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General => Report & Review => Topic started by: Timotheos on August 10, 2008, 20:59:13

Title: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Timotheos on August 10, 2008, 20:59:13
This is a quickie review 5840 (dragon) and 5836 (forest knights with cannon).

============================================================

Here is set 5840.  It comes with a lot of stuff for only US$19.99.
2 figures = $3 x 2
1 horse  = $4 x 1
So at $10 for the 2 figs and horse, you would have a bargain counting the dragon ($15 off DS?) and big mountain.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2750145949_f20e588f08_o.jpg)

The horse comes with Playmobil's new all purpose saddle (note the handhold, which is re-used for the circus act).  This set however doesn't provide any accessories for the saddle.  However, 5836 which I review next does.

Note also the "dragon wing knight".  His wings attach to an apparatus that is part of his collar.  You'll see a better photo of one with 5836.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a closeup of his companion knight (which is why I call this a quick review!).  The figure is interesting for his wings.  Note that the wings are red.  In the other mini set featuring these figures (not reviewed here) the wings are dark gray, but otherwise the figures are identical.  The companion klicky has lightning bolts under his eyes.  Other than the dragon, the new saddle, and the klicky with wings, however, this set doesn't have parts that excited me.  Except, the winged knight's fire shield, which looks nice.  I don't normally like that style.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2750980510_9fb7ae6d2a_o.jpg)

Here is where the controversy starts.  The dragons limbs are made of a soft rubber (mine also had a strong, somewhat objectionable smell).  The legs can be pulled out with gentle force, but otherwise stay in place.  The arms, however, for being jointed, don't have much range of motion before they inadvertantly pop out.  I'm tempted to prophesize dire portends for the future of playmobil, but I remember having as a kid expensive, yet fall apart, Shogun Warrior toys.  So, I doubt this is a reputation killer.

I forgot to photo the back of the mountain, but it really is hollow, as if a thin mountain had been sliced in two and PM forgot to give us the back half.  There isn't a whole lot you can do with the back, either, because it is so thin (unlike the pirate carry-on island set which has little alcoves for a hideout).  I suspect PM wanted to give kids a mountain for the dragon to run out of without making this as expensive as the $95 Dragon Knight castle.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2750146441_2554a9947c_o.jpg)

===============================

Moving onto set 5836...
My photography here didn't turn out to great, or maybe that's just a cloud dimming the otherwise sunny day.

I like this set a lot, despite the Big Bertha mortar with red ball.  The knights are an attractive green color with interesting designs on their chests and nice designs on their shields.  The cannon shield could almost be turned into a Spartan-style shield if you took it off the cannon and devised a handle for it.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2180/2750146625_eb2fa0dd0b_o.jpg)

Below is a close up of the leader knight and the new saddle mechanism.  The leader knight has what I think is a new type of hood.  The horse's saddle is the same as the hand-grip saddle from 5840, but comes with an extension that clicks to the hand grip.  The extensions has two side-knobs which can hold a quiver, dagger sheath, or anything that connects to a knob.  In this case, the bow is attached via the hook-and-clasp used with some of the medieval dragon knights to carry axes on their back.  Playmobil gave it a new use--bows and shields, something I should have thought of!  Also, the top knob on the saddle presumably allows reigns to be attached to it like the chariot does with its specialized harness.  That's why I call this an all-purpose saddle.  The downside is that it may lead PM to stop producing its wide-variety of different saddles.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2750981114_d43b418e01_o.jpg)

I should have used a flash!  This picture was supposed to show you the squire knight's two-knobbed collar.  It is identical to the "dragon-wing knights" apparatus except for the color.  In this case PM connects a sword and hook-and-clasp for the shield to it.  Note also the other knight doing a handstand like with the circus set.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2750981296_7fb634e270_o.jpg)

Here's the final picture, almost viewable.  Note the nice design on the knight's chest.  It is a dragon, but it is less tacky than with the red dragon knights of old.  You could use this clicky in other settings without distracting from the sense of authenticity or feeling like he is a football player. 

