Ghostbusters 1/6 scale Customs

[Vaughn34]

It's amazing how much better Venkman's looking now that I changed his head and body position slightly (and also padded his gut) I may not have to get that new body afterall.

 

[Vaughn34]

I made the customs under the notion that I firmly believe it will not happen. Would I bail on my customs? Maybe. The likely situation would be that I would buy the Hot Toys version and mix and match parts. OR convert my customs into Ghostbusters 2 versions. So many options really.

I sure as hell would buy a couple of aftermarket Hot Toys headsculpts, belts, flight suits and probably hand sets....after all that it would probably have been more economical to just buy the whole figure.

 

[karamazov80]

It does look better. Whatever makes you happy! As for whether I would "upgrade" from my customs, the chances are Hot Toys figures would have their own issues--be it likeness (likely), or other inaccuracies (color of the flight suit, detailing on the proton pack, etc.), even though they would most likely be very nice, high end figures for what they were. Like jra, I don't think it's going to happen. But if it did, I would probably buy them and keep both them and my customs.

 

[jra81984]

It does look better. Whatever makes you happy! As for whether I would "upgrade" from my customs, the chances are Hot Toys figures would have their own issues--be it likeness (likely), or other inaccuracies (color of the flight suit, detailing on the proton pack, etc.), even though they would most likely be very nice, high end figures for what they were. Like jra, I don't think it's going to happen. But if it did, I would probably buy them and keep both them and my customs.

if I had reason to believe HT would have done these I would have not sought out my own customs. I think the Matty figures are as close as one can get, even those I do not believe were a huge success on the sales front. We are several years out and they are selling for below the original retail value. The only way I could see it happening is if the long awaited Back to the Future figure (if that happens) succeeds, maybe 80s properties would become desirable.

I do not imagine as cast of 4 characters being in the cards for them. They have much more interest in high selling high ticket properties (Iron man, Batman, Marvel, etc). So for now.... the customs are the best way to go.

 

[karamazov80]

Their value is lower now because these were initially sold out, then made available again (don't know if Matty was holding stock back, or had another production run, or what), and eventually some were distributed at Big Lots where they were sold at a massive discount ($30 for 2 figures--1 with the proton pack, the other with the slime gun). At one point, they were consistently going for at least retail, and way over that in some cases.

I do think they could have some success as a high end release, but would they succeed on the order of Iron Man? No way. And that's HT's measuring stick apparently. They'll give us some random releases that aren't guaranteed sellers here or there, but for the most part, it's either Iron Man/Marvel, Batman/DC, or recent/forthcoming movie.

If BTTF sells well, then I think HT may look more closely at something like Ghostbusters. But I'm not totally sure BTTF will be a big seller for them, if it happens at all, which it may not.

 

[Vaughn34]

if I had reason to believe HT would have done these I would have not sought out my own customs. I think the Matty figures are as close as one can get, even those I do not believe were a huge success on the sales front. We are several years out and they are selling for below the original retail value. The only way I could see it happening is if the long awaited Back to the Future figure (if that happens) succeeds, maybe 80s properties would become desirable.

I do not imagine as cast of 4 characters being in the cards for them. They have much more interest in high selling high ticket properties (Iron man, Batman, Marvel, etc). So for now.... the customs are the best way to go.

Agreed...which is why I purchased the Matty one in the first place (that and I couldn't pass on $40 for a 12" Venkman) but it's still fun to wonder "what if" - Just to see what Hot Toys take on the 'Busters would be. On a side note I'm really looking forward to seeing if they do indeed nail the likenesses on the Back to the Future line.

 

[Vaughn34]

Their value is lower now because these were initially sold out, then made available again (don't know if Matty was holding stock back, or had another production run, or what), and eventually some were distributed at Big Lots where they were sold at a massive discount ($30 for 2 figures--1 with the proton pack, the other with the slime gun). At one point, they were consistently going for at least retail, and way over that in some cases.

I do think they could have some success as a high end release, but would they succeed on the order of Iron Man? No way. And that's HT's measuring stick apparently. They'll give us some random releases that aren't guaranteed sellers here or there, but for the most part, it's either Iron Man/Marvel, Batman/DC, or recent/forthcoming movie.

If BTTF sells well, then I think HT may look more closely at something like Ghostbusters. But I'm not totally sure BTTF will be a big seller for them, if it happens at all, which it may not.

Yeah those Matty GB1 12"figures are selling for more than double retail on ebay at the moment, while the GB2 2-packs are selling for just under what a single GB1 is going for. I'm jazzed w/ all the love older properties are getting, but if Noland from Predator can get made I would hope that Hot Toys would see a market for the Ghostbusters. Though I realize choosing to produce figures from a movie where 4 figures is a must is much more of a risk than choosing a movie license where a 1 figure representative is adequate. Maybe after Ghostbusters 3 comes out (and monkeys fly out of my butt).

