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Top 5 Marvelous Mini Play Sets

Sparking our Imaginations

By Robert T. Trate     October 09, 2009


The Star Wars Dagobah play set by Kenner
© Bob Trate

 

“Play sets, where have you gone?” was a question I asked just little over a year ago (see column). The era of the massive toy play set is gone. The G.I. Joe Headquarters has been replaced with a mobile command center. This is nothing but a big vehicle that has hefty price tag and unfolds like a TV tray (see image). Sorry to go all blue on you but this sucks. The price is astronomical and these new mobile command centers either fall apart or lose all their pieces. You’ll find these items at Toys R US or Target just sitting there collecting dust. What you won’t find anymore are mini play sets. They aren’t as mesmerizing as the Cobra Terror Dome or Snake Mountain but they helped create a world nonetheless. In searching for the top five mini play sets it became extremely difficult not to fall completely into the Star Wars and G.I. Joe collections. Hasbro it seems had that market cornered. So with out further ado here are Mania’s Top 5 Marvelous Mini play sets.
 

Mini Play Sets

5. G.I. Joe’s Transportable Tactical Battle Platform
 
Perhaps one of the biggest “mini” play sets ever takes the number five spot because it could only be transported by G.I. Joe Tomahawk Helicopters. The Transportable Tactical Battle Platform had a store shelf life from 1985 to 1987. Complete with mini heli-pad for the G.I. Joe Sky Hawk, MIM-72 Surface to Air Missiles and dual 75 MM “Defender” Cannons. For such a small play set it had a lot of bite. What truly made this mini play set perfect was that you could drop it anywhere. Perfect for the back yard, the living room or grandma’s house the T.T.B.P. was the key to your victory. Sure the G.I. Joe Headquarters was massive but who wants to wait for the Cobra to show up? This eighties gem was the perfect launch pad to start your attack.
 

Mini Play Sets

4. Doctor Who’s TARDIS
 
The Doctor literally goes nowhere with out it. It has taken him from one side of the universe to the other and to the very end of time itself. The fourth spot on our list goes to probably the most essential mini play set, Doctor Who’s TARDIS. The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) originally had the ability to change its appearance to blend in with its environment. One of the Doctor’s adventures in 1950’s London had it take the shape of a police box. Shortly thereafter it was damaged and it has remained that way ever since. As play sets go having just the police box version of the TARDIS might be enough to fly you around the galaxy but since the TARDIS has no weaponry it’s just a blue box. By having the complete play set the adventure can really begin as the Doctor and his companion struggle with what’s outside the door.
 

Mini Play Sets

3. The Hordak Slime Pit
 
Easily one of the coolest toys from the eighties as this mini play set not only struck fear into the hearts of the heroes but the villains as well. Hordak truly was evil as the box indicates because poor evil Beast Man was the first to get slimed. Mattel released this bizarre torture device as part of their Masters of the Universe line. It was to transform its victims into, according to the package, “mindless slime zombies, who are totally loyal to Hordak”. Let’s face it though. What we really loved was the slime. Dripping and oozing its way from the giant dinosaur skull it covered our Masters of the Universe figures, save one. It was recommended that Moss Man steer clear of the evil slime for it would ruin him. Regardless, it is one of the all time great mini play sets as it ushered in the era of slimy toys and accessories.
 

Mini Play Sets

2. The Well of the Souls
 
The Raider’s of the Lost Ark toy line is one of the most sought after collections from the eighties. It had only had a few figures, vehicles and play sets. Though the Raider’s Map Room play set from the film is a must have for collectors it falls short for several reasons. We’re you interested in reliving finding where the ark was hidden or actually finding the ark? The Well of the Souls indeed had the ark and more notably had a cover for the ark sporting none other than R2-D2 and C-3PO. Kenner didn’t miss a trick with this cross promotion but more importantly these caricatures were identical to the props used in the film. The Well of the Souls also had a mummy, tons of snakes, a rope, torches and a breakaway wall. Kenner did it right for this toy line in the short time it had. This mini play set in a word, was perfect.
 

