PlaymoFriends
General => News => Topic started by: tahra on July 26, 2016, 09:57:21
-
Link: http://pcc.pm/ (http://pcc.pm/) [mod's edit: actual catalogue only visible for PCC members]
And there's the 2016/2017 cat to download too.
New polar ones (including shooting thingamajigs, but oh well - take what the Lightbearer sends and be grateful, right? ;) )
And the water animals...
I need time to gawk at them properly!
(also, the "exclusive" carry cases)
(edit: typo :-[ )
-
I love the Polar Expedition theme! :love:
The new animals too :love:
The shops looks good too...
The Safari truck is interesting :)
-
The Safari truck is interesting :)
You mean the old one, right? I mean, if there is a new one, I missed it..
As to the rest...
The playboxes are old news.. I kinda like the surf one, but seems somewhat expensive... And there's a new pinkish one, right?
The farm ones don't seem to really have anything new, or the castle (that is the "ice sculpture" dragon :love: , right?)
The artic... Love them.. some. I find it odd (and sort of.. bad) that they need to freaking have firing thingamajigs. But easy enough to solve. And that decision will save me from buying the two odd vehicles.
The klickys are mostly gorgeous, with beautiful color combinations..
Glad to see the proper eskimo hat mold back. And I think I can mix and match that one too. LOVE the new leg mold, and the gloves in two colors look great!
Also, that new hat = :love:
The huskys are adorable, even if the sled is a bit.. weird. I hope we can harness more than four with another piece of that.. harness. And that somehow it can be adapted to the old eskimo sled.
Are those polar bears new?
This does it. I will need a second tub for Scott (the ex-di kinda joined the Scott Polar Institute, what with them being first and all - Patrick will be happy with all the new additions!)
The new shops are somewhat meh. I wonder if those panels can be combined. The more interesting one would be the muffin shop, but the color spoils it for me. I will need some of those cakes, donuts, and of course muffins! YUMMY.
The atm is nice, but since I found we have the old version, don't really need it. And the flower guy.. nothing new there... except... is that a YELLOW Lechuza pot? WANT.
The aquarium set looks great - and new seals! But... It seems huge... We will have to think about that... Seems to have pretty new vegetation too, no?
The penguin one is somewhat smallish for the poor beasties. Klicky looks nice (except THAT hair!)
The enclosure is very pretty - the blue "rocks" inside and the "wave print" seem to work really well.
The marine animal bags = :love: They all have new animals, I think. Tiermann will of course confirm that for us :)
Guess they missed the large pic of the aquarium store? I like the klickys..
-
No no no!!!!! Yet more sets that I need to add! I'm going to have to get a second job to cover my Playmobil purchases.
Love the new aquarium sets!!! And the new "mall" is interesting too
-
Huskies!! Cupcakes!!
Very happy with this next year's additions. Nothing super big or spectacular but some great new additions in various themes including many new animals.
I did ask that if they are finally doing Polar theme again for them to please have an Eskimo Family and the Igloo in the add-ons for that year. If you agree please comment in the thread there in the hope they will listen.
-
Also in the catalog there is 9061 Aquarium Shop they didn't provide a big view of, I asked about it. I also asked staff if they intend this to be public. They didn't mark the announcement or the catalog download Confidential as usual. I will let you know when I get a response.
-
Oh, and that big Polar igloo science station set - I think it will be about ten minutes from when it is actually released before it is used to make the first TARDIS interior custom. That console!!! Just look at it!
-
I love the igloo science station and the huskies! But why they need two "flame throwers" to match is... beyond me.
I'm definitely commenting on the igloo and Eskimo Family too ;)
Any shop and new animal is welcome here too, so all in all, I'm pretty excited :)
-
The artic... Love them.. some. I find it odd (and sort of.. bad) that they need to freaking have firing thingamajigs.
