"New"-style Playmobil advent calendars - what are they like?

[dreamygirl]

Hi, just interested to hear from anyone who has got one of the newer Playmobil advent calendars, the kind which come ready-packed and (I think) all attached to the backing ready to start.

We have one of the old kind, where you are obliged to unpack everything, make all the boxes and fill them, then hook them onto the backing board. I didn't mind having a little play putting the work in initially and after the first time it became part of our packing-away-the-decorations ritual to put them all back in the right boxes. We've had it for several years now and do it every year, DDs really enjoy building up all the scene and trying to remember what's coming next each day now we've done it a few times.

However I was looking at getting another one just for a bit of a change and that was when I realised about the changes in style (I know they've been around a few years but haven't been looking and even when I got ours it wasn't the newest one on the market). I'd like to know what they are like, how does it work? And - most importantly - can you repack and reuse them? Might sound stingy but tbh I wouldn't spend the money if you could only use them once, even if they could have the Playmobil out of it after. I have got visions of them maybe being in some sort of blister pack that you have to break through to get them out (like a chocolate advent calendar) and throw the calendar away after, but I can't find any pictures to help.

Any comments gratefully received!

[I8toys]

Unfortunately new ones are like the chocolate advent calendars - one big box with perforated doors with contents in bags inside. We have the old style too and much prefer putting contents in and setting it all up - its part of our christmas ritual.

In previous years bought the dinosaur expedition one and the police one - both new version and the contents have just ended up in the playmobil box.

Got the christmas post office one this year and can't tell if its old style or new style. Will have to wait and see.

Also bought Lego and moshi monster calendars too - the build up to christmas is so much more exciting than the actual day itself (in my opinion!).

[dreamygirl]

Thanks, in that case I'll do some more searching around and try and find another old one. I really wouldn't want not to be able to check it myself in advance as the one we have now had some bits missing which we had to send off for. In fact, it's probably too late to send for bits now so I might have to leave it till next year!!

Hope your post office one turns out to be satisfactory!

[ReshapeWhileDamp]

Look on ebay and see if you can find some unused old stock?

The old-style ones are before my time, but DS1 had the dinosaur one last year, and setting up the backdrop was fiddly enough, so I'm quite glad the bits came already packed behind the doors! We have the woodland Santa one this year, as the Dinosaur one's pieces have been distributed round the house (and very enthusiastically played with). He did use the card backdrop for most of the year, though, and it's only just fallen apart. I'm thinking, because the woodland one is more Christmassy, that I might retrieve the pieces and use them next year. If he lets me.