When I took my five year-old son shopping with his own money at a local store, he surprised me be deviating from the “construction” theme which had dominated his Christmas presents and gravitating to a different line of toys, specifically the castles and knights. To him, the Playmobil Viking Boat seemed to fit in perfectly with this line and he wanted to bring it home with him.

In the box was the boat itself in a red plastic, plus the oars which fit in the two oarlocks on either side of the boat. There’s a bench seat inside the boat that allows one of the two figurines which come with the Playmobil Viking Boat to sit in it. Both of the figurines are dressed in plastic designed to imitate a protective metal-chain vest. One has a traditional Viking helmet with the horns while the other is more subdued. The one with the horn has a cape as well. Both men have curved hands designed to hold the shield, dagger, or axe.

All of the pieces and figures that come with the Playmobil Viking Boat are made of plastic that goes together and comes apart easily without breaking. It actually seems to have a little give to it, so there’s less danger of kids breaking it with rough play. Minimal assembly was required with this, something nice after all the assembling I had done with previous items purchased from Playmobil.

The two figure move easily for his little hands to place them in the boat and put the oars in their hands, change out the different weaponry, or putting the helmets on and off. The hands can also hold the weaponry he’s gotten with his knights and castles, making it very versatile even though these are supposed to be two different themes. To a five year-old, they’re close enough. It's always fun to watch the Vikings attempt to stage a raid on a castle manned by knights and a dragon!

The boat does float, so this can be used in a tub or child’s pool. It could go to the lake with us as well although I am trying to keep these as indoor toys. My son does love playing with the men and the boat, and frequently has figurines from other sets riding in the boat with the Vikings. I guess the construction worker could be part of the Corps of Engineers, but somehow I don’t think they had that during the Viking era.

At $8.99 from the Playmobil Online Store, it’s more expensive than comparable toys I can find elsewhere. However, I have confidence that the toy will hold up through his play so it’s worth it to me.

His selection of this toy has given me another theme to purchase items for in the Playmobil line of toys. He seems to like the castles and knights quite a bit, and there’s enough of a selection in Playmobil’s Viking line that it’s a similar draw for him, giving me a good selection of toys to choose from as he grows. I have a feeling I’ll be purchasing a lot more from Playmobil over the next few years. It seems to be a durable toy that my son enjoys. The fact that he’s playing nicely using his imagination makes Mom happy as well. His birthday is coming up….


Other Playmobil toy reviews:

Playmobil Black Lion Leader ~ Playmobil Cannon Guard ~ Playmobil Captive Prince ~ Playmobil Dragon Attack Cannon ~ Playmobil Dragon Troops ~ Playmobil Evil Knight ~ Playmobil Fierce Knight Leader ~ Playmobil Gold Dragon Leader ~ Playmobil Knights Duel Advent Calendar ~ Playmobil Knights Tournament ~ Playmobil Red Dragon ~ Playmobil Rock Castle ~ Playmobil Three Black Lion Knights ~ Playmobil Three Fierce Knights ~ Playmobil Three Gold Dragon Knights ~ Playmobil Treasure Transport

Playmobil Compactor ~ Playmobil Crane ~ Playmobil Dump Truck ~ Playmobil Excavator ~ Playmobil Forklift

Playmobil Small Zoo ~ Playmobil Safari Set


© 2006 Patti Aliventi


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $8.99