Well, it's not actually Artic ... it's ICE PIRATES! Trying to come to terms with this. 8}
If you agree please comment in the thread there in the hope they will listen.
Done! Would be very nice to have access to igloos, at long last.
I think I'll pass the new castle. Looks like a decent toy, but nothing special for the collector.
Best wishes
StJohn
-
Just had another look at 9057, which is very nice. :love: The first proper looking Inuit coming from the production line.
Not enough Huskies to pull the sled, though. :-\ I hope this can be fixed (not enough detail of the shaft is visible in the picture).
Best wishes
StJohn
-
A lot (too much) of "take-along" sets, even the walls in the new shopping sets look take-alongish even if they probably are not intended that way.
And a small polar theme with 2 "Icepirate"-attack vehicle sets? Even the polar station has an anti-(air)craft missile battery... ::)
I´m not against such toy-weaponry at all, but these things belong in other themes.
Besides some nice klickies (Inuit f.e.), the animal-bags and some accessories here and there, I´m not much impressed by the novelties for end 2016 - start 2017.
-
I've had a chance to look at the new items in a "proper" manner... WOW. I love the detail on some of the new Klickies. I am thoroughly impressed with the new aquarium theme. I like the new shopping sets. I'm not so much on the pirate portion of the arctic sets, but new polar bear :love:
Why oh why do we put 4 baby penguin chicks with 2 adults????? Penguins only have 1 chick at a time. Oh and baby pelicans :love: :love:
-
There are definitely some great sets here. :) I might try to pick up some of the new History theme sets.
Since Series 11 of the Fi?ures still hasn't been announced, it could turn out to be the end of them after all. :-\
-
Since they are only doing one Figure series a year now, it wont be announced until the main 2017 catalog is. This is the 2016-17 catalog - so just includes the releases through February or March and not the main new lines for next year.
My hope is that by doing only one series a year they will be more creative and put more money into new molds for it. It's a hope...
-
Arctic theme - cool
"Ice Pirates" - ludicrous
I hadn't noticed that Caesar's armor is a new design, and a very nice one too. Looking forward to that set. Also a nice graverobber set with more useful Roman civilian figures. Eventually the Colosseum stands will be full.
-
Since they are only doing one Figure series a year now, it wont be announced until the main 2017 catalog is. This is the 2016-17 catalog - so just includes the releases through February or March and not the main new lines for next year.
My hope is that by doing only one series a year they will be more creative and put more money into new molds for it. It's a hope...
Well, that does make sense. :) I hope that's still the case too; it'd give me more time to find each series. ;)
-
Cupcakes and huskies! :love:
The cupcakes are a bit huge though, and I don't know what is going on with the polar sets. Flaming arrows and Tardis igloo?
-
Ice pirates are flinging fireballs in the arctic - are they being nice or nasty? Odd choice either way.
Love the King sitting on his throne waiting for the woman to change in front of him. ;D
Overall, too many flaming balls of fire across the sets, couldn't they at least mix it up a bit with frozen chunks of ice, gas (requires imagination) and so on? Not sure the castle is the best thing to have so many lights on either.
Very much like the Prince's hair and the flexible Rapunzel hairpiece.
-
I've had confirmation from Kerstin that this can be discussed publicly. Please don't share any images from PCC or the digital catalog until the catalog is on Playmobil.de but talking about what's in the sets publicly is totally OK.
-
I've had confirmation from Kerstin that this can be discussed publicly.
Good, pics were on THAT site before I opened the topic here, anyways...
So, you think the baby dragon/wyvern is the same from the ice sculpture, Tiermann? I have doubts because of the apparent "glow in the dark" gimmick...
-
Impossible to tell at this point. It's depicted the same way as the other one was. Would be nice if it was in glow in the dark plastic, but seems likely to just be the same clear.
-
Impossible to tell at this point. It's depicted the same way as the other one was. Would be nice if it was in glow in the dark plastic, but seems likely to just be the same clear.
