-Review and Photos By Andy Jones
In the last few years, Playmobil has produced several vehicles from licensed properties such as Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, James Bond, and A-Team. Not long after they began licensing name-brand vehicles that aren’t in movies, such as the Volkswagon Beetle and Camper Van. Next up is the ever-popular Mini Cooper. Let’s take a look!
I like the presentation that all these collector cars have when you first open the box. The movie cars come with specific characters from their movies, but the Mini Cooper packaging does not display the Playmobil figures it comes with. You get two British “mod” style hipsters and a British Bobby police officer, and a dalmatian! Accessories include a stylish handbag, a newspaper, an overnight bag, and a leash. They’re all tucked away in the tall box.
The interior is roomy. The detailing in the Playmobil 007 Astin Martin really knocked my socks off, so this Mini’s spartan interior is a little lacking at first, but it fits the minimalist design aesthetic Playmobil is known for. I do like the foot wedges so that your Playmo friends can all sit secure and the driver (on the right side!) can hold onto the steering wheel.
As per the norm for traditional Playmobil vehicles, there’s an opening trunk for luggage storage and the roof pops off for putting the people inside easily. Note, the roof goes back on in one specific way, so twist it around before trying to force it. It fits on snug and looks great.
I’ve noticed some improvements from the last sets we reviewed. As I said I love the presentation in the packaging, but with the Astin Martin and A-Team Van, you can’t fit the vehicle back into its spot after it’s fully assembled. For the Astin Martin the tire spikes jut out wider than the width of the body, so I used a hobby blade to accommodate the little spikes and it worked great. I’m happy to report the Mini Cooper does indeed fit back into his place even after you add the tires and side mirrors, without needing to alter the packaging.
One small suggestion I had for the A-Team van was a few more environmental accessories. Even sticking to the existing Playmobil catalog of parts, they could have included some oil drums, roadblocks, etc. Just a little something to add to the play and display value. I feel the same longing with the Mini Cooper. The packaging embraces a British theme and includes the London skyline on the box. They throw in a British Bobby police officer, so that’s cool. I guess maybe a British-style red phone booth would raise the overall price too much, but I wanted a little something more like a London Underground sign, or maybe a length of the posh-looking fence. So I shot this pic with my Playmobil Ferris wheel to stand in for the London Eye.
In searching for a more British atmosphere, I did decide to add a blanket of fog, and that seemed to really do the trick. Brilliant!
I didn’t know if anyone would appreciate this joke, but when I traveled to Italy years ago I dragged my wife to every toy shop I could Google to find the Italian exclusive Playmobil Carabinieri motorcycle cop. I love combining the German Playmobil takes on British and Italian cultures.
The Mini Cooper is a fantastic addition to your collector-grade Playmobil cars, especially if you love all things, Mini Cooper. It’s still Playmobil tough, so a child could play with it and have fun, but at the collector price, you’ll probably want to keep it on your top shelf.
Review and Photos By Andy Jones
Review Samples Courtesy of Playmobil
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