Review: 75828 Ecto-1 & 2
Posted by CapnRex101,
It would be fair to say that the new Ghostbusters film being released this summer has caused no shortage of controversy. Movie remakes are often disappointing but few have been met with such outrage and I hope to be pleasantly surprised next month.
However, 75828 Ecto-1 & 2 received a far more positive reaction when it was revealed in February and with good reason. The new Ecto-1 will not appeal to everyone but the quality of this model is not in doubt and the minifigures are equally impressive, resulting in one of the best sets of the year so far in my opinion!
Minifigures
Six minifigures are included, five of which are Ghostbusters. Their uniforms look very similar but each one features slightly different printed designs, all of which look splendid. The dark tan colour scheme matches the film nicely and I like the orange stripes as well as the subtle wrinkles of their baggy clothing. Each character features a tag with their initials, just as in the film, as well as a number of pockets and some buttons. You will also notice that Erin and Jillian have dual-moulded legs to represent their boots.
All five offer alternate expressions, with one smiling or calm and the other angry or afraid. The trailers for the film have revealed that the ghosts which will appear are able to possess humans and this is evident on the Kevin minifigure as his eyes appear red on one side.
There is even more detail visible from the back as the torso printing continues. New hair pieces are worn by three of the five minifigures and each one is brilliant, particularly when viewed from behind. Patty's elaborate style, visible in the centre of the images above and below, is especially impressive due to the intricacy of the texture but all five are exceptionally accurate to the film, including those which are not new.
Furthermore, the arms are printed with the Ghostbusters logo and some more reflective stripes. I am particularly impressed by the tape edges which are visible on Kevin's arms, showing that his uniform is home made and is therefore not nearly as refined as the attire worn by his colleagues.
The proton packs have also been updated slightly but they are attached to the minifigures using neck brackets, as usual. Moreover, the design of the hose has not changed and the nozzle can still be clipped to the side of the pack or to the hand of a minifigure. 2x2 sliders are used again but these are printed with a new design to represent the cyclotron while ingots are used to create some additional texture and these appear in black for the first time so are potentially useful for your own models.
A selection of other accessories are also included and I look forward to seeing how they will be used in the film. The only one which I can identify at the moment is the glove worn by Melissa McCarthy's character, Abby, which appears in the top left of the image below. It is worth noting that this is only the second time the toolbox has appeared in dark blue and there are also a couple of the new studs with bar attachments, nicknamed 'the ring' by LEGO designers, included.
Mayhem appears fairly extensively in the second trailer, albeit in a much larger and more intimidating form. His horned head and wings are represented by elements first seen in 71010-10 Gargoyle from the Monster Collectable Minifigures series, although each piece features new colours and printing on this occasion to better fit with the design of Mayhem in the movie.
Its head is also printed with a new design, showing bared teeth and some form of electrical energy crackling around the eyes. The torso first appeared in the NINJAGO range but now exists in trans-black while his arms and legs are most commonly seen on skeletons but also appear in a new colour. I think this is a good effort given that no new moulds have been created for this minifigure, although it must be acknowledged that his horns should be longer and the wings are too small.
The Completed Model
The set consists of two vehicles, the smaller of which is the Ecto-2, a motorcycle which has been adapted with some ghost busting equipment. This is based on a Harley Davidson SX-175 so the traditional dirt bike fairing used here is a little bulkier than it should be, as you can see in this image of the motorcycle in the film. Nevertheless, the white bodywork looks great and a tiny sticker is used at the front to show that the vehicle belongs to the Ghostbusters.
You can seat a minifigure holding the handlebars and there is room for some equipment at the back as well. This equipment can be removed for handheld use but also looks good when attached to the motorcycle as it looks a little more unusual with them in place.
The Ecto-1 is the more impressive vehicle in my opinion. The general shape of the model is almost perfect in relation to the customised 1980 Cadillac Hearse Wagon on which it is based, with a rather angular design towards the front and a section of red bodywork at the back which is matched by red wheel rims.
The printed Ecto-1 number plate appears at the front along with a metallic silver radiator grille. The level of accuracy is thoroughly impressive, with clear and orange tinted headlights as well as a grey bumper. I am not particularly keen on the rather obtrusive Barraki eye piece used for the car mascot on the bonnet but this is easily replaced with something smaller such as a 1x1 round plate or tile if you prefer.
Stickers are used on either side of the windscreen to represent the red pillars. Printing would have been preferable as it can be difficult to apply stickers to a translucent surface but I appreciate the printed elements which are used for the stripes on either side of the model. These line up quite nicely and the Ghosbusters logo appears on each door, just behind the side view mirrors.
A ladder permits access to the top of the vehicle and a door opens at the back to reveal a storage area which can hold plenty of accessories, although there is not space for all four proton packs unfortunately. The angled door looks marvellous and it fits beautifully with the shape of the bodywork which surrounds it.
The new Ecto-1 is laden with equipment on top, just like the original vehicle. The level of detail is impressive and the design looks to be faithful to the movie, with a large yellow beacon on the front alongside a speaker and a narrow hazard warning strip. A couple of tiny stickers are used on top and these are difficult to apply which is frustrating but they look great when lined up nicely. I must also mention the presence of three 1x1 round plates which appear in black for the first time and are used for a cable reel.
