Egypt

To say that I’m fascinated with the culture of ancient Egypt is an understatement. From the theories of alien visitations, to the beautifully refined (and somehow, still barbaric) practice of mummification and removing the delicate brainmeats via the nasal canal, and the strange pantheon of gods to suit every purpose, it’s an awesome thing.

So, when Playmobil tackles the subject, you know I’m all over it. A gigantic pyramid playset topped with a mysterious Eye of Providence is a spectacular thing. The Egypt collection was released in August of 2009.

Playmobil offers no less than eight sets to round out your Egypt collection, from the Sphinx, to cadres of warriors, and even a royal ship, with pharaohs and skeletons aplenty – and I can never, ever get enough Playmobil skeletons (some of which can be gleaned from the pirate sets, also).

The centerpiece of the Egypt collection is the Pyramid, which is enormous. The building features three removable sides, all of which are identical and feature a removable panel, a tall pharaohic image made of removable bricks, and a blue button to pop out some pieces. These walls can be arranged on any given side, or removed entirely – though there is no clever device to keep all of the loose, collapsible pieces in place. The modular nature of these is neat.

Inside the Pyramid are two floors of adventure in a sandy beige color, occasionally broken up by colorful stickers which you must apply in the hour-long assembly process. Within, there are multiple trap doors, buttons that activate slides and false stairways, and two sliding walls that reveal the inner tomb at the center of the structure. The theme of this and a few other Egypt sets seems to be ’surprise and subversion’, as many secret panels and traps are present. There’s also a section of floor with a rotating door that can hide a figure or treasure of your choice. Or, you know, a roll of fifties that you don’t want your snooping roommate to find. If you’re in a situation where you have both a roommate and a Playmobil budget or a pyramid fixation.

The set includes four figures, two of which are royalty, one guard, and one robber-type. The Pyramid’s treasures include a historically smart set of four canopic jars, even featuring the four animals which were appropriate for each of the organs that they were to contain – which is probably my favorite detail of this set. Fortunately, the sets of canopic jars are repeated at least three more times throughout the Egypt collection, so you could probably fill a very flavorful spice cabinet in a Playmobil home of cannibalistic necrophages. Stranger Playmobil sets have been made.

There are gold-colored pitchers and interesting artifacts, but most interesting to me is the inclusion of a small pouch of actual tumbled rocks. Playmobil actually gives their customers a bag of precious-looking stones, which adds some kind of bizarre magic to the treasures within the Pyramid, as they transcend the pretend plastic into something deeper. I surmise that it would even be significantly fun to try and classify these. A similar pack is included in the ‘Tomb with Treasure’ set, though no two will be the same.

There is plenty of room to house many different figures and go on plenty of adventures – even with the archaeologist mini-set that was produced earlier – and the inner chamber is a great place to toss a whole mess of extra treasures, as it’s closed on all sides but the top. Playsets that serve as storage are a fetish of mine. The Pyramid set retails for around $100, and it’s hours of awesome – even for your 3 3/4 scaled figures. We know that there are miniature Captain Marvel and Black Adam figures out there, too.

The Sphinx playset is considerably smaller, but at $30, also more within the average toy budget. The iconic piece is one of my favorites, and another that has a sliding panel to reveal secret treasures (or angry mummies) inside. This set is accompanied by one warrior figure and one person of questionable royalty. Playmobil tends to not label its sets, even on the boxes, to retain an international audience, and finding names for the pieces in the sets themselves is so nebulous that it’s easier just to make broad assumptions. Perhaps white robe guy is an artist. Maybe he’s just the guy that no one likes to invite to parties because he always hits on the little Playmobil girlfriends.

The Sphinx is perched on a sandy expanse of ground, and not really in any measurable scale. It comes with more ancient treasures, as well as a skeleton. It’s a simple, smooth representation with a strangely human face that’s rarely seen in the world of Playmobil, but the simplicity makes it all work together. And a Sphinx with a Playmobil face would be alarming.

