Main
Features
 FOTD
 Toy Fair 2023
 SDCC 2023
 Toy Fair 2020
 NYCC 2019
 SDCC 2019
 Toy Fair 2019
 SDCC 2018
 Toy Fair 2018
 HasCon 2017
 SDCC 2017
 Toy Fair 2017
 SDCC 2016
 Toy Fair 2016
 SDCC 2015
 Toy Fair 2015
 SDCC 2014
 C2E2 2014
 Toy Fair 2014
 SDCC 2013
 C2E2 2013
 Toy Fair 2013
 SDCC 2012
 C2E2 2012
 Toy Fair 2012
 NYCC 2011
 SDCC 2011
 Toy Fair 2011
Archives
 Books
 DVD
 Music
 Statues
 Prop Replicas
 Toys
 Video Games
Credits
Contact


This site is part of Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Entertainment Earth affiliate programs. We may earn a commission when you click one of their links.


Related Links:
16bit Tumblr
16bit Twitter
16bit Instagram
ASWN
EE Podcast
Galactic Hunter
Glyos News
OSM News

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Playmobil, 2018
Day #2,375: December 22, 2021
Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure SetVenkman with Helicopter
Chopper, cape, skeleton ghost

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters
Item No.:
No. 9385
Manufacturer: Playmobil
Includes: Peter Venkman, PKE meter, wand, energy beam, Proton Pack, clear green Skeleton Ghost, headgear, cape, 2 red lightning bolts, chopper, sticker sheet, Ghost Trap
Action Feature: Blades spin, cannons shoot water
Retail: $19.99
Availability: May 2018
Other: Chopper is the same model used for 4824 Firefighting Helicopter, 5842 Rescue Helicopter, 4423 Press Microcopter. That last one was the first instance I could find, and it was from 2004.

  PREVIOUS RSS NEXT  

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure SetI opened Venkman with Helicopter a few years ago, but due to some complications with the hose parts you must break apart, it sat unreviewed. (I had to order new parts from Playmobil, which shockingly took only three days to get here and more shockingly included some parts for sets that they somehow still had despite the set using it being discontinued over 15 years ago. Playmobil's service is shockingly good.) Now that it's all together, I'm comfortable saying this is a worthwhile - mostly - set. I'd have paid $20 for a Kenner-style Peter Venkman figure, but this also includes a vehicle and a clear green skeleton. Now that Hasbro has shifted mostly to collector and fan stuff, the toys look incredible - but the weird magic we got in the 1980s and 1990s with off-model action toys based on movies that weren't appropriate for the target age group went away. Thank goodness for Playmobil's anachronistic tendencies.

I believe Playmobil's license to make new Ghostbusters products has expired, but you can still find some of these sets pretty cheap. Especially compared to more recent licenses, these are arguably a bargain for a certain kind of fan person my age who is me. (Apologies to Dana Gould.)

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set

Peter reminds me of my old Kenner figure which I got when it first came out - with a couple of exceptions. The hair is much mellower, without the curl - if anything, it's kind of bland. But the costume coloring brown with green trim is dynamite, with the "no ghost" patch on the arm and printed detail all over showing the belts, pouches, zippers, and other elements that don't necessarily need to be sculpted. While the other heads in this line - especially Egon and Ray - look more like the cartoon, Peter's just fine. I'm not amazed, but the costume makes up for it and Playmobil heads are generally best when they're a little generic anyway.

Peter's accessories include the same Proton blast nearly every set in the line includes, in addition to blue Kennerian recolors of the proton pack, ghost trap, and PKE meter with yellow cables. Playmobil opted to mimic some of the Kenner toy colors for the accessories rather than the black colors on the cartoon, which certainly makes me very happy. The wand can be mounted on the backpack, which can hang on the side of the chopper or on Peter's back. Similarly, there's a mounting bracket for the trap too. There realy isn't anywhere for the PKE meter or energy blast to go, so you'll need to take care to not lose them.

He is joined by Playmobil's long-in-service skeleton figure, now cast in clear green plastic. It has a jointed head, arms, and uni-leg. You can clip a black cape over it and for some reason, he has clear red lightning bolts. The bone-colored skeleton - if memory serves - was first released in the 1990s, and now they're doing glow in the dark versions in Novelmore too. It reminds me a lot of the Batman villain Blight, but it doesn't remind me of anything in particular from the Ghostbusters toys or cartoons I remember from when I was a kid. It's a clever use of existing parts, but if Playmobil dropped this figure from the set and dropped the price, I'd not have missed it. (Similarly, if they did something as weird or creative as the Eyeball Ghost or whatever the Clockwork Orange Wolverine Butterfly was, that would be neat too.) I like it. I just don't "get" it here - plus it doesn't really interact with the water-squirting vehicle.