At first I was convinced he was the same... and I'd prefer that! We have sooooooo many dragons now....
If different, will need to try ds...
-
Did you notice that castle 9240 has just ONE defender? :o The poor guy is set against two assailants but doesn't have enough hands to operate all his defensive gear.
I think this is the first time that a full castle (small, but whole nonetheless) is sold with knights from two factions, critically reducing the number of each. Quite a departure from the normal arrangement (castle + occupants, no enemies), but I guess it makes sense to bring a complete, battle-ready set to the shelves. Or are they shooting themselves in the foot by removing the key incentive why shoppers would purchase a second knights set?
Best wishes
StJohn
-
I've had confirmation from Kerstin that this can be discussed publicly. ... but talking about what's in the sets publicly is totally OK.
Warning: Not on Klickywelt, a few overthere can´t stand it if you even dare to mention where info about new releases can be found, especially when it is in the PCC ... 8} ::) )
-
Warning: Not on Klickywelt, a few overthere can´t stand it if you even dare to mention where info about new releases can be found, especially when it is in the PCC ... 8} ::) )
The reactions were quite outrageous on Tuesday. Thanks for starting the show! :lol:
Best wishes
StJohn
-
Did you notice that castle 9240 has just ONE defender? :o The poor guy is set against two assailants but doesn't have enough hands to operate all his defensive gear.
Yes, I noticed... I don't like these castles (been saving me a FORTUNE!) and this one is even lamer.
Warning: Not on Klickywelt, a few overthere can´t stand it if you even dare to mention where info about new releases can be found, especially when it is in the PCC ...
Ah.... So that was it... I understood very little of it, but there was someone REALLY upset... I just didn't really get WHY, since the thread had no info at all that I could see.
-
I too think that the dragon is just clear (the same as the ice sculpture one).
That castle (or outpost perhaps) has a serious defence problem. Not only is there a sole knight defending against two attackers and some kind of magical, possibly invisible dragon, but... the walls are so weak that a crossbowman managed to break out a giant part of them, and the knight left the main gates open, the chest of treasure open, is standing outside the protective walls, and has to deal with a spontaneously-releasing scorpion/ballista. :D
-
Did you notice that castle 9240 has just ONE defender? :o The poor guy is set against two assailants but doesn't have enough hands to operate all his defensive gear.
That's why he's heading out. No sense in staying there to fight a battle he'll lose.
-
So do we want to start a new public thread, or just ask mods to move this one? There are pics up at Klickywelt of catalog photos as well now.
-
So do we want to start a new public thread, or just ask mods to move this one?
I hope they can move this one.
Best wishes
StJohn
-
I just noticed the preview of the aquarium shop... The lobster tank makes me think of a seafood restaurant :)
-
Aquarium theme!!! :love: :love: :love: LOVE this one sooo much. Except not crazy about the new sea lions. The touch pools are great, I've been trying to figure out how to do that myself, and also the fence pieces with the water line. Simple but brilliant and I can definitely use that in my zoo for hippos and stuff. And the new seals and other baby animals are great.
The arctic theme is nice too, especially the huskies.
But what is with the new mall? It looks so cheap to me! The walls look thin and the windows look like stickers! ??? I guess it will be more affordable than the last mall but it's just ugly to me. Got some great parts though, like the cupcakes.
-
But what is with the new mall? It looks so cheap to me! The walls look thin and the windows look like stickers! ??? I guess it will be more affordable than the last mall but it's just ugly to me. Got some great parts though, like the cupcakes.
Yeah.. That cupcakes set is the best (less bad?) of them, but that horrid pink spoiled it for me.
You got that right - CHEAP. It looks cheap. Not like playmobil :(
-
I tried searching but couldn't find the pics. 8}
-
Meant to post this earlier and it didn't happen. Better now than never.