These knights have nice, soft colors and are attractive.  The squire knight, though not pictured well here, wears scale mail and could probably be turned into a Persian or something for the Roman theme with a little bit of imagination.  If I had to choose between the "forest knights" and the "dragon wing knights", I'd pick the forest knights and ditch the gaudy dragon wing knights.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2750145635_3d1fef1540_o.jpg)

Further Notes:
My Targets don't yet have the new blister packs or the new two-figure minisets (forest knights, dragon wing knights, and Roman gladiators with tiger).

My Targets had one $12.99 timber set with two barbarians.  These barbarians are almost identical to the upcoming special Germanic chieftain, and I didn't bother buying the set.  I also inspected the Roman mini-arena ($34.99) and Roman playset ($19.99) but found no new parts or compelling economy of scale to lead me to buy the sets.  You're basically paying for the big, plastic background accessories.

Finally, I'm not crazy about fantasy, but the stuff PM is doling out is interesting and except for maybe the dragon set, it is Playmobil quality.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Justindo on August 11, 2008, 00:42:09
Nice reviews, Tim!  Your local Target's stock mirrors my own.  I picked up the forrest knight set mainly for the squire klicky and the shields.  I'm going to try to order the shields from DS tomorrow, but I doubt I'll have any luck!
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Jahme88 on August 11, 2008, 03:29:37
Groovy review Tim.  8-)  Thanks.
I have these guys too (5836), and I agree, nice colors and more appealing than the red dragon knights.  Lots of versatility in those parts.  I particularly like the new smaller hoodie the redhead fella has on.  It's more diminutive in size than the typical Viking style hood....I believe it originated in the Skatepark set.  Nice use of it here.

I also agree that the cannon is annoying......the design on the sheild-y thing is nice and celtic lookin'.....but otherwise, who needs another big bertha, red ball or not.  ::)
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: CountBogro on August 11, 2008, 04:51:02
Thanks for the review, Timotheos!

I like the green knights even more now. They definitly have a celtic feel about them.
I still like the green Dragon, even though it is of a lesser quality.

Bogro
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 11, 2008, 06:03:50
Lovely review Tim, and much clearer and more informative pictures than I've yet seen.

It's a shame, but I'd be more attracted to these sets if they had LESS in them - cut out the catapault and the half-mountain from 5840, leave Big Bertha out of 5836, but I guess young boys like firing the missiles about and knocking over their Playmobil figures, so Playmo try to include these things as much as possible.

The dragon wings certainly seem to be a bit of a whoopsie from Playmobil, suggesting insufficient play-testing with real children. I'm reminded of the Tom Hanks film BIG, and wondering how far removed the designers have become from their audience; though the presence of the catapault shows some understanding.

I wouldn't worry about this saddle replacing all others, Playmo have created many different saddles over the years to suit different themes, and I think this is just an interesting re-use.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: CountBogro on August 11, 2008, 07:49:09
I agree with you completely, Martin.

Although I do see some used to the "flat rock" - but mostly in displays I must admit.

Bogro
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Jahme88 on August 12, 2008, 04:51:45
I purchased a 5840 Dragon Rock set today.  I can't believe I am about to say this, but.........I HATE this set. :no:  This is one of the most poorly made Playmobil sets I have ever come across.
 
My dragon wings barely stay on and they certainly don't stay put when I position them since the the swivel part of the joint is loose.

The flat rock looked neat from the box picture but I see now that it is a thin prop piece, with limited use in a scene.....it would have to be shoved up against a wall to be useful, rendering the pass-through cave moot. 

The klickies are the exact same ones that come in the smaller (more enjoyable) set #5832, the knight's wings being red is the only diff.

I feel swindled a bit.  This set is NOT worth the 20 dollars I paid for it in my opinion.  I have paid more for smaller better made sets. 
This is nowhere near typical Playmobil quality, it is waaaay below the bar.  What it lacks in quality, it also lacks in detail.

I say this with no preconceived maliciousness....I wanted to like this set.  It looked like a fun concept.  It's just so poorly executed and corners were obviously cut in material quality.

