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Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Head Knocker

King Randor checks in with a great guest review of the new headknocker from NECA - the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!  It's all yours, KR!

Since its release in 1984, Ghostbusters has had probably one of the most successful, and most well-known franchises in existence. It’s had almost every piece of merchandise you could possibly think of, a movie sequel, and a cartoon spin-off( which had two of its OWN spinoffs, the first two years later, and the second, 11 years later). However, the ONE thing the movies never DID have were the one things most fan boys and other geeks crave most of all: good toys- action figures, to be exact. Well, those are coming, finally, later this year from NECA. For now, however, they’ve decided to whet our appetites with the release of the Ghostbusters Body Knockers. The two to choose from are the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Slimer. This review is for Stay Puft.






Sculpting - ****
Let’s begin with the sculpting, shall we? Stay Puft’s sculpting is nothing short of phenomenal. THIS is the big sailor boy we all saw trying to attack our Boys in Gray at the Shandor Building, in 1984! The base he comes on features a taxi, and two crushed cars, adding to the marvel that this sculpt is. Oh, and a minor note about the blue piece holding his red ribbon- I don’t think it’s sculpted on, and be careful on choosing your Stay Puft, as the one I left on the shelf had that blue piece broken off.

One other thing I’d like to mention about Stay Puft- - he seems to lean a bit to his right, which makes bobbling for him a bit awkward. I don’t know if it’s just mine or not, but it’s worth mentioning. Again, just be choosy upon selecting yours.

Packaging - **1/2
Now, the packaging…it’s definitely not very eye-catching. The design is something I’d be more likely to see in 1989. But now, in 2004, it’s likely to get lost among all the OTHER amazing pieces in the store. So really keep your eye out for it. I was lucky to snag ‘em because I was doing the trend freight that night, and put them out on display, but you’ll really wanna keep your eyes peeled for these in stores. 

Paint - **1/2
Next, the paint job. Once again- GREAT! A little bleed from the while lining on his sailor outfit- and also the paint used on his name at the bottom of the base seems a bit uneven, but otherwise very nice. So why the low score. Simple- the paint wash….

Ah, the paint wash- HERE’S a CRUCIAL problem. For some reason, they decided to coat most of his head, and upper body with a paint wash that really "shadows" his body, and just DOESN’T look right at all. And no- it’s NOT just mine. They’re ALL like that.

Overall - ***1/2
As much as I love this piece, unfortunately, I was a bit let down. What really hurts, for me, is that I was looking more forward to HIM than to Slimer (whom you can read about in the OTHER review going up on Thursday night). All they really had to do was level him a bit better, and do a better paint wash, and he would’ve been perfect. Ah well, c’est la vie. I’m still proud to own him. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, yes, DEFINITELY add him to your collection. If you’re a head/body knockers fan, add him to your collection. If you’re just a casual observer who likes cool pieces, this one’s a toss-up, and you’ll really have to decide on this one, for yourself.

Where To Buy:
When I bought this piece, I was still working at Suncoast, so you’ll definitely wanna check there, as well as the other Musicland Affiliates. They have them for around $14.99 each, I believe. Not a bad value, really. Entertainment Earth currently has them for $16.99/piece. Amazon.com currently has them for $10.99 each!

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Figures from the collection of King Randor.

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