PlaymoDB List - Sets to be released Dec 2016, Jan 2017 (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=4897,4898,6867,9055,9056,9057,9058,9059,9060,9061,9062,9063,9065,9066,9068,9069,9070,9071,9078,9079,9080,9081,9082,9240;title=Sets%20to%20be%20released%20Dec%202016%2C%20Jan%202017)
-
Thanks Heather!
I've posted the roundup of new animals at Animoblog (http://animobil.info/animoblog/?p=1517)
-
Meant to post this earlier and it didn't happen. Better now than never.
Thank you - very useful :)
I've posted the roundup of new animals at Animoblog (http://animobil.info/animoblog/?p=1517)
Ah, a want list! Thanks - my wallet is cursing you, btw.. ::)
-
My grandson will love the Aquarium! Can see that being a must-buy for me, lots of play value and we have a local theme park with just this sort of attraction so he can act out his own games. I have the enjoyment of being a collector alongside knowing how much fun a little boy will have from the new sets, best of both worlds!
-
The farm, tractor, and princess-box are on the DE site now. They have invisible partnumbers, but I have used my superpowers to gather them into the inventories... no new animals there yet, Tim.
PlaymoDB List - 4897,4898,6867 (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=4897,4898,6867;title=4897,4898,6867)
-
Awesome ! Love the polar sets :love:
Not to mention the new Porsche !!! If i recall i suggested to make another Porsche, one of the 'very fast ones' like a turbo S or a GT car . So nice to see a GT3 Cup Porsche coming soon. This is awesome !!!!Awwwwhhhh
PS: Our second daughter arrived not that long ago . I have short of disappeared from here but been very busy with two daughers ( Sophie is now 4 and a big playmo fun- dollhouse and fairies ) but i am still buying a lot of playmos, i have over 50 steck houses now for my next medieval diorama and god know how much more steck , hopefully I will be posting some pics soon and my story about the dodgy mafia run Porsche dealership, i have take some shots already but need a day or two to finish it :P
Hope everyone here is well :wave: :wave:
-
Hello Giorginetto!
Congratulations for you second daughter! We also have two girls (2 and 6) and both are heavily into PM. :-)
I have to disagree on the polar sets though. PM have once stated that they have this "no (modern) war" policy. Well, what about the "ice pirates" then? An expedition post with a missile launcher? And that thing on top of the 9059 truck looks just like a TOW anti-tank missile. Why does almost every new adventure theme include fighting? I'm totally missing a polar research vessel here. Or an observatory (with a functioning telescope maybe). Or inuit. Or more polar wildlife. But no - what we get are ice pirates just like straight out from some weird Mad Max parody.
Love the 911 GT3 Cup though. And the stretch limo. And the glass-bottom boat. And the hang gliders. And the RC racers. But the ice pirates are an abomination.
-
PM have once stated that they have this "no (modern) war" policy.
I agree that the ICE WAR theme is a travesty. But the fact is that Horst and Hans are gone, and the Old Ways are being changed. The company lacks a clear vision and in search of one they're breaking a lot of the old rules. Expect many more years of this chaos.
One rule that they need to break ASAP is the "PM is a toy only for children" rule. I respected their principled stand on that, but in the New Era of licensing, war toys, bent arms, Super 4, et cetera, they need to drop the pretense and open up an adult department that markets directly to adults.
-
I would much rather they did historical or literary sets for adults than weird polar warring and licensed sets. Their number one selling set is Luther. That says something.
-
One rule that they need to break ASAP is the "PM is a toy only for children" rule. I respected their principled stand on that, but in the New Era of licensing, war toys, bent arms, Super 4, et cetera, they need to drop the pretense and open up an adult department that markets directly to adults.
In a way they're inching towards that, with Direct Service sort-of becoming explicitly for collectors. I do wonder how big the adult market really is though - the fact that much-sought after re-issues have been sitting in the sale section of the German site for 2 years raises alarm bells in my mind as to the viability of sets aimed exclusively at adults.
