PlaymoFriends
General => Brainstorming For Playmobil => Topic started by: Rhalius on September 26, 2017, 22:18:10
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Seeing how they are already phasing out the last pirate batch, I can only assume they have plans to release a new batch in the near future.
Unless they think pirates do not sell anymore these days, which would likely have more to do with the terrible quality of the last batch compared to the one that came before it.
That one was very strong I feel, with the island, the coins, the proper soldier's fort, redcoats and a very beautifull pirate ship. I have everything of that batch save for the island, and thats only because of storage difficulties.
I think that they should again go with kind of a theme within the theme to really have an adventure going. The current batch is just random stuff and aside from a few nice new parts, everything it did, earlier batches did better.
Every single pirate ship before it was better just for having a cabin and lots more accesoires, all pirate islands had more going for it than two very little indoor areas that can't even be build in other ways, the light house is a smaller and aesthetically less pleasing version of the proper one from before and by far the worst soldiers building they ever released, including a toolshed they had once (which could at least be combined with other toolsheds to make a fort.
Anyways, the current batch will be old business soon, so let's talk about what they could do with the new one!
As I said, a theme within the theme to have a bit of focus would do well. It worked for the coins.
This time, pirates could be on the defensive.
The largest set could be a pirate island formed in a U shape, a smuggler's bay.
There could be palm trees, a wooden hut, some wooden beach fortifications where cannons can be placed and there could be a hill that can be opened, allowing pirates to bury their treasure there. The hut could have a trapdoor as well, to either put prisoners, treasure or weapons.
The pirate ship could be smaller this time, the size of the schooner.
The soldier's ship could be the size of the usual pirate ships for once, bigger would be better but I doubt they would ever do that.
But they could make the design a bit different with the deck being lower and not having a cargo hold. Instead it could have room for four cannons (two on each side) and could come with two cannons. And in the front there could be a small prison. At the back under the captain's room there could be a place to store a treasure chest.
Aside from a captain, there could be one soldier with it and two sailors, dressed in the same colors but less formal.
Some additional soldier sets could be a set of three soldiers with a cannon, and an officer with a cannon and some maps.
And for the pirates there could also be a rowboat with a small sail and two pirates, and a small island with a little cave that has just enough room for a single clicky to have shelter, or to use as a storage room. Could be combined well with the larger island.
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The largest set could be a pirate island formed in a U shape, a smuggler's bay.
There could be palm trees, a wooden hut, some wooden beach fortifications where cannons can be placed and there could be a hill that can be opened, allowing pirates to bury their treasure there. The hut could have a trapdoor as well, to either put prisoners, treasure or weapons.
The pirate ship could be smaller this time, the size of the schooner.
The soldier's ship could be the size of the usual pirate ships for once, bigger would be better
I can agree to this, I had 3799 as a child as well. This U shapped smuggler's bay could come in sections like they did with the Safari sets where you connected them together. The main set would be with the hut and hill and have two end pieces to the Island that flow naturally into the water (floor level) so that in the event you did not wish to buy more sets then it would look complete. But if you bought more sets you could pop/ unclick these end section and add them to either side and then attach these ends bits to that section and so on.
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Good question. I'd like an admiral that resembles Lord Nelson.
Perhaps characters specifically tasked with firing the cannons. And, what about a ship's surgeon.
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Keeping in mind what the present pirates´ major ship 6678 looks like - a 2-master without a cabin, windows replaced by stickers, stick-on fake cannon-mouths and fake gunports, a resized cargohold now just big enough to put 1 trunk and a rat, and not to forget the overall layout of the ship which is a moronic combination of a 16th-century galleon´s bow with the stern of a late 18th-century frigate and the backwards-tilted masts of a 19th-century schooner, my hopes are not great for the next ship. ::)
So here my (very) pessimistic prediction;
The next "big" pirates´ ship will be further downsized and have just 1 big mast with a square sail and a little auxiliary mast near the stern with a latin sail. The ship will also be shorter then the two-masters there have been sofar, so alltogether a lot less plastic but at a sales-price 10 to 15 % more expensive.
And it will come with 2 dwarf-pirates and a monkey as crew.
Total accessories included will be 1 hat, 1 sword, 1 pistol and 1 mini-treasure-case.
