  Recent developments in the synthesis of colloidal particles allow for control
over shape and inter-particle interaction. One example, among others, is the
so-called "Mickey Mouse" (MM) particle for which the self-assembly properties
have been previously studied yielding a stable cluster phase together with
elongated, tube-like structures. Here, we investigate under which conditions a
fluid of Mickey Mouse particles can yield phase separation and how the
self-assembly behaviour affects the gas-liquid coexistence. We vary the
distance between the repulsive and the attractive lobes (bond length), and the
interaction range, and follow the evolution of the gas-liquid (GL) coexistence
curve. We find that upon increasing the bond length distance the binodal line
shifts to lower temperatures, and that the interaction range controls the
transition between phase separation and self-assembly of clusters. Upon further
reduction of the interaction range and temperature, the clusters assume an
increasingly ordered tube-like shape, ultimately matching the one previously
reported in literature. These results are of interest when designing particle
shape and particle-particle interaction for self-assembly processes.