I do completely agree that a toy that previously had a very cohesive image is looking increasingly lost in its approach, and does seem to be throwing everything and anything at the wall to see what'll stick.
-
the fact that much-sought after re-issues have been sitting in the sale section of the German site for 2 years raises alarm bells in my mind as to the viability of sets aimed exclusively at adults.
Do you have a link to that, please?
-
http://www.playmobil.de/online-shop/ergaenzungen-und-zubehoer/supersonderangebote?cgid=Ds_Supersonderangebote
I'm particularly thinking of the Western School (6279) and the Advertising Column (6306), both of which I bought from the sale section over a year ago. They also had the Western Windmill/ Water Tower in there, and I'm reasonably sure that the green Victorian car was reduced.
I've never seen any of the Medieval stuff there, so either it sells out or they can produce them in smaller runs.
-
That's a good point about the potential size of the adult market. Just looking at the fan sites, their number is dwarfed by e.g. L*go fan sites. We are few, though proud. Still, they could start with historical German figures which as Ismene reminds us sell like hotcakes. Build up the home market. The Greek gods are a step in that direction too.
-
I wonder about the Western stuff. At least in the US, it isn't terribly popular anymore. And the Victorian collectors (again at least in the US) got the green car in the FAO set, so they wouldn't need to buy it separately. The Add-ons aren't in the main categories, and there's hardly any content for the search to search that it's hard to find add-ons unless you already know they exist. If you search "victorian" on the US site, NOTHING comes out. Who, but a collector, would search for an advertising column or a "Group of Outlaws"?
They need set descriptions or metadata because search cannot operate without content.
-
Excellent points.
-
That's a good point about the potential size of the adult market. Just looking at the fan sites, their number is dwarfed by e.g. L*go fan sites. We are few, though proud. Still, they could start with historical German figures which as Ismene reminds us sell like hotcakes. Build up the home market. The Greek gods are a step in that direction too.
Even with Lego the orginal 'adult' sets had to use pieces that were in production anyway.
I think the hope has to be that they'll go back to a more 'core' set of values at some point. For example, I find it hard to believe that a Victorian range wouldn't sell generally - museum's are teeming with children dressed up pretending to be Victorians. Heck, go all out on the educational element and produce leaflets to go with the sets explaining what an oil lamp or a mangel is for!
I think the random historical figures are a slightly different market, since I suspect there are adults who played with Playmobil who might buy one figure, like Luther or the Greek Gods, who would never buy bigger sets (in much the same way you see random Lego figures in people's houses)
-
In a way they're inching towards that, with Direct Service sort-of becoming explicitly for collectors. I do wonder how big the adult market really is though - the fact that much-sought after re-issues have been sitting in the sale section of the German site for 2 years raises alarm bells in my mind as to the viability of sets aimed exclusively at adults.
There is another question.. The prices of the latest steck buildings to be released on ds have been crazy. AND sometimes the set lacks the point - like the Bell-less bell tower. It costs a fortune, and doesn't bring the parts that are truly unique. So... kinda misses the point.
I was all eager to buy me a couple (though I believe I have all of it from lots and such), but when I saw the price tag AND the missing bell+support I changed my mind.
The western farm and Colorado are just plain too expensive - at least for me (and again, I have them already)...
And the tiny school is also missing the bell.. so..
I am afraid this kinda leads to "proving" we collectors are not really an important market - cause the sets "we approved" don't sell that well in the end.
-
They have sort of clued in on that and asked specifically about with or without accessories on the potters house, and it does come with the accessories. So there is some progress. Their decision making is very opaque form our point of view and does miss the point at times. The PCC at least allows us opportunity to give feedback that they sometimes hear.
