“I have come to give my gift … the gift of eternal night … eternal Halloween … eternal ME!”
That’s right! Somehow, Halloween has returned…
And it is because Samhain is back from Mondo! As one of, if not THE most iconic villains from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, there was no way there were gonna keep Samhain down. Originally released in an exclusive two-pack with Peter Venkman, this new version of Samhain features an updated color scheme, new friends and accessories, and a glow-in-the-dark feature that ups the ante on everything from the original figure. So yeah, the dreadful Halloween is back, and in the absolute best way.
Needless to say, I have gotten everything from this amazing RGB line so far, and that means I have opted for the exclusive two-packs. I say this because this is the first time I am have experienced the single figure “trap” packaging, and it is just as eye-catching and fun as the Fire House box used for the sets. The interior flaps are a bit plain, but that is such a tiny nitpick, especially since Samhain was released from his spectral prison as fast as possible.
Samhain himself gets a new color way, primarily in that his robes are now more purple, instead of the previous maroon. This darker color is very distinct from the original, and it also helps the brighter orange of the pumpkin head and hands stand out more. This orange in this version is ever so slightly different from the first one, and it skews a bit more reddish. This is due to the plastic used to achieve the AWESOME glow effect for the head and hands. I am a bit of a sucker for GITD to begin with, but the red glow effect of this figure is BRIGHT and looks absolutely evil. I love it.
Samhain also features two new portraits and some new hands. For this version of him I find the open-mouthed enraged face to work really well, but the more placid version is nice, too, so you have options. The hands are straightforward for the most part, and the point version is a nice expressive touch. The real standout is the left hand with a subdued and “under the spell” Slimer – it jumped right off the screen.
This Slimer is very different from the standard version, and while I believe it is supposed to be glued and set in the hand, mine came off very easily and with no damage at all. So, if you want to try to remove it, a little heat (which I did not even use) is probably all you need. But you didn’t hear that from me.
Finally, and what is probably my favorite part of this release, this set includes two goblin companion figures taken right out of the original Samhain RGB episode. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the Ghostbusters, but for the cartoon, and this toy line, my bread and butter is the ghosties. These two little guys are the “main” sentry goblins from the episode, and like everything else, they have been perfectly realized in plastic. They are extremely expressive and both feature shoulder articulation. This is a recipe to get me every time with a new release, so MONDO definitely knows what they are doing here, haha. I love it.
If you are looking more and more like a completist with this line (like me), hopefully you got your preorder in for this awesome new Samhain. If you missed the first one, this is a perfect way to add him to your collection, too. This RGB line is one of my absolute favorites going right now, and everything is being done so well. I am so excited to add this to the collection, and I cannot wait to see more. C’mon SDCC!
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