5152 Future Planet E-Rangers Collectobot Figure
Mechs for Everyone
Playmobil Future Planet E-Rangers
Item No.: 5152
Manufacturer: Playmobil
Includes: Fire extinguisher, figure, helmet, gloves, crystals, mech, box
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: 2011-2013
Other: Nifty, Power loadery
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Toys can be fashion. The Future Planet E-Rangers Collectobot Figure owes a lot to the Power Loader from the movie Aliens, but it's also very much following the recent toy trends of its time - remember Imaginext's various mechs and LEGO Exo-Force a few years ago? LEGO's offering pre-dated Playmobil's line of E-Rangers by a few years, but there's always some push and pull between LEGO's construction toy and Playmobil's all-purpose doll/toy/figure substitute. This particular line-up was pretty nifty in how it integrated technology in a toy line that rarely uses batteries - the E-Rangers Headquarters was a giant piece of futurism with working solar panels and some amazing technological gimmicks and ideas that really felt like we were getting a glimpse into a crazed person's look at tomorrow. The Collectobot is not that. It's a big robot suit, no batteries needed.
The 7-inch tall robo suit has a green flip-open safety cage to protect the helmeted pilot, who also carries a fire extinguisher on hand for safety. You've got to assemble it and apply labels, but in the case of Playmobil (like 1980s G.I. Joe) it gives you a good idea of what the toy can do. Each point of articulation must be forged by hand, so you'll see the hip, shoulder, ankle, and knee articulation as the suit takes shape. You'll feel the telescoping hands as you cram the pylons in the forearms. I assume most children who got one had mom or dad assemble it, but if the child put it together him or herself it'd be quite a memorable experience. It does require some force in spots, but the end result is a bit ol' suit with g.shtmling hands to clutch the clear red gems in this set.
It's fun and large - which is why it was a little expensive for its day. I got it at a specialty shop and hadn't seen any of them, because Playmobil's distribution in Arizona is garbage. (In the early 2000s, it was bonkers - the stuff you could find! You could throw a rock and hit six new places stocking this stuff.) It doesn't do anything particularly amazing in the toy sense, but it does everything it should - you can pose it, you can pick up stuff with it, and the extending fists mean you can pick junk up off the ground with the claws. It should be able to do most of what a child's imagination may ask of it, short of shooting rockets, which is quite a feat.
The most interesting bit of toy physics is how the figural pilot - a standard 3-inch figure - controls the big robot arms. The two work together sort of like a puppet - if you move the big robot arms, the figure's arms move too. It's a simple trick, but it really sells the idea of the little person inside controlling the giant piece of hardware. The figure itself has Playmobil's "Asian" eyes, which are a slightly different shape from the brown dots normally used. The standard classic 1970s haircut is still used, and some armor covers a more or less typical body. The figure has silver shoes that are similar to ones you've seen on other figures. Playmobil is quite skilled at really milking the same figure mold parts with small deco enhancements or a bib or vest. This one goes a step beyond by adding a clear plastic hose for breathing in what I assume must be another planet's atmosphere.
The figure is nothing too amazing - perfectly good and functional, but not goofy or weird. If you need a mech pilot, here you go - the green makes him blend in with the robot a bit, so that's sort of a mixed bag. It was a good call on their part to give him a helmet with an unobstructed, wide view that will also keep bugs out of his teeth. I just assume there are bugs on any planet one may visit.
Depending on what does it for you, this is either the best set or just an OK set. The amount of articulation and quality of labels puts this above and beyond its Imaginext peers a few years ago. Improved engineering, better articulation, and moving claws make it a lot fancier and it only cost a few extra dollars. Today it's significantly more expensive on the secondary market, but for about $20 it's not terrible. If you see it for less than that, you owe it to yourself to buy one. And then you can paint it yellow to harass your various other Xenomorph toys.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
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