When it comes to the Playmobil line of figures, there’s never a shortage of unique characters to collect. When they started to convert the Special line of figures to the Playmobil Pals line, I was really worried that they would start to scale back on the number that they released. I hit Target at least three times a week looking for bargains and the toy aisles are one of the first places I check. They always seem to have the most Playmobil items in stock and for the best price – cheaper than the Playmobil online store in most cases. As soon as I saw the new Pals boxes on the shelf I made a beeline for it and came across a ton of figures that I didn’t have, the “Pirate & Skull” being one of them. Most of the time I try to complete one series before I start another one but this little guy was too cute to pass up but I didn’t get to appreciate all the detail of the figure until I got it home and ripped it open. Aside from the purple pants that really don’t do much for him, this is a great figure that can be added to any of the pirate sets or used as a stand alone figure.

Playmobil Pirate And Skull

When this was released in the Special series it was labeled as ‘pirate and skull’, now that it is part of the Pals series it carries the name ‘pirate with skull’ – it’s the same set identical in every way, the only thing that’s changed is the wording on the package and that the series name has been changed. One of the things that I really love about the figure is that it’s barefoot – and yes, there is detail to the toes, not a lot but at least it isn’t a pink slab. I was a little worried that since he came shoeless that he’d tip over easier than other figures but so far he’s managed to hold his own. Visually this is one of the most detailed figures I’ve come across in the Pals or special series however unless you check it out up close, a lot of it gets overlooked. The torso has a nice stenciled tie and bullet wrap but you have to peel back the plastic vest [not removable unless you pry the head off] to see it. The black vest has a nice silver dotted design on it and the belt that sits under it but isn’t attached to it can be removed if you so desire. It doesn’t come apart so you have to force it down over the waist of the figure but doing this means that you won’t be able to get it back on without stretching it out. Learned that lesson the hard way.

The two gold earrings that he’s wearing are actually one solid piece that slips into a slot under his hair piece, you can remove it if you want because the hair piece rests on top of the slot so you don’t have to worry about it not fitting properly. On top of the hair piece goes the awesome tri corner hat complete with feather plume. The plume is removable but he looks too darn cute with it in. Sadly, you can’t use the hat unless you first put the hair on his head so you are sort of limited in that respect. He does have two wrist pieces; one looks like it’s a faux leather strap wrap and the other a gold bracelet of some sort. These are small pieces that could easily be gobbled up by a small child so make sure you keep this figure out of reach of the little ones. The two weapons include a rifle and a long blade sword, both of which can be snapped into his hands or used with larger sets in an armory. One last thing to add about this figure is the detail on his face – he has a nice five o’clock shadow going on and the patch over his left eye adds a nice accent. Again, this is the type of detail that you can’t really appreciate until you purchase this set, get it home and start playing around with it.

The small white skull that comes with this set is purely for decoration; when I flipped it over and saw the bottom of it I thought that maybe I could pry off one of the heads of the other Playmobil figures and put this on the body but after two broken fingernails I gave up. I sort of hoped that this would glow in the dark but after exposing it to a strong light for about a minute then running into the bathroom with it, it didn’t glow. I was thinking about putting a few coats of glow in the dark paint on it but I’ll have to try and find one that I can apply to it without losing any of the detail to it. Visually it is a nice looking skull but it does wobble a lot when there’s the slightest vibration. There’s a good bit of detail to it, two rows of teeth, sunken in eyes .. in other words, the usual pirate skull.

Things To Know

This set can be found at places like Target for about $1.99 but if you can’t find it locally, you can pick it up at the Playmobil Online Store for about three dollars. I still haven’t found out why retail stores sell this for less, it’s usually more expensive in stores than at the manufacturers website. The size of the figure is uniform with all others in the Playmobil line, about three inches in height; this means that you can mix and match the accessories and weapons from other sets and figure assortments without having to worry about them not fitting or being too large or small. This does carry a warning that it contains small pieces and shouldn’t be given to children under the age of three so use your discretion when handing these out to the kids.

The Bottom Line

I was really excited to find this at Target for $1.99; you get two weapons with it, the cool skull and those gold earrings. The tri-pointed cap with feather really adds a nice touch to the pirate and it’s a great way to add a few extra men to a pirate scene. I collect the figures regardless of what theme or series they are from it this was a ‘must have’ kind of set for me. If you have a child that is into the Playmobil Pirates or someone that collects pirate gear, this makes for a great gift and don’t forget, the holidays are right around the corner and these types of sets make the perfect stocking stuffer!

The Stats

Set Name: Pirate & Skull
Family Set: Special / Pals
Playmobil Set: 4581
Number of Pieces: 12
Age Recommendation: 3 and older
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.99


As always, thanks for the visit …

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2004 Freak369


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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $1.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family