As an avid Lego fan, I somehow missed the boat on the Playmobil toy series. As a child I remember Playmobil sets having generic themes like farmer, or police station, and I put them in the same category as Fisher Price, i.e. toys for little kids. It’s only recently that I discovered that Playmobil has produced a series of toys aimed at an older audience, yearning for geek-centric pop-culture nostalgia with the likes of Star Trek and Back to the Future.

When I saw the much, much lower price tag of the Playmobil Back to the Future DeLorean set, I decided that it was time to jump in and see how Playmobil compared to the undisputed king of pop culture licensees, Lego.

The build process

I knew going into it that the build process would be less complicated or satisfying than a proper, 18+ Lego set. In fact, if I’m being honest, I suppose I didn’t realize that Playmobil sets even had a build process to speak of. At my Grandma’s house, I always remembered the Playmobil sets just kind of being there. If my Grandmother spent an hour or two assembling the sets, it was completely unbeknownst to me.

The included characters are charming with plenty of screen-accurate details.

In either case, the build process, while simplified to Lego, was indeed satisfying. The instructions were clear and logical, and I had little struggle following the steps using the high-quality instruction manual. If I had one gripe, it was the reliance on stickers as often plagues many otherwise enjoyable Lego builds. To Playmobil’s credit, the stickers were very high quality, and their application made sense within the context of the build.

Accuracy and details

This is where the set really started to shine. A great deal of care and attention went into making the DeLorean a satisfying replica of the famous car, with tons of attention to detail and references from the films. Everything here is accounted for, from the fusion reactor with swappable plutonium fuel modules, to the removable lightning rod from the climax of the first film.

Even the characters are not lacking for movie-accurate touches and details. Doc Brown comes equipped with not one, but two wrist watches, and Einstein (the dog) has a printed stopwatch affixed to his neck. These figures might be a step above the Lego minifig renditions, owing to their ample size, while still retaining the cartoonish charm of a toy figure.

Yes, even the flux capacitor lights up with the included LED module.

And how can I not mention the most exciting part of all, the lighting system? Going into the build, I didn’t realize that there was an included LED module/battery pack that would illuminate the blue piping around the car. Using a clever system of light pipes, a single array of LEDs is able to re-direct the light around the vehicle, and even light up the Flux capacitor inside the car’s cockpit. Two settings allow you to emit a constant stream of light, or an alternating pattern that creates a light show effect. The lighting system truly pushed the set over the top into another category in my opinion.

Final thoughts

If you’re looking to save some cash over the eye-watering Lego DeLorean set, the Playmobil Back to the Future DeLorean is a great choice. There’s no comparison when it comes to price, and you will be immensely satisfied by the charm and attention to detail that comes with this set.