Our Verdict
This set is a fantastic homage to the all-female-led 2016 Ghostbusters. Ecto-1 looks as good in Lego form as it does on the big screen. The downside? It does not provide a building challenge.
Paul Feig’s 2016 version of Ghostbusters passes the Bechdel test, flips the gender stereotype, and is packed with cameos from the originals like Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson! It’s no wonder the Lego Ghostbusters Ecto 1 & 2 set was released in its honor.
When this set was announced, I was very excited. So excited that my partner rushed out and purchased it for me from Toys R Us (RIP) in July 2016. Since then, I have slept soundly knowing that all my Lego minifigures are safe. After all, when there is something strange in the Lego neighborhood, who am I gonna call? Why, the Lego Ghostbusters, of course! They’ll keep all my Lego sets based on movies safe.
Design
Ecto-1 is a 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse kitted out with the iconic logo and science equipment strapped to the roof. Team Lego has done a fantastic job of translating the onscreen hearse into Lego form. It is a neat and tidy design with a sound structure. I dropped it once and only a few pieces fell off. It has great attention to detail. For instance, the number plates are printed with the same custom number plate featured in the film. Stickers are also used to add detail like how the reserve liquid helium dewar has a warning. Ecto-1 also has a caution bumper sticker on the back. That being said, I don’t really know why Lego used some printed tiles and some stickers. I am not a fan of stickers because I can never apply them neatly.
Ecto-1’s interior is fairly underwhelming, but you can place your minifigures inside it. The back door opens so you can store your little Lego proton packs. Ecto-2, Kevin’s bike, is a lovely addition to this set, after all, Kevin really does want to be a Ghostbuster. But besides the Ghostbuster sticker on the front, it is a bit generic.
Pricing
This set is very well made and is worth the money. Its RRP was $59.99 (£54.99), but this set is now retired. You can still purchase it on websites like Amazon and the price varies quite widely from $90 (£85.00) – £240 ($250), so make sure you shop wisely. You get a lot for your money though. The instructions booklet is high quality. It features an introduction to the characters with pictures from the film and of their Lego counterparts. This set contains five minifigures and a Mayhem figure. You get Abby Yates, Jillian Holtzman, Patty Tolan, Kevin and Erin Gilbert… “with an E… for every… thing you want.” It also comes with four Lego proton packs! Each minifigure is unique with different jumpsuit designs and name tags. Kevin’s tag is handwritten. Jillian’s jumpsuit has a little pocket bandolier. These minifigures illustrate the amount of detail Lego put into this set.
Ease of assembly
Building-wise, it is a very easy set to build. The instructions are clear and concise. The set consists of 556 pieces. All you need is a large surface where you can sprawl out the pieces. It is not an overly large set with Ecto-1 measuring 11cm high, 21cm long and 7cm wide, and takes roughly 2-3 hours to assemble. The only drawback is that there are lots of small fiddly pieces. As someone with long nails, this can be troublesome at times, especially if you have put a small piece in the wrong position. It can be hard to remove and sometimes you have to disassemble a whole portion to remove it. But, generally, it is not a challenging build at all. (Unless you build it in the presence of a little cat that loves to carry bits off!)
Final verdict
It is the attention to detail which makes this set so unique, like the stickers on Ecto-1 or Kevin’s handwritten tag. For a small set, it is teeming with references. It looks exactly like it does in the movie and is perfect for all 2016 Ghostbusters fans. Overall the Ecto 1 & 2 set is very aesthetically pleasing and worth it alone for its minifigure collection. To quote Jillian Holtzmann, this set is “booyah! Emphasis on the boo.”