21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 is a splendid set but is hampered to some extent by a lack of space inside, allowing only three of the four Ghostbusters to travel at once. This issue has been resolved here and now there is room for all four team members to sit comfortably without compromising on the size of the storage area towards the back. The roof is easily removable to allow access and the doors at the front can be opened too, a feature which was missing from the original model.
The minifigures take up a lot of room but there is still space for a steering wheel and a handbrake as well as some nicely upholstered seats. A sticker is used on the dashboard and this features some interesting details, notably including an ionising radiation hazard symbol towards the right hand side!
The updated model is roughly the same size as 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and many of the same building techniques are used but I much prefer the new design as it is sturdier and includes many more details which I like very much. A few more comparative photos are available on Flickr.
Overall
The original Ecto-1 is a genuinely iconic vehicle and 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 is therefore very appealing. However, 75828 Ecto-1 & 2 is a superior set in my opinion, with an improved minifigure selection, many more play features and an equally accurate design in relation to the source material. My only criticism relates to the stickers included, some of which are difficult to apply properly due to their small size.
The subject matter will discourage some potential buyers but I certainly recommend the set and look forward to seeing how the characters and vehicles will perform in the upcoming film. The price point of $59.99 or £49.99 might seem a little high in relation to the set from 2014 but I think the impressive selection of new elements as well as the high quality of the set warrants the slight increase. 75828 Ecto-1 & 2 has immediately become one of my favourite sets of the year and I hope others will feel the same.
Thanks to Huw for the photos in this review.
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39 comments on this article
Whilst I wasn't impressed with the trailer, that's a great model and the minifigs really capture the look of the new characters.
Unfortunately Huw has placed the 'Ghostbusters logo' sticker incorrectly on the Ecto-2, it clearly shows how frustrating those small stickers can be! Besides those stickers I would agree, hands down one of the best sets to be released this year, I cannot wait to pick up my copy on July 1st! It seems the price will be £49.99 according to Toymaster which is a fantastic value!
ill be getting ecto 1 in a few weeks, not going to bother with no2 as the film is going to bomb!!
Easy pass for me. I don't really like how the mini-figs look.
Excellent review @CapnRex101, thanks! I will certainly be picking this set up on the 1st of July and hope that the film will be better than the trailers suggest.
Bleh, tiny stickers... but otherwise a very, very solidly made set. The headlights are actually trans-clear headlight bricks--I never would have thought of that. Nice job here, even if the movie turns out to be worse than Batman v Superman...
Those minifigs are insane...esp. the hairpieces. Wonder what prices will be like for them on the aftermarket.
Isn't the new Ghostbusters film a sequel, not a remake? Set does look good though...
the original car is miles better but i quite like the new motor bike..
Indeed all figures fit inside the new ecto-1, but the trade-off is that it has no side windows. Then again, the original ecto-1 had absolutely awful headlight covers.
As usual, it will be a matter of taste/preference.
Also, it's a real pity they didn't use a Slide Shoe Round 2X2 with printed radioactive symbol for the canister on the roof :-(
What a nightmare those stripes on the side of the car would have been had they been stickers--very glad those are printed! Interesting that the entire team is present in this model--makes me wonder if the Ghostbusters theme will be very small. Usually they'd break them across several sets (like The Hobbit) to encourage collecting the whole theme.
Those minifig arms with the GB logo are great--very nice work there. I think I prefer the lines on the Ideas version of the vehicle better, especially the fenders and the bumper, but this new set is nice too. I always wondered what all the greebles on the roof were for--noting the radiation symbol inside the car only makes me more curious. It's been a long time since I've the first movie, but I'm pretty sure the car never did anything other than be a car...?
@curiousb - It is a reboot. The first trailer suggested that it was a sequel but that was simply an attempt to relate the new film to the original.
@ra226 - I do not believe that any further sets based on the new Ghostbusters movie, other than 71242 New Ghostbusters: Play the Complete Movie from LEGO Dimensions, will be released in the near future. However, I would be delighted to see a large model of the Chinese restaurant which forms the base for the Ghostbusters, akin to 75827 Firehouse Headquarters.
Great model indeed, has some neat useful pieces (like the toolbox).
No matter the movie, this looks fantastic, the minifigs are really something.
@adzbadboy, good catch on the sticker! I hadn't noticed at all! I must have applied if after a few beers :)
The stickers are a nuisance because as noted in the review many are small and not sized to fit the parts they affix to which does make alignment more problematic.
The one saving grace is that they are printed on a transparent sheet so can be removed with care and repositioned, which is just as well :)
> What a nightmare those stripes on the side of the car would have been
Yes, but as you can probably see the printing is not perfect and on a few of them the lines do not align with those on neighbouring parts.
Thank you for the review! And thank you for showing the set with stickers too.