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set

The helicopter is another reuse of a long-serving vehicle mold, and it still holds up. I had to apply a tiny handful of stickers on the blades, with much of the decoration being pre-painted. Some very subtle yellow energy bolts are around the cockpit, in addition to generous slatherings of red and numerous caution markings. A diamond pattern under the blad really stands out, and the caution and no-ghost paint on the back are no slouch either. They really put some money into paint on this one, which is unusual as so many Playmobil vehicles are completely molded in color..

In addition to the places to mount accessories, you can put one figure in the driver's seat and the blades all spin. You can also fill a bladder with water and squirt it out, but I opted to not do this as it's a hassle to dry things out. One feature I particularly got a kick out of was a little loop on top of the blades, so you could hang this from a hook on a ceiling or dangle it from a rope. While most Playmobil toys are terrific models and often very decent replicas, they're not necessarily an action toy. This is an action toy, and feels like something Kenner might have sold in 1988 or later as they started coming up with original vehicles based on the cartoon - but that would never appear on-screen.

Playmobil - like Kenner - will use old molds as long as possible, and this is a fine example of how they got a ton of mileage out of numerous elements. I don't think a single piece of this set was a new mold - but somehow, all of it works as a licensed toy. By coloring an old news helicopter like the Ecto-1, they managed to get even more mileage out of their manufacturing investment and that's kind of amazing. To me, it's a new toy - I didn't have any of the old choppers. It's a great tribute to what may well have been the golden age of licensed toys, where the main characters look just like your heroes from TV but everything else was a fabrication of a toymaker somewhere in Cincinnati.

I assume fans of the movies - or really, anybody but kids or those who can appreciate an oddball action toy - will skip this one. But for those of us who happily got up early on Saturday mornings for The Real Ghostbusters and then stumbled on more episodes in syndication on weekdays that we watched every single day, this is a gleefully daffy throwback and a kind of toy Playmobil seems to already be avoiding. New sets from Star Trek, The A-Team, and James Bond are high-end replicas with pricing to match. There's no Mr. Spock's Space Station, no Mr. T Action ATV, no Odd Job Task Rabbit Action Kit - so far, they're playing it straight. I hope they exercise some toyetic license because I want to see what a Space Away Team Action Set would look like. For now, I'll happily enjoy the sets I already have, and Dr. Venkman can go hunt down ghosts in the Playmobil Old West Goldmine or the Roman Arena. It's kind of nice to have a preposterously big toy line with nearly five decades of history so other action heroes can go visit just about anywhere.

--Adam Pawlus

Additional Images

Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set
Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set
Buy The Pin
Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set
Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set
Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter Action Figure Set

