Photo: Oscar Sánchez Photography (Getty Images)
Thirty-five years is a long time to keep anything relevant. Most of the things we love today, like Xbox Live, social media, and Diet Mountain Dew didn’t exist back in 1984. What did exist are two iconic franchises. On the silver screen, you had Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd catching lightning in a Crystal Skull bottle with Ghostbusters. Down the toy aisle, the Transformers shifted from a Japanese franchise into an American icon. Now, to celebrate the longevity of both franchises (and to perhaps steer fans away from recent installments), the two ’80s titans are teaming up in a most unexpected way.
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Transformers/Ghostbusters Anniversary
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Enter Ectotron
The Ecto-1, the classic ride that Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, and Zeddemore ride in the films, was a robot in disguise this whole time. Called Ectotron, he's a paranormal investigator himself, complete with his own Transformer-sized proton pack.
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Fully Loaded
This reimagined character will debut as an action figure that you can get from GameStop in the U.S. He comes with the proton pack accessory as well as a little Slimer to hang out with. The packaging for the figure recalls classic '80s style, including detailed box art and character stats. Alongside ratings for fireblast, speed, and intelligence, Ectotron also rates in ghost trapping and "ghostbustability."
Photo: GameStop
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Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good
Ectrotron's adventures aren't just limited to the world of action figures. IDW will be publishing a five-issue crossover series featuring the character interacting with the original Ghostbusters team. Written by the current Ghostbusters comic team, the series will see the new teammates hunting down the ghost of classic G1 character Starscream.
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I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts
Will this be the last see of this monumental team-up? Is mixing and matching universes the way forward for '80s franchises looking for a boost? Perhaps, but who knows what the future holds. While we wait to find out, we can at least be safe in the knowledge that it probably can't get any worse for Optimus or Slimer. Maybe the cycle has restarted and these old favorites can once again recapture the magic they once had.
