Probably a really stupid question about Play Mobil.

[SolitudeSometimesIs]

My lovely friend recently gave me all of the Play Mobil stuff that her kids have grown out of. So we now we have a pirate ship and a pyramid thing with all sorts of expansion packs and bits and bobs. We're planning to give the pirate ship to DS for Christmas from Santa and keep the pyramid for his birthday.

But here's the question; do we make up the Play Mobil pirate ship before we give it to him or do we leave it in it's box and he can make it up on Christmas Day? He'll be 4 in April so will it be easy for him to do or is it a long process to put it together? My other option was that we make up chunks of it that he can put together so he gets to build it but it won't take ages.

I clearly have no idea about any of this stuff so any advice is appreciated. DH will help DS put it together so it's not like DS won't have any help, he's mad about lego so has some skill when it comes to putting kits together.

Thanks.

I think most people tend to build the playmobil first as it's not like lego where the building is the fun part iyswim. Although we've always found building it together is quite nice. It is more the adult building it and the child helping though.

We don't build it beforehand. DH settles down with the child in question and they build it together while I drink wine and make suitable impressed noises at the right moments. It depends on the child though - given what you say about Lego, I think your DS might quite like building it with his dad.

Miranda I have never found that to be the case. My dc love building playmobil. I would give it to him in built.

Not built.

If you have the original box, I'd leave it in the box. I always think it's a bit rubbish for somebody else to have opened the present first.

My DH once spent the best part of three hours putting together a playmobil castle one Xmas eve, so if it's anything at all as complex it might be preferable to have it made up beforehand. Also, I imagine there'll be more of a wow factor to having it set up, sitting on the huge box ready to be played with.

Thanks for the replies!

We have the box, my friend is one of those super organised people, so we can give it to him in it. I think alcohol is an essential part of any toy building process so I'll join you in that Poledra

I suppose we could have a dry run putting it together and see how hard it is. DS would love to "help" his Dad build it but would lose his mind if he had to wait 3 hours. I have no experience of Play Mobil at all so I really don't know what to expect.

Also, would it be really naff if I turned our coffee table in to the ocean and put a little desert island on it? DH thinks it's way over the top, I think he's the grinch. I was thinking of just covering the table in shiny, sparkly wrapping paper and scrunching it up for waves.

It takes ages to put together and my daughter gets bored. We have the zoo, farm, and farm house. All took ages but I like putting stuff together so I assembled it after she unwrapped it while DH yard with her with the parts that don't need putting together like the animals :)

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I think turning your coffee table into the ocean is a fabulous idea - as long as you never want to use it for its original purpose ever again

Yeah, DH is worried about losing the use of the coffee table. I see it as an essential part of Christmas-y magic We can use other tables if needs be. I have been known to go a little over the top about this sort of thing though (I did once turn the same table in to a countryside when DS got a train set so we've been down this road before).

I think my son would be like your daughter Vicky, so I might just assemble the big ship and let DH and DS make up some of the smaller boats and have a play.

I would probably have a dry run just to make sure all the pieces are there

I think a dry run is a good idea. DH will be delighted at the thought

I would maybe try and build most of it and let him help finish it.. I've heard of too many bored kids who give up.
We had the summer holiday home/house. It took me 1 hr to build it.
I've let them build the swimming pool and it's buggered basically!!! It falls to pieces all the time.
But the summer house is still solid...
So, I would do the ocean table, legend idea...! And plonk the nearly built ship on it!