I had a hunch, so I checked for the words on the box....sure enough I found them.....MADE IN CHINA.

Those three words pretty much sum up why and how this set takes the good name of Playmobil into a downward nosedive.

Sorry to be such a bummer.   I wish they wouldn't have set up to manufacture anything there........ shoddy Red Dragon indeed. >:(
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: CountBogro on August 12, 2008, 05:02:30
mmm - there's definitly a problem here. Hopefully Geobra is listening  :'(

Bogro
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 12, 2008, 05:33:10
I wonder how long this set has been in the pipeline?

One miht think that after all the anti-Chinese-manufactured-toys press in 2007-8, it wouldn't be worth Playmobil allowing Chinese sets onto the market to damage their reputation like this.

Are the other Dragon and Green knight sets also Chinese in origin? Those hideous huge handles on the new take-along sets are suspiciously "Pyrates" looking.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Timotheos on August 12, 2008, 11:10:06
Hi Jamie,

Yeah, I know what you mean.  As if to underscore, my old-style dragon arrived in the mail yesterday.  The old style is much nicer-looking (smaller and "cuter") than I got by looking at box covers.  But, yes, the old style used the same arm mechanism as the new dragon, except that the arms and legs are firmly in place.

One miht think that after all the anti-Chinese-manufactured-toys press in 2007-8, it wouldn't be worth Playmobil allowing Chinese sets onto the market to damage their reputation like this.

Hey Martin
Don't turn this into a nationalist thing.  Chinese manufacturers make to spec.  Playmobil commissioned the softer rubber for whatever reason.  I think PM is trying to compete on price.

Compare:
Old style dragon with one rider costs $19.99
New style dragon with two figures, a catapult, and a slab of plastic called mountain = $19.99

Either Playmobil has to take a big hit on profitability with the new set or playmobil has to go cheap on materials.

So don't blame China, blame the designer who provided (or approved) the spec.

-Tim
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: CountBogro on August 12, 2008, 14:26:07
So don't blame China, blame the designer who provided (or approved) the spec.

I agree with you, Timotheos. Although (as always) there's probably more to it than meets the eye.
We probably will never know the facts. What fact is known is that this is apparently a shoddy sets and not up to the usual standards of Geobra. If this is a sign of what is coming, then I am really worried...

Bogro
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 12, 2008, 16:50:49
You've misunderstood me Tim, as happened the last time Chinese manufacture was discussed, so I'll try to spell it out more clearly.

1) I am not anti-Chinese. I am not anti-Japanese. I am not anti-Korean, or Tibetan. I am not anti-British, Irish, American, or Russian. I am not anti-any nationality on the Earth. OK? I am not stating my personal prejudices, I am looking at matters through the eyes of the toy-buying public worldwide.

2) In the past 2-3 years, a number of toys manufactured in China have, for whatever reason, proven to be of inferior quality, and have been withdrawn from the market. The wrong paint was applied, magnets dropped out. Parents got worried. I am not blaming the Chinese Government, Chinese people, Chinese manufacturing or anything else, I am stating a fact.

3) The fact that over 80% of toys in the world are manufactured in China, and 99.99999% of these are flawless and have never caused any problems, are bought up in their billions by everyone, and played with by children the world over, is barely mentioned.

3) The tiny fraction of poor quality toys coming from China was nonetheless noticed by a lot of people, brought about a lot of bad press, and now any toys manufactured in China may possibly be looked at askance by potential purchasers.

With me so far?  :hmm:

So. We're now in a climate where if someone buys a poor quality toy, and the label says "Made in China", the purchaser might say "Ah, no wonder, I should have expected it", or possibly "I had a hunch, so I checked for the words on the box....sure enough I found them.....MADE IN CHINA."

If the label said "Made in Germany" the buyer might say "Oh, I'm very surprised by this, I've never heard of poor quality toys coming from Germany".

