This is either a MEGA-Review 4 years in the making, or me being so behind that I have actually managed to collect 3 different Winston Zeddemore figures from 3 different companies (it’s probably more the latter than the former).
Because of the female-lead Ghostbusters reboot back in 2016, the original Ghostbusters were once again “chic”…with a line coming from Diamond Select back in 2016 followed by a line of Ghostbusters figures by Mattel later in that year.
Unfortunately the reboot movie was mostly critically-panned and most of the hype nearly went away…until a canon sequel to the original Ghostbusters was announced in 2019. So it’s time for more figures, right? Of course it is…however, Mattel, which has been bleeding major licenses lately, lost the Ghostbusters license to action figure powerhouse Hasbro. Within the last month or so, Hasbro has put out an initial line of 6 figures…are more on the way? How does it compare to the other two figures? Let’s check out the mega-review….
Depending on where you purchased this figure, you either got the super-thick normal Diamond Select packaging (that takes up much needed space on your shelves) or the pared down almost normal size carded figure that was in Toys-R-Us. Keep in mind, the smaller Toys-R-Us packaging actually did not have the “build-a-diorama” set pieces, so if you wanted those, you want the thick packaging.
There is nothing different here from other Diamond Select offerings (most notably the Marvel Select line). You have this super huge plastic bubble on a carded back. No matter how you open it, once you open it, more than likely there is no going back…it’s open for good.
The front is rather uninspiring with a picture of the character along the bottom along with the character’s name. The back is actually a little better with a sizable bio-blurb, sick Ghostbusters blaster graphics, a main picture of the figure (which yall know I like) and a picture of the other figures in the wave.
To note, on the side of the packaging, we get a picture of the character. Diamond Select figures usually look good on the shelf if the side is facing out, hence the rather gratuitous picture of the character.
Outside of the back, there is nothing stand-outish about this packaging. That along with the fact that it is either opened or kept mint-in-box with no in-between, gives this packaging a middlish score.
Diamond Select Packaging Score: 7.5 out of 10 
Although Hasbro probably has the most experience from their packaging pumping out hundreds of Marvel, Star Wars, and now GI Joe figures worldwide, my first impressions of this packaging was decidely “meh”.
The packaging itself, instead of accentuating it with the greens of the slime and weapons from the movie, it actually focused on the color scheme of the Ghostbusters outfits…which I don’t know about you but beige is kind of boring.
I say this with kindness…I passed this line up twice in the store because my eye wouldn’t accept that these were something that needed my attention.
HOWEVER, there is a plus…I can take the figure out, check it out, and place it back in, making this packaging collector friendly to all types of collectors. The front is normal with logos and name of the character. On the back, we have a picture of the whole wave along with the “Build-A-Figure” in the wave. We also get a quick multi-lingual bio-blurb.
Nothing stand-out about this packaging outside of the normal Hasbro lot, so of course getting the score I usually give Hasbro figures (especially those that don’t “wow” me). We also only get a vector representation of the character on the side…no actual pictures anywhere of the character on the packaging.
Hasbro Packaging Score: 7.5 out of 10
Talk about lackluster, this Ghostbusters packaging is probably the most lacking of the three. It has a very throwaway feel to it so even if you were a mint-in-box collector, there is no incentive in keeping this box around.
Like most Mattel packaging, you get that weird angular corner which makes opening a little more of a chore than usual…and can result in a rip in the box if you aren’t careful.
Unlike the other two companies, you get no visual representation of the character at all. To Mattel, the figure is the visual representation. Which works for and works against the Mattel figure.
Like the Hasbro figure, the back of the packaging features all of the figures in the wave along with the “collect-&-connect” figure. It’s interesting to note that both Hasbro and Diamond Select feature ancillary characters from the movie while the Mattel line has none.
While the packaging is sufficient, and somewhat collectible, I feel it is more clutter and I’m more to just hurry to take my figure out and toss the box.
Mattel Packaging Score: 7 out of 10
I’m starting with Diamond Select’s version and declaring that hands down, they win this category. I didn’t even know I needed this many accessories before I got it, but damn it all if I didn’t appreciate all of them.
You of course get the proton pack already attached to the figure. That pack can carefully be removed and replaced.
You also get, a ghost trap, a walkie-talkie, a particle beam attachment for the proton pack, 2 pairs of black-gloved hands, and 2 (additional) pairs of bare hands.
