This month features the release of Matty Collector’s The Rookie figure from Ghostbusters the Video Game, originally an incentive to join Club Ecto-1. After the subscription plan was cancelled, Matty announced he would be sold separately on the site.
The Rookie is the character you play in Ghostbusters the Video Game. He wasn’t given a name, nor any speaking parts to help you immerse yourself into the game. Peter Venkman even cracks some jokes about getting too attached and not using your real name because of what happened to the last new hire. The model for The Rookie was based off of Ryan French, the associate producer for the game.
There are a lot of awesome things I love about this figure. And some nit picky things that keep it from being the coolest figure on my shelf. Let’s start with the good stuff. The head sculpt for this guy is surprisingly strong. Especially for a character that is ultimately supposed to be forgettable. The Rookie also comes with some great accessories, a PKE Meter and Ghost Trap attached to his belt. As well as removable Ecto Goggles. The Ghost Trap is a really nice touch.
Now for some of the things that I feel missed the boat. The PKE Meter from the game differs from the version attached to his belt. The meter on this figure matches the version in the movies. Where as the game’s meter was more like an iPhone – PKE hybrid. Next up is the Proton Pack. Through the video game, Egon upgrades your pack with some pretty gnarly stuff. Including a slime blower attachment. Unfortunately, the Proton Pack on this figure is the exact same as every other pack from the Ghostbusters’ toy line. The equipment in the game was a big part of the experience, so this felt like a huge misstep for me.
Packed in with this figure is the same Ghost Trap that came with Winston, only with orange electricity instead of blue. The traps in the video game are basically wireless, so even this isn’t in line with the video game. Instead of this trap, one of the ghosts exclusive to Ghostbusters the Video Game would have been great. The first one that comes to mind are Stay Puft’s marshmallow mini minions.
Ultimately there are a lot of things I like about this, but it still falls short. As an incentive figure, I suppose I would have been more forgiving of the cons I listed above. But as a stand alone figure, I wish Matty would have taken more time with the equipment and the packed in accessory.