As cannons, just 2 of the latest small swivel-cannons mounted on the deck´s railing, to save use of gun-carriages. Any (fake) cannons or gunports in/on the hull will now also be represented by printed stickers. :no:
In the utopic case Geobra´s entire sales & development departments would get fired and replaced by people with functioning braincells, we might get the trimaster frigate (f.e. a prolonged 3940 or 5135 with a 3rd mast) for our naval forces we´ve always dreamed off. :loco:
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Whatever else they do with the next ship, I'd like to see a crew quarters with at least two hammocks below deck.
The current thinking seems to be a platform for firing missiles, the ship elements have become secondary. Maybe that's due to a younger target audience or a dumbed down one and geobra want to compete with pew pew computer games instead of role playing like they used to. Hopefully that's not the direction they continue in, even young children can deal with character driven stories. They should focus on what's needed to tell stories instead of endless fighting scenarios.
The take along tavern (stronghold ::)) is nice but an actual building, even system why would be good so long as it has a larger footprint than the Super 4 pirate fort thing.
Modular terrain. At the least, a two sided low wall across one corner of the base which when joined by three other bases forms a complete walled space. The wall could be part of the base or separate. If part of the base then it would have a gap which could take a matching wall piece or a gate. If not a wall then a wooden fence like a stockade. It could be a wooden fort or an animal pen or even a prison.
A magistrate. Has an office with papers, ink pots, quills. Comes with a serving girl and another male civilian.
A gallows, this is a must for a pirate theme. It's what awaits the pirates when they're caught. Or at least they have to be rescued from it. Noose would be rubber so it can slip over a klicky's head. Gallows would be a wooden platform with a trapdoor and of course the noose.
For the figures themselves, I'd like to see the pegleg and hookarm replaced with removable items. So the hook or peg can be replaced with something else like a knife or a club or a metal hand like the guy from HTTYD (Dragons). In the case of a hand it should be more detailed to look different from the regular pincer hands they have.
A cargo hold that actually fits cargo as in the space is designed to fit x number of crates side by side without them slipping and preferably two crates high. Canons, if they do a ship with separate canons, that click to the deck so that when the ship is moved they don't slide all over the place. The older ones had depressions in the deck but they still slid out if the ship was tipped too much. A crane that actually reaches the dock. It was always a great feature but limited because it was too short to actually get anything from the dock.
A container like a large crate or barrel that a klicky can fit into to be smuggled onto a ship or hide in.
A secret compartment on a ship like some deck boards that can be removed to reveal illegal goods being smuggled.
A story or something that teaches kids about the different parts of a sailing ship so they understand what the crows nest is for, what the anchor does, how a smaller boat on the ship is useful.
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Keeping in mind what the present pirates´ major ship 6678 looks like - a 2-master without a cabin, windows replaced by stickers, stick-on fake cannon-mouths and fake gunports, a resized cargohold now just big enough to put 1 trunk and a rat, and not to forget the overall layout of the ship which is a moronic combination of a 16th-century galleon´s bow with the stern of a late 18th-century frigate and the backwards-tilted masts of a 19th-century schooner, my hopes are not great for the next ship. ::)
So here my (very) pessimistic prediction;
The next "big" pirates´ ship will be further downsized and have just 1 big mast with a square sail and a little auxiliary mast near the stern with a latin sail. The ship will also be shorter then the two-masters there have been sofar, so alltogether a lot less plastic but at a sales-price 10 to 15 % more expensive.
And it will come with 2 dwarf-pirates and a monkey as crew.
Total accessories included will be 1 hat, 1 sword, 1 pistol and 1 mini-treasure-case.
As cannons, just 2 of the latest small swivel-cannons mounted on the deck´s railing, to save use of gun-carriages. Any (fake) cannons or gunports in/on the hull will now also be represented by printed stickers. :no:
In the utopic case Geobra´s entire sales & development departments would get fired and replaced by people with functioning braincells, we might get the trimaster frigate (f.e. a prolonged 3940 or 5135 with a 3rd mast) for our naval forces we´ve always dreamed off. :loco:
Hadoque = genius
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I know this is old, but I've considered designing a ship with the things you all have mentioned. But how would this come to play in reality? Would the sleeping quarters be a top view, or side? If the latter, I imagine the ship would have to open up then, robbing it of it's ability to float. I personally wouldn't care as I love the extra rooms on the ships, but if we're speaking with actual designs in mind, then we must be mindful of these things.
