I am MAD!! I just dove into a new theme PLAYMOBIL CARGO

[The_Mad_Hadder]

Do to the nature of my business, this theme actually fits well and I have been given the green light to set up a diorama display at the office. This is the first order of items that arrived today:

, unfortunately Playmobil stopped making the container car 4126, you cannot even buy replacment parts so it is off to ebay to buy these. I also need to pick up 3 of set 4210 Crane (these are used to load containers from the dock onto the rail cars.

Playmobil was helpful enough to allow me to order as many containers as I wanted right from Germany and so I picked up 60 of the 40'OT  and 20 of the 20'OT. I really wish these things had doors rather then being open tops

So where am I going with this, well the Port of Montreal will be built, i have attached a picture reference



I am a bit disappointed with regards to the size of 5253, all of the truck and trailers are longer then this thing. Personally I would have sold this vessel as a modual base set. The basic set would come with the bow, stern, bridge and a haul section. The vessel would be about twice the width as it is now and you could purchase and connect as many haul sections as you wanted to your hearts content. You would also have tower sections to add to the bridge as well as cranes if you so wanted.

As I already have a ton of brass track, I will not be buying any of the plastic stuff, since this train that I am using is going to be static anyways I am not to worried about function of the RC train on brass track.

I hope you enjoy

[StJohn]

Oh bliss! Go for it, Mad Hatter, live the dream! I love to see this display come about. Bring it on!

I am a bit disappointed with regards to the size of 5253, all of the truck and trailers are longer then this thing.

Well, it's a matter of bath size vs floor space. The first will never match the latter, so in the PM world container cargo ships by necessity are dwarfed by trailer trucks. Try to incorporate the basic rules of the PM universe into your display, first to avoid disappointing those who look at it with Toronto harbour in mind, and second to make your audience think about the principles of toys (more subtle than reality in miniature).

I hope you enjoy

I sure will. Many thanks!

Best wishes
StJohn

[Tiermann]

"first order" 
Yes, you are mad. I love people who seem crazier than I am, it makes me feel all normal and under control. 
Looking forward to seeing thee diorama.

[Birdie]

Haha I thought you meant you were angry. This is a fantastic kind of mad 

Good luck with this huge project. It sounds like a dream!

[tahra]

Yes, you are mad. I love people who seem crazier than I am, it makes me feel all normal and under control. 

I subscribe to Tiermann's words. I feel SOOOO full of restraint right now. Can't wait to tell my wallet 

That should be an epic dio!

[Marco_4124]

I'm also fond of the Cargo theme, but I am more a railroad fan. Great fun to load sugar and powder milk from the kitchen to your cup of coffee in the living room 

[The_Mad_Hadder]

The only delay I am having at the moment is finding the needed items off e-bay since playmobil no longer sells the flatbed rail cars or the rail crane. Not to mention that the containers have not arrived from Germany yet.

Also I was thinking I may just scrap the boat and make my own. After building one of the two that I picked up, they are just way to small. I did not even bother building the second one. But we have a client that makes ABS sheets and has the tools to heat, bend and form ABS so I am going to have them make me a ships hall with deck.

Sincerely,
James C. Byrne

[The_Mad_Hadder]

I'm also fond of the Cargo theme, but I am more a railroad fan.

I hear you Marco, and I am incorporating the railroad shunting yard /siding aspect into this as we move far more cargo from the port of Montreal's via CN then we do via truck. Port of Montreal is connected to two main lines but fingers out into 9 inside the port itself with 3 sets of 3 before merging back into two. I do not know if I will be going that big as it would take up a lot of room and we are not going for scale here, plus I do not believe playmobil 4210 is wide enough to accommodate three tracks side by side like the real units at the port of Montreal can. I am thinking I will be able to do two sets of two as this is going to require the use of two left hand switches and two right hand switches.

I also need to source a grey vinyl roll with a foam backing to act as the concrete dock and rail yard that I can paint the yellow marking lines, plus it will be keeping in with the plastic look of playmobil.

[The_Mad_Hadder]

"first order" 

Yes, sadly besides the Parts order on the containers this is all I could get from Playmobil. I snagged the last train and cargo truck they had in stock. Everything else I need I have to get off eBay. So I am just looking for used cranes and rail cars as I rather not pay the prices they are asking for new mint in the box since I will be opening them ( I reserve the big spending to the western theme).

[Marco_4124]

You could also search for a LGB Toytrain container car.