If that wasn’t enough, if you got the big retail version (and not the slimmer Toys R Us version), you also get a “build-a-set” piece to put together and recreate the final battle scene. You have to get all 12 action figures to get the complete set. I can tell you now, that’s not happening for me, but I do appreciate the gesture.
A couple of nitpicks…I couldn’t figure out how to attach the wand to the proton pack without Googling it, which bother me somewhat especially since Diamond took the time to make a walkie-talkie holster. I also couldn’t figure out how to get the particle beam attached to the wand. Again after a quick Google, I found that Diamond actually may have forgotten to add a hole to the wand to be able to insert the proton particle beam, so it renders that accessory more or less useless.
Nearly a perfect score with a couple of dings on accessory functionality…
Diamond Select Accessories Score: 9 out of 10
If Diamond Select is #1 in this category, Hasbro is easily #2.
Like the Diamond Select version, this figure comes with a proton pack and an attachable proton particle beam accessory. And unlike the Diamond Select figure, this particle beam accessory can actually attach to the proton gun.
This figure also has a “Build-A-Figure” piece to build a Terror Dog. I would say this means you have to collect two of everything to have two Terror Dogs but Hasbro just announced a separate set that includes a terror dog and a figure. Which means there is always potential for a standalone terror dog to come sometime down the line.
Outside of those few accessories, we get….nope, that’s it. So unlike the Diamond Select figure, we do not get a bunch of extra hands or a ghost trap, although a ghost trap would have been nice to have. There is a walkie-talkie on the figure’s belt, but it is not detachable like the Diamond Select one.
I guess the good news here is that the proton backpack comes separately so we know for sure it is attachable and removable. And unlike the Diamond Select figure, it does have the ability to attach the proton wand on the backpack securely. And as previously mentioned, the particle beam accessory fits snugly onto the proton wand. So there is a lot of give and take in this category.
Hasbro Accessories Score: 7.5 out of 10
And now, the bottom of the barrel.
You get a proton pack and…a “collect-&-connect” piece, which connects into a glow-in-the-dark Ghostbusters logo. Can you say lame?
It’s bad enough that the proton pack is highly inaccurate (see more in the “Sculpt/Likeness” section). Unlike the other two figures, this one does NOT come with a separate proton particle beam. I guess you can use the one from the Diamond Select figure since that is all but useless.
Nothing more to say here. I’m surprised that Diamond Select was the only ones smart enough to include a ghost trap with their figure. It’s the Ghostbusters, why wouldn’t we want this accessory for each of them? The bare minimum in this day and age is just pure laziness and slightly unforgiveable.
Mattel Accessories Score: 5.5 out of 10
Where to start…let’s start with the detail first. The detail on this figure is top-notch. Unlike the other two figures, the paint application along with the black wash for shadow detailed out the main jumpsuit nicely, making it almost look like actual fabric. The paint applications on the accessories are highly accurate as well.
The sculpting and the paint application on the proton pack is the most accurate of the three. The wires are intricately sculpted and the yellow, blue and red colors pop against the black. There were several movie accurate “danger” stickers on the proton pack, but I think the age of the figure (I think going on 4 to 5 years?) made the stickers fall off almost as soon as I opened the package.
Now for the headsculpt. I generally like the detail and coloration of the headsculpt of this figure….but….it’s not Ernie Hudson accurate. This headsculpt felt like to me how you create a customizable character in a video game and try to make it look like you as much as possible using the options given. You may get it close, but it doesn’t have the same detail or accuracy that you would like. Your kids may come in and say “look daddy, that’s you” but your wife will come in and be like “who the hell is that supposed to be?” (I put up the picture for comparison)
Diamond Select Sculpt/Likeness Score: 8.5 out of10
I’m going to start right off with the headsculpt for this one. Of the three, I feel like this is the most accurate. The skin color is right. The hair style is more accurate. I guarantee you that more than likely, Hasbro used their patented face scan technology to create this sculpt.
There is a problem with this though…that technology works the best when you know you’re going to use it and you can get every angle from high resolution pics. It gets to be a little less accurate if your source material is a 35+ year old movie with less than high resolution shots on a character that did not have the same amount of screen time as his coworkers.
The smile on the figure looks forced. I think I would have rather have the smirk as shown in the real picture on the left.