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I know this is old, but I've considered designing a ship with the things you all have mentioned. But how would this come to play in reality? Would the sleeping quarters be a top view, or side? If the latter, I imagine the ship would have to open up then, robbing it of it's ability to float. I personally wouldn't care as I love the extra rooms on the ships, but if we're speaking with actual designs in mind, then we must be mindful of these things.
I don't get it why many people really want to put the ships in real water. If you design a ship like that just "pretend" it is in water (like in dioramas where ships are placed on tables with blue table cloth or more sophisticated versions thereof).
Personally, I am more interested in a ship that looks realistic from the outside. Unless you have a good solution to remove one side of the ship to see the inside... (might be cool for taking pictures inside to tell a story. In this case, the entire inside should be visible - ideally by just removing the outer shell/planks on one side).
Will you show your ship here?
Thanks!
Cheers,
HDL
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I don't get it why many people really want to put the ships in real water. If you design a ship like that just "pretend" it is in water (like in dioramas where ships are placed on tables with blue table cloth or more sophisticated versions thereof).
Personally, I am more interested in a ship that looks realistic from the outside. Unless you have a good solution to remove one side of the ship to see the inside... (might be cool for taking pictures inside to tell a story. In this case, the entire inside should be visible - ideally by just removing the outer shell/planks on one side).
Will you show your ship here?
Thanks!
Cheers,
HDL
First of all I agree with pretending that it's in water. I don't care all that much for it myself. I was just thinking in terms of toy design, but I'd gladly sacrifice it myself.
Second, alas I'm no crafter...yet. I chiefly deal in 2D design. I'm working on a solution to incorporate the ideas many had on here (myself included) on what we want in a ship. I've always wanted, even as a child to have a proper captain's cabin on a ship, so I did that. I also wanted lower decks, sleeping quarters, and a galley. Storage and treasury too.
At the moment I have a VERY rough design of what we/I want, and the possibility of it to keep its ability to float.
In my design I mimicked a basic Spanish galleon (a personal favorite of mine) and good ol' 5135 (which I actually own). Here are my notes:
1: I rose the forecastle to make room for the galley with short stairs leading down to it. The oven itself is molded in place and allows for the styrofoam to enter it for maximum floatation.
2: I merged the sleeping quarters for the crew with the lower gun deck for the sake of saving storage. Hammocks can be hung from the ceiling. I'm not sure if they should be fabric or plastic. In my notes I made the walls dividing them, the storage, and the treasury not to touch the ends. That way there's space for the crew to "walk" between areas.
3. The treasury and the storage are both in the back almost below the captain's cabin. (Treasury isn't shown in these pics. They can hold barrels, crates, etc. I've even contemplated a design of a larger barrel where stow-a-ways can hide. ;)
4. I was torn on how to access the lower deck. I incorporated grates in the top deck so I wouldn't have to use stairs. Maybe a ladder can be utilized. I also considered to have a piece come out the side entirely, but I settled for a hinged "door".
5. I noticed, unfortunately, that the mainmast's rigging will interfere with a klicky's sight at the cannon! :wall: Now, an earlier design had a longer ship without this problem, but it had MASSIVE masts and sails as opposed to my current, more realistic and compact one, which is why I scrapped it. So I guess either I: make the ship longer, or delete the second cannon to make some more room. siiiiiiiigh. Well since this is wish-fulfillment fantasy anyway, might as well elongate it.
6. My favorite part, the captain's cabin! I imagined a formal meeting taking place there so it had to be fancy! I took a page from 5135 and had the bed molded to the foundation with the canopy separate. The table's much the same with the top being detachable. Now the shelves, I thought could be molded with slots to keep items in place (like with the units in 9487); but upon further thought, it might be best to make them detachable too. Just in case they're in the way. It also might be less of a hassle to mold. Possibly a short chandelier can be hung inside too by a hook! ^v^
I swear I can draw much better than this, I was just working out the kinks.