In this market climate, Playmobil, a manufacturer of expensive but high-quality toys in Europe for over three decades, launches onto the US market set 5840 with a new style-dragon, the first seen for years, and naturally every dragon and fantasy fan rushes out to buy one.

But there's a problem. The dragon seems to be of poorer quality than previous Playmobil products, which have almost exclusively been in Europe (as per Richard's recent quote from Wikipedia. Actually the micro sets come from China, but they are outside the regular Playmo line and have been more or less ignored by collectors on this board).

Bad reviews start to appear.

Knightmo didn't like the pop-off wings.

Starhorse didn't like the pop-off wings, or the hollow rock.

Tiermann, a man who loves all Playmobil animals regardless of race, creed or colour, didn't like the pop-off wings.

Timotheos (remember him?) DIDN'T LIKE THE DROP-OFF WINGS. I quote:

Quote
Here is where the controversy starts.  The dragons limbs are made of a soft rubber (mine also had a strong, somewhat objectionable smell).  The legs can be pulled out with gentle force, but otherwise stay in place.  The arms, however, for being jointed, don't have much range of motion before they inadvertantly pop out.  I'm tempted to prophesize dire portends for the future of playmobil, but I remember having as a kid expensive, yet fall apart, Shogun Warrior toys.  So, I doubt this is a reputation killer.

This bring us to the present. Jamie Jo buys a 5840 Dragon Rock set, and wants to like it very much, but is disappointed with the quality. Despite reading a poor reviews over on Playmoboard, and several here, she still hoped she'd like the set. But she doesn't. In fact, and I quote:

Quote
I purchased a 5840 Dragon Rock set today.  I can't believe I am about to say this, but.........I HATE this set.   This is one of the most poorly made Playmobil sets I have ever come across.

Let's just hear that again:

Quote
This is one of the most poorly made Playmobil sets I have ever come across.

So we've had five purchasers of this set on this board say they found the quality below par for Playmobil. Jamie Jo was the last reviewer, but the first to point out that it is manufactured in China.

Small aside - remember the line-up of toys shown on Danish TV which were said to be made in China? Playmobil was prominent on the table, despite the fact that not one item of Playmobil on the table had been maufactured in China.

At this point I refer back to the previous problems that have occurred with toys manufactured in China (mostly under license from Mattel I think), which caused much posting here and on other Playmobil sites, (and remember how we were all quick to defend Playmobil's reputation).

I then suggested that Playmobil launching this clearly poorly-produced (I say this to include design, manufacture and anything else that gets the toy from someone's idea into my hands) set, with a label that says made in China, might possibly damage their reputation as a manufacturer of expensive but high-quality  and long-lasting toys.

And you suggest it is ME who it turning this into a Nationalist issue?  ??? ??? ???

And you know what?

I'm STILL going to buy at least one of these if I see it, because I want that dragon, and I want everyone to be wrong, and the set to be GOOD!

I don't care if it was made in China, Germany, Malta, or assembled by the little pixies in Santa's workshop, I want the set to be GOOD!

And when I'm sitting alone in my hotel room at night in Dallas (actually Irving, but who's counting), holding the dragon body in one hand and a loose wing in the other, I'm going to chant

"This is all Timotheos' fault, he made me do it."
"This is all Timotheos' fault, he made me do it."
"This is all Timotheos' fault, he made me do it."

and cry myself to sleep, as thousands of US kids up and down your wonderful country may well be doing tonight.

So there.  :P


Phew. Time for a cuppa and a Rich Tea Biscuit.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Jahme88 on August 12, 2008, 17:50:53
Pheeeeeewwwww!!!   :P  heh  A cuppa sounds good Martin.  I am brewing up some organic darjeeling as I type.

Ok....didn't mean to cause any international tension.  But I agree with Martin......99% percent of toys produced in China are fine.  BUT 99% of PLAYMOBIL toys are made in Europe, be it Germany or Malta.  The new smaller green and red dragon knight sets (5832,5836) are labeled as Made in Czech Republic.  The tiny percentage of Playmobil that have been manufactured in China have a very poor quality batting average.  The other Made In China set I have is the Take Along Pirate Island.....and I found some of the plastic to be of poor quality, flimsy, greasy and off-colored.