@Capnrex, The Chinese restaurant actually does appear as a set in 71242. It's better than nothing :)
Oh, and @Huw, have you tried using a pincer for stickers yet? In my experience this actually works the best on small stickers. I know you don't use stickers often, but in case you didn't know already.
Yes, I always use tweezers for small stickers. There's no other easy way to apply them!
The stripes on either side of the Ecto-1 line up perfectly across the curved slopes on my model. Evidently it is luck of the draw.
Not sure when this set is being released, as US LEGO Shopping site has no mention of it. I did see a whole pallet of these at my local Wal-Mart but the nearest price sign said $97 (which I'm sure was a mistake). I didn't buy it as I didn't have my CC with me at the time (only had $20 cash). I'd been looking forward to this set for the Mayhem minfigure and because it'd make a nice addition to my ECTO-1 from 2014.
How well does this version of ECTO-1 fit inside of Ghostbusters Headquarters? Profile looks a bit taller. And it looks like you would have to fold down the ariels, but since they can only fold to the back that would extend the space needed to accommodate the vehicle.
Thanks for the review Capn! Looks like a great set!
@chunks3k you have no idea whether the movie is going to bomb or not. Once the movie comes out then we can determine if it was a failure or a success critically and financially. None of us know yet since we haven't seen the movie.
Great review. Really nailed key concepts without getting boring. See you next time around -Ninja
Saw this set at my local Toys R Us store today! Will wait until the next time I visit the Lego store to buy though.
Have anyone tried modifying the Ideas version to sit 4 minifigures?
I only want the black female headpiece.
There is only one word for this set.
NOPE!
I won't buy this out of principle. I'm fed up of constant reboots of which most suck. Buying the merchandise pumped out for reboots just encourages them.
It really shows how a great effort was put into this set. I can't find many flaws in it.
Such a shame it's actually a remake of a set which is still being sold, and off a similarly useless movie, too... What a waste of time.
I am also not liking the small stickers. The method of applying stickers that works best for me is to use the end of a brick separator and put the stick on the very end so I can get a better angle on the piece the sticker is going on. I've had much success in getting them lined up. Also, if the part the sticker is going on is small, I'll put the piece on a plate so I can have better control.
The dark blue toolbox is actually available in the firehouse headquarters set, as well.
Still on the fence about this set. I do like the look of it, but the price is hard to justify for a theme I am not invested in,especially with all the new spider man sets dropping.
Either way, great review!
Love this set. Even though it's being released just two years after the original Ecto-1, it manages to make all kinds of improvements, from the wheel arches to the opening doors and rear hatch to the full four-Ghostbuster seating. Some may not like the design of the new car compared to its flashy predecessor, but there's no doubt the LEGO version feels authentic. The figs are impeccably detailed and authentic to the actors and costumes they portray (though I'm curious if there's a story behind the color discrepancy of the "Mayhem" figure in the set and the trailers), and despite this set having stickers it also really goes to town with new prints and recolors, probably because as a non-Ideas set it has a bigger budget for that sort of thing. The bike is nothing extraordinary, but it's a nice addition to the set.
Overall, I'm optimistic about this movie and excited to get my hands on this set!
@axisvega - Thanks, I have now corrected the review.
@Aanchir - Other toys based on the film portray Mayhem as being red in colour so I wonder whether the green version seen in the second trailer is under some kind of influence from Rowan which makes it more potent.
I really like this set. It was designed very well. I own 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1, and the design of this model's primary vehicle is superior. The fact that only 3 of the 4 Ghostbusters could fit in the 21108 Ecto-1 was certainly disappointing to me, as was the lack of a 'bad guy'. Just from looking at the pictures, though, my only complaints are that the silver bulb on the hood of the vehicle looks unfitting, and the printed tiles on the side look very bad on the model. I'm glad they were printed, as new printed parts are always welcome, but if I do purchase this set, I'm going to substitute those printed tiles for the plain white ones I already own.
Fine tipped tweezers are your friend when dealing with tiny stickers!
I didn't love the trailer but I'm keeping my fingers crossed because these four ladies are some of the funniest people in the world. Love them all. So even if the movie's a bit disappointing (again, fingers crossed), I'll be picking this set up.
Being one of the many people peeved over this unnecessary remake. I'm just going to say this about the set, I like the hair. Maybe I can find scrapped parts on Brink Link. The rest I could care less about and just makes me feel annoyed and mad at the sight of the whole thing and anything else related to that movie. Old school is best and don't try to fix what isn't broken.
Thanks for the review.i thought,honest!y, that the trailer looked cool and original,but this set was kind of unnecessary. £49.99 is just overpriced ,although in a reasonable price per piece count.
It's always funny how people manage to drag discussions of how a movie or vehicle is bad into these articles, when those discussions have no relevance whatsoever to the Lego products being reviewed. I mean for the review of the FO transporter last year, a lot of people complained about the fact that they didn't like the vehicle. They did not say the set was bad, they just said the design of the MOVIE vehicle is bad, which has no relevance at all to the actual Lego review.
If you have a complaint about the movie/vehicle, please take your opinions to a "Discussion of (insert name of movie/vehicle here) forum"
How do you write a review??