As you know, I love Playmobil. I have for most of my life. They don't do a lot of specific people or characters, but there are special one-offs like Santa Claus and the super-popular Martin Luther which has sold a reported 500,000 units since its debut. That's a lot - particularly when you consider I don't even think this is getting official distribution in the USA. For a line with declining shelf space in North America, this is indeed good news for the possibilities of the future. I'm still operating under the false hope that Lucasfilm will get in bed with the German toymaker, leading to a period of plastic hedonism the likes of which were never before seen on our planet.
I'm endlessly enamored with historical figures in Playmobil, and with things that don't seem like appropriate toys for children. (Also dinosaurs.) Martin Luther seems about as exciting as socks on Christmas, which is what makes it such a bizarre thing to add to the old Playmobil toy shelves. The Ninety-five Theses aren't 99 Luftballoons, but he can hold them and for some reason they're gold - a decent replication of worn, aged, yellowing paper. The printing is crisp and clean, and auf Deutsch. He also includes a feathered quill, presumably to use to stage a photograph of him writing said book. They had cameras back then, right?
His body adds fancy printing to existing parts - note the folds in his outfit, the collar and what seems to be a shirt underneath. This doesn't look a lot like the paintings of Martin Luther, and the outfit doesn't look a lot like what he seems to be wearing with that hair and hat in other portraits - but I'm no expert. For someone calling out a major institution, he looks positively chipper and youthful as a smiling, happy fellow ready to great the world with suggestions of how to reform one of the major religions. The tone might not be right, but the general look and feel of the figure is spot-on. Besides, for the author of a 500-year-old book, I assume you're going to take a few creative liberties when he reaches toy form.
Articulation is Playmobil standard with 6 moving parts. Deco is on the happy side of good with a fair amount of subtle printing to add dimension to the flat dress buck. He has no problems holding the quill or tome, as Playmobil toys tend to be good when it comes to figure/accessory interaction. There's really no reason for anything to not be perfect, particularly when you consider just how often parts are reused for years if not decades to come. Since there seems to be a steady supply of these I wouldn't advise you shell out a ton of money to get one, but if you have a shelf of toys that just don't seem like they would be something you get for the neighbor's kid for Christmas, this is a fine addition to it.
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