems to be travelling, really. I’m sure the next “cost saving action” Matty pulls will be Rocker ankles from MOTUC or H-hips from DCUC…. “we’ll find a way to get this item to you Fans”….grrrr…
Taking out the ball-elbows, or designing it without them was a boneheaded decision. No two logistical ways about it.
Does Lewis have ball joints in his elbows? It looks like he does. That’s major fail.
He does. The suit body doesn’t feature ball-joints, but Louis got them. Louis actually got a lot of articulation, but his sculpt is poor. It’s like they improved in one area at the cost of another… y’know, logistics?
Cool review.
Arggh, Mattels’ Ghostbusters.
Like a lot of you, this was my childhood obsession.
Like a lot of you, I want to love this line.
Mattel don’t half make it hard though.
At this stage, I can’t work out why I’m buying these.
Vigo’s headsculpt is shite (no, sorry it is.)
Stay-Puft’s turning yellow (not impressed after paying around £80 for him with shipping).
I hate the Ready to Believe you figures, but I buy ’em for the ghosts (and justify it by saying “it’s only four figures a year).
Ditto Courtroom.
Dana’s gonna look bad I bet.
The Rookie is a piss-take but the joke’s on me, because I want those damned Ecto goggles for Ray (and where the Hell was Egon’s stethoscope Mattel?).
Still no second Scoleri Brother, either movie Janine, “Human style Librarian”, Terror Dogs, Gozer, Janosz or Oscar announced and even though Mattel swears the line’s not dead, we all know that’s crap.
Luckily I managed to find a cheap Neca Gozer, but I doubt I’ll ever get the dogs at the aftermarket prices these days.
Not even a way to get four proton streams without buying four Venkman’s (classic Mattel).
I will say though that I didn’t mind the Vinz figure at all though..
I’ll keep buying them though, I know…a sucker and his money.