Playmobil unveils 'Back to the Future' playset at New York Comic-Con

Two years ago, German toy company Playmobil partnered with U.S. toy company Funko on a set of six-inch figurines of Doc Brown and Marty McFly from "Back to the Future." It was apparently the first time Playmobil licensed movie franchise property, and — 32 years after BTTF entered theaters — helped allay the dearth of collectibles for a still-popular cinema trilogy. At last week's New York Comic-Con, Playmobil announced more BTTF goods, covered by Space, no less. The biggest kit is a hero set that includes Doc, Marty, Doc's dog Einstein, a time-traveling DeLorean DMC-12 and accessories such as Marty's skateboard, Doc's remote control and plutonium case, and the hooked rod Doc rigged for the DeLorean to ride the lightning.

A second Playmobil set consists of the 1955 versions of Doc and Marty. Doc gets accessorized with a newspaper, and Marty gets a red electric guitar for channeling his inner Chuck Berry. 

The six-inch figurines created with Funko are available now from third-party sites like Amazon; Funko sells Marty McFly for $54.95, a company called Off the Wall sells Doc Brown for $12.68. With Playmobil reasserting the six-inch set at NYCC, it looks like there'll be a new allocation available next year, perhaps with more equitable pricing. Playmobil didn't announce pricing for its new in-house sets, which aren't due until May 2020. Unlike the Funko collaborations, which are produced in China, Playmobil will make its sets in Europe, at its primary facility in Malta and elsewhere on the Continent. If you don't want to wait that long, Playmobil sells a hero set of the Ghostbusters Ecto-1, four figurines, and accessories on its site right now.