Product test

Advent calendar opened: a successful addition for Novelmore knights

12.11.2021

Translation: Megan Cornish

We tested out advent calendars so that you don't have to. We were allowed to open all the doors in October. That way, you know which calendar could be the right one for you.

A few weeks ago, we came up with a supposedly good idea: testing out advent calendars from our shop. The problem: we have 1,000 different ones available in our range. So, we decided to go with a random selection. Hit or miss?

Advent calendars

CHF114.–

Playmobil Novelmore

What does the manufacturer promise?

The Playmobil advent calendar from its Novelmore range should provide little ones with plenty of «chivalric fun». The set is called «Dario's Workshop», and the 24 doors contain figures and items including a telescope, compass, quill and bookshelf – «cool extras», according to the product description. Almost as add-ons to the advent calendar itself, there are also two pieces of wall and a watchtower that you can put together in preparation for the pieces that you’ll find behind the doors.

What can it do?

This advent calendar doesn’t make the mistake that many others do. The castle pieces create a good base right from the start, so you don’t have to wait for the contents of the 24 doors. We’re «only» talking about walls and a tower, but sometimes that’s enough. New elements are added day by day until you reveal five figures and a dragon on Christmas Eve. Some days provide more fun than others, such as the books behind door 9 that go in the bookshelf you got the previous day.

Who is it right for?

Fans of knights and castles – the recommended age is four to ten years – will love this advent calendar. There’ll be even more excitement if the recipient already has a Knights of Novelmore castle because two extra walls and a tower with a crossbow and catapult will bolster their fortress’s defences. The sets are compatible with numbers 70222 and 702220 («Great castle of the artefact knights»).

Is it worth the money?

The set contains 135 pieces. That’s a lot less than you’ll find in LEGO advent calendars in the same price bracket. But the Playmobil concept is different. The child will enjoy having help from Mum or Dad with the build and then diving into a fantasy world where knights do heroic deeds, tame dragons or guard treasure. The figures in «Dario's Workshop» particularly impressed me. Some of the accessories, such as the ladder, bucket and telescope are duplicates from the 70220 set. Even the watchtower is also included with the castle, so there’s a bit of a deduction for that.

Rating: 22 out of 24 doors

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Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.

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