Talk about the your favorite Ghostbusters Collectibles from Mattel, Kenner, and more.
#4803632
ProtonPack83 wrote:Charcoal Grey = it can be painted black and I'm sure Matty would. They aren't going to give us a grey pack if they actually do this.
The PKE Meter, Ghost Trap and Proton Gun film props were all black, and yet ended up grey in their Mattel replica forms. I don't see why the Pack would be the one to suddenly break that rule of thumb.
ProtonPack83 wrote:But they DID fill a need/wish/want/dream for thousands of people that would never put in that kind of time, including myself.
Let's be honest now, I very much doubt we'll be seeing thousands of people buying a Mattel Proton Pack. A couple of hundred is probably a lot closer to the likely numbers we'd end up seeing.
ProtonPack83 wrote:The PKE doesn't make that awesome clicky sound when Egon was moving through the bookshelves
It doesn't, but most of us have grown to live with that concession pretty quickly. :)
#4803636
Kingpin wrote:Let's be honest now, I very much doubt we'll be seeing thousands of people buying a Mattel Proton Pack. A couple of hundred is probably a lot closer to the likely numbers we'd end up seeing
In order to make the money, and be cost effective for the tooling, they would have to sell over 1000 packs. The other props sold more than that by a large margin.. so it isn't unreasonable. I imagine they would also try to keep the cost down under $300 or $400. It is entirely possible with injection molding.

Someone mentioned the ALICE pack specifically... that would be part of the motherboard, and it would be flush mounted. Basically it would be tabs sticking out of the back to mimic the shape of the ALICE frame. The straps would just go straight into the plastic.
Prologic9 wrote:I find it interesting so many people think Matty would sell a "pack only" to go with their proton gun. That would never ever ever ever ever ever happen. If they sell a pack, it's coming with a wand, and you're paying for it. I'm sure that would go over well...
Actually. Logistically. They would have to not include the wand. When you include the wand, it would require a box that would be huge with a lot of wasted space. The box would basically be so big that it would be difficult for them to ship them on most major carriers. Its not as cost effective as selling them separately, since the pack would easily fit into a manageable sized shipping box (though would still be huge).

They would probably bundle the items, but they would always be in separate boxes.

If you notice they increased the price on the wands to slow down sales. They most likely calculated how many wands they will need to keep on hand for when / if the pack is released. By increasing the price of the wand, they can also decrease the price of the pack a little to make it more manageable. (Or offer a bundle "discount" equal to the amount they raised the price on the wand).


On a different subject there is still the matter of licensing. They can't make the Pack anything other than a toy. I'm sure they ran into trouble with the license because the pack would have inevitably been wearable.. and that would have ventured into Rubies costume license. Make the pack too accurate and that would have ventured into the prop replica license (which Mattel does not have).
CaptCyan liked this
#4803638
AJ Quick wrote:They can't make the Pack anything other than a toy. I'm sure they ran into trouble with the license because the pack would have inevitably been wearable.. and that would have ventured into Rubies costume license. Make the pack too accurate and that would have ventured into the prop replica license (which Mattel does not have).
This right here makes the most sense of WHY there is not a pack from Matty yet.
#4803646
Kingpin wrote:
ProtonPack83 wrote:Charcoal Grey = it can be painted black and I'm sure Matty would. They aren't going to give us a grey pack if they actually do this.
The PKE Meter, Ghost Trap and Proton Gun film props were all black, and yet ended up grey in their Mattel replica forms. I don't see why the Pack would be the one to suddenly break that rule of thumb.
I only have the Wand, but it sure looks black to me. Not glossy black mind you, matte finish, but it certainly doesn't look grey. If they did the pack in the Wand color I'd be totally satisfied. I'm not sure how you get much blacker than the Wand. Were there variances at all? Just curious...
Last edited by Kingpin on August 1st, 2014, 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Fixed quote coding
#4803674
ProtonPack83 wrote: A land fill!? Right, because everyone throws away their $500 collectibles after they tire of their inaccuracies haha. Just listen to yourself for a second, this is the kind of crap I'm talking about. We get it, you built your own, you feel the pride, no "toy" can ever replace your amazing cache of Ghostbusting weaponry. I'm not being sarcastic when I say, mad props to you for building something from scratch or even with resin parts that you pieced out over a long time period to get the most accurate pack/trap/thrower you could get. I'm sure it looks incredible and feels great when completed.
Except you don't "get it" as you miss the entire point. Perhaps you are the one who should take a look at your own comments before you pigeonhole a whole group of people. This isn't about some exclusive club that you seem to have imagined. You are just wrong about this, frankly. If there is an exclusive club that wants to stay exclusive, why is this site filled with pages and pages of help, for free no less, in order to assist people in their quest for ghostbusters gear? It's not strictly screen-accurate packs, either. There are plenty of "dollar-store pack" threads and how-to's with encouragement from the community.

