From my experience, the best playsets EVER...

The Batman Returns Batcave
80's TMNT Sewer

Some runners up...
-Back when Disney's Hercules came out, who ever made the toys came out with a Gym playset. Had a weightlifting bench, other excersize equipment, and came with a Hercules and Pegasus figures. And it could all nicely fold up for easy carrying and traveling. A nice little hangout for Herc.
-In the mid 90's Walmart and Dollar General (of all places) came out with these action figure accessories. They weren't part of any line, but they fit most of the figures of that time. They came out with this fortress type thing. It was grey, had twin guard towers, space inside to park vehicles. A jail, a nice little computer console. firing missiles. It was a good yard across and pretty big. Two levels high. I wish I had kept that thing.

In recent times the best playset I have found is the blue JLU Watchtower carry case.
Yeah it is really simple, but it works great for me. I love the little diorama playset inside.
Its kinda sad though that this thing was miles above the actual watchtower playset that mattel came out with. That thing sucked to the highest heights and lowest lows.

I remember I always wanted the MMPR Command Center playset, but even back then that thing was way to expensive.
I also really hate how there really aren't any playsets anymore. Stupid oil prices and kids not playing with toys that much anymore.

I believe that for a playset to be a success today, it needs to also be good as a display. As a collector, this is how I look at any idea I try to develop. Toy companies here are still stuck in the mentality that toys are for kids, even the ones making collector figures because playsets are still considered "toys", not collectables. If we can convince a toy company that it can be a collectable too, we might have a chance of getting it made.

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The next time you go to TRU, look at more than the action figure aisle. Schleich has some really nice playsets for their solid resin cast figurines that are roughly 1/18 scale, or 3 3/4 inch for those not keeping score. The Knights Castle looks very nice in the box art but there are no pics of the actual item, and at $160.00, it damn well better be. There were 2 smaller sets, a tree house and a sundial, as well as some rural structures.
Next stop is the science aisle. Animal Planet has put out some nice box sets with 1/18 scale figures, animals, and vehicles. For you freaks out there they have a giant Pirranha big enough to swallow a figure whole! And with Halloween coming up, I also saw a giant remote control Tarantula.

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Pic of a couple of playset accessories I designed on the computer and printed on cardstock.


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Saw this at CVS, think it would make a cool display or custom playset.


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My Hall of Armor custom playset in progress.

For more pics check out my Cattscustomcollection thread.

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I GOT IT! Tonight I talked them out of it!

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Ninja Turtles turtle lair playset....best one ever haha.

Gotta say, I find this one hard to top:

Actually-- all of the Muppet Show Playsets are amazing (especially Backstage and Chefs Kitchen)
The Buffy Library is pretty cool as well..

And Im kind of partial to the Collectors Lair from the Simpsons Playmates line....

Those Muppets playsets really are awesome. I don't think they work well with anything else though.

I think for a playset to be really successful, it needs to:

1) Be spacious yet confined. Nothing worse than tiny little places with tight corners you can barely fit ONE figure in, but having more than two walls to work with is so key.

2) Be nicely sculpted. If you're an icy fortress, have nice ice.

3) Offer at least one "action feature". This can be as simple as a door that opens or a "break-away" window.

4) Be reusable. Throw some paint on it and WHAM! It can be used for another toyline.


The only set I can think of that really meets all of these is the Ghostbuster HQ set. It constantly gets reused because it's the only really completed building toy collectors have to work with and use as a backdrop!

The Batcaves (Whether from Returns or B:TAS, etc) were nice, but a tad bit cramped. Sure, you could open it up, but try getting Batman to walk around his console, for example. Too tight.

Castle Greyskull is pretty good, but I don't think the layout is especially grand. I think the Filmation castle looked better, for starters and had a more interesting interior. Too bad that back half wasn't swapped out for wall that had a staircase leading to a throne for the Sorceress. Maybe a chest containing the "Secrets of Greyskull" or something. And yes, I know the toys came before the show...

She-Ra's Crystal Castle was a really cool playset...but not really for She-Ra! The whole "this is a pretty house!" approach could have been used on a Whispering Woods set instead. Imagine - a few tall trees that can shift back and forth to block the Horde, a main tent with a bed, a table with a map, bendy branches, a Twigget figure and a little hidden space for Adora to transform - voila! The Castle, I felt, should have featured a Light Hope component. Again - the difference between the toys and the shows.

I really like this thread! I enjoy hearing about playsets I was never aware of...so keep linking to pictures please

The castle from the Chronicles of Narnia is a real nice playset. Makes for a great Cast Doom or Clan Destro castle.

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS YET!!!!!!

Collect and Connect HALL OF JUSTICE coming in 2011

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Where did you see this?