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There is, however one thing that Shortie and his big brother, who is now the ripe old age of 8, love to play with and that is Playmobil. So my parents who know that Shortie loves Playmobil, and is a child who has often been known to go shopping in his pirate outfit, thought they had really ... Read review
Yo Ho Ho, and a Bottle of Wine (I don't like Rum!)
Advantages: It packs neatly away Disadvantages: No good if you don't like pirates!
...present when they found the Playmobil Pirates Treasure Chest.
☆ The Pirate Treasure Chest ☆
The pirate treasure chest is made of brown plastic, and has gold coloured plastic detailing, including a fake keyhole, to give it that authentic treasure chest look. It has a carrying handle which collapses into the top of the chest. The chest measures just over 30 cm wide and stands about 25 cm tall. There is a simple opening ... ...This chest is filled with Playmobil goodies. There are three Pirates in the chest. All of them are dressed differently and all in definite pirate attire. Pirate one has a rather large hat, complete with feather, he has a pirates of the Caribbean style beard. He wears a long black cape, and has a very large necklace around him, obviously showing off some of his treasure. Pirate two is a rather poor looking, bare footed pirate and he comes complete ... more
A few weeks ago Shortie turned the very old age of 6. Now Shortie is known for his love of all things cheap and plastic. His favourite toys seem to have a half life of five minutes, or are ridiculously complicated to put together and play with (unless of course you are six years old, in which case they are simple to put together and play with).
There is, however one thing that Shortie and his big brother, who is now the ripe old age of 8, love to play with and that is Playmobil. So my parents who know that Shortie loves Playmobil, and is a child who has often been known to go shopping in his pirate outfit, thought they had really hit on a good present when they found the Playmobil Pirates Treasure Chest.
☆ The Pirate Treasure Chest ☆ The pirate treasure chest is made of brown plastic, and has gold coloured plastic detailing, including a fake keyhole, to give it that authentic treasure chest look. It has a carrying handle which collapses into the top of the chest. The chest measures just over 30 cm wide and stands about 25 cm tall. There is a simple opening clasp on each side, and it is on opening up the chest that you see the full potential of this toy.
On opening one side of the chest, an island scene is revealed. The base has a colourful overlay with a sandy island beach and the clear blue water. There are some permanently fixed moulded plastic rocks, complete with a trap door and a sliding rock. A rather handy place for your pirates to hide their rum!
The other side of the chest opens out to show the other side of the island. This is printed onto a piece of cardboard, which can be turned over to reveal the inside of the pirates cave instead. Inside the chest is a grassy covered rock and a small tree. Also contained in the middle section are all the other pieces that come with the set, none of which are permanently fixed.
☆ What's in the box? ☆ This chest is filled with Playmobil goodies. There are three Pirates in the chest. All of them are dressed differently and all in definite pirate attire. Pirate one has a rather large hat, complete with feather, he has a pirates of the Caribbean style beard. He wears a long black cape, and has a very large necklace around him, obviously showing off some of his treasure. Pirate two is a rather poor looking, bare footed pirate and he comes complete with 1980's style stubble. He is also adorned with a skull and cross bones bandana. Pirate three has an eye patch and gold earrings and a snazzy red jacket. These pirates are the same size as all other Playmobil adult sized characters. Playmobil figures can all be made to sit down, although their legs move together, you can move their heads and arms. You can change certain parts of the figures too, for example you can give the poor pirate the posh pirate's hat. The figures have their hands set in such a way that they can grip objects such as the swords or the candlestick.
As well as the pirates the treasure chest is full of other pirate themed goodies, which includes: 2 Scorpions A green snake A crab A canon and two cannonballs. The cannonballs actually fire from the canon. There is a small button on top of the canon and the balls can be made to go a fairly impressive distance as the mechanism is spring loaded. A monkey A candlestick A table made, in true pirate fashion, from some wood on top of a barrel A parrot, which fits onto the tree 2 rifles and 2 pistols 3 swashbuckling swords A pier which attaches to the permanently placed rocks A camp fire A small treasure chest, complete with treasure of "gold" and "silver" coins Some bananas 2 Palm trees, which attach onto the permanently placed rocks
☆ My Opinion ☆ I think that this is a wonderful toy. Shortie's birthday was actually on the day that we were travelling to France. He was delighted with the chest itself, and his eyes really lit up when he saw what was inside. He, and his brother are fairly imaginative children, and within minutes they were playing a wonderful pirates game. There were quite a few shouts of "yo ho ho" and "me hearties."
I am impressed with the quality of Playmobil. It is one brand that does not seem to have compromised in the quality of the build. It does not fall apart within minutes of you buying it, and it has not failed to impress me this time. Unlike so many modern toys that are made from some cheap plastic that split or break Playmobil is long-lasting and really well made. I am also impressed with the quality of detail on the figures. The pirates are so well detailed, even down to the hairy chest just poking above the poor bare footed pirate's top.
I was also pleased with the amount that this chest contained. There is plenty for two children to play happily without fighting over pieces. The fact that there are animals as well as more traditional "pirate" pieces means that different children can play in very different ways with the set. My niece recently came to play and much to my son's disgust she set it up as a rather girly pirate zoo!
Another hit, excuse the pun, is the canon. It comes with spare cannonballs, and has quite a good firing range. Certainly good enough for the very imaginative to knock the "baddie" pirates over as they wage war on each other!
Some Playmobil sets take ages to set up, and as I was already aware of this I had asked my parents to see if that was the case with this chest before giving it. There is nothing worse for a child than receiving a new toy and then having to wait for hours whilst you set up and organise it. Fortunately Playmobil setting up instructions are always ever so easy to follow, even by someone like me who normally struggles. They are always in full colour and are shown in a series of diagrams, rather than more confusing or badly translated words. This set like other Playmobil sets was very simple to organise. There is not much setting up required, only some rocks and trees to organise. The fiddliest job is removing the silver and gold from the plastic moulding.
Possibly the best thing about this set though, is the fact that it all folds away for easy storage or carrying. It would make a fantastic present for any child, who like Shortie, was having their birthday while on holiday. It would also be ideal for a child who was in hospital.
I have not got any gripes with this Treasure Chest, apart from the fact that the clasp for opening the sides is a little tight. The only disadvantage I can really think of is that it does contain guns and swords, so is not a great present for anyone who wants to protect their children from playing with weapons.
This set is not suitable for children under 3 due to the small pieces.
☆ Prices ☆ As always it is well worth shopping around as prices vary so much. I have done a quick internet trawl to get some prices, however I know that this treasure chest was bought from a toy shop that was closing down for the bargain price of £15.
This is definitely a toy that I would recommend. It is ideal for all pirate loving children from the age of 5. It is hard wearing, easy to tidy away and full of imaginative potential.