I believe these two sets stand as a testament that Playmobil making the decision to manufacture a few sets in China was a mistake, a bad idea.  There is apparently a rushed or corner cutting mindset in the design process of these sets.  There is also an apparent lack of over site and quality control by the usual inspectors back in Europe.

Playmobil has been synonymous, worldwide, with lasting quality, detail, and intelligent design......I collect it because these things are so attractive and obvious when you interact with the products.  These bubbles of poor quality send ripples of anxiety out. :-[  I may be off, but I think the reason for this bubble is where these sets originate, which is not the usual place of manufacture.
 
I am aware that there were economic and market reasons that Playmobil chose to do this.......and I hope it was a limited contract and not a future trend. :prays: 
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: socrates on August 12, 2008, 20:53:23
Pheeeeeewwwww!!!   :P  heh  A cuppa sounds good Martin.  I am brewing up some organic darjeeling as I type.

oh yeah... tea sounds like a good idea...  :)

Actually, I am a little confused and puzzled with the "made in china" set.   ???

There was an uproar of German collectors when they realized that in the german skull island (http://www.playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4443 (http://"4443")) several parts are produced in china (parts having a "40 xx xxxx" number) while the us-version (http://www.playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=5804 (http://"5804")) had only parts from european production.

But ignoring the "made in china"-thingie for a moment, I think the problem is different. Some time ago, playmobil needed about three years to get a product from the first design to the stores. Obviously, this has changed dramatically within the last years. Obviously, prototyping and developement has become more effective given the number and cycle new sets from playmobil crash into the market.

My feeling is that this speedup into niches with target exclusives, toy fair showdown-sets and christmas specials will lead to more and more situations like this. It feels like a us-representative has strolled through zirndorf and found somewhere this dragon prototype and said: "well, that's damn cool, we want to have ths one, exclusively!"
:camera:
and everybody was happy...

...except that designer, who came from holiday and found his play-test rejected prototype already in a production line in china...  :P  :doh:

That's my explaination for this strage dragon (that I want to have anyway... ;) )...

best,
socrates

P.S.: Is this set consisting of "40 xx xxxx"-parts?
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Timotheos on August 12, 2008, 22:30:14
Yet--

Playmobil is packing a lot of stuff into low-priced sets and also the dollar has dropped but Target prices have stayed the same.  Something must give somewhere and I reckon PM is cutting cost corners, unless volume is huge (which it may be).

If the dragon came back from China faulty, PM could have discarded the inventory as a quality statement, delayed the release, and re-farmed to Malta.

The fact PM has pushed the dragon to consumers tells me it approves the design, implicitly or explicity.  The mountain is indisputedly Playmobil approved.  I doubt the Chinese manufacturer would have been given the leeway to redesign the mountain.  PM wanted a cave for the dragon to come out of, but wanted to keep the cost of such a concept down.

I mean, seriously, this Target stuff is loaded with stuff and dirt cheap.

The blister packs set records--$3 for two clickies is an amazing $1.50 / figure. 

-Tim
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Jahme88 on August 13, 2008, 00:16:34


I mean, seriously, this Target stuff is loaded with stuff and dirt cheap.

The blister packs set records--$3 for two clickies is an amazing $1.50 / figure. 

-Tim


  Dirt cheap yet poorly made. :-\  *shrugs*

The blister packs are awesome.....my issue is solely with the quality of the Dragon Rock set.  It stinks.

I handed the dragon to my daughter to gauge her opinion of it.  She fiddled with it for a few seconds and then said...."ooops, his arms won't stay on"......and promptly ditched him and went off to play with something else.  That's the impression it leaves on the 6 year old target audience.
 


If the dragon came back from China faulty, PM could have discarded the inventory as a quality statement, delayed the release, and re-farmed to Malta.

The fact PM has pushed the dragon to consumers tells me it approves the design. 