-
gnomes.txt
-
I think the random historical figures are a slightly different market, since I suspect there are adults who played with Playmobil who might buy one figure, like Luther or the Greek Gods, who would never buy bigger sets (in much the same way you see random Lego figures in people's houses)
I'd wager it's more of a continuum than discrete market segments. On the one end those who just get their Luther and their Goethe, or a couple Harry Potter L*gos, all the way up to the tahra-level mass hoarders/1:10 scale L*go Death Star recreators, with every level of commitment in between. And the one can lead to the other. My adult Playmobilin' started with "well just that one Special figure...(week passes) okay that one too...(months later) I NEED EVERY ROMAN SET EVER MADE". It could be a broad church.
-
They have sort of clued in on that and asked specifically about with or without accessories on the potters house, and it does come with the accessories. So there is some progress. Their decision making is very opaque form our point of view and does miss the point at times. The PCC at least allows us opportunity to give feedback that they sometimes hear.
I didn't mean to put the pcc down. Like I said (probably too often, I blab), it is a huge step on the right direction, though it seems they are not a part of decision making, and communication in the company seems... off.
It is AWESOME that we are asked at all. But especially with the bell-less bell tower it completely missed the point. If they asked - "would you be interested in a reedition without the bell and bell support?"... Well, response would be slightly different from the "HADES, YES!" they got... (and then there's the price of the thing)
I suppose they MUST have some reasoning for their decisions.
-
As in most things, it's the smaller price points that are going to be the "bread and butter" of the business, and it can lead to larger sets being purchased. Plus small sets fit better into the average adult lifestyle. We can all make space for collectible historical figures. It's much harder to make space for (and justify) a whole castle. So, I don't expect buildings to become top selling items.
Like the male fairies. I want them, but they come in larger sets, and I don't have the space/desire/money to collect fairies as a theme. I just want a couple male fairies to hang out with my existing fairies. I don't want a bunch of pink and purple accessories.
But, again it would be helpful if people other than established collectors *knew* about these DS sets. Even if I google something super specific like "medieval tailor shop toy", the Playmobil website doesn't come up. The Amazon and Ebay listings do. Playmobil comes up when I google "medieval tailor shop" but not when I add "toy." That's absurd. Their website is basically reaching only people who already know about Playmobil.
(Dear Playmobil, please let me fix your SEO. You need set descriptions and metadata.)
-
Maybe if they opened more brick and mortar Playmobil Stores modelled on the excellent Lego Stores, maybe casual shoppers would learn about the DS stuff eh?
-
Maybe if they opened more brick and mortar Playmobil Stores modelled on the excellent Lego Stores, maybe casual shoppers would learn about the DS stuff eh?
This hasn't worked too well for Playmobil in the USA. There was a second Funpark in an Orlando mall that closed down. I think at least twice there has been a Funstore in New Jersey but those haven't lasted long either.
-
I think they only have maybe three or four shops in Germany of their own other than the Funpark and factory shops. They are heading in that direction but slowly.
-
PM unfortunately doesn't have the brand footprint that L*go does. A toy store in town here (Child's Play on 23rd and Kearney in PDX for you Oregonians) recently stopped carrying PM because "it wasn't moving fast enough". That leaves only two stores that carry PM that I know of (apart from TRU), plus one west of town.
While looking them up, I found that the large klicky outside Let's Play has had his face obscured by the Google Street View algorithm! :D link (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x54951abb4dab04dd:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!3m1!7e115!4s/maps/place/let%27s%2Bplay%2Bportland%2Boregon/@45.5226439,-122.9865405,3a,75y,350.36h,90t/data%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x0:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!5slet%27s+play+portland+oregon+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi67qH7joHPAhVE2WMKHbInDJsQpx8IvAEwFA)
-
. . . Dear Playmobil, please let me fix your SEO. You need set descriptions and metadata.