(I learned the hard way that it's best to host from a site, rather than directly upload pics. |:( )
Here are the links:
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8513.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8513.jpg)
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8511.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8511.jpg)
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8514.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8514.jpg)
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8515.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8515.jpg)
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8498-scaled.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_8498-scaled.jpg)
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I've got to say, your sketches sell the idea really well. Now, where do we sign up for this to be produced? ;)
I think it is particularly commendable you didn't go overboard with the dimensions. Though larger than any ship Playmobil ever produced, it is still a rather compact design and I could see it hitting the shelves, should the toys market take a different direction in the upcoming years. I for one would love building up a crew for such a ship!
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I've got to say, your sketches sell the idea really well. Now, where do we sign up for this to be produced? ;)
I think it is particularly commendable you didn't go overboard with the dimensions. Though larger than any ship Playmobil ever produced, it is still a rather compact design and I could see it hitting the shelves, should the toys market take a different direction in the upcoming years. I for one would love building up a crew for such a ship!
Thank you for your compliments, they truly uplift me! :-[ When I design things like this, I try to keep feasibility and play-value in mind. It would be nice if these were to see the light of day on shelves. I'm half tempted to start a survey to see just how well it'd be received. ;)
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I like your designs. However, the ship could be a bit longer for my taste. ;D
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I like your designs. However, the ship could be a bit longer for my taste. ;D
Eh, true. I kind of need to do it anyway if I want to keep three masts (which I do).
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So I have another idea. I know that ghost pirates are a controversial sort of topic here, but hear me out. I agree that they seem out of place at first because it's fantasy
but i still like them though, but I would argue that it was their execution that was rather...bland. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the giant creatures they come with, especially that whale skeleton. It's just that I think it would've been better if they paired them up with other individual pirate sets rather than release them as their own line. Then round up the ghosts into their own set.
So...what if there was a shipwreck. A REAL shipwreck. I'm taking inspiration from 6481 and the ruin from 3951 and making them BIGGER. It could look like a ship that was broken in half upon the rocks. The masts are broken and what's left of the sails is in tatters; the ratlines hanging uselessly. The deck is pierced with holes and chunks missing from the hull, the figurehead a sorry sight. Below could resemble a normal ship with more wear. I'm digging the idea of a brig with bars made with bone. The captain's cabin in disarray, maybe a long-lost captain's log of the crew's fate. Crabs crawling around, picking at the bones that litter its final resting place. And of course your ghastly crew with rags colored other than GREEN.
I'm sure there's more I could add. But bottom line, I think this could work under pirates. After all, tall tales and ghost stories were a part of the lives of superstitious sailors. The Flying Dutchman anyone?
Just needs some polish and rethinking is all.
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Love the idea of a ghostly shipwreck! (I know nothing of the controversy being relatively new here). I don't have the 4801 > 4806 sets, I really like the idea of them, but the execution was definitely lacking. The whole theme has a lot of potential though.
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Love the idea of a ghostly shipwreck! (I know nothing of the controversy being relatively new here). I don't have the 4801 > 4806 sets, I really like the idea of them, but the execution was definitely lacking. The whole theme has a lot of potential though.
Absolutely! I'm a sucker for ghosts and there's plenty of ghost stories involving pirates. And the "controversy" is more like some people liking them and thinking they're cool, and the others saying they don't belong and was a waste. I personally think it's just odd to have them with sea monsters and I think that's why they failed, or at least weren't popular. I wonder if I can squeeze an organ in there somewhere? I've always wanted an actual organ from Playmobil, complete with sound.
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Absolutely! I'm a sucker for ghosts and there's plenty of ghost stories involving pirates. And the "controversy" is more like some people liking them and thinking they're cool, and the others saying they don't belong and was a waste. I personally think it's just odd to have them with sea monsters and I think that's why they failed, or at least weren't popular. I wonder if I can squeeze an organ in there somewhere? I've always wanted an actual organ from Playmobil, complete with sound.
I bet there are loads of cool maritime myths & stories they could draw on.
I'm not so keen on the glow in the dark element on the ones they did before, but the clear light on one looks (at least from photos) really neat (& I already wanted him, so this post is not helping my klicky lust at all :lol: ).
If they did spooky ghostly see through light up pirates I would probably be inclined to add another sub-collection. Some of the first sets I ever bought in the late 90's/early 00's were 4572 (https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4572) & 4603 (https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4603) & they're pretty much all I have pirate wise, so I'm sure they would love some spooky companions.
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I bet there are loads of cool maritime myths & stories they could draw on.
