Playmobil "Viking Leader": Nordic Warrior or Red Headed Bastard Love Child of Shirley Partridge?
Written: Nov 16 '04 (Updated Aug 02 '08)
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Pros: Colorful, nice shield, great for knights or Viking series.
Cons: Wow, way too colorful.
The Bottom Line: I'd love to see the guys from "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" give this fashion victim a make over!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Viking Leader |
When it comes to collecting Playmobil figures, there is one thing you can always count on – every once in a while you will come across one that you can’t say you love and you can’t say you hate. When I first saw the Viking Leader I knew that eventually I’d get around to ordering it so when I made a swap with a seller on eBay, his Playmobil figures for my Hellraiser figures, this was one of the sets that came with the deal. You can’t really grasp the magnitude of how ‘loud’ this figure is by just looking at a photo of it, no, to get the full horror from it, you need to see it in person. I have no idea what the designers were thinking when they created this figure but I can only assume that one of them has some long standing grudge with Vikings. The only figure that could possibly be more fashion challenged would be the Viking Frontman [3158] but that’s sort of his job, ride on horseback and represent the regiment. I’m still sort of undecided as to whether or not I love or hate this set so I guess I’ll say I’m stuck in the middle on it. It gets some high marks on some points and low one on others but at the end of the day it’s all up to personal preference.
Playmobil Viking Leader 7678
Wow. Those were the first words out of my mouth when I saw this figure. Actually, I had a thought before I uttered ‘wow’, and that thought was “he looks like he belongs on the freakin’ Partridge Family bus” [hence the title of the review]. He sure is a colorful figure but I was always under the assumption that when going into battle you’d decline to draw attention to yourself, especially if you are a one of the higher ups. I don’t know what it is about this figure that makes me related it to the whole Partridge family thing but I’m guessing that it’s the colors that are used along with the stenciled silver chainmail on his torso. The bright blue, red and yellow colors that are used for his uniform work nice together but as I said, if in battle, it would draw a lot of unnecessary attention. Facially this is the same as the Playmobil Baron [3809] from the Knights series but that’s where the similarity ends. The Baron had some awesome armor and came with a battle dog whereas this set shows more of the flashier side of what a battle warlord can look like.
If it sounds like I am jeering this set I’m not, it’s just a little hard to take such a gaudy figure seriously. The shield that comes with the set is nice and a great change from the usual plain round ones; the intertwined yellow and blue dragons are a nice touch that helps to keep the color flow from the uniform in check. You also get a single sided battle axe, a very nice sized weapon but a little too large for him to carry in his hand without making him unstable and susceptible to tipping over. Solve this little issue with a few small pieces of poster putty on the bottom of his black boots and you are all set to display him in an striking action pose. The helmet is one of the saving graces of this set. Adorned with two white horns on the sides, it rests atop his chainmail head protection garb and gives me a true Viking feel. Another great accessory to this figure is the black flowing plastic cape; if you are planning on having him on horseback [horses sold with other sets] you will need to remove this item since it is rather stiff and will interfere with how he sits on the horse.
Things To Know
• This is one of the newer sets from the Viking series so there are some issues in regards to colors. When you look at the royal figures [king, prince, frontman] they all have purple as their predominate color so this guy sort of stands out when you try to display him with the royal party. Even the raiders and horsemen from other early sets have more visually appealing uniforms as well as nice looking facial hair and weapons. That’s not to say that this set isn’t worth picking up, not in the least, but if you are planning on adding it to earlier sets, it might stick out like a sore thumb.
• If you can’t find this locally you can order it from the Playmobil Online Store for $2.99, a dollar more than what you could get it for at local Target stores. I’ve only seen this once or twice at my local Target store so it’s either a hot seller or something that they don’t normally stock. As I’ve mentioned in almost all the other Playmobil reviews, you can usually find the smaller, Special and Pals sets about a dollar less at Target rather than at the Playmobil Online Store – why? I have no idea. It’s usually the reverse – cheaper at the website than in retail stores.
The Bottom Line
Since this set came with a large swap I wasn’t all that bothered by the colors that were chosen for the uniform or the lack of accessories or weapons. These types of sets are a great way to increase the size of your army or battle force as well as picking up weapons and accessories but there are times, such as in this case, that you really have to stop and ask yourself if you aren’t better off going with a different set. Like I said, I knew that eventually I would pick up this set or order it from the Playmobil Online Store but getting it for less than retail through my swap lessened the blow on regards to my slight disappointment with the set as a whole. Even so, for $1.99 to $2.99 it’s a nice way to add a little [or a lot] of color to your battle scene, pick up a single blade axe and that cool double dragon shield.
The Stats
Set Name: Viking Leader
Family Set: Vikings
Playmobil Set: 7678
Number of Pieces:
Age Recommendation: 4 and older
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 2 minutes
Cost: $ 1.99
As always, thanks for the visit …
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Hooded Rider, Druid, Good Fairy, Green Dragon Fighter, Gold Dragon Leader, Dark Knight, Dragon Warrior, Western Bandit, Glow In The Dark Ghost, Fierce Knight Leader, Crusader, Wizard, Prince and Princess, Wedding Carriage, Knight In Armor, Roman Legionary, Mummy, Glow In The Dark Ghost, Court Jester, Viking Family, Warrior With Wolf, Evil Knight, Female Pirate, Viking Leader, Silver Knight, Royal Couple, Fire Wizard, Brave Prince, Queen, Gladiator, Golden Knight, Red Musketeer, Nun, Surfer, Football Player, Blue Knight, Fireman, One Eyed Pirate, Captain Peg Leg, Skeleton Mummy, Sheriff, U.S. Marshall, Ski Patrol, Cleopatra, Count Dracula, Puppet Show, Plumber, Rebel Leader, Barbarian on Horseback, Angry Pirate, Pixie Princess, Ax Man, Forest Witch, Spirit, Wizard, Druid, Scary Ghost, Mermaid, Evil Witch, Hooded Rider, Skeleton Mummy, Good Fairy, Centurion, Union Leader, Black Lion Leader, Flower Maiden, Five Dwarfs, Princess With Magic Fountain, Roman Figure, Warrior With Horse, Roman Warriors, Union Soldier, Confederate Soldier, Horse Drawn Cart, Magician, Safe Crackers, Pink Unicorn, Tree Stump With Fairy, Princess With Unicorn, Royal King, Native American Chief, Ghost Pirate, Native American Family, Norse King & Prince
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): See Review
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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