It’s been 30 years since Ghostbusters II was first released in cinemas. The film has long been (unfairly) maligned as inferior to the original: an example of an Eighties sequel that retreads the exact same formula, just substituting the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for a walking Statue of Liberty.
But Ghostbusters II deserves to be celebrated. It’s got some of Ghostbusters’ most inspired comedy (Pete Venkman’s sham TV show World of the Psychic is a stroke of genius), one of the best action sequences (their court room battle against the Scoleri brothers), and fun villains in the creepy-but-hilarious museum curator Janosz (“Oh, but I woo!”) and haunted painting Viggo (“Viggy, Viggy, Viggy, you have been a bad monkey!”). Not to mention Bobby Brown’s infectiously catchy tune ‘On Our Own’.
Of course, we all know that the original Ghostbusters film is objectively the best, but for fans – especially those who were kids in the late Eighties and loved the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, which Ghostbusters II trades off as much as it does the original movie – the sequel holds a special place in ours Twinkie-ravaged hearts.
And fans are exactly who the all-new Playmobil Ecto-1A has been made for. Because if there’s one thing Ghostbusters II has over the original, it’s this: a superior Ecto-1 vehicle, with added nondescript sciencey stuff on the roof, black and yellow stripes down the side, the Ghostbuster II logo, and an LED screen that flashes “We’re back!”.
When Playmobil first released their Ghostbusters line last year, there was a quiver of geekish delight, though it did initially look like a budget alternative to the Lego Ecto-1 and Firehouse. Lego has long held the monopoly on fan-baiting movie tie-in toys. But while the Danish brick company’s Firehouse was a tasty piece of kit and filled with Easter eggs to keep fans of both movies happy, at almost £300 it wasn’t the most accessible merch.
Happily, when fans got their hands on the Playmobil versions, that quiver of geekish delight turned to full-on ectoplasmic sliming of the pants (unless it needs clarifying, I’m talking about myself).
Related: Ghostbusters 3 already has a teaser trailer!
There was Terror Dogs, a library ghost, and a cool app that created little holograms of ghosts. The Firehouse was an improvement also on the Lego set – more than £200 cheaper and also packed with details and accessories – and the Ecto-1 better than the toy version produced by Kenner in the 1980s, which, if you’re a thirty-something geek like myself, is the benchmark.
There was another self-sliming when Playmobil released a series of mini vehicles, with the Ghostbusters figures kitted out in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon colours. Well into my thirties now, that’s still the sort of thing that gets me excited when no one else is looking.
And now Playmobil has released the Ghostbusters II Ecto-1A. It’s the same basic model as Playmobil’s first Ecto-1 vehicle, with room inside to fit all the Ghostbusters and their equipment; it’s got flashing lights and perfectly replicated siren sound effects; but this one, also like its movie counterpart, nondescript sciencey stuff on the roof, black and yellow stripes down the side, the Ghostbuster II logo, and an LED screen that flashes “We’re back!”. Plus, rubber globs of pink “mood slime” to fling around the place. Lovely.
This version also comes with the four Ghostbusters figures, kitted out in their ‘Busters II dark grey jumpsuits and proton packs. And fans will slime themselves all over again at the inclusion of two Slime Blowers – the Proton Pack-style hoses that Ray and Winston use to squirt mood slime in the sequel – and the Giga Meter, used by Egon in the movie for measuring spooky goings-on.
Old school fans may remember that Kenner released a version of the Ecto-1A after the release of Ghostbusters II, as part of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon range. So if you someone who never owned one of those first time around (yes, we’re talking about me again), getting your hands on this slimey little rascal is like stepping back to Christmas 1989.
Also released are a set of 6″ Ghostbusters figures at £49.99, which are definitely ones for the hardcore collectors.
If Playmobil is looking to do the full fan service on its Ghostbusters, presumably next up will be a set of the female Ghostbusters from the 2016 reboot (I’m talking about all Ghostbusters fans, not the ones who can’t handle the thought of a girl in a proton pack) and who knows what could happen when Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters 3 hits cinemas next year.
In the meantime let’s have a Janosz and Vigo set – that’s a sliming I might never come back from.
Playmobil Ghostbusters Ecto-1A is available now priced £54.99
