Toy Review: Ghostbusters Series 1 Terror Dogs (NECA) by Dean

Continuing in the short line of Ghostbusters movie figures that was released by Neca are the two Terror Dogs that featured in the first film. Zuul and Vinz Clortho.


Each of the Terror Dogs are excellently designed with the intricate levels of detail incorporated into the sculpt, which is synonymous with most Neca figure releases. Both Dogs stand at around 4 inches high, and are around 8 inches long. They fit in scale perfectly with the other figures in the line.

The high level of detail really is very impressive, especially with the detailed teeth, the creases and folds of skin around the neck area, and the protruding spine that runs down their backs.

It would appear that the sculpting quality has taken precedence over articulation, and the Terror Dogs are unfortunately quite limited in this respect. They feature 6 points of articulation with a cut neck, articulated jaw, and cut joint arms and legs. This is a slight disappointment, since although there is some minor articulation the Terror Dogs are ultimately only capable of one pose. But given the fact that the quality of the overall sculpt is so impressive, I can overlook this short coming.

The Terror Dogs also feature an action feature, but thankfully this is not too intrusive into the overall figure. When the Tail is pressed downwards, the eyes light up, emitting a red glow, similar to the effect that was seen in the films.

This is a great action feature, and really helps to add extra life to the figures. The action feature requires two small LR 44 batteries. This is one of the few times that I have felt that an action feature really works and enhances the figures.

There are two different dogs, Zuul and Vinz Clortho. Although to be perfectly honest, there really isn’t much to differentiate between the two Terror Dogs, aside from the shape of their horns. The Zuul figure features slightly more rounded horns, while the Vinz Clortho figures horns are slightly straighter. To be fair the difference is negligible, and is something that probably would not be noticed by the untrained eye. Perhaps it may have been nice if there were more to tell the two apart, but then this is how they were depicted in the film, so it is not too much of an issue.

In terms of overall quality, the figures are extremely solid with no real delicate areas. The horns are sculpted out of a slightly softer plastic than the rest of the body, which is excellent and reduces the probability of them snapping off.

All in all, these are two of my favourite figures in the Neca line. Unfortunately they are also 2 of the hardest to find now. They sometimes turn up individually on eBay, and when they do, they are not cheep. And it may be difficult to find the 2 versions for a good price. But if you are fortunate enough to track these down, you certainly will not be disappointed.







Dean René Middleton
Staff Reviewer