 

[Rambler]

I have both GB1 and GB2 sets of the 12" Matty guys, but I LONG for a reputable company to put out a 1/6 set of these guys. I would love to put together a proper custom set, but no funds.

 

[Skiman]

Ski

 

[Rambler]

 

[teabelly83]

Great work on that venkman, looks alot better reposed.

I also have an unopened set of the matty figures aswel as the WIP customs but if hot toys got the license i would get them without a doubt! I would maybe rework the customs into GB2 versions or civilian clothing.

i do hope the bttf line happens though, id be happy with just a marty and doc!

 

[karamazov80]

Just saw this:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=FAC10104&mode=retail

Says it's 7 inches, and made of polystone. So, it might be a good size with 1/6 scale guys, and be of a decent quality. I personally don't think the sculpt holds a candle to Rocco's, but it might be a nice, economical alternative.

 

[tylerh]

Hey Karamazov -

I actually worked on that piece when I was Art Director at Factory Entertainment (I hopped on it after someone else had started the process with the sculptor and factory, so while it may not be "perfect" Its as good as I could get it based on deadline and it actually is pretty faithful! Im proud of it!) ... I have one of the prototypes at home and can take a pic next to a 1:6 scale figure if you all want to see the relation size wise.


EDIT:
If anyone is interested, I started a thread with the 1:6 slimer I'm sculpting myself here:
https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/...ulpt-Input-wanted-on-arms-pose-and-expression

 

[karamazov80]

Hey man, I think it does look pretty good. As good as any other Slimer I've seen apart from the Rocco version. I just think Rocco knocked it out of the park in a way that I haven't seen others reach. And a big part of that reason could well be licensor approval, as I know that's a huge hurdle for official products, and a lot of the official Slimers I've seen seem to share a similar aesthetic. No offense intended! Thanks for the input, and I'm sure some collectors could benefit from you posting a comparison shot.

 

[tylerh]

No Problem - Ya Rocco killed it with his version!! There are all sorts of reasons why products end up the way they do - I dont know if you have toy production experience but the list would be long and boring If you saw the first version of slimer we started with, you would swear this was the actual screen used miniature in comparison! HA!

The first one we called "The Ghost of Dan Ackroyd" Resembled him oddly way more than it did Slimer!

 

[karamazov80]

I totally don't, but have seen lots of examples of prototype to production changes that led to major differences just, apparently, due to the production process (recent 3 3/4" DC movie figures being an example). So yeah, a hand-crafted custom with hand made molds is definitely going to be a different story, all other things being the same.

 

[DarthMagnus]

Great build ups everyone! So much GB love I can feel it! I was holding off till my display was truly complete but F it! I want to join in on the fun! Here are where my guys are at now. Still waiting on certain accessories and such. But I'm pretty happy were I'm at for the moment. I went for all the Rocco sculpts cause I think they were some of his best and I wanted to keep things uniform but Nathans paintup of Snydermans Venkman is the real beez neez! Hope you guys dig em!

Painted By Silent Surfer and Custom Built By Magnus!

The Gang!

Egon! My absolute fave of my builds! RIP Mr. Ramis!

Venkman! Not Snyderman but not too shabby eh!?

Shocked Ray! He's an ugly little spud!

Winston! The weakest likeness of the crew in my opinion. I think it's still a great sculpt though. Nathan did his best on the paint!

 

[karamazov80]

Very nice work Magnus. How did you handle Venkman's pants length? Did Surfer paint all of those? I dig the logo as well. I should look for something like that for my display. Any plans to dye/paint the pistol belts?

I actually made some long overdue improvements to my figures just last night. And am debating getting a newly painted Snyder-Man Venkman head and picking up Rocco's new Ray sculpt, but need to get some extra $$ first.

 

[DarthMagnus]

Very nice work Magnus. How did you handle Venkman's pants length? Did Surfer paint all of those? I dig the logo as well. I should look for something like that for my display. Any plans to dye/paint the pistol belts?

I actually made some long overdue improvements to my figures just last night. And am debating getting a newly painted Snyder-Man Venkman head and picking up Rocco's new Ray sculpt, but need to get some extra $$ first.

Thanks Sam!

Surfer painted all the heads. I dyed the suits and painted the belts with a white wash. Maybe its not showing too well in the photos. But I they they look good in hand. As for Venkmans pants, I just did some mods to shorten the body a bit and give the illusion that the pant legs are longer. Good luck on the new builds!

 

[jra81984]

Just saw this:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=FAC10104&mode=retail

Says it's 7 inches, and made of polystone. So, it might be a good size with 1/6 scale guys, and be of a decent quality. I personally don't think the sculpt holds a candle to Rocco's, but it might be a nice, economical alternative.

For a Slimer solution I really like how the Slimer Headknocker looks. It has a pretty high level of detail from NECA, and looks beautiful on display. I just pulled the spring off of the base and attached him for a hot toys stand. The one in the link looks too smooth for my liking. You can also get the head knocker for the same price. It is also made of polystone.