Space Case

I am absolutely loving these Playmobil Fi?ures! So much silly simple fun in a small blind bagged package!

In order not to go crazy and buy them all, I have set myself a limit: only collect ones wearing helmets or masks. What can I say, it's a fetish.

So far that philosophy has worked out well for me through Series 1 (Zorro and the Executioner) and with other Playmobil figures outside the 'Fi?ures' theme (Witch Doctor); and now with this guy in Series 2 (Elvis doesn't count - he was for the Mrs.)

But I do need to rethink that philosophy for the girl figures, because I had to have two from Series 2 and neither are wearing a mask or helmet. Both are deadly (a Vampire and Lara Croft) so maybe that's my female Playmobil collecting philosophy: she must be deadly.

I'll work on that.

In the meantime, let's check out my number-one must have from Series 2.

Most of us in the toy collecting world who grew up in the late seventies/early eighties have an ingrained love for Star Wars toys. We played with them, collected them, and quite possibly had bootlegs, knock-offs or just 'inspired by' toys that we squeezed right into our adventures either out of necessity (someone needs to fill the vacant C3PO role) or just because we had imaginations and knew how to have fun with our toys.

This Space Alien baddie reminds me so much of those 'Galaxy Insurgence' or 'Space Combat' or 'Nebula Armed Disagreement' toys of those bygone days. I simply had to have him!

But let's get one thing straight: This guy is not Darth Vader. He's quite far from Darth Vader in most aspects, really. Yet he 'seems' like Darth Vader. He's like a pale shadow of Darth Vader's greatness (kind of like Hayden Christiansen - ZING!)

He's wearing (almost) all black - yet silver boots add to the seventies-space-opera mystique. He's got some wiring on his chest. He's wearing a full length black cape. He's wearing a full face helmet with what appears to be a vent for breathing. His belt buckle has some sort of galactic affiliation symbol on it...

Nope, he isn't Darth Vader at all!

See! Remove his helmet and he's just a happy-go-lucky green alien with yellow hair, who probably needs a drink every now and then and gets his refreshments with his Hammerheaded and Snaggletoothed pals. 

Oh yeah, if it was 1980 I would so be adding this guy to my Star Wars battles. He'd make a great Darth Vader decoy!

'Luke, I am the neighbor of your third cousin twice removed on your uncle Larry's side. Join me and together we shall work together in middle management as neighbor of a third cousin twice removed on a guy's uncle Larry's side and some other guy too!'

Darth Vader Knock-off Code:
35511  0561
003988
5157  01