While you're doing that important work, maybe you can fix their store locator function, as well. If I enter my zip code into their store locator, it takes several minutes to load the results and, besides showing the stores near to me, those results show stores over 200 miles away (most online store locator functions provide a way to limit distance, but not Playmobil USA's.) Of the first 50 or so results, about half are either closed, no longer carry Playmobil, or have the wrong address or store name (I got obsessed with this a few years ago and did the research - most of the mistakes I found then are still in the store locator results now.) Within that 200+ mile circle around my zip code there are 232 ToysRUs stores (according to the TRU website which does provide a distance limiter) but not a single ToysRUs appears in the list of stores that Playmobil USA provides. One would think that it would help customers who are eager to purchase Playmobil if they have accurate information about where to buy it, but, as tahra so often points out, Playmobil doesn't like money. ;) It seems to me that a store locator could somehow be linked to stores that actually place wholesale orders with Playmobil - if nothing else, an employee could just do a manual cross-check.
PM unfortunately doesn't have the brand footprint that L*go does. A toy store in town here (Child's Play on 23rd and Kearney in PDX for you Oregonians) recently stopped carrying PM because "it wasn't moving fast enough". . .
That's a real blast from the past for me - my first apartment was a few blocks away at 22nd & Glisan and then I moved to 21st & Hoyt. A very long time ago. :sorrow:
. . . That leaves only two stores that carry PM that I know of (apart from TRU), plus one west of town. . . . While looking them up, I found that the large klicky outside Let's Play has had his face obscured by the Google Street View algorithm! :D link (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x54951abb4dab04dd:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!3m1!7e115!4s/maps/place/let%27s%2Bplay%2Bportland%2Boregon/@45.5226439,-122.9865405,3a,75y,350.36h,90t/data%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x0:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!5slet%27s+play+portland+oregon+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi67qH7joHPAhVE2WMKHbInDJsQpx8IvAEwFA)
That is hilarious! :lol:
-
This hasn't worked too well for Playmobil in the USA. There was a second Funpark in an Orlando mall that closed down. I think at least twice there has been a Funstore in New Jersey but those haven't lasted long either.
you hear it quite often from punters that 'pm is boring' or that 'sets stay on the market too long, there's never anything to buy.' might be public perception, might be an element of truth, but so many people can't be wrong. i was at the maltese playmobil funpark some weeks ago cause my daughter likes it there. i hadnt been in ages. didnt find anything worth buying, nothing: zero. the knights sets are ugly and dumbed down compared to what we used to get twenty years ago, the generally excellt western theme is no more, the pirates sets have gone the way of the knights and so on and so forth. then there is the point, made quite even in here, that pm doesnt want to attract the older collector. i dont know why, dont they think there is a market? who do they think is buyinh those huge lego models, the 400 euro ghostbusters HQ, the 350 euro star wars sandcrawler? 10 year old kids?
ps: i was surprised the forum didnt autocorrect my 'lego' to l*go ... i had assumed it was a built in function.
-
They forgot one....
(https://s13.postimg.org/fphdlg5rb/Schermafbeelding.jpg)
-
While looking them up, I found that the large klicky outside Let's Play has had his face obscured by the Google Street View algorithm! :D link (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x54951abb4dab04dd:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!3m1!7e115!4s/maps/place/let%27s%2Bplay%2Bportland%2Boregon/@45.5226439,-122.9865405,3a,75y,350.36h,90t/data%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x0:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!5slet%27s+play+portland+oregon+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi67qH7joHPAhVE2WMKHbInDJsQpx8IvAEwFA)
I get a 400 Bad Request on that... :(
-
you hear it quite often from punters that 'pm is boring' or that 'sets stay on the market too long, there's never anything to buy.'
I think it's a snowball effect. Lego got into licencing at least 15 years ago and became associated as a fun toy in the minds of an entire generation that grew up with Harry Potter and the newer Star Wars trilogy. Now there is so much lego around that is the toy to get a kid and for kids it means having the toy that everyone else has so they get to fit in.
Playmobil kept up with traditional themes like Western despite there being next to no western shows or children friendly films around these days for children to identify with.
