Review, Photos & Video by Andrew Jones

Playmobil brings the big (and small) screen Ghostbuster adventures to life. One of the most impressive surprises out of Toy Fair a year ago was the execution of Playmobil’s first REAL foray into a licensed property, with the film Ghostbusters. The firehouse and Ecto-1 are true works of art, but the hits keep coming, now with all new offerings from the immensely popular animated television series REAL Ghostbusters. The figures from both films play well with the animated figures. Let’s take a closer look.

The animated Egon Spengler playset features an imaginative Ghostbusting forklift-style car. As seen in our review of Ray’s flying bike, this playset features the REAL Ghostbusters version of the character (getting their jumpsuit color and hair style just right). I love the proton pack, PKE meter, and trap match the navy blue and bright yellow color scheme of the show. The vehicles and ghost figures don’t match a specific design from a particular episode, but fit right in the spirit (oh jeez) of the show. They’re a good fit and a lot of fun to play with, or display.

This vehicle has a protective cage for Egon, and a disc shooter up top. The shooter easily clips on and off and can aim in many positions. The one suggestion I had for the Stanz air bike was there was no way to transport his proton pack and trap if he wasn’t holding them. That issue is addressed with this vehicle, there is a gate you can raise on the back that holds all of Egon’s gear like a basket. I recommend grabbing these sets to add to your collection, they fit in perfectly with the film-based toys. And being playmobil, they interact and fit well with any Playmobil set since 1974.

The gem of the entire collection however is the beautiful Ecto-1. It’s got lights and sound, it fits all four of the ghostbusters, their proton packs, and it rolls in beautifully and fits inside the firehouse playset.

I love how Playmobil designers did an amazing job making the toy an absolute perfect representation of the familiar Ecto-1, while at the same time fitting within their established aesthetic and level of quality and durabilitiy. You can play with it too!

The roof portion opens up to allow access to the interior (the side doors do not open, per most Playmobil vehicles, but the back hatch does). There are “mannequin torsos” in the back that the proton packs can clip on to, and there are seats for all the ‘busters.

The siren is operated with two easy buttons on top. One operates the lights the other the sound. The sound is directly from the movie, and the lights “roll” through their sequence perfectly. I love how the siren has the start-up and wind-down sounds as well. I wouldn’t change a thing.

The vehicle comes with Winston and Janine in her ghostbusting gear. You also get some of the rubbery slime splats. These are great. They’re not sticky at all, but they do “adhere” to the Ecto and then peel off again, without any glue or stickiness.

I recommend getting everything. The firehouse, the Ecto-1, the figures, Stay Puft, the Terror Dogs, Slimer with the hot dog stands, the Ghostbusters II figures with the app-enabled traps, and now all of the REAL Ghostbusters figures. But if you have to be choosy, Ecto-1 is a fantastic centerpiece. Get yours HERE.

Review, Photos & Video by Andrew Jones

Review Sample Courtesy of Playmobil

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