My concerns with a potential Matty pack are not only with accuracy, but also quality and price point. Matty flunks on all of these points in the past, and there is no reason to think a pack would be any different. You also repeat over and over that you don't care about accuracy, but how about quality? Do you care if it is made with thin, cheap, glossy plastic? That the mechanics or electronics don't behave as expected, wear out after a few uses, or just don't work out of the box? This is the track record of Matty.

So, yes, a landfill: not because people would throw it away because of inaccuracies, that is asinine. Rather, because it will be junk and it will break, if you actually take it out and "play" with it and do anything other that let it sit on display. I seriously hope you don't waste $500 or even $100 for the incredible heap that this would turn out to be. You have admitted you are not a prop expert. I am not either, but I know a little bit. Not nearly as much as all the knowledgeable people around here. That being the case, is it not wise to listen to the people who know a bit about props when they say that Matty's stuff has really gone downhill? Or do you admit to knowing nothing yet still somehow know better than everyone else?

Basically your defense of Matty is that it is OK for them to pass of subpar product as "prop replicas" because the target audience doesn't know any better. Honestly, you sound like Matty's target customer, who will pay a premium for an ill-designed hunk of plastic as long as they slap a Ghostbusters logo on the box.
Azevedo, Kingpin, AJ Quick and 1 others liked this
#4803689
Well hello Mr. Gallup!

Thanks for dragging me into your spirited discussion. I'm the "someone" who mentioned the price point in my opinion.

ProtonPack83 wrote:As for someone mentioning a $500-$600 price point, so what? You DO realize that Master Replicas built their business on selling 8 inch lightsabers, granted their cast metal, but still....a static hilt with ZERO function and you were paying in that same range for the replica. If you want to go further, the new Star Wars prop company put out a Luke Skywalker lightsaber with internals and a few lights, no sounds and it opens up, for around the same price point... Obviously a different company and Matty has had it's own debacles, but this is not rocket science.
Lightsabers, you say? I thought this was about proton packs but what the hey. You DO realize that Master Replicas only lasted from 2003 to 2006? That you're talking about a pre-reces...sorry, pre 2008 market (there was no recession) when disposable income was at an all time high? That the other prop company (EFX Collectables, not big on names, are we?) currently has only 1 lightsaber close to that price point ( $399.00) and that's because it was signed by the actor? All others are priced at $149.00 and below.

You think that Master Replicas / EFX Collectables who specialize(d) in props equates to Matty Collector / Mattel Toys Inc. maker of toys? Not the same to me, maybe this is rocket science.
ProtonPack83 wrote:The thing (lightsaber) could practically fit in your pocket and people will shell out big money for that. It also had a pre-order quota to meet and it was met, and people were very satisfied with the product.

People WILL buy a Matty pack for that price, and no, it would NOT come with a wand...

...If people are willing to by pocket sized lightsabers that do nothing but look nice on a belt, I'm absolutely certain that people will buy a fully-electronic pack that lights up, enhances the sounds of the wand more loudly and looks the part.
I'll quote some famous comedian and ask, "Who are these people?" and why did they elect you to be their spokesperson?

Dig out the poll and show us where you got the votes, Mr. Gallup. Unless you have papers with signatures, I'd leave other people out of your arguments because you do not know what they will or will not do.
Kingpin liked this
#4803693
kevinj319 wrote:
ProtonPack83 wrote: A land fill!? Right, because everyone throws away their $500 collectibles after they tire of their inaccuracies haha. Just listen to yourself for a second, this is the kind of crap I'm talking about. We get it, you built your own, you feel the pride, no "toy" can ever replace your amazing cache of Ghostbusting weaponry. I'm not being sarcastic when I say, mad props to you for building something from scratch or even with resin parts that you pieced out over a long time period to get the most accurate pack/trap/thrower you could get. I'm sure it looks incredible and feels great when completed.
Except you don't "get it" as you miss the entire point. Perhaps you are the one who should take a look at your own comments before you pigeonhole a whole group of people. This isn't about some exclusive club that you seem to have imagined. You are just wrong about this, frankly. If there is an exclusive club that wants to stay exclusive, why is this site filled with pages and pages of help, for free no less, in order to assist people in their quest for ghostbusters gear? It's not strictly screen-accurate packs, either. There are plenty of "dollar-store pack" threads and how-to's with encouragement from the community.

My concerns with a potential Matty pack are not only with accuracy, but also quality and price point. Matty flunks on all of these points in the past, and there is no reason to think a pack would be any different. You also repeat over and over that you don't care about accuracy, but how about quality? Do you care if it is made with thin, cheap, glossy plastic? That the mechanics or electronics don't behave as expected, wear out after a few uses, or just don't work out of the box? This is the track record of Matty.

So, yes, a landfill: not because people would throw it away because of inaccuracies, that is asinine. Rather, because it will be junk and it will break, if you actually take it out and "play" with it and do anything other that let it sit on display. I seriously hope you don't waste $500 or even $100 for the incredible heap that this would turn out to be. You have admitted you are not a prop expert. I am not either, but I know a little bit. Not nearly as much as all the knowledgeable people around here. That being the case, is it not wise to listen to the people who know a bit about props when they say that Matty's stuff has really gone downhill? Or do you admit to knowing nothing yet still somehow know better than everyone else?