-Tim


Of course they approved the design...it's on the shelves.  The fact that they did is a disturbing step away from the expected quality. 
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Gustavo on August 13, 2008, 02:33:14
Martin spoke out loudly ... I will remark ONE word, among ALL he wrote, in hope that I'll may, someday, gather enough information to write a letter to Playmobil (gB), and say that they're going into a pit hard to climb out from:

reputation


When you loose it, mate, it's hard to take it back. And Playmobil has a three-decade reputation of good quality. Will they loose it now?

Up to them. I have nothing to do with it.

I'm writing knights & pirates stories, ... I won't write Tolkien again, but, well, they think kids should be playing Legolas & Haldir ... It's their reputation, not mine!

(& That aesthetics is hardly actual R. Tolkien, but Allan Lee + P. Jackson (...).)

That's odd ... I sound like mad about seeing klicky "elves" ... Maybe I am.
Why don't they only give me back Robin Hood & the Merry Men*, who were so delightful?? :'(

I'm not ready for this. I'll turn myself back from medieval (fantasy), once medieval (history) is over, and focus on pirates! :-\

Gus
:blackhair:
"the victim"



*With trees, tables, musical instruments, fat priests, owls, bandits, giant barrels, beer mugs, nice neutral & human figures (that could even be turned into "elves" by myself, with some help of vikings hair styles), faithful dogs, ropes, stools, hidden treasures, lots of wonderful bits ...

 :toot:

Uhm ... Thanks for the review, Tim, besides all that :hmm:
 ;)

 :)

 :wave:
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: playmofire on August 13, 2008, 06:23:28
Thanks for an extensive and very well presented review, Tim.  The problem with the lighting was because you were photographing into the light (window behind the figures) and so the figures are slightly too dark.  There's probably a button on your camera which will let you deal with this as you take the picture.  Having said that, apart from the one showing the knobs on the squire's collar, all show what you're wanting to show and work fine.

I like the green knights the best, especially the fancy bit of work on the shoulders where there are two layers of clothing.  That's new, is it?

On the China/quality issue, I think Playmobil produce some of these US sets to a definite budget and this shows.  The house in the Fire Starter set is very thin and not as good as it might have been.  I imagine this is what Target want - low price but reasonable quality for their needs.  In the longterm, it may not be what is best for Playmobil in the US.

The soft plastic may be a cost issue or a quality issue or a health and safety issue.  A ban on certain chemicals in the past 10 years or so which were added to soften plastic has led to trying new mixtures for plastic and this may be one of them.  It may well be that it's fine for small items but when you get to bigger items it is too flexible, e.g. for legs to stay in place.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: macgayver on August 13, 2008, 06:55:24
Nice revieuw

I still think the dragon looks like a chicken  :-\

still wanna have one tough ;D
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Richard on August 13, 2008, 14:39:16


Hello, Timmy ...  :wave:

As you know, I've been very busy organizing the "On Location Dino Expedition" (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=2430.0) ...  :klickygrin:
(So, I was a bit late in seeing your post.) ...  :-[

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT REVIEW !!!

After reading ALL the comments that your review has generated, I'm very happy that I can now visit Target (when I'm back on the mainland) as a well informed (warned) Playmobil customer ...  :klickywink:

All the best,
Richard

Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Rasputin on August 13, 2008, 23:59:38
If voting with your dollars , than this will happen again and soon . The set is selling & people want it. Target has a target price to appease its customers who are edging to Walmart in the recession, so the Target is cheep ( pun intended ) . This is one of the down sides to Big Box Business or Bigger Better Deal . If you think this set is bad just wait till Walmart tells playmobil how to do it  :'(

If everybody returned it to the stores and said it was poor quality than playmobil will have to listen . Hurt the set in the ? ( dragons do not have pockets or pouches ) so for lack of a better word - $$$

I for one an writing Playmobil a letter, and to ask the "Made in Europe" be taken down off the web site
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Gustavo on August 14, 2008, 02:46:22
I for one an writing Playmobil a letter, and to ask the "Made in Europe" be taken down off the web site


well spotted ...
I hadn't thought of that.

