Ectotron

Ectotron is an Autobot and Ghostbuster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

I ain’t afraid of no sleep. I ain’t afraid of no bed.

Ectronymous Diamatron (nicknamed Ectotron) has learned that sometimes, you just have to roll with what life throws at you. A bit of a stuffy, fussy bot by nature, he's learned that whether it's dealing with beings who can't pronounce his full name (or just don't want to) or getting splattered with spectral marshmallow goop, better to just go with it and soldier on.

It's how he's ended up working with the Ghostbusters, a team of human paranormal investigators. Now in the guise of their (semi)reliable Ecto-1 vehicle, this theoretical physicist finds himself in the company of a group who don't think he's really all that weird, given what they've been through. Plus, now he's got a Cybertronian-sized ion-throwing proton pack and neutrino wand, which is pretty dang useful against foes both physical and ectoplasmic.

Fiction

Transformers/Ghostbusters

"...Funkytown."

A theoretical physicist by trade, Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3 Ectronymous Diamatron was one of the many Autobots who fled the Decepticon-occupied Cybertron aboard the Ark, moments before the planet's destruction at the hands of Gozer. Although Ectronymous had worked hard to achieve his scientific credentials, Ectronymous felt overlooked by his shipmates, and chafed at their impromptu nickname, "Eck." Believing that the Autobots aboard the ship were the last of their kind after the loss of their homeworld, Ectronymous was shocked when—during one of his shifts on the Ark's communication console—his homemade scanner detected a Cybertronian signal from a nearby world, and news of this strange reading eventually found its way up to Autobot leader Optimus Prime. Though the other Autobots doubted the veracity of his findings, Ectronymous's conviction moved Prime, and the Autobot leader decided to allow the scientist to travel to the planet to investigate: a planet the natives called "Earth."

Arriving just outside Prospect Park in New York City, Ectronymous scanned the first vehicle he could find: the Ecto-1, incapacitated after a run-in with a particularily aggressive ghost. It was in this form that he first encountered humans, scaring off a pair of police officers who had attempted to ticket the illegally parked vehicle, before he was discovered by the Ghostbusters, confused at the presence of two cars. It was not until the arrival of Starscream's own ghost, however, that Ectronymous realized the true source of the signal; though Ray Stantz easily captured Starscream's ghost, Winston Zeddemore's confusion over what an "Autobot" was prompted Ectronymous to reveal his true form to the Ghostbusters. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1

Though Ectronymous initially believed that he could simply intimidate the four men into handing over the ghost trap in question, he found that the Ghostbusters were far more difficult to intimidate than he initially believed, and Ectronymous was forced to zap the trap out of Peter Venkman's hands, releasing the furious Air Commander. Despite initial hostilities, Starscream was able to persuade the heroes of his good intentions, claiming that he had been reduced to this ghostly state by a supernatural being who called itself "Kremzeek"—a story that was seemingly borne out moments later, when an electrically charged imp materialized nearby. Unable to restrain the creature with their normal technology, Ectronymous helped ground the manifestation and instantaneously dispelled it. Entering into an uneasy truce with Starscream, the group returned to the firehouse so that Ectronymous could repair his communications, which had been damaged during atmospheric entry, and contact Optimus Prime. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 2

Wait a minute, what did you do to my uncle’s hearse?!

After meeting Janine Melnitz, and grudgingly accepting the nickname "Ectotron", Ectronymous was able to reestablish contact with the Ark and inform Prime of the strange proceedings; while waiting for the Autobot leader to join them on Earth, however, the Ghostbusters accepted a job in Brooklyn and, with their main vehicle disabled, Ectotron was pressed into service as their substitute ride. While investigating an abandoned power plant in Brooklyn, the team ran afoul of another electrical ghost; thanks to Ectotron modifying a ghost trap beforehand to handle the increased wattage, and tackling a nearby telephone line after realizing that the ghost was feeding off the city's energy grid, the Ghostbusters were able to safely capture the ghost.

On returning to the firehouse, Ectotron connected with Optimus—who had, in the meantime, gotten acquainted with New York City's graffiti culture firshand—and prepared to show him the trap where Starscream had been imprisoned in after returning to the firehouse... only for Peter to reveal that Starscream had vanished. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3

Toys

Collaborative

Oh baby! You’re my number one Christmas boutique gift item!

• Ectotron (2019)
  • Release date: July 8, 2019
  • Accessories: Proton pack, neutrino wand, Slimer figurine

The first figure announced for the Collaborative line, Ectotron turns into a General Motors licensed custom 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor, representing Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters series. His vehicle mode features extensive paint applications to allow a mostly accurate appearance, including a lot of silver over translucent plastic to allow clear head, tail, and roof lights. The mass of machinery up top pulls out from the vehicle mode to form a "proton pack" in robot mode, with the connecting cable for the neutrino wand formed by the blue rubberized hose on the driver's side. This hose can be a bit of a pain to get back into position when transforming back to vehicle mode, so be careful. In robot mode, he features several design cues based on the Ghostbusters' uniforms, including the tan of their jumpsuits, his own nametag, and goggles. Whether coincidentally or by design, the proportions of Ectotron's vehicle and robot modes means that he is more-or-less in scale with most Masterpiece figures.

He comes with a 5 mm-compatible neutrino wand accessory (which mounts on the side of the roof-gear in vehicle mode), and a delicious-looking soft translucent figurine of Slimer. The neutrino wand has a tip compatible with C.O.M.B.A.T. System blast effects, and Slimer similarly has a compatible port on his underside. While it is likely to allow for mounting on an action figure "flight" stand, it also allows Slimer to be mounted on the roof of the vehicle mode or on the end of the weapon.

Ectotron shares several parts with the Combiner Wars Voyager Class Hot Spot/Onslaught mold, most evidently the upper arms and legs.

Ectotron is packaged in a nostalgic Generation 1-styled box in vehicle mode, much like the contemporaneous Vintage G1 line.

The stock photography shows Ectotron holding his weapon by the peg used to mount it on the car mode roof machinery, while the instructions instead show it held by the grip that the cable plugs into. While the latter is more accurate to the device's operation in the film, the former allows it to be aimed forward without shooting from the hip.

Announced in the run-up to Toy Fair 2019, preorders for Ectotron went up on Hasbro Pulse on February 15, 2019, selling out within six hours. Ectotron was also sold online through GameStop in the United States, EB Games in Canada, and Zing and EB Games in Australia.

• Collaborative Ectotron at Alfes's Blog
• Collaborative Ectotron at Reflector@TFW2005

Notes

"This is not a bulldozer! This is not a fudgesicle! And how is this Ghostbusters II?!?"

• A promotional T-shirt for Ectotron features an earlier design for the character; according to artist Dan Schoening, he and Luis Antonio Delgado produced the illustration over a year before the release of the Transformers/Ghostbusters comic. In addition to a slightly different head and a Shockwave-esque hand-mounted proton weapon, his robot mode would've sported a set of hazard stripes—apparently based off the Ecto-1a from Ghostbusters II—rather than the beige "jumpsuit" pattern as seen on the final toy.
• Ectotron’s Tech Spec include the normal strength, intelligence, speed, and fireblast categories, as well as two new categories representing ghost trapping and “ghostbustability”.
• Ectotron's code name was "Project Mullet". That name appears in listings at UK wholesaler NDA Toys and several international Amazon divisions.
• According to Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening, Ectotron's dialogue in Transformers/Ghostbusters was written with the voice of David Hyde Pierce in mind.