Movies & TV / Columns

Ghostbusters – Spengler’s Neutrona Wand Replica Review

September 26, 2020 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Ghostbusters Neutrona Wand Image Credit: Hasbro

Recently, the folks at Hasbro sent us a new high-end, premium collectible replica inspired by the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. Some fans might recall how Mattel released some premium prop replicas based on the Ghostbusters movie some time ago. This looks to be the start of a new line of premium replica prop items from the Ghostbusters team at Hasbro for the Ghostbusters Plasma series, and they were nice enough to give me a free review sample.

Now, if you remember the Mattel versions, Hasbro’s design is definitely similar, but there are also some clear differences. Since this is based on the Afterlife movie, there are some added details that set it apart from past versions of the proton blasters or Neutrona Wands, or whatever you want to call them. This has the wooden handle mounted grip, and some tape detail on the stock end. Now, the details are just plastic, but they are meant to simulate wood and tape.

What truly elevates this piece though is that there are some clearly metal parts into the outer shell. So, when you’re holding this, it really looks and feels like an actual prop that was used on set and jumped right out of the movie. There are working metal knobs, switches, buttons and handle on here. Plus, there’s the scratched metal and welded details to simulate this was something Dr. Egon Spengler built at his home lab. Hardcore fans and aficionados will really appreciate the amount of detail that was packed into this item.

The lights and sounds of this are also authentic. The switches on the wand are even designed to follow a proper ignition sequence. Meaning if you don’t flip the switches on the wand in the right order, the lights and sounds will not work properly. But the lights and sounds for the wand are right out of the films. There is something oddly nostalgic about hearing a Ghostbusters Neutrona Wand start up.

In terms of features, besides the switches and knobs to simulate igniting the wand, there’s a switch to extend the blaster end. The blaster portion features multiple settings: Proton Stream, Slime Blower, Statis Stream, and Meson Collider modes. Each have their own unique lights and sounds. Switching between modes is simple, there’s a working button on the blaster end to do that. Slime Blower was my personal favorite mode because of the nice glowing green color it gives off.

Besides the working LED lights and sound effects, the wand also has motorized vibrations, so that’s another added feature here. So, even as an adult collectible, there is a good amount of role-play features available for this item.

Now, here are some things to keep in mind if you are Ghostbusters fan, and you want to put down $99.99, plus S&H and taxes to purchase one of these. This is a high-end, premium adult collector’s item. This is not a “toy,” and what I mean by that, is that this is not a toy that small kids should play with. It’s clearly not designed for rough play or Ghostbusters LARPing. It can be used for display, photo ops, light role play or some cosplay. But this is not an item you want to let little kids mess around with, at least not without adult supervision. The suggested age range for this piece is 14 and up.

Yes, you can have some light fun with this if you’re a Ghostbusters fan, but it’s clearly a fragile piece with a lot of inner workings and parts. Dropping it would likely break it for good. So, that’s just something you want to keep in mind when you buy one of these. If you have kids that love Ghostbusters, I would wait until they are a little older, when they will know how to handle it more gently. Even adults should be aware that they will likely want to handle this with care, so they avoid damaging the smaller parts or electric wires.

The Neutrona Wand set comes with a nice, little display base. So, even if you don’t plan on handling this item a great deal, you will have a base to display it on your shelf. The wand runs on three AA batteries that are not included in the box. Installing the batteries and getting it started was easy. That said, if you are paying for a premium collectible such as this, I think it’s a little tacky not to include the batteries.

Interestingly enough, there’s another screw on adapter part this item comes with. Other reviewers have noted this could be a hint at some add-on parts Hasbro could be releasing later on, such as a Proton Pack. So, that’s definitely something to keep an eye on in the future.

Since Hasbro is now delving into prop replicas for the Ghostbusters Plasma series, I hope they continue to make more, including proton packs, the traps, the PKE meters, the slime blasters, and more. There’s a ton of possibilities here. Honestly, $99.99 is a pretty fair price for an item like this, especially if you’re an adult collector into movie prop replicas like this. Just for example, that’s a price I would easily pay for say Judge Dredd’s Lawgiver from the 2012 Dredd movie, or Harrison Ford’s blaster from Blade Runner.

Thank you to Hasbro for sending us this Spengler’s Neutrona Wand replica from Ghostbusters: Afterlife to check out. If you’d like to buy one of your own, while they are currently sold out at Hasbro Pulse, some are still available at Big Bad Toy Store, GameStop (on backorder), and Entertainment Earth.

This item should be out soon if not already for the fall season. It would make a great gift for the Ghostbusters fan in the family for the holiday season. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is currently slated for a March 5, 2021 release.