I'm not so keen on the glow in the dark element on the ones they did before, but the clear light on one looks (at least from photos) really neat (& I already wanted him, so this post is not helping my klicky lust at all :lol: ).
If they did spooky ghostly see through light up pirates I would probably be inclined to add another sub-collection. Some of the first sets I ever bought in the late 90's/early 00's were 4572 (https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4572) & 4603 (https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4603) & they're pretty much all I have pirate wise, so I'm sure they would love some spooky companions.
I lucked a got 4572 with the ghost dinghy on ebay. Had no idea how rare he was until I looked it up! :o
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I lucked a got 4572 with the ghost dinghy on ebay. Had no idea how rare he was until I looked it up! :o
Is he? Which one is the ghost dinghy?
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Is he? Which one is the ghost dinghy?
It was a separate item altogether (5901).
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4141/4927671245_43b7b44056_z.jpg (https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4141/4927671245_43b7b44056_z.jpg)
While I'm here, this is an idea I've had for a while and may or may not be Moby Dick. I feel ties into what I've been talking about.
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_9227.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_9227.jpg)
Surprised it was never made before. Everybody knows tales about that one killer whale. This one's based off their sperm whale like the one from 4489 https://www.klickypedia.com/wp-content/uploads/setsimages/4489-back.jpg (https://www.klickypedia.com/wp-content/uploads/setsimages/4489-back.jpg) and it has notches to place weapons in order to appear wounded. The tongue has little bumps to seat two klickies, and, best of all, it can spout water! I also decided to extend the rowboat for four oars rather than two. Ad HARPOOOOOON!
Edit: Might scale it up a bit to differ it from the normal whale.
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I hope I'm not littering the Brainstorming section, but I really have SO many ideas, I can't help it!
This was my interpretation of a proper ghostly shipwreck.
https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_9238.jpg (https://hlootooart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_9238.jpg)
Obviously I heavily borrowed from the Pirate Ghost Ship (4806) who's model I find to be extremely distinct. I truly don't recall any other ship like it. I'm debating with myself if I should've left it the original red, or a more realistic, decaying green. I truly wanted to show just how desolate this poor ship is, and even threw in barnacles, mossy growths, and the remains of a third mast just for certain fans. ;). The ratlines conveniently resemble cobwebs which worked out beautifully! I included stairs to the poop deck (had to remove some railing) and added a wall and rickety door to the captain's cabin (all the better to hide accessories in ;)). In the lower parts of the ship I included a makeshift brig in the bow, complete with door made with bone bars. And in the keel there's a hidden spot behind the rocks for treasure beneath the captain's cabin, which has a trapdoor leading to it. There's a removable wall to access it from the back too. I further used inspiration from the Asiatic dragon castles and had the ship halves connected via bone bridge with the original railing of 4806. As of now, I just listed some basic fauna that could be there ( crabs, gulls etc) and possibly a shark skeleton, though I may make it the figurehead. I also made a skeletal parrot!
And yeah...that's it for now. I have other details I'd love to show (LIKE THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN) but I ought to finish my other ideas first before I make a whole new theme! O-o
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Your drawerings are beautiful.. :love:
I WANT that whale. Though noone will be trying to throw harpoons at the beastie around here. ;D
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Your drawerings are beautiful.. :love:
I WANT that whale. Though noone will be trying to throw harpoons at the beastie around here. ;D
He invites you to try it! ;)
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He invites you to try it! ;)
Not around here! ;D
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Janilew! That whale and survivor (and his hair and his clothes!!)! The ship wreck! The shark skeleton!
:(o):
Do you have a social media account somewhere so I can follow your work? I don't even have Instagram, but I'm willing to install it ;D
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Janilew! That whale and survivor (and his hair and his clothes!!)! The ship wreck! The shark skeleton!
:(o):
Do you have a social media account somewhere so I can follow your work? I don't even have Instagram, but I'm willing to install it ;D
I do actually! Instagram and my own personal site! I don't like linking to IG, for some reason it feels tacky here, but I do upload quite a bit there more.
My site
www.hlootooart.com (http://www.hlootooart.com)
IG
https://www.instagram.com/hlootooart/ (https://www.instagram.com/hlootooart/)
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Thank you, I'm looking forward to browsing! :)