Mysteryfi?ures Series 4!!!

I haven’t yet found the new series of Mysteryfi?ures in stores here, so I was thrilled to find them online at chapters.indigo.ca. I ordered 4 of each (girls/boys packs). Excellent result: only one duplicate!! Lots of fairies in this series, though.

Boys:

Two pilots. Luckily, I have a seaplane and needed someoneto fly it! Pilot and copilot is an acceptable team. Thank goodness I didn’t get three!

A rapper, in pretty hilarious detail. Note the facial hair and do rag.

Blue alien with a laser gun.

Girls:

Construction worker lady. Or is it sanitation worker? Hazmat specialist? Something that requires an orange uniform, in any case.

Farm girl in plaid and overalls.

Fairy #1. It’s like the fairies in series 1 & 2 had a lovechild and this is her.

Fairy #2. More of an angel, really, with white wings and a harp.

Overall, I’m pleased with this haul. The only girl figure I would still like is the pirate lady; of the boys, I would like the green wizard and the king. I will have to keep my eye out for this series to appear in stores!

Vintage Playmobil hospital

Also found on eBay and shipped from Malta: an 80s hospital set. Granted, it is not the whole set, it is well used, and the klickys are from totally different sets, but it was cheap and I just love the ancient medical gear!

Assorted vintage figures

While searching for figure lots on eBay, I also discovered some reasonably priced lots of vintage figures. This lot came from Malta, and while its clearly been well used, its also a pretty cool addition to my collection.

There are 5 figures:

A Native American

A lady skiier, minus the ski gear, but at least she’s got gloves and a neck warmer. Her hair and hat have been changed, but she’s part of the skiiing superset from 1992.

A man in a lifejacket. He’s from the 1986 sailboat set.

Judging from the uniform, this figure is one of the staff officers from 1990, but without any accessories he looks more like a Sergeant Peppers era Beatle.

Finally, we have a knight from 1993. Unfortunately, he’s pretty much totally unadorned, but note his feet! He’s got sneakers!

Verdict: I might prefer if these figures were in slightly better repair, but overall its neat to have them! Also, figuring out which set they came from was pretty entertaining. Any excuse to troll the Produkt Archiv on playmobil.de!

Assorted figurines

Trolling eBay for Playmobil, I found a number of lots of random figures that work out to less than a dollar a figure. Some of them are pretty recent figures, and I was curious what the deal with these listings was. So, I ordered a set of 12.

I picked the lot with the neatest figures, and was pleasantly surprised when they all showed up in great condition. The only thing is, they do not come with accessories, like armour or even hats. I was also pleased to find that, unlike some other lots available on eBay, all the figures body parts are correct. That is, that they are not mixed and matched from miscellaneous body parts. Here’s what I got:

Various athletes. The German soccer player was actually the deciding factor in my choosing this specific lot; it will be nice to have a matching figure to my Halloween costume this year! (I’ve got a Schweinsteiger jersey!) I hadnt realized, but am not surprised to discover, that the soccer player Playmobil have special legs that you can actually make kick.

Real-world figures: a construction worker, a cop, and a safari guide/zookeeper. I just wish the hobo figure came with the set! Instead, there was an airline stewardess, but as she was a duplicate of one I already have, I gave her to a child I know before shooting for this post.

A figure I suspect is Santa, a medieval woman, a pirate. The pirate’s beard is amazing, and another reason I chose this lot. Just excellent.

Knights: one Mongolian and one angry European. These two are the saddest for not having their accessories, but at least I already have more of them. These ones can, like, maybe be off duty and relaxing in the castle while the others fight?

Verdict: this is a great purchase of you’re trying to round out a collection and need more random figures, or if you are looking to replace something lost in a set that’s otherwise intact. Not a great purchase if you’re looking for a stand alone playset.

Playmobil Collectors Club!

I am not a member of this club (like Woody Allen, why would I want to belong to a club that would have someone like me for a member?), but I am pleased to see that Playmobil acknowledges adult fans like me. At pcc.pm, grown up fans of the Playmobil brand can connect with other likeminded individuals, sanctioned by the company itself. For 10 euros a year, a fan will receive all sorts of “free” deals (one time entry to a FunPark, a membership card and welcome gift) and access to exclusives… If we do decide to visit the FunPark this fall, maybe I should join. After all, admission is 10 euros too, but without the free stuff.

Playmobil smart car?

When I saw the Playmobil city car, I couldnt help but think it was familiar.

Moon roof? Two seater? Look at that shape. Clearly I had to have it.

I needed a mini, playmo (green) version of my real car.

Even the trunk is just the same!

For obvious reasons, Playmobil can’t replicate a name brand car in miniature. Still, this is obviously their take on a Smart! I love it.

Hot tip! Local Playmo sources

My new favorite website is kijiji.ca.
In particular, I’m into the local search for Playmobil.
In the last week and a half, I’ve discovered a nearby garage sale with a knight set and a pirate ship, a discontinued whale watching set (post to follow), lots of overpriced supersets (if you want that much for it, sell it on eBay! Kijiji buyers are looking for cheap items you are trying to unload!), and this:

A firefighter command centre! Unfortunately, the previous owner chose the English stickers (I would have preferred German), but its got lots of great little details.

Check out the accurate keyboard and computer screen.

The oxygen tanks even have a refueling station!

So a quick summary of the pros and cons of kijiji shopping for Playmo:

Pros – generally cheaper than stores or eBay, rare sets hidden for years in toyboxes may resurface, no shipping costs, potential for bargaining or swapping for sets.

Cons – some sellers don’t take down old ads, so you might waste some time lusting after items no longer available, you may need to drive a fair distance for a set you want, sets probably aren’t in pristine condition or boxed.

For the right set, the pros will probably outweigh the cons. Just be vigilant: make sure you’re getting what you’re expecting before you fork over the cash, and be safe when meeting up with strangers! Happy kijijiing!

New vintage haul!

Went to the local antique mall, and look what I found!

A sorceress!
Here’s what was inside:

I’m all ready for Halloween! Especially since I just ordered my costumes, 6 months early…

Playmobil cabin!

Surfin’ the net for some vintage Playmobil, I came across this gem:

 

It’s $50 on Used Ottawa.com. How Canadian!

Playmobil display

A love for Playmobil can lead to one particular problem: how to store them. It’s bad enough when you’ve set them up all nicely, and then need the surface that they are on for something else. Even worse, you have lots of different sets and want them accessible, but out of the way, and not all jumbled in a box. What to do?

This mom has a clever solution that stores and displays multiple sets, all at once. She may not be able to spell Playmobil, but she sure is practical!