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Playmobil Toy Review: Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine

Playmobil Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine (70286)
$49.99 Ages 5+ | 72 pieces.

One of the icons of the Scooby Doo cartoon series is the van that the gang travels in, the Mystery Machine.

Recognized for its psychedelic paint job, this van is the mobile base for the gang. Playmobil released a set with the Mystery Machine that is an exclusive to War-Mart through May 2020. Here’s a look and review of the set.

Here’s the full set. With vehicle comes three of the Scooby gang and more than a few accessories. The van can be opened at the side:

or at the back:

There is a full interior in the back, with two seats by the side door, and a folding bench (in orange) at the side.

When folded, the bench the makes room for the accessory tray. The rear door close and lock in place, which the side door swings out and then snaps closed. There’s also a roof that can be removed.

The front cab of teh van can be accessed easily too. The top and windshield pops off.

with plenty of room for two figures and cupholders!

You get three figures:

actually these:

Daphne, Velma, and Fred. The girls have skirts that are built on them so they can sit. Daphne’s scarf and Velma’s and Fred’s collar are also attached.

The figures are articulated at the wrists, arms, legs, and head. They can sit, but Velma’s skirt is a little too long, so when she sits too far, it rise up and splits apart. She gets a slightly more relaxed sitting position.

There are plenty of accessories:

You get two cups, a flashlight, a magnifying glass (that works), a map, three ghost files, a file folder box, a donut, a piece of pizza, a hot dog, two boxes of Scooby Snacks, one detector, one camera with strap, and a trap to hold everything. All of these are designed so the can be held by the figures.

Here’s a closer look at the ghost files and detector, which have stickers you put on.

The ghost files are for the ghost file reader, a special gadget that is in the van.

This is removable, and is battery powered. The top button turns on the lights on the left console, which then have a slow pulsing action.

The bottom button turns on the tray on the right. If a ghost file is in the tray, the light shines through.

And the light is bright – too bright to actually see whats on the file, but it’s a nice idea. Removing and replacing the reader in the van isn’t hard, but you’ll trip the light switches if you’re not careful.

The instruction book has character biographies of the Scooby gang and building guides for the van. Generally the van is an easy build. The only step that is a challenge is inserting the seats, because the seats have an anchor part that uses a special tool to insert:

It takes a little effort to insert the anchors, but after that, it’s smooth sailing.

The Playmobil van has minor differences from the show version:

  • it has rear view mirrors.
  • the luggage bars on the top are rotated.
  • there’s no spare tire at the front

A nice touch is the license plate.

So is this worth getting? If you are a Scooby collector, it’s a pretty easy yes. It’s a nice set with lots of display value. It also has a lot of play value for kids, as it is in the same scale as all the other Playmobil toys – so it can cross themes! So Scooby-Doo could meet the Ghostbusters! (don’t laugh – Scooby-Doo has crossed over with Batman!)

Maybe they have already met the Ghostbusters – that would explain what appears to be a Nutrona wand in the van!

The Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine is now available at War-Mart and sells for $49.99. One AAA battery is needed for the Ghost File Reader.

You can order the set at Walmart.com.

And here’s some more photos

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