The Great Ghostbusters Haul of 2024
Last week I made the trip back home to DC to see my mom and get some Roy Rogers fried chicken. I’ll let you decide what’s the bigger priority. It’s been a year since I’ve been down there so this trip was very overdue. But along the way, I was able to search for class five full roaming vapors.
I should probably explain a few things. Since my divorce and moving out on my own, I’ve downsized my toy collection considerably and dedicated my collecting to only important priority. Although, there have been a few items I’ve wanted back. One of those items was a Ghostbusters Firehouse. Which I actually had sold before the pandemic went down, but I always wanted to get it back. On top of that, now that I have my own space, I wanted to create a setup/diorama/display of Real Ghostbusters. For a while I had a really nice collection but never truly knew how to display in a good way. I tried but it just never looked as good as I had hoped. Mainly because I can be a messy and unorganized person at times. I was never truly happy with my displays but now that I’m in a new space, I figure maybe I can use it to my advantage. And so long story short, along the way back home, I was able to pick up some good items off of Facebook marketplace from a mom who found all her sons old toys in the attic.
Well well well. Take a gander! If that’s not a great way to reignite my collection, I don’t know what is. Ghosts, vehicles, a trap and the crown jewel: The Firehouse. So let’s go through this fine before Slimer flies in and ruins everything.
X-Cop
Thankfully I already have most of the loose figures I want and need. Most of them are very easy to pick up on the aftermarket but since I didn’t have these this one and the seller wanted all the stuff gone, I decided to scoop him up. X-Cop is one of the “Haunted Humans” figures which depicted regular run of the mill people possessed by ghosts. It was a fun line that included a variety of people including the favorite, Granny Ghost, but this figure really helps illustrate just how insane and ridiculous Kenner was willing to go with the line at that time. Well…then there’s…
The Ghost Sweeper:
Another wild example of Kenner’s dedication to the line. Ok, yes, it’s just simply a street sweeper with cartoony colors and the No Ghosts logo but It’s still a fun display piece for the setup. I mean even just having Slimer in the driver seat will be a fun visual! Not normally one I’d grab but when it’s a part of a big lot, I’m not gonna say no. No Kenner left behind!
Highway Haunter:
This was a piece of interest mainly because it was used in the cartoon as Janine’s car and when transformed, it doubles(unofficialy) as the villain Murray The Mantis who would appear in the cartoon as well. Not officially but if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s the closest we got to Murray getting his own figure. It’s a cool vehicle that comes in handy with helping out the 4 core Busters on a mission. You’re not fitting Janine and Louis in the Ecto 1A so this is a nice companion and means of transportation. Plus, who doesn’t love a convertible bug…er…mantis…wait…bug…aahhhh never mind, next….
Air Sickness:
Another one that I was really excited for this guy right here. Air Sickness. A spooky pilot and his weird…contraption plane thing. Not the most popular or beloved but this one I actually received from a friend on my 6th birthday! Now I’ve stated before, most of my GB were secondhand but this and the ghost trap were the two I remember getting brand new. It’s a weird figure/accessory but I got love it and plan on giving it a nice home!
Ghost Trap:
Speaking of the Ghost Trap…here it is in all its glory!
Ok, well minus the handle which I fully blame Slimer. He’s an easy scapegoat.
This was one of the more popular “play along” Ghostbusters toys released by Kenner and my personal favorite as a kid. The proton pack and wand was a cool one to own but this was a bit more fun imo. Something about rolling it out, stepping on the air pump peddle and trapping the ghosts that may be haunting your backyard was just a fun experience for a young Chad Ecto so to be reunited with this again was a fun thrill. Especially being in the same lot as Air Sickness!
Ecto 1a:
Ho boy…I can’t even begin to exclaim my excitement for this one. Released in 1989 after Ghostbusters 2, this is more of a combination of the sequel and the Real Ghostbusters. There’s literally no difference in the original Ecto 1 and the 1a releases (I think the ghost) other than the sticker sheets it came with. This one has pink slime, The GB2 logo, a “Real Ghostbusters” sticker on the roof of the car, “we’re back for hire”, and a new black and yellow caution tape trim. It’s a lot. I’d probably consider it “much”. This is “much” but so am I and so is Ghostbusters, so if I’m gonna have my heroes drive around New York in style, it’s gotta be this purely 1989 car and psychotic stickers. Now if only had a place to park it. Hmmmm…
THE FIREHOWWWWWWSEEEEEE
This one is all due to my friend and fellow blogger/podcaster, William Bruce West. You’ll know him from his many appearances on numerous geek podcasts, including his current show and of course his site WilliamBruceWest.com. He was nice to enough to grab it for me from a local FB marketplace add and was able to hold onto it until i met up with him. Well lucky me and lucky him because it gave us a great reason to catch up in DC!
The crown jewel. Not just of this haul today but for any Ghostbusters collector. Period. This is my 3rd I’ve had in the last decade but the most incomplete to date. Which is another reason I wanted it. The challenge of hunting down new doors, sign and a pole sounded fun to me. The other possibility that crossed my mind is painting it to resemble how I looks in real life, I guess I’ll get to that eventually but for now, it’s great to own this great piece!!!! Can’t wait to add some new accessories like a desk for Janine, Slimers bed, an arcade machine or two. Ya know, things a normal mature and well adjusted adult would do and plan!
This was a great to start my trip and I want to thank both the nice woman who was selling this and held onto them for a few months as we negotiated a deal and of course a huge thank you William for hooking me up with The Firehouse. And speaking of thanking William, you can thank him every day by giving him a follow on his social media platforms, subscribe to his new podcast “Remember That Show” and give West Week Ever a read every week to see what Will thinks about the major and sometimes not so major events of pop cultures!!!
I’ll be sure to do updates on the display in progress once it’s fully complete and I actually like it. That may be the biggest challenge but a challenge I’m excited for! And with the new movie coming up, hope there’s some new ghosts and stuff I can add to this setup!
-Chad Ecto
