Let’s not forget that the one with stickers and electronics is still a prototype, recall the demonstration PKE from a few years back… some of the indicator lights were clear plastic rather than coloured. I suspect in the final release the tubes will be the correct colour, the banjos will be brass coloured and the static hat light on the top of the gun will have some minor paint detailing to make it white.
It’s a reasonable facsimile so far, and the price seems more reasonable based on what you’re getting compared to the Ecto Goggles.
That name though, “Neutrino Wand” though… grinds my gears a little.
As for the “mystery” item, I think you guys need to calm down a little in your speculation. Comparing the size of the item to the person standing in front of the case, it looks to be roughly the same size as the “shipping crate” the Ghost Trap came in, rather than a Proton Pack or Containment Unit.
It also wouldn’t surprise me in the least if that’s just an empty cardboard box sitting there as a placeholder… also recall how when they were first debuted… the Ecto Goggles were apparently “fresh from the factory”. It’s a lot of wild speculation over something that might just be an empty cardboard box beneath the cloth.
I’m pleasantly surprised at how popular the Slime Scoop is, given it’s not an easily identifiable Ghostbusters prop to the average person, it’s quite nice seeing a lot of people mentioning it.
We’ll be seeing more in the coming days, so let’s calm down a little, guys.
In all the “what will Matty’s next prop be?” discussions over the last few years, I’ve always said they could do a separate particle thrower and was completely surprised to see one on their FB page last night! Again, I am very happy that they took the time to throw in every detail that they could (the extending tip…that is pretty cool that they did that).
I’ve also said in the past that they could do a component system proton pack (to keep the cost of each release to a semi-reasonable number), thinking they would never do it…welllllll, it looks like they may have!
I agree that the item under the sheet is too small for a full pack, so am guessing (like many others) that it is only part of it, with a rigid structure over it to conceal the actual shape.
With that being said, I am going to throw out a long-shot guess as to what the mystery item(s) is/are if it should not be a pack.
GB:TVG particle thrower upgrade add-ons.
Again, this is a loooonggggggg-shot, and very unlikely, but that would be a really cool way to keep people buying and tie product together (the way the goggle work with the PKE, etc). Every few months they release an upgrade that attaches to the thrower and alters the lights/sounds of it (in addition to any effects that are part of the item itself). This would give them an additional 3 releases of product, but considering we (ghostheads) are the only ones who would really know/appreciate the extra gear not seen in the 2 movies, it is probably not worth their money to produce.
If the proton gun has the V-hook attachment, then I’m leaning towards the “big reveal” as being a proton pack. The thing that the tarp is covering might be just the base/stand and the reason why it’s covered is to conceal the name plate/logo (possibly). Especially if Matty is declaring this the “biggest Ghostbusters reveal.” The tarp also has a “U” shape in the front, so that’s interesting.
The picture of the hidden item/stand/whatever says the Trap is ‘SOLD OUT! Currently Unavailable’ on the shelf end in front of the Trap, so that probably is what it says. The pic is on page 1 of this thread.
All I can say is WOW! Considering that it’s from Matty of course. I will be picking up one or two of these for sure. And yes, the pack HAS to be coming. Maybe not with the reveal Friday, but down the line, yes. How could they not?? In one way or the other.
And I would be tickled “pink” if they made a slime scoop. That would look pretty sweet hanging from the belt…
I agree with alot of the statements that this is definitely a step forward for Matty considering how “eh” the goggles turned out. I’ll probably pick one up if for nothing else a display piece. But there has been a question nagging me ever since people started talking about using them with their packs. I, and probably most of us can operate our pack lights from our guns. How will this be possible with the Matty thrower? I doubt that there’s room or an available switch for that.
As for the mystery item being a pack? Well it seems to me that Matty reproduces props that have lots of lights and sounds (look at the pke and trap and now the thrower) Hell they even added unnecessary electronics to the goggles. A pack however only has lights. I mean feasibly, they could add sound but I don’t think they can get the “wow” factor like they can with these other props because lets face it a pack doesnt do much but light up. Unless they incorporate features from the game then it could get interesting. To me it looks like a Containment unit. Matty could have all kinds of fun with that considering you can have lights, sounds and integration with the trap.
I’m not sure why people are calling this a “prop replica”. I don’t even think Matty is calling it that. Notice on the cards the trap says “Prop Replica” but the “Neutrino Wand” doesn’t? I think they know it’s not close enough to be considered a prop replica.
I looks decent for a toy…but that instrument bar is killing me the way it’s filled in with the “green lever”. It just looks wrong.
You’d probably be looking at removing the built-in switch and replacing it with a DPDT switch instead so that the lights for the Pack and Gun can be activated simultaneously.
The bigger problem, as you identified… would be the sound. It might lead to the birth of a sound kit which is just the Pack Rumble… or Rumble and the start up/shut down sounds.
Photos taken by the Ghostbusters of Southern California:
I’ll be curious to know if the version that goes on sale will have an illuminated Hat Light on the Gun Ear, and an illuminated vent on the top of the Proton Gun.
Edit:
Ooooh… I’ve just had a very sneaky idea for a prop project this replica could prove very useful with… but it will depend on if Matty pulls it’s usual “major price drop” ploy or not.
Don’t forget that for most people that don’t have access to a pack like we do, owning a full, wearable proton pack is “wow” factor enough. Almost everyone wants to take pictures of the pack when we’re at cons, but I’ve never had someone want to take a closeup shot of the wand.
Looks pretty obvious to me that the Matty wand is designed to eventually be hooked up to a hose (and a pack to follow it), so I’m sure they’re working on making a full pack replica to add on, but I’d be shocked if there was a full pack under that black cover. Why wouldn’t they just reveal the whole thing at once?
As usual, I think it’s cool that they’re making these things - they’re not 100% accurate, but most people (meaning people not on a Ghostbusters prop forum) don’t care. Leave the total accuracy to folks like us. If anyone is threatened or upset by these things, you should have a little more confidence in the propmaking community and what it stands for. Nothing Mattel ever makes will be able to come close to the high quality props that people here make, and it will be obvious.
These are just for fun, and it looks like that’s exactly what it is. I’ll get one.