I also feel they sabotaged the mediæval sets, first with the purple Vikings, then later with the lime green knights. I love the mediæval period, I hate most of the knights produced over the last few years, the larger castles are nice though. Playmobil comes from a part of Germany that is famous for its mediæval associations, so why such horrible modern banners and shields and strange fantasy armour when actual examples can be seen all around Franconia?
I wish they'd scrap their knights line and replace it with an expanded King's Land from Super 4.
As for boring, maybe less sets with someone walking a dog and more sets where you can actually do something with the set or engage your imagination such as having Victorian style tea parties with tie-ins to modern pop-culture like gothic lolita, super heroes with people to actually save - there is still a huge hole in the modern theme with no kids in school uniform, no street gangs - they have an entire theme dedicated to pirates so why not have a couple of sets of street thugs for the police to chase?
-
... and no trains ... :(
-
Bolingbroke - I couldn't agree more. Knights would probably be my second theme after Romans, but the new ones are so Americanized I want none of them. Yellow lion knights weren't too bad but they're gone now. And those four bagged jousting knights they had recently - I hesitated a long time before finally deciding not to get any of them. The details were all off.
That's a real blast from the past for me - my first apartment was a few blocks away at 22nd & Glisan and then I moved to 21st & Hoyt. A very long time ago. :sorrow:
My own sister used to live on Glisan just west of 23rd for a couple of years. Just the other day I was talking to a woman who lived in that area many decades ago...she talked about how much it's changed - all the old character is almost completely destroyed.
I get a 400 Bad Request on that... :(
Try googling "let's play hillsboro" and go to street view.
-
Even just as someone who buys toys for a child (and not considering I'm also a collector), I want to get toys that are somewhat educational, especially when I'm paying "made in Europe" prices. This demands a certain level of accuracy and less irrelevant flame shooters.
-
While looking them up, I found that the large klicky outside Let's Play has had his face obscured by the Google Street View algorithm! :D link (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x54951abb4dab04dd:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!3m1!7e115!4s/maps/place/let%27s%2Bplay%2Bportland%2Boregon/@45.5226439,-122.9865405,3a,75y,350.36h,90t/data%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x0:0xc6412bfe10886cbf!5slet%27s+play+portland+oregon+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sE_yZYQEc75VX17xyvo3z3w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi67qH7joHPAhVE2WMKHbInDJsQpx8IvAEwFA)
And people say the only way forward is via technology!
-
Try googling "let's play hillsboro" and go to street view.
Thanks, that worked! :lol:
-
There is another question.. The prices of the latest steck buildings to be released on ds have been crazy. AND sometimes the set lacks the point - like the Bell-less bell tower. It costs a fortune, and doesn't bring the parts that are truly unique. So... kinda misses the point.
I was all eager to buy me a couple (though I believe I have all of it from lots and such), but when I saw the price tag AND the missing bell+support I changed my mind.
The western farm and Colorado are just plain too expensive - at least for me (and again, I have them already)...
I instinctively completely agree with you on the price thing - I must admit that I've idlely wondered if it works out cheaper to order a whole building via spare parts. But then I thought about it more today, and then I did a quick comparison on prices. Colorado Springs at £55 works out at between £30-35 in 1995 money (using RPI). I know for a fact that the Victorian Mansion retailed at £100 in 1990 - between £185-200 in 2015 prices. I'm not particularly making a point (except to justify extravagent Playmobil purchases to myself?!) - except that these sets are no more expensive in real terms than they were when they were released. I guess just the 'general' lines have got better in value.
I do think they're missing a trick by focusing on 'bigger' sets, though hopefully the Piano player is a sign of things to come
-
But many of the re-issued stuff is missing the original klickies, which Im sure should have a bearing on the rrp.
Either way I am not too bothered, first because I love catching up on the old stuff that i never got when i was a child, secondly, compared to other toys, and i collect A LOT, playmobil is probably the least expensive product I collect.