When it came to The Real Ghostbusters toy weapons and tying them into Ghostbusters II their was only one you could say is directly from the movie. That’s the Ecto-Charger. The Ghost Grab-A-Meter on the other hand while not exactly based on equipment from Ghostbusters II reminds me of a Slime Scoop merged with a Giga Meter.

When Kenner came up with the Ghost Grab-A-Meter they opted to make it more interesting then just another claw toy that can grab an object. With only one The Real Ghostbusters weapon/action toy to go, Kenner was all in. That’s because the Ghost Grab-A-Meter is also a missile launcher! That’s right, no longer was it enough to pursue a ghost with a proton stream. They could be stunned by missiles. Was Ghost Grab-A-Meter inspired by the Gulf War?

How does a missile launching The Real Ghostbusters weapon work? Let’s take a look.

Search: Ghost Grab-A-Meter has adjustable sights with a display panel. This helps you find any “ghosts.”

Find: A knob on the side of Grab-A-Meter acts as a de-facto P.K.E Meter. When the knob is turned it clicks. The faster kids turn the knob the faster it clicks. Kenner didn’t mention on the box how kids load the plastic missiles. They must have figured if kids could operate an ectoplasmic missile launcher they knew how to load them.

Stun: Ghost Grab-A-Meter has a detachable launcher. Kenner actually told kids they could hold the launcher that fires missiles in their hands. It could also be attached on the underside of Ghost Grab-A-Meter. Firing missiles stuns “a scary ghost!”

Grab: Ghost Traps are cumbersome. “Grabber Jaws” are the easy way to catch as Kenner describes fearsome ghosts. Perhaps unfortunate Kenner didn’t include plastic or cardboard ghost targets to fire plastic missiles at or “catch” with the Grab-A-Meter claws.

Instructions

• Ghost Grab-A-Meter Instructions PDF (2.5 MB)