I both love and loathe the Steampunk Warrior. As a pile of nerdy affectations myself, I know one when I see one and this is most definitely a kind of a person you'd see lauded in the nerd press for their love of brass, facial hair, pocket watches, and affixing gears to things. You've seen this kind of person around, and despite many attempts to interest people in steampunk as a commercial thing, it remained in the realm of do-it-yourselfers and those $400 Steampunk Aether-blaster things - while neat - never really took off. Someone at Playmobil has clearly seen this sort of fandom and said it'd make a great $4 toy. And they're 100% correct.
There are lots of tiny pieces here, making it a bit trickier to assemble - there's no instruction sheet, but you can piece it out. There's a 2-part backpack, goggles that wrap around a hat, a flintlock with a clip and a gold emitter of some sort, and a clip-on clock that serves as a pocket watch. And fingerless gloves, for some reason.
With the mustache of Dali, an opaque gold monocle for no good reason, and what may well be the most incredibly detailed shirt in Playmobil this is an impressive figure. It's dorky, but it's unique to say teh least. The shirt has printed stitching, necklaces, and hints of wrinkles with a vest covered in brass gears and a pattern I can't quite place. There's a lot going on here, with a figure that could be either a tribute or a parody to the whole steampunk costumer phenomenon. I'm not sure which, as I assume making fun of it and representing it accurately would probably be pretty similar. The more layers of parts and pieces seem absurd, but also completely authentic to the aesthetic. It's silly, it works.
The goggles fit around the brim of the hat, being completely unhelpful to his visual acuity. Of course, he's got gold on his eye, so what does he care? The gloves snap on tightly, and the three-color legs are a thing of beauty with brown toes and black over the ankles. The rolled-up sleeves have wrinkles and buttons, making this an ornate gem of a figure. It's really beautifully done, with a tiny clock face sticker to put on his watch. Don't sneeze, it's tough to get on straight.
In addition to all of this, there's a two-part backpack that the figure may grip or snap to his bandolier. There are two big gold throw switches, some copper cables, a ton of gears, plus a number of dials on the back. It's silly, but it could also be a retro proton pack.
This is a meaty and completely silly figure, loaded with parts and effectively homeless in the Playmobil world of toys. That's what makes it great - he fits nowhere, so he could go anywhere. Maybe he's a time-traveller who visits the Victorian Doll House sets, or the dinosaurs. Maybe he hangs out at the mall, or is a cosplayer, or could be your garden variety lunatic. You have seen people dressed like this, maybe you know them. Perhaps you are one. I wish the hat was more of a derby, but the whole ensemble works as a completely great tribute to a 21st century costume trend that may well be over. You've seen bits and pieces of this genre, but I doubt it will achieve enough visibility to qualify for a full toy line of its own - especially given the current state of the American toy business. You know how much I love silly and weird Playmobil, and this set may well be king. I'm hoping to find more to send to friends. It's just that kooky, and may be in my top 5 Playmobil figures.
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