I was initially a little confused about the nature of the ‘Tomb With Treasure‘ playset, bearing the characteristic lack of clear labeling. I had assumed that this set’s premise was that a robber husband was coming home to his wife, and stashing his ill-gotten loot in the false wall of his home. Whether or not his beautiful Playmobil wife knew of his activities outside of the home was in question, but I assumed that she was complicit. Either way, I don’t trust her.

The $40 set comes with all of the above characters, as well as a camel with sidebags to carry the loot around in. The roof of the ‘tomb’ is removable, but the wide-open front door still has me convinced that this is more appropriate as a house for this Bonnie & Clyde. This set has the interesting addition of small nuggets of shiny gold, which are an excellent addition to the treasures from any playset.

The other large playset in this mix (aside from the Royal Ship, which I chose to skip over, despite how neat it looks) is the Pharaoh’s Temple. It’s more of a kind of gateway into something larger and unseen, but it’s an intensely colorful set, and comes with a truly excellent obelisk.

The figures included here are a Pharaoh and two members of the royal court, who can also carry the fancy chair that the king can ride around in. Also included is a large, black cat, and four more canopic jars – this time in the signature bluegreen that ancient Egypt used to represent life and the Nile. These can be stored away in the two secret panels inside of the two main columns of the tomb, opened with the use of two buttons around the rear. Once again, it’s a very neat set, and adds some great icons into the whole Egypt playset experience. I also think that the addition of the various scaled Demon’s Chronicle Egypt-themed figures would really look neat mixed with all of this – or even the recent KidRobot Bender figure, which includes a Pharaoh mask.

From here, we step down into the under-$20 sets, such as the Egyptian Chariot and Egyptian Soldiers, and the Two Robbers with Camels. These consist mainly of a variety of Playmobil figures and animals, though if you’re going for things that will build your army, the Soldiers pack includes five different figures with shields and weapons. While they don’t really encompass any grand storylines, they present awesome additions to the overall scenery, and have all kinds of weaponry and treasure to augment the experience. If you’re looking for a ship’s crew, this is it.

They’re great. Of course they’re great – it’s Playmobil. I don’t think I’ve ever been so satisfied with the all-encompassing nature of a line of toys.

Of course, this isn’t all for the August 2009 Playmobil releases, as they’ve also come out with a set of Suburban Home items, and a wide variety of Police stuff. Stay tuned to see some of ‘em!

There’s something so romantic and graceful about a tall ship with sails open, sailing towards excitement. For generations people of all ages have tried to capture that sense of history and adventure by collecting or building model ships.

Model ships have been around for thousands of years. It was common practice in ancient Egypt to include model ships in the tomb of the deceased to carry the soul into the afterlife. Many of these models were excavated during archaeological digs and are on display in museums around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Model ship building has seen many changes over the years. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, model ships were frequently used by shipbuilders to give customers an idea of how the finished product would look and what techniques were being used to create the ship. These models often included a great deal of detail to resemble the actual ship under construction. In their spare time, sailors often created ship models, especially the tiny ships complete with masts and sails that were placed flat in bottles and then raised up using strings. Model ship kits were introduced in the United States sometime in the 1920s, but really gained popularity around the 1930s. Many of the model ships found in antique shops and malls today were created using these kits.

Enthusiasts can visit model ship museums that feature models ranging from warships to modern fishing boats. These include the Model Ships Museum, the American Marine Model Gallery and the United States Naval Academy Museum.

Some like to collect models of ships that took part in famous naval battles. Others prefer models of pirate vessels that once slipped into hidden bays to unload ill-gotten booty. Most collectible model ships are made of wood, but they can also be fashioned from metal, plastic and even cardboard. Keep in mind that some model makers are better than others, so take note of the quality of the model when considering a purchase and pay accordingly.

A collection of model ships makes a wonderful conversation piece in a house decorated with a nautical theme. The ships can be shown off in a display case or on a shelving unit, or they can be placed on side tables and mantels.