The sculpting seems accurate, but it could have been supreme with a little more detailing. If a black wash was applied to the jumpsuit, it could have been a lot more detailed like the Diamond figure. Also a lot of the colors are missing on the proton pack and accessories. I have to think this was done for cost cutting sake.
Diamond Select Sculpt/Likeness Score: 7.5 out of10
The Mattel figure to me is the bottom basement figure in terms of sculpting and likeness…and really in terms of almost all of the categories.
The headsculpt almost seems like a caricature of the figure. It seems like more of a cartoon likeness of the character rather than the character himself. I feel like the sculptor sat Ernie Hudson down over at Santa Monica Pier to let a caricature artist draw him, then based the sculpt from that drawing.
The rest of the figure is a myriad mix of questionable accuracy and likeness. The proton pack is actually missing the strap that goes across the figures abdomen. The tube connected from the proton pack to the pants leg is clear instead of character-accurate yellow making me think that it probably was leftover from some other project.
Some colors on the proton pack seem correct, and some just seem left off completely. Neither the Hasbro nor the Mattel figure can touch the accuracy and paint application of the Diamond figure. The saving grace of the proton pack is that the wand is able to securely attach to it on the back.
Overall body shape seems to different on all three. This one is the slimmest of the three, which lends to even more of the inaccuracies.
Diamond Select Sculpt/Likeness Score: 6 out of10
Diamond articulation has actually increased over the years. Where they were once glorified statues, they have upped their articulation into somewhat contend with their articulated betters (well, at least Hasbro). This figure has 28 points of articulation.
Even with this much articulation, joints seem stiff and movement feels sluggish and sometimes forced. Nevertheless, it has decent balance and can be posed somewhat easily.
While the head is on a ball joint, the head can look down slightly and can barely look up. Elbows can’t go past a 90° bend. Even body rotation seems limited. It’s not so much as costume blockage, but it just doesn’t feel like an action figure you would want to break out and do action poses with.
Still a good showing from Diamond Select.
Diamond Select Articulation Score: 8 out of10
Hasbro, home to Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black 6″ figures, was the one I looked forward to reviewing in terms of articulation, yet I just felt….whelmed. This Hasbro Zeddemore figure has 30 points of articulation. What I didn’t include in the articulation guide above was the additional inward swivel of the shoulder that Hasbro has been using lately to allow greater inward movement of figure arms.
Even so, this figure is missing some of the things that I’m so used to with the Marvel Legends figures. There’s a waist swivel, but there is no abdominal hinge. There is no additional hinge at the neck, so the “looking up and down” articulation in the head is not there, and believe it or not, slightly worse than the Diamond Select figure.
There are of course some pros to the articulation. I always appreciate a double-hinge at the elbow, and the aforementioned additional swivel in the shoulder area is always an added plus (I liked it with the GI Joe figures too). I prefer the ball joint on the leg rather than the hinge/swivel for greater mobility. And this figure also has good balance with or without the proton pack.
Hasbro Articulation Score: 8.5 out of10
At 26 points of articulation, the Mattel is unsurprisingly the disappointment of the three. Right off you can tell there is no double-hinged elbows or double-hinged knees, so it felt like Mattel was like “hey this is a Ghostbusters figure, you’ll take any crap we’ll give you.”
Mattel used a boot swivel which can either work or not. Fortunately for them, it does work for this figure. They also included a weird permanent bend at the elbows of the arms, so that the figure can never hold its arm straight…a puzzling way to articulate.
It seems that Mattel was so concerned about hiding the articulation of this figure that they forgot to …articulate it. Yes, 26 points is decent, but I’ve been riding the 30+ train with my 6″ figures for so long that 26 seems to have narrowly missed the mark.
Hasbro Articulation Score: 7 out of10
Final Scores:
Diamond Select – 8.25/10
Hasbro – 7.75/10
Mattel – 6.38/10
By the scores, the Diamond Select Winston Zeddemore is possibly the one you want, but if you were to get it, expect to pay premium prices on eBay and Amazon…or try and track it down at some comic book specialty shop.
In my opinion, for now, the Hasbro Winston Zeddemore is the go-to Zeddemore of the three. It’s just now being made widely available, it’s much better than the Mattel figure and I’m sure it will work with whatever Hasbro has planned for the new movie and beyond.
Which one do you prefer? Sound off in the comments below…