Mini Play Sets

1. Dagobah
 
The marvelous thing about all Star Wars toys was that they kept the adventure going after the film ended. There are numerous play sets spanning from Tatooine to the forest moon of Endor. Each supplied hours upon hours of adventure. The play set that many fans had Luke Skywalker coming back to was Dagobah. We all wanted to see Luke complete his training and to do that he had to return to Yoda. Complete with a “bog”, force moveable boxes and a mini Sith influenced hallucinogenic cave helps Dagobah take the number one spot. The Empire Strikes Back was not only the hay day for the Star Wars saga but it also ushered in an onslaught of toys and action figures that makes Star Wars a giant in the toy collecting universe. Dagobah might look like a couple pieces of plastic with a few moveable parts and accessories however it will forever be that magical place where Luke returned to complete his training and sparked our imaginations.  
 
Robert Trate writes two weekly columns for Mania the DVD Shopping Bag and the Toy Maniac. Robert also participates in a pod cast that reviews movies, comics and celebrates all things geek. Check it out at You’ve Got Geek on You.com.

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Showing items 1 - 10 of 16
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thecheckeredman 10/9/2009 6:17:04 AM

THE SLIME PIT was a fantastic playset!  I loved this one...  DEGOBAH was pretty spiffy too, the foam "mud pit" was a truely unique feature, though I personally played with the Hoth battle play sets much more than Degobah.

Good list!

littlemikey979 10/9/2009 6:30:11 AM

My mom HATED the slime that came in playsets back then. I remember my little brother and I used to put that stuff in our hair (I dont know why we did that). What exactly was that stuff anyways?

moonsunne 10/9/2009 6:48:52 AM

 Ewok Village Baby

digmapper 10/9/2009 6:52:19 AM

Still have the Dagobah playset (foam pit has disappeared over the years), along with the Endor playset. I have them set up with my other Star Wars things that I had when I was a kid. My kids now drool at the sight of them as they walk by, eagerly await for a chance to play with them. I am not a collecter. All my Star Wars toys were played with quite a bit. Fortunately, I kept them in pretty good shape so I am waiting for my kids to get a little older before I let them enjoy what I did so long ago. Good Times!

DarthDuck 10/9/2009 8:27:22 AM

Yeah, slime was not appreciated in my house as a kid.  He-Man and Ghostbusters both came with slime.  Clean it up right away was a lesson quickly learned...

Flint521466 10/9/2009 8:39:07 AM

I love these toy retrospectives!  They always take me back to better days. 

dnbritt 10/9/2009 9:54:48 AM

I was in a store in Cary Towne Centre the other day called Stuff n Such, just a little temporary setup that basically serves as the world's best yard sale.  It has tons of old action figures from all sorts of lines, some in the package some out.  So I'm working my way through it oohing and ahhing at all this crazy stuff (my wife's eyes were about to roll out of the back of her head), when I get to the back and what do they have?  An incredibly dusty, very old, but essentially complete Cobra Terrordrome, the greatest playset of all time.  I didn't even ask the price cause it only took one glance from my wife and the subsequent look on her face to know there was nowhere I could put this in the house that would ensure further "relations" between the two of us.  Oh well.

avidfan 10/9/2009 10:56:59 AM

Ewok Village is right Moon!  First thing I thought of when I started the article.  Caste Grey Skull was cool too. http://www.persona-non-grata.com

almostunbiased 10/9/2009 2:04:00 PM

Of all the star wars sets I would not have chosen Dagoba.  Hoth was way better.  But How about the friggin DEATH STAR!  HELLO???

mbeckham1 10/9/2009 2:41:29 PM

The Slime Pit Struck fear into the hearts of Masters of the Universe heroes, villains, and your real life parents.  Gotta admire the craftsmenship of that slime.  Just viscuous enough to cover your action figures without any help from anything but gravity, but it wouldn't permanently stick to anything.  except Moss man.

Loved the Cloud City Playset.  Not really a mini play set but it has to be one of the all time greatest playsets in general.  It had a hing where you could put Han solo into a chamber and switch the action figure to a platform with Han solo encased in Carbonite, and you could even remove that platform  and it had movable platforms where you could attach your Light saber Lukre and Vader and you could slide the plaforms around to makre them sworsd fight.  Awesome.  And it even had a trapdoor somewhere I think. 

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