Review – Velocitron Ghouls

NOTE: These toys were provided for review by Velocitron. So take that into account as you read this review; just keep in mind that a week before I was asked to review these I’d already ordered a different colorway from another site, so I was interested in these toys before I was contacted by the manufacturer.

Velocitron (website, Twitter) is another Japanese vinyl company that I know little about. I’d seen these Ghouls online a few times, but my limited knowledge of the scene left me just staring at photos of the toys and trying to figure out how to get my hands on a set. The “about” page at the Velocitron site gives us a little background on the company, but basically I know little more today than I did a month ago. But none of that matters when they offer this pair for about $30/US.

Vinyl Statues

Single-piece vinyl toys without any articulation, the Ghouls are more like statues than they are toys. And that limits their playability drastically; these designs look great, but chances are that after playing with them this one time the toys will sit on the display shelf with other vinyl toys where they’ll look incredible but they won’t get much love. One of the designs has no room for articulation, but the Ghoul with his arm outstretched would have benefited from a swivel at the shoulder. It’s minor, but what struck me most about the toys at first was just how much they feel like statues rather than toys and I thought it worth mentioning.

Sculpt

Rough and fun, the Ghouls are my kind of design with just enough smooth parts to make them neat and shallow grooves in the cloak-like design where paint can catch and help pull out the toys’ sculpt. These two are clearly a pair of spooky creatures draped in a cloak; maybe they’re spirit creatures. I’d better watch them and make sure they don’t jump up and start flying around the house at night.

Paint

Orange and yellow sprays over glow-in-the-dark plastic with a black wipe to bring out the details, that paint design on these two Ghouls is minimal but very effective. The Velocitron site shows another paint scheme, but I think this “Inferno Ghouls” color design is stronger and more fun. And playing with the toy inspires me to attempt more spray effects on my own attempts at toy creation; inspiration that bring back that whole “I should buy the equipment to airbrush” thought.

GLOW!

Damn these things can glow. The above photograph is raw; I setup the toys in the light tent and then flipped off the lights and snapped the shot. Notice how the glow reflects on the plastic stands I placed under the toys. Nothing glows as brightly as Japanese vinyl; I suspect this stuff is radioactive or something and seeing the glow makes me understand why so many people collect Japanese vinyl toys that glow-in-the-dark. It’s a gimmick, but it’s a fun gimmick.

Closing Thoughts

I know these aren’t for everyone, but if you’re already collecting designer toys you should take a look at these Ghouls. They’re still listed at the Velocitron site, and while they’re not going to get a lot of play time they are going to look great on the shelf with the other Japanese vinyl toys.

And watching these guys glow makes me think I should shift things around and put all of my glow-in-the-dark toys on one shelf. Then I can play the “which toy glows the longest?” game when I turn off the lights. Yeah, that sounds dumb. But what else am I supposed to do when I’m left at home alone for a week?

Philip Reed will have to post photos of his other Ghoul toys so that everyone can see the two paint designs together.