See more Playmobil toys in Figure of the Day:
Day 94: Playmobil African Safari 4831 Ostriches Set
Day 125: Playmobil Specials 4683 Mongollian Warrior Action Figure
Day 132: Playmobil Specials Cave Man Action Figure
Day 140: Playmobil Specials Palace Guard Action Figure
Day 163: Playmobil Figures Ghost Action Figure
Day 186: Playmobil Top Agents Secret Agent Action Figure
Day 266: Playmobil Dinosaurs 4173 Pteranodon
Day 271: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Uncle Sam Action Figure
Day 276: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Zorro Action Figure
Day 322: Playmobil Treasure Hunters 4848 Temple Guardian Figure
Day 363: Playmobil www.tourismus.nuernberg.de 6107 Albrecht Durer Figure
Day 764: Playmobil Stone Age 5105 Mammoth Family Set
Day 802: Playmobil Dino 5232 Stegosaurus
Day 811: Playmobil Specials 4748 Samurai
Day 887: Playmobil Toy Fair 2014 40th Birthday Knight
Day 1,030: Playmobil City Life 5605 PopStars! Band
Day 1,139: Playmobil School 4329 School Band
Day 1,148: Playmobil Dragon Tournament Knight Toy Fair Promo Figure
Day 1,154: Playmobil Magician with Genie Lamp Figure
Day 1,354: Playmobil Play Box 5638 Haunted House
Day 1,401: Playmobil 2016 Toy Fair Girl Figure
Day 1,451: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Cat Burglar
Day 1,461: Playmobil 5197 Sports & Action Table Tennis Players
Day 1,499: Playmobil 4766 Special Plus Table Pizza Baker
Day 1,557: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Asian Rice Worker
Day 1,577: Playmobil Toy Fair 2014 40th Birthday Princess
Day 1,581: Playmobil 2016 Toy Fair Pirate Figure
Day 1,583: Playmobil 5152 Future Planet E-Rangers Collectobot Figure
Day 1,584: Playmobil 6687 Super 4 Lost Island Figure Set
Day 1,585: Playmobil Figures Prisoner
Day 1,586: Playmobil 5572 City Life Ball Pit Set
Day 1,587: Playmobil 4741 Specials Space Ranger
Day 1,588: Playmobil 5562 Wild Life Beavers with Backpacker
Day 1,589: Playmobil 5239 Vampires
Day 1,590: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Tall Ghost
Day 1,591: Playmobil Wild Life 5559 Inflatable Boat with Explorers
Day 1,592: Playmobil 5898 4-Wheel Drive with Kayak and Ranger
Day 1,598: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Adventuress
Day 1,607: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Granny
Day 1,609: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures France Fan
Day 1,613: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Dark Fairy
Day 1,617: Playmobil 6824 Playmo-Friends Werewolf
Day 1,618: Playmobil 6823 Playmo-Friends Space Warrior
Day 1,631: Playmobil Knights Giant Troll with Dwarf Fighters
Day 1,641: Playmobil Playmo-Friends Flame Warrior
Day 1,650: Funko x Playmobil Willy Wonka
Day 1,654: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Sauna Woman
Day 1,657: Funko x Playmobil Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Black and White Raphael
Day 1,662: Playmobil Tigers
Day 1,684: Playmobil NHL 5069 Zamboni
Day 1,699: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Queen of Hearts
Day 1,728: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Space Ranger
Day 1,731: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9222 Slimer
Day 1,737: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Fire Wizard
Day 1,762: Playmobil 6099 Martin Luther
Day 1,764: Playmobil 5610 City Life Take Along
Day 1,772: Playmobil 6647 Alpacas
Day 1,774: Playmobil Summer Fun 5270 Porter with Luggage Cart
Day 1,784: Playmobil 6649 Penguins
Day 1,786: Playmobil 2017 Toy Fair Roman Troop Figure
Day 1,787: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Zombie
Day 1,791: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9221 Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Day 1,796: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Ghoul Butler
Day 1,799: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Pirate
Day 1,804: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Gnome
Day 1,810: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Captain America
Day 1,813: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9223 Venkman and Terror Dogs
Day 1,822: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Flaming Skull
Day 1,828: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Gladiator
Day 1,832: Funko x Playmobil Doctor Who Fourth Doctor
Day 1,836: Playmobil 6639 Gorillas
Day 1,839: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Baker
Day 1,844: Playmobil Pianist with Piano
Day 1,851: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9224 Spengler and Ghost
Day 1,856: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Buffalo Warrior
Day 1,861: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Princess
Day 1,865: Playmobil 6525 Detective
Day 1,892: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Rock Star
Day 1,899: Playmobil Special Plus Architect
Day 1,908: Funko x Playmobil Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder
Day 1,913: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Viking
Day 1,919: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Steampunk Warrior
Day 1,934: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Fisherwoman
Day 1,952: Playmobil 2018 Toy Fair Fairy Figure
Day 1,967: Playmobil 2018 Toy Fair Mountain Rescue Figure
Day 1,990: Playmobil 2013 Toy Fair Dinos Explorer Figure
Day 2,058: Playmobil Werewolf and Witch
Day 2,076: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9387 Zeddemore with Aqua Scooter
Day 2,079: Playmobil 2019 Toy Fair Pet Hotel Cat Expert Figure
Day 2,082: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9386 Spengler with Cage Car
Day 2,083: Playmobil Add-Ons 9804 Fire Brigade Accessories
Day 2,136: Playmobil Castle 6042 Castle Ghost with Rainbow LED
Day 2,139: Playmobil Mummy and Grim Reaper
Day 2,193: Playmobil 2020 Toy Fair Emergency Doctor Figure
Day 2,205: Playmobil Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine Vehicle with Figures
Day 2,219: Playmobil Scooby-Doo! 70287 Scooby and Shaggy with Ghost Figures
Day 2,231: Playmobil Back to the Future Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown Figures
Day 2,243: Playmobil Scooby-Doo! 70361 Adventure in the Mystery Mansion Playset
Day 2,255: Playmobil Back to the Future Advent Calendar with Figures
Day 2,325: Playmobil 2020 Toy Fair Mermaid Figure
Day 2,326: Playmobil 70177 Volkswagen Volkswagen Beetle
Day 2,327: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Confederate Soldier
Day 2,328: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9388 Stantz with Sky Bike
Day 2,329: Playmobil Pirates Ghost Whale Skeleton
Day 2,330: Playmobil 5754 Adventure Croc Boat
Day 2,331: Playmobil 5603 City Life Tour Bus
Day 2,332: Playmobil Scooby-Doo! 70286 Mystery Machine with Figures
Day 2,333: Playmobil The Movie Robotitron with Drone
Day 2,348: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Witch
Day 2,350: Playmobil Vampire and Frankenstein's Monster
Day 2,352: Playmobil 70634 Back to the Future Part II Hoverboard Chase
Day 2,354: Playmobil 70548 Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Playset
Day 2,356: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Day of the Dead Woman
Day 2,360: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Hula Girl
Day 2,362: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Hippie
Day 2,363: Playmobil 70576 Back to the Future Part III Advent Calendar with Figures
Day 2,365: Playmobil 70026 "Fi?ures" Figures Fire Sorceress
Day 2,367: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Skeleton Warrior
Day 2,368: Playmobil 5753 Seasonal Photo Santa Claus Figures
Day 2,370: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Knight
Day 2,372: Playmobil Adventure Treasure Robber Crawler
Day 2,373: Playmobil 70148 "Fi?ures" Figures Ninja
Day 2,375: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter
Day 2,377: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Cowgirl
Day 2,378: Playmobil 70148 "Fi?ures" Figures Puppeteer
Day 2,380: Playmobil 70148 "Fi?ures" Figures Opera Fan
Day 2,382: Playmobil 70148 "Fi?ures" Figures Duck Feeder
Day 2,390: Playmobil 71060 "Fi?ures" Figures Steampunk
Day 2,398: Playmobil 2013 Toy Fair Dinosaur Explorer Figure
Day 2,408: Playmobil 70876 Special Plus Child with Monster
Day 2,415: Playmobil Special Plus Special Operations Agent
Day 2,422: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Day of the Dead Man
Day 2,428: Playmobil 70873 Specials Plus Man with E-Scooter Action Figure
Day 2,430: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Skater Action Figure
Day 2,432: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Gargoyle
Day 2,466: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Vampire
Day 2,475: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Raffle Man
Day 2,481: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Paintball Man
Day 2,496: Schaper Playmobil 3591 Space Series Astronaut and Robot Figures
Day 2,518: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Gnome
Day 2,538: Playmobil 71010 Wiltopia Boat Trip to the Manatees Set
Day 2,663: Playmobil "Fi?ures" Figures Dutch Farm Girl