You're right.
Otherwise, they're deceiving the customer ...

They can argument that it is "from European origin" (in concept, &c.), though.

But we all know that it'd be very poor argumentation.

Gus
:blackhair:
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: playmofire on August 14, 2008, 06:13:31


I for one an writing Playmobil a letter, and to ask the "Made in Europe" be taken down off the web site


The "Made in China" may well just mean that the items are assembled and made up into sets and packed there.  The 4180 firefighter carry case is made in Czechoslovakia according to the outer wrapper, but the Czech plant is only an assembly one.  As regards China, this is what the US Playmobl site says:

"Only a few parts, less than 5 percent of the complete range of toys, are sourced from high-quality, long-term Chinese production partners. PLAYMOBIL sources these components because of the substantial amount of hand labor they require", which again suggests assembly and packaging, not actual production of parts.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: macgayver on August 14, 2008, 06:56:03
am confused

here they say the sets come from Malta

http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight= (http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight=)

so is only the Dragon made in china ?

in germany they also have trouble with the wings coming of the dragon

Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Jahme88 on August 18, 2008, 04:55:20
am confused

here they say the sets come from Malta

http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight= (http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight=)

so is only the Dragon made in china ?

in germany they also have trouble with the wings coming of the dragon




 Macgayver,

Yessir....the dragon set 5840 is the only one of the new Target assortment to have the label "Made In China".


I like him.....I do, he's cute.  But, he is not functional for play.  Ours has broken wings. :'(

Perhaps we just need to open up a "Dragon Wing" surgical unit at the hospital?  After he first boards the Alien Time Machine transporter for beaming into 'modern klicky time', of course.  ;D

Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Timotheos on August 18, 2008, 10:05:02
If voting with your dollars , than this will happen again and soon . The set is selling & people want it. Target has a target price to appease its customers who are edging to Walmart in the recession, so the Target is cheep ( pun intended ) . This is one of the down sides to Big Box Business or Bigger Better Deal . If you think this set is bad just wait till Walmart tells playmobil how to do it  :'(

If everybody returned it to the stores and said it was poor quality than playmobil will have to listen . Hurt the set in the ? ( dragons do not have pockets or pouches ) so for lack of a better word - $$$

I for one an writing Playmobil a letter, and to ask the "Made in Europe" be taken down off the web site

Hi Ras

I agree with your sentiments.  When I said Target sells "dirt cheap" I was making an impartial assessment.

Playmobil's pricing policy is inconsistent.

They impose minimum pricing on their web vendors (which incidently isn't anti-trust violation.  The Monday Aug 18 Wall Street Journal ran a cover story on the practice, though Playmobil wasn't mentioned.  The practice is growing increasingly common).

Yet support bargain-basement prices at Target.

(Presumably the web pricing mandate is to cut down on competition to their own website--rather than to protect their image, but the strategy is inconsistent all the same).

I think the new Dragon set should have retailed at $35 with better quality, and PM should have ditched the scaled-down arena.  An arena already exists.  If they want people to buy that, tease them with more Roman sets so that their kids beg for the big arena for Christmas.  Don't give them a compromise whereby the lose all interest in buying that "dream set". 
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 18, 2008, 11:23:35
am confused

here they say the sets come from Malta

http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight= (http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2845&highlight=)

so is only the Dragon made in china ?

in germany they also have trouble with the wings coming of the dragon



I can't view your like macguyver, but it doesn't appear to be an official Playmobil site, so it'd only be second-hand news which can be inaccurate.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 18, 2008, 11:36:44
The "Made in China" may well just mean that the items are assembled and made up into sets and packed there.  The 4180 firefighter carry case is made in Czechoslovakia according to the outer wrapper, but the Czech plant is only an assembly one.  As regards China, this is what the US Playmobl site says:

"Only a few parts, less than 5 percent of the complete range of toys, are sourced from high-quality, long-term Chinese production partners. PLAYMOBIL sources these components because of the substantial amount of hand labor they require", which again suggests assembly and packaging, not actual production of parