Playmobil's Sets 3184 Skeleton Excavation Site and 3193 Baby Dino
with Mr. Stinkhead

A short while ago I reviewed the Dinosaur Discovery set from playmobil. At the time, that set was only available in Germany, now however, that set and the rest from the Dinosaur line are available at Target and other retailers.

I picked up the Baby Dino set, consisting of an egg encased in ice for about $10. This is a great "little" playset. Most of the playsets from playmobil are fairly large, or don't have much of a base. This is a great little set that has around a 4 inch square "footprint" on your desk. You get two explorers, a whole load of excavation equipment, including fine chisels and brushes, and a dinosaur egg that opens to reveal a little baby dinosaur.

The baby dino is two pieces of solid plastic, with a rotating head. The dinosaur fits snuggly inside the egg which you can snap closed, and the egg then fits snuggly into the base enclosure. I like the speckled detail on the egg, and the fact that its in scale for the Face hugger that comes with the 6" scale Alien action figures by McFarlane Toys. I couldn't resist putting together this little strip below.

Speaking of mixing action figures. For $10 you can get a sweet Fortress of Solitude base for your Superman Minimate, this particular section looks like the radiation "booth" he pretends to lose his powers with in Superman II. The streamlined detail of the set mixes well with the Minimate look and feel. I used the C3 Catwoman body, the Ironman head, and a little photoshop to make Zod. Superman fits right in the chamber without any problem.

Skeleton Excavation Site
This set is massive! I only have a few of the very large playmobil sets because they're often quite expensive. However at $30, this one was attainable, and well worth it. They give you so many little accessories and things to do, I was going crazy at the list of photos I wanted to take. The base is nice and large, it has a built in ramp for the snow mobile (that has sweet tank-action treads that really move) and a rock formation to make a cool alcove. This set easily plugs into the Dinosaur Discovery set to make a larger environment.

In the middle of the base is a large plain of translucent plastic ice. I like how some sections are more transparent than others, and it's got a great "playmobil-ized" look. It's separated into three sections that easily lift and separate [Ed note: knock it off] I mean that they are very easily removed because they overlap, but are not stuck in place. This is great for display or play.

Underneath of the ice are compartments holding pieces of a bird-like dinosaur skeleton. Lift these out and they snap together to make a somewhat poseable skeleton. I like the fact that the artists foresaw kids playing with the "discovery" aspect (a whole load of saws, axes, crowbars and a chainsaw are included) and you can play with the dinosaur after you get them out. This is true with all of these related sets.

Back to the accessories, I love the little details on the laptop computer, the map, (hey playmobil! In America, East is designated with an E, not O! Crazy Germans) the little canisters of food (yes, one is called PMS giggle), the tools... I really felt like they went the extra mile, and I didn't think anything was lacking. Check out the little "battery" hooked up to their flood lights with little rubber wires. Insane!

You get three explorers, two guys, and one female, looking ever so-stylin' in her snow-bunny outfit. I also like how there's a little cloth sleeping bag that a playmobil person can fit into. Hmmm, only one sleeping bag. Nice touch playmobil, nice.

You also get an adult and baby polar bear. Now I can finish my Lost playset! (I already have the Merry Minimate) These have five points of articulation, and are great for adding a little trauma, er drama, for the kids. I would have thrown in one of the little gray plastic fishes from another set, so you can get them away from your precious instruments.

I love the snow mobile too. The rubber treads really move on the wheels, and there is a hitch in the back to attach a sleigh for carrying their equipment crate. As far as other modes of transportation, you also get a little set of skis and poles that can clip onto one of the klickies.

It snowed pretty heavy in my neck of the woods over the weekend, and I had a great time assembling (mainly applying stickers) and shooting these in the warmth of my own home. I did take them outside, and they looked great in the snow. Then I assembled all three sets into a massive diorama. Great, now I'm out of shelf space, and will need to hit IKEA if I intend to buy any more sets. Stay tuned to our Toy Fair coverage as we will bring you pics and news of all the sets coming out in 2005.

Check out the previous Dinosaur set, Dinosaur Discovery and the rest of our playmobil coverage.

I have made a full-page PDF of the backdrop used in these images. You can print this out and line them up to tape to the wall behind your display. There is a little notice at the bottom in gray text, and that may be cut off before you use the backdrop. The mountains and northern lights are lined up to tile, so you can put as many as you'd like next to each other. (trim the border of course). This file requires Adobe Acrobat reader, and is about 118K. Click the image to download.

Print out this Backdrop

Every stinkin' time I type "dinosaur" I think of Mr. DNA's Texas drawl from Jurassic Park.

3193 Baby Dino

3184 Skeleton Excavation Site

All images and article © 2005 MillionairePlayboy.com.