See more Ghostbusters items in Figure of the Day:
Day 498: Mattel Ghostbusters Zuul Action Figure
Day 801: Mattel Ghostbusters Slime Blower Ray Stantz Action Figure
Day 1,164: Funko Hikari Vinyl Ghostbusters Pink Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Day 1,538: Mattel Ghostbusters Ecto Mini Rowan
Day 1,543: Mattel Ghostbusters Ecto Mini Cockroach Ghost
Day 1,576: Mattel Ghostbusters Ecto Mini Ray Stantz
Day 1,731: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9222 Slimer
Day 1,791: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9221 Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Day 1,813: Playmobil Ghostbusters 9223 Venkman and Terror Dogs
Day 1,861 Playmobil Ghostbusters 9224 Spengler and Ghost
Day 2,076: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9387 Zeddemore with Aqua Scooter
Day 2,082: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9386 Spengler with Cage Car
Day 2,101: Fisher-Price Imaginext Series 7 Collectible Figures Buster of Ghosts
Day 2,144: The Coop Handmade by Robots Ghostbusters Slimer
Day 2,168: The Coop Handmade by Robots Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Day 2,197: Hasbro Transformers x Ghostbusters Collaborative Ectotron Action Figure
Day 2,310: Mattel Ghostbusters Walter Peck Action Figure
Day 2,328: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9388 Stantz with Sky Bike
Day 2,375: Playmobil The Real Ghostbusters 9385 Venkman with Helicopter

HTML Comment Box is loading comments...

Featured Toy Video

Click Here for 2020
Figure of the
Day 2021
January 2021
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31
February 2021
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28
March 2021
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031
April 2021
123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930
May 2021
1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031
June 2021
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930
July 2021
123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
August 2021
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031
September 2021
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930
October 2021
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31
November 2021
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930
December 2021
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
Click Here for 2022

16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal.
We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.