Basically your defense of Matty is that it is OK for them to pass of subpar product as "prop replicas" because the target audience doesn't know any better. Honestly, you sound like Matty's target customer, who will pay a premium for an ill-designed hunk of plastic as long as they slap a Ghostbusters logo on the box.
I just don't see how they've gone so downhill. The wand was one of the best things Matty released. I've fired mine up since I've had it hundreds of times without issue or any kind of defective part. I know the same can't be said for the Trap and I've seen videos of the issues. All the props look well thought out and look extremely accurate to me even with the few corners they cut in materials.

Trust me, I am NOT the customer who simply buys blindly because I like a brand. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I can't stand what Hasbro is doing to their 3.75 line of figures. You can find me over on Rebelscum criticizing them for their quality, choices and management of the line. I also have agreed with a lot of the criticism of Mattel, especially in regards to MOTUC.

I don't really have any "defense" of Matty, I just will never agree with the notion that their props are subpar products. They are pretty much in line with what I'd expect from a toy company making them. I think they've hit the 4 props we've got from them out of the park, with both features and looks. The differences and inaccuracies are minimal at best. So I'm sure the pack would be the same. I guess it comes down to this: If you liked the replicas they've put out so far, you'd like a pack as well. If you're unhappy with the quality or appearances of the replicas they've put out, then you probably won't buy a pack.
CaptCyan wrote:Well hello Mr. Gallup!

Thanks for dragging me into your spirited discussion. I'm the "someone" who mentioned the price point in my opinion.

ProtonPack83 wrote:As for someone mentioning a $500-$600 price point, so what? You DO realize that Master Replicas built their business on selling 8 inch lightsabers, granted their cast metal, but still....a static hilt with ZERO function and you were paying in that same range for the replica. If you want to go further, the new Star Wars prop company put out a Luke Skywalker lightsaber with internals and a few lights, no sounds and it opens up, for around the same price point... Obviously a different company and Matty has had it's own debacles, but this is not rocket science.
Lightsabers, you say? I thought this was about proton packs but what the hey. You DO realize that Master Replicas only lasted from 2003 to 2006? That you're talking about a pre-reces...sorry, pre 2008 market (there was no recession) when disposable income was at an all time high? That the other prop company (EFX Collectables, not big on names, are we?) currently has only 1 lightsaber close to that price point ( $399.00) and that's because it was signed by the actor? All others are priced at $149.00 and below.
The lightsaber I quoted was the Luke Skywalker REVEAL lightsaber which was priced at $499, so yes, they DID in fact have a product at that price point, in a recession none-the-less and it sold through. While I certainly have no way of knowing exactly who and how many will buy a Matty pack, I'm willing to bet it would be a lot, especially considering world-wide fans.
Last edited by Kingpin on August 2nd, 2014, 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Fixed text colour code
#4803695
Alan Hawkins wrote:Are we really arguing about the accuracy and price of something that doesn't even exist?
#4803699
JoeLuna33 wrote:
Alan Hawkins wrote:Are we really arguing about the accuracy and price of something that doesn't even exist?
Hey Joe L!

No, I'm arguing lightsabers here which are apparently the same thing.
ProtonPack83 wrote:The lightsaber I quoted was the Luke Skywalker REVEAL lightsaber which was priced at $499, so yes, they DID in fact have a product at that price point, in a recession none-the-less and it sold through. While I certainly have no way of knowing exactly who and how many will buy a Matty pack, I'm willing to bet it would be a lot, especially considering world-wide fans.
A limited edition with a run of what, 500? Equate that to matty's expectation of over 1,000 units for it to be a go?Granted Ghostbusters has a lot of fans in it's base, but I think Star Wars might have a few more.

When you're ready to compare apples to apples and proton packs to proton packs, let me know.
#4803707
ProtonPack83 wrote:I just don't see how they've gone so downhill.
A toy company wanting to keep production costs down.

I wonder if they ever considered using a push-release mechanism to extend the barrel, or if they always intended to use motorised electronics.
#4847703
ProtonPack83 wrote:Well.....is this legit?

http://aggressivecomix.com/2015/11/ghos ... oton-pack/


If so, it better not be the Proton Pack from the new movie, but rather the original that is compatible with the Matty Wand, which I'm sure they would re-release. Would be nice to see the Trap and PKE again too.
This topic came up recently in another thread, and I'll repost what I wrote there:
Kingpin wrote:At Brand Licensing Europe, a fellow U.K. Ghostbuster and I spoke to an American chap who seemed pretty senior (I believe it was Mark Caplan himself), who indicated it would likely be the reboot Pack, rather than the classic one.
If that chap was Caplan, and if what he said was on the level, It leads me to believe that it is very likely that any offering that does turn up, will probably be based on the reboot rather than the classic films.

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