Playmobil’s Real Ghostbusters Are Too Much Fun

The third phase of Playmobil’s Ghostbusters toy line might be the most fun yet.

We’ve seen two waves of Playmobil Ghostbusters toys, based on the first and second movies. The initial collection did a good job of encapsulating the first film in adorable Playmobil form. The second upped the technology angle with the smart use of the Playmogram app to add 3D ghosts to the mix.

But now, the third wave changes gears again to focus on the animated Real Ghostbusters, in adventure packs complete with fun vehicles and all-new ghosts for them to bust. This setup is awesome, because each box contains not only a Ghostbuster figure, but a ghost for them to fight, AND a vehicle to help them do so.

The Busters themselves do a nice job of capturing their animated appearance, with multi-colored jumpsuits and all-new hair for Egon, along with PKE Meters, proton Packs, and Ghost Traps, as you’d expect.

It’s the creative new vehicles and ghosts which are the real highlight here, though. Let’s run it down: Venkman rides a helicopter, Zeddemore gets an aqua scooter, Spengler has a cage car, and Stantz is rocking a sky cycle, and each vehicle sports a red and white deco that lets them fit in right alongside the Ecto-1. On top of the smart color choices, each vehicle also sports some “battle damage” deco that corresponds to the ghost they’re facing.  So Venkman’s copter is scored by lightning, delivered by the glowing green Skeleton Ghost, while Egon’s cage has been shredded by the metal claws of the Faerie Ghost. It’s a very clever way to tie everything in each pack together!

Speaking of the ghosts, they’re also great. As I said, we’ve got a translucent Skeleton wearing a cape, a dark Faerie/ Vampire lady, a Zombie holding his own oversized eyeball(!!!), and a color-changing Ghost Octopus. I think it was smart of Playmobil to create all-new ghosts instead of adapting creatures seen in the cartoon… this way, all four fit in perfectly with both the Real Ghostbusters or the movie-style figures, adding to the collection of ghouls our heroic Playmobil people can face.

We’ve also got action features in each set, mostly based around the Busters’ rides. Zeddemore’s scooter can actually float, and can even be augmented with a working motor (sold separately as a standard Playmobil accessory). Ray’s bike transforms from a motorcycle to a mini-jet, while Peter’s chopper can spray water, and Egon’s car can shoot three ghostly green discs from a launcher.

I’m amazed by the amount of fun packed into each of these sets. If they came out when I was young, these would have been my all-time favorite toys. But even today, playing around with these guys– with their cool action features, inventive designs, and nostalgic animated inspiration– really made me feel like a kid again… and that’s the best way I can think of to celebrate #GhostbustersDay.

Playmobil’s Real Ghostbusters adventure packs are available now at Playmobil.us and fine retailers everywhere.

Thanks to Playmobil for providing these great figures for review!

And enter to get you’re own Ecto-1 here!