Monday, November 5, 2018

Re-Halloween Special: Vampire & Monster 9307 by Playmobil

    For today's Re-Halloween special I'm checking out final of the three Halloween 2-packs released by Playmobil for Halloween 2018: The Vampire & Monster! These are definitely not the first figures of a Vampire or a Monster released in the Playmobil line, the ability to snap them up in one set for about $6. This another set I snapped up from the incredibly cool Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, NC at the beginning of October, so these cool little guys have been chilling with me for most of the Halloween season. Let's check out this spooky duo after the break...



 The Facts: Vampire

Height: 2 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged waist, swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Cape, wand, and bat tip.


 The Facts: Monster

Height: 2 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged waist, swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Manacles

Non-Scalper Price: $6 dollars
 Comparison:

* Playmobil has released lots of Vampires over the years but here are the three most recent ones I'm aware of: From left to right is the Vampire from this set, the Vampire from the Haunted House Play Box #5638, and the Vampire from this year's Take-Along Haunted House 9312. While there are a lot of similarities (this Vampire has the face print from the Take-Along Vampire with the hair of the Play Box Vampire) the body print, red shoes, and cape are all unique so far as I know. 
 Comparison:

* Actually, all the sets that came with Vampires also came with Monsters. From left to right is the Monster from this set, the Monster from the Take-Along Haunted House #9312, and the Monster from the Play Box #5638. As you can see that while they share face printings, they're all quite different (this set has the Monster wearing boots!).
 The Positives:




* The Vampire is really cool. I think this is definitely the spookiest of the three recently released Vampires and looks great with his elaborately printed vest, bow-tie, and tuxedo square. He's dapper as all get out!


 * The head is pretty cool, too. I like the pompadour, although it's definitely not the hairstyle I think of when I think of Vampires. The eyes and fangs are pretty eerie, though, and work well for the figure.


* The Vampire has a much more elaborate cape than many other figures. I like how the collar pops up around the neck and has some awesome red trim and a print that matches the vest well. Not everyone can pull off a cape, you know.


* The Vampire comes with a two piece want with a bat on the end. Wait, is this a wand or is it a brand? Is this Vampire branding people like Batman was in BvS? Yikes! That's kind of dark, Playmobil! Look, the brand is even red hot!


* Both figures are built like standard Playmobil figures which means they're durable and have a limited, but consistent, range of motion. Klickies are always fun to play with and, thanks to their swivel wrists, they hold stuff really well.


 * Here is the monster. He's pretty cool, particularly the old patched up jacket and the laced up vest and shirt. The printing on this guy is really strong and he retains that odd Playmobil charm that their horror themed figures have. It's just such an odd design for a Frankenstein styled Monster, but it works here, for some reason.


* Unlike Lego, Playmobil rarely creates new hairpieces so the Monster is left with what was the hair piece for a Playmobil monk. It works, but man is it an odd choice. I do like the face printing, though. This guy looks like he's in a bit of a daze, don't you think?
 * The Monster comes with a set of manacles. One of them features a smaller clip for his wrist while the other is designed to fit around his ankle. They're made from plastic (unlike the metal chain included with the Castle Ghost I had as a kid) but they seem quite durable. I guess they're designed to keep the monster chained up when the Vampire is branding.... ohh... I see what's going on here.

OK, moving on...
   Hey, you know what? I think this set is probably the best of the three Playmobil Halloween 2-packs. It's colorful, fun, spooky, and comes with some cool extras. Whether you're just picking these up for your kids to add to their Playmobil collection or whether you're adding them to your Halloween display, these are pretty cool little figures, especially for $6 bucks for the pack. This one is a Great and a 1/2 set and it is definitely worth tracking down. Playmobil seems to release their product on a 2 year cycle so you probably have another year or so to pick these up before they get discontinued.




6 comments:

  1. That's probably just a scepter of class. I think this Monster is the best because he feels very human. It reminds me of the creature from Shelley's text, who is a very human soul and is only described as uncanny, not like the Universal depiction that defines him now.

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    1. Yea, the Monster here definitely seems to sway away from the "traditional" depictions. I've been watching season 2 of Castlevania and there are definitely elements of this vampire that remind me of Dracula from the show.

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  2. There is another DrĂ¡cula with a red cape and a glass with blood, that was give-away whit the magazine Playmobil

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    Replies
    1. That's pretty cool. A glass of blood, huh? I love Playmobil accessories. They're always so nifty.

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