Action Figure Review: Winston Zeddemore & Scream Roller Ghost from Ghostbusters Kenner Classics by Hasbro

 

   Today I'm taking a look at the third figure in the Ghostbusters Kenner Classics Fright Features series: Winston Zeddemore & Scream Roller Ghost! These were originally exclusive to Target but now they're being offered at Hasbro Pulse and other e-tailers, so if you missed them you should be able to easily track them down now. Winston was the third figure I acquired in this series; I found Peter and Ray first, then Winston a week or so later. Interestingly, I reviewed Peter in February, Ray in March, and now Winston in April. Don't worry! I'm not planning on waiting until May to review Egon. Since picking these guys up in stores, Ghostbusters: Froze Empire was released and I went to see with with my wife, daughter, and my dad. That was pretty fun! We went to an opening night showing and had a great time. I really liked the movie quite a bit and was surprised by so much of the negative criticism I heard afterwards. I thought it was a really fun movie that gave both the newer team and the original crew plenty of time to shine. It did feel like it wrapped up a bit too quickly, but then again, that happened in the original film and Ghostbusters II as well. Ernie Hudson was fantastic in the movie and I love his enthusiasm in promoting the film and interacting with fans. He has truly embraced being a Ghostbuster! Let's take a look at this Fright Features version of Winston Zeddemore & Scream Roller Ghost after the break and see if it's a fitting tribute to the original toy as well. Join us for some spooky, frightening fun after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 4 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and swivel head.

Accessories: Spud Thud and Scream Roller ghost companion.

Non-Scalper Price: $15 dollars

The Positives:

* Rather than reuse the uniform color schemes from the first series of figures (which matched their animated counterparts) or use all tan suits, like the films, Kenner gave the Fright Features figures new costumes with unique color schemes. To my eyes, Winston and Ray's outfit looks the most like a standard Ghostbuster outfit. Winston's is in grey and yellow, with some added extras. The kneepads and belt with a radio seem pretty standard but the shoulder pads are a new touch, as are the longer gloves. That's something that all of the guys are sporting in this series! Winston's go up to his elbows and are bright purple, adding a nice splash of color to the figure.

* Since these are the Fright Features figures, they have the feature of being able to show off getting startled and spooked by the ghosts they're chasing. Press Winston's right arm in and his head spins and raises up, extending his jaw to comical proportions. Since these are really just re-releases/ reprints of the vintage toys, they work just like you'd expect/ remember. They are fun to fool around with, though as a kid I do remember thinking it odd that the focus was on the Ghostbusters being scared. What happened to "I ain't afraid of no ghosts?"

* Here's another shot of Winston's mighty cool gloves and the Ghostbuster logo on his right shoulder. It's a nice, clean print. 

* Hasbro has done a nice job with these remakes and they feel just like the vintage toys as best as I can recall. Winston actually has five points of articulation, more than most figures in this series, as his head still rotates, even with the action feature.  

* Winston's weapon is called the Spud Thud and it's definitely a weird design. It has a smaller particle thrower like device on the side, though the main apparatus is a cylinder designed for... hammering ghosts? Trapping them on it like some sort of ectoplasmic magnet? It's cool, though a bit odd. In reality, it's designed to interact with the companion ghost. 

* The Scream Roller ghost is included, a round little fellow who kind of looks like an evil Mr. Potato Head. Maybe that's why Winston's weapon is called the Spud Thud: This guy looks like a potato. He's holding his mouth open with his hands, he has large, bulbous eyes, and his mouth is open wide with a tongue hanging out. 

* Scream Roller can fit on top of Winston's head, similar to Gulper Ghost from the series 1 Egon figure. 

* The Spud Thud can "capture" Scream Roller; just place the ghost on top of he green cylinder and you've trapped him!

The Negatives:

* Like with Peter, Winston's jaw looks weird when he's not in is Fright Features mode. I mean, he looks weird then, too, but he's supposed to look weird then. Here, he just has the creepy look of a ventriloquist's doll. Bizarre!

   Winston has a pretty cool outfit and a neat ghost companion. His action feature is humorous, too, though it does result in him having an odd "normal" appearance. Still, he's priced pretty reasonably and is a great replica of the vintage figure. Despite being the most produced series of vintage Ghostbusters figures, the Fright Features figures are still a bit tough to find complete with their ghost companions an in good shape. I've seen quite a few Winston's with broken right arms in various bins at toy shops and such. He's a Great figure and it's nice to have a replica of this version of Winston Zeddemore on my shelf for $15 bucks. I'm really hopeful that Hasbro will continue to go through the Ghostbusters sets and at least get to the Super Fright Features, Screaming Heroes, and the Power Pack Heroes. Those are some of my favorites from the line and they're tough to find complete.

If you're a fan of Winston Zeddemore then also check out my review of the Hasbro Ghostbusters Kenner Classics Winston Zeddemore and Chomper Ghost, and the Minimates "I Love This Town" set which includes Winston Zeddemore and the Spectral Ghostbusters set which includes Spectral Winston.

For more Ghostbusters Kenner Classics, check out the following:
Egon Spengler and Gulper Ghost
Fearsome Flush

Green Ghost

Peter Venkman and Grabber Ghost
Peter Venkman & Gruesome Twosome (Fright Features)
Ray Stantz and Jail Jaw Ghost (Fright Features)

Ray Stantz and Wrapper Ghost

Winston Zeddemore and Chomper Ghost

Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man