Ghostbusters Plasma Series Ray Stantz

By Hervé St-Louis
September 25, 2021 - 19:30

Doctor Raymond Stanz is one of the founders of the Ghostbusters, a group of New York-based ghost and supernatural hunters known as the Ghostbusters. A professor of parapsychology and a historian of the occult, Stanz has a child-like enthusiasm for hunting ghosts. Ray Stanz first appeared in the 1984 Ghostbuster movie and was portrayed by actor Dan Aykroyd, who also co-created the franchise.

There have been many Ghostbusters action figures featuring Ray Stanz in the past from many vendors such as Kenner, Neca, Playmobile, Lego, and Mattel. Hasbro now has the license and has introduced Ray Stanz as part of its Plasma series line which reimagines the characters from the 1984, 1989, and the upcoming 2021 movies, instead of focusing of the cartoon versions of the franchise.

Likeness

The toy looks like the movie character but is not hyper real. It feels slightly cartoony mostly because of the scale of his body. He feels a bit compressed when compared to other six-inch lines. The gear on his and the proton pack look are genuine Ghostbusters. It feels almost like a mix between the cartoon representation of Ray Stanz and the real version.

Sculpt

One major complaint is that the toys feel too short for six-inches line. The torso is not as long as they could be and the neck is too short. If these two things were different, Ray Stanz would look like most other 1:12 toy. He is pudgy, unlike the others. That’s a good thing. I like all the gear he sports on his belt. It it very busy. If you rotate his torso using the ball joint at the waist, you’ll notice that his jump suit shows like an undershirt. It if had been painted, it would look great and very realistic.

Paint

This figure could use a bit of a dirty grey wash on the jumpsuit. It looks plain without it. The Ghostbusters’ logo looks swell on his right shoulder. Painted details are good but bleed a lot. Hasbro used 3D face painting, but it does not add much to the figure. I wish his hair were not just one shade of brown.

Scale

Nominally, the Ghostbusters Plasma series is a six-inch/1:12 line of action figures. Some collectors complain that the figures and Stanz are five-inch toys. I disagree. Stranz is a bit taller than the Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) action figure from the Star Wars Black Series line. In fact, Ray Stanz is in scale with many 1:12 lines, it’s just that he and his colleagues are not dashing six-foot paragon of athleticism, like most characters from action figure lines.

Instead, he is a pudgy professor who became a fulltime ghost hunter and is probably around 5’6-5’8 feet, like most of the male population. However, actor Dan Aykroyd claims to be six feet! In the cartoon, Ray Stanz was chubbier and shorter than the other Ghostbusters. I find that the figure looks great with Marvel Legends and G.I. Joe Classified, if you understand that he is not an athlete but a nerdy professor. In fact, the reason I got him is because I find that he is good buck for a custom G.I. Joe Mainframe action figure. Mainframe is a computer geek, so it all fits!

Stability

It was not easy to find the right balance for Stanz at first. The feet are quite narrow and with the backpack, he is top heavy and can easily lean or fall backwards. I have found a way to pose him and he is sturdy now.

Articulations

The articulations are stiff. You may need to heat them with a blow drier or warm water to loosen them up and avoid breaking them when articulating him. I find that Hasbro’s Ghostbusters has a good mix of articulations that I would not have expected. He has rotating and bending shoulders that can do a full 360 rotation. He also has butterfly joints which is unexpected. They work well but are not as huge as other action figure lines like Marvel Legends or G.I. Joe Classified.

Of course, Ray Stanz has double elbow articulations and bicep curls. He has rotating wrists that can bend suitably when he holds weapons and gear in his hands. His waist can rotate and is on a ball joint, which increases how he can be pose. He has no abdominal crunch. His hip articulations allow him to do a 65 degrees split. It’s not much but his gear gets in the way anyway and he is an out of shaped professor! He can raise his legs up and down although they twist because of the shape of his crotch.

His double knee articulations are the most difficult to use because of their stiffness. He also has thigh curls. His ankles can bend up, down, and pivot. Posing him as he points his neutrona wand with both hands.

Plastic

Ray Stanz’s plastic is durable. It could be ABS plastic. His body is built moulded mostly in the original colour featured for a body part. More than other manufacturers, Hasbro favours this as they do not have to paint the part much. It also helps with articulation problems when the paint clogs them, as is frequent with NECA toys.

Props

There are many props. First, there is the leg of a Terror Dog used as a build-a-figure. Ray Stanz also comes with a pair of Ecto-Goggles that help him see paranormal activity better. He can store them loosely on his belt, hold them in his hands, wear them on his forehead or wear them on his face. Because of his big hair, they will fit tightly. Don’t pull on them too much as there is little wiggle room and they could break.

The neutrona wand fits on the neutron pack and is tied to it through a soft PVC cord. The neutron pack is super detailed with wires and parts sticking out much like the original gear in the movies. The paint application is off though with paint bleeding all over. There is a harness that connects the proton pack to Ray Stanz’s body. The harness can be locked on the figure’s belly but because Ray Stanz is a bit fat, it does not buckle up easily! I think that Ray Stanz should go on a diet!

Packaging

The toy comes in a Ghostbusters Plasma series box. The box’s style feels like a jumpsuit. There is an abstract look to the box and the characters on the side. On the back of the box, a ghost trap features the images of the main characters. It’s a nice package design.

Cost

Ray Stanz retail for about $22.99 USD or $33.00CAD. They are cheaper in some stores so shop wisely.

Availability

Ray Stanz and other Ghostbusters are widely available in many stores since 2020. Even in 2021, they are everywhere thanks to the upcoming movie. There are many waves available, including one with the same characters but with glow-in-the-dark ectoplasm. Then there are the new movie figures with the Peter Venkman, Ray Stanz, and Winston Zeddemore as aged characters joining the new generation of Ghostbusters. As typical with Hasbro, they reused the same sculpts.

I don’t know who these toys are for. Will kids want them? Are they for nostalgic adults like me who were kids when the movie came out and watched the cartoon series? The wide release means that Hasbro thinks that these will be popular. I can imagine a wife or a girlfriend buying this for her husband. Ray Stanz is a good action figure and probably the sculpt Hasbro is using here is the best for a Ghostbusters’ action figure ever. I enjoy the quality and the mass-market appeal of Ray Stanz. For all it’s worth, while I’m mor interested in customizing this action figure!

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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