UltraForce: Ghoul

Today's toy reviews fits the name of the blog well...random. We'll take a look at a figure from Galoob's UltraForce line based off the short lived Malibu comic book and animated series of the same name.

Ghoul is a member of the UltraForce team of super powered heroes. For more info on the character click here. I obtained this toy sealed for a few bucks. I was curious about the quality of these toys since I had purchased a few UltraForce comics recently at a show. First off I have to say I like the packaging. The bright yellowish orange back ground really makes the large red Ultraforce logo pop out. The sticker on the blister bubble featuring comic style art showing off the features of the toy is a nice touch. The little box on the upper left corner depicting a head shot and number is a direct reference to the comic series.

Back of the blister card isn't anything like we've seen before. It features your standard cross sell toys for the line (figures such as Hardcase, Nightman, Prime & Topaz) as well as 2 vehicles that I'm not entirely sure were ever released. The upper portion does feature a small bio on the character as well as a comic book style instruction panel on how to activate the figure's special ability or function.

Here we have a good look at the figure itself freed from his cardboard and plastic prison. He is the standard 5 to 5 1/2 inch size action figure. I count 10 points of articulation. His head swivels a full 360 degrees & arms rotate 360 degrees at the shoulders. The arms bend at the elbows, legs bend at the knees. Figure features a "t crotch" so there isn't a lot of articulation at the waist, but the legs can be positioned into a sitting form. I really have to say that I was impressed by the level of detailing on the figure. Most of it is molded into the plastic, but that is OK. The trench coat is nicely done. Notice how the rolled up sleeves almost hide the elbow joints? The paint applications are also nicely applied. The white paint on the chest and facial bones isn't sloppy nor is the white on the bandages. The blue on the jeans isn't too bright. The plastic is very sturdy. The only exception to that is the bottom portion of the trench coat. Since it is removable it is made of a softer more pliable plastic.

The special ability or feature of this figure is that you can disassemble the figure. I guess since he is basically a decomposing dead person it makes sense! The neck and shoulder joints are your traditional ball and socket joints allowing the head and arms to easily pop on and off. The waist is more of a peg. I found this a little tighter when removing the torso, but I'm glad since this would hopefully help keep the figure intact with extended play wear and tear.

The only accessory Ghoul comes packaged with is a rather large wooden coffin. It is rather nice looking I might add with the wood grain sculpted into the plastic and a little black paint to give it a worn look.

I should have zoomed in more on the inside lid of the coffin as it's hard to see the scratch marks. I thought that was a nice added touch as it gives me the impression that Ghoul had to scratch and claw his way out of the coffin. On the inside part towards the bottom you may notice a raise area with 2 small pegs. Once you place Ghoul inside the coffin you can plug those two small pegs into the bottom of his feet. There is a small brown trigger on the side of the coffin that makes the pegs go up and down. You are supposed to be able to move the trigger and make Ghoul stand up and pop out of the coffin. It's a neat gimmick, but the weight of the figure makes it hard to pull this off.

In closing I have to say that I am rather impressed with this figure. The sculpting is top notch and the resemblance to what I've seen in the comics and the animated show is spot on. While the figure may not be the best of the bunch it does stand out thanks to the attributes of the character itself. I can't think of many rotting zombie action figures where you can pull off the head or arms! Galoob did a very nice job. I've only associated Galoob with Micro Machines so I give them 2 thumbs up on this figure. I'm glad I only paid a few bucks since I'm not a huge fan of UltraForce, but I found this to be a slightly above average 90's era super hero action figure.