Dragons are cool. I have always thought that dragons were awesome, even as a young girl. Back in the day (my youth), I was fascinated by dragons from China and other Asian countries. So much so, when my mom took a trip to China (by herself I might add… long before cellphones), she made sure to bring home as many dragon related souvenirs she could for me. Some where in our basement storage I have a few of those dragons that she gave me.

The dragons you see on television and in movies these days are much different than the ones I grew up with. The dragons you see in movies today are fierce, or in some cases, friendly. Take for example the dragon Toothless from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. He’s not ferocious at all. In fact, he’s sweet and adorable.

I think that franchise made dragons popular with children. When the movie first came out, all I saw every where was Toothless and other character merchandise from the film It was so popular that it created another movie and television serious.

If your child love dragons, and/or the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, then you’ll want to check out these fun sets from PLAYMOBIL. They are based of the popular television series, Dragons: The Nine Realms, which is part of that How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Set 1,300 years after the events of How To Train Your Dragon, dragons are now just a legend to the modern world. When a geological anomaly opens up an immense, miles-deep fissure in the Earth’s surface, scientists from all over the world gather at a new research facility to study the mysterious phenomenon. Soon a group of misfit kids, brought to the site by their parents, uncover the truth about dragons and where they’ve been hiding – a secret they must keep to themselves to protect what they’ve discovered.

I am honestly not familiar with the new series, but I did ask my kids at work (aka, my “work kids”) if they heard of the show before, and a few of them said they did. I believe it’s on Hulu.

PLAYMOBIL was kind enough to send me a couple of sets from the collection to check out for myself (as well as to excite my “work kids” who were more than happy to play with the sets when I donated them where I work).

Dragons: Nine Realms Thunder & Tom

With the Thunder & Tom playset, you can now bring the dragon fun home. Thunder can move all four legs as well as his head and wings. The integrated saddle allows Tom to ride on Thunder. The back scales of Thunder feature a light module and he can shoot plasma arrows out of his mouth. This is done by inserting an arrow into the dragon’s mouth and then closing it. By pushing down the head or ears, the arrow is shot out of the mouth again.

The set includes Dragons: The Nine Realms characters Tom Kullersen and his dragon Thunder with light module and shooting function, three arrows, a Viking helmet, a drone, a flashlight and other great extras.

Okay… what kid is not going to love this toy. Light mode? Plasma arrows that shoot from the dragon’s mouth? Cool!

 

I played around with the shoot arrows at home, since I didn’t want to take a chance of the kids using it at work ONLY BECAUSE I know the kids, and they would shoot the arrows across the room and they will get lost, only to get swept up and discarded by the custodians. As much as I’d love for them to play with that fun feature, I knew that the pieces would get lost that same day. This is the reason why I have a box full of miscellaneous game pieces at work. I think I can create my own game with the sheer number of game pieces I have.

FYI… cats love to chase the shooting arrows too, as I came to find out the hard way. Ha Ha.

Anyway…

They love the light up feature. There is a button on the dragon’s back that makes the scales light up. I bet it looks even cooler in the dark.

The dragon is HUGE. I took a photo of it next to an ordinary pair of scissors to give you an idea.

It’s cool how the figurine sits on the dragon’s neck so he can ride around the skies on him, just like in the films and television series.

The dragon’s mouth opens and closes too, so that you can insert the arrows, or pretend it’s eating or talking. Whatever your child would like to do.

There are plenty of extras with this set.

The drone is cool. And I LOVE the food pieces. Just check out the detail, right down to the sesame seeds on the hamburger bun and toppings on the pizza. In fact, check out the details in the book, and even the flashlight has a yellow end to make it look like the light is on. PLAYMOBIL never ceases to impress me with the incredible details and workmanship that goes into all their sets.

Another fun set from the Dragons of the Nine Realms is PLAYMOBIL’s their Wu & Wei with Jun set.

Wu & Wei with Jun

The PLAYMOBIL dragon figure Wu & Wei is equipped with movable legs as well as heads and necks. The large wings can be turned in all directions. With the saddles, Jun and Eugene can ride on the dragon. A fire or ice arrow can be shot from each of the two dragon heads. To insert the arrow, the mouth is opened by pulling down the chin bar and then closed again. The arrow shot can also be triggered by pulling the chin bar.

The set includes the Dragons: The Nine Realms characters Jun Wong and Eugene, double-headed dragon Wu & Wei, a backpack with dragon Bubblehorn, two saddles, 2 projectiles, a large crystal and other cool extras.

This large dragon is awesome because it’s like having two dragons in one. It’s a two headed dragon that comes with two figures. The mouths open on both of the dragons too.

I’m sorry that my photos didn’t turn out as good.

As you can see from one of the above photos, it’s another large dragon (like Thunder), compared to the size of a normal pair of scissors.

There are plenty of accessories that come with this set too.

The arrows (above) that are blue and red came with this set. I think I might have got the yellow one mixed up with the Thunder & Tom set.

Both of these dragons shoot arrows out of their mouths like Thunder does. Simply insert it into the dragon’s mouth until it clicks, then launch them.

The characters can ride this dragon (or would it be dragons?) at the same time as well.

I don’t know what the little crystals are for, but I find the cards very impressive. Again, PLAYMOBIL never disappoints when it comes to the details in their pieces.

Another set I received to review from PLAYMOBIL, which is one of the most frequently played sets, is the brand’s Icaris Lab.

Dragons: The Nine Realms -Icaris Lab

The Icaris lab can be entered through two swinging doors. The research section houses analytical equipment, computers and a projection table for examining rock samples and evaluating drone images. In the roof area of the station is the drone landing pad. The large drone can be controlled from here. A foot clamp is integrated in the center of the top of the drone so that a figure can fly along standing up. Also includes a working cannon.

Included in the set is Dragons: The Nine Realms character Dr. Olivia Kullersen and another PLAYMOBIL figure, a Terrible Terror, the Icaris research station with analyzer, research table, computer and monitors, a drone with movable rotors and firing function and many other exciting extras. The legs, lower jaw and wings of the Terrible Terror are movable.

I say that this set it played with a lot because we have other PLAYMOBIL pieces and figures at work, and my “work kids” love having a building that is scaled to the size of the figurines. They sometimes play with it as part of the “dragon world,” and other times they play with it in other ways.

There are areas to play with this building in the front and the back, as well as on the roof top.

This set comes with two figurines, and other accessories. One of the kids’ favorite is the little dragon.

This set also comes with a drone, but it’s much large than the one in the first set that I reviewed (above). This drone can also be charged directly on the rooftop.

The doors on this building open and close.

I love the features on the inside of this building. There is a lot to see and do, with plenty of technology (computers) to be found inside. I think that is another reason why my “work kids” love this set.

All of these sets can be be fully enjoyed on their own, but combined they made for some fantastic fun.

PLAYMOBIL has a few other playsets from the Dragons: The Nine Realms world that you can check out here (this is NOT an affiliate link).

You can learn more about these and other playsets from PLAYMOBIL at PLAYMOBIL.us (notice that it’s .us, NOT .com).

You can also check out the brand on social media.

What do you think about these sets? Is your child a fan of dragons and/or the series? Feel free to comment. I always love to hear from readers.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.