Hello Playmofriends!
Led by my own previous posting and the interest shown by some of the members of this forum toward Antex’s products, I decided to go out and get an Antex Playmobil (after 20 years) and write a review.
So this is what I got for 9 dollars. Set #13570. (if I remember correctly Antex coding numbers go from 9000 and up) Pirate with boat and treasure.
Let’s star with the box.
The design of the box looks pretty updated though the graphics are a bit dull and looks amateurish. At the back side you can see the contents of the box. The cartboard is a little thinner that the European one and looks cheaper.
Now, paraphrasing the famous line by Forrest Gump: “live is like a box of chocolates….” We are here intituled to say “Antex is like a box of chocolates, you never know hat you are gonna get”!!!
The contents are a bit different from what you can see in the pics of the box. Not the elements themselves but the colors. This often happens in sets made in Spain too. But let’s take a look piece by piece.
The clicky is of the classic design. The matrix used is the one of 1974, in fact it says under the feet Geobra 1974. Antex’s clickies always says “geobra” btw. I don’t like the design but I can see the effort to make it look more “pirate-ish” with the high black boots painted and the “coat’s” buttons. Some collar must have made it look better.
The hat looks cool. The feather as well, even if it is not the feather in the description.
As you can see head and arms have harsh edges and mold marks. The eyes and mouth look odd. They are injected like the rest of Playmobil but weirdly they look painted. Hair has also harsh edges and that particular plastic looks cheap.
The hands, I don’t know if you can notice from these photos, but are odd. (see first pic of the clicky) They look too curvy (the inner part) and are a bit smaller and thinner than normal. Grip is good though.
Accessories are the coolest thing in the box. The finishing of these looks a lot better than the clicky itself. As you can see colours do not match those in the box, again.
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I’ve never seen this trunk before, just like this I mean. Only with the king’s seal in old sets but it’s absent in this one. I like it a lot. It looks very well made and the closure is perfect. It was a good surprise to see it in brown instead of yellow like the picture.
Now exactly the opposite occurred with the boat. It was really a disappointment to see it in yellow. It is the old version, even the roams have the old grip, and the feet grip is absent, but the construction is FLAWLESS. Best thing of the set!!!
Another nice surprise was the coins. It is strange but this type of plastic is a lot harder and heavier than the rest, and grey coins really look metal-like. Even when you hold them. To me the downside of this is that golden coins are not the right colour. They are a greenish gold that just looks weird! (doesn’t show in the pics)
After all the clicky is bad but the rest is pretty good actually. All Antex needs to do is better clicky designs and more clicky quality. That would put them in the right track. The rest is rather good.
Positive purchase after all, which will enhance my pirate collection!!!
Cheers!
Gaston.
