Review, Photos & Video by Andrew Jones

Playmobil is keeping the ghost train running strong with a series of characters based on the animated versions of your favorite Ghostbusters. Featuring the colorful jumpsuits, dark blue bustin’ equipment and wacky vehicles, this line recalls the only Ghostbuster action figures you could buy as a kid in the 80s.

This Ray has all the usual parts and accessories, including his flip-up goggles. The blue proton pack and trap, each with a bright yellow rubber hose really takes me back to the original toys that accompanied the animated series in the late 1980s. The animated color pallet is spot-on, and really hits the nostalgia meter.

Something ironic, I feel these animated throw-back figures will resonate more with the adult collectors? Hard to say though, kids do love a good wacky vehicle. I believe I watched the entire series at least once when it originally aired, and have only seen a handful since. I don’t think any of these playmobil toys directly resemble a specific vehicle (remind me if you know of a direct connection) but playmobil certainly nailed the spirit of the cartoon and their accompanying toys. I love how this sky bike transforms just like in the original toy line.

The Sky Bike will certainly evoke lots of adventures in the minds of children, but I thought it was pretty fun too. Two minor complaints, I wish the missiles stayed in a bit better. They kept falling out accidentally as I was “flying” the bike around making zooming noises. I believe this may be to a safety requirement. There are many stories of playmobil weapons having their action component neutered when they were sold in the US. Their German pirate canons are spectacular, but they were robbed of their springs here in the US, so you just “flick” the canon balls. Anyway, I wish these missiles “hugged” the launcher just a little bit tighter. Also I thought it would be great if there was a place to clip on the ghost trap.

This ghost with the big eyeball is my favorite ghost from this entire run. Sure, the pink translucent library ghost is pretty cool, but this guy with the maniacal grin and the oversized eyeball just nailed that “spooky, but not frightening” look that I’m used to from the animated series. Just like the new sky bike, this ghost was “inspired” by the animated series, but boy did they ever nail it. Spot on.

These are due to hit stores in April. With the way things are going, that might not include Toys R Us. I highly recommend signing up for the playmobil.com newsletter, they send sweet site-wide discount codes a few times a year.

Review, Photos & Video by Andrew Jones

Review Sample Courtesy of Playmobil

Also if you like spooky playmobil stuff, check out my spoof of Stranger Things with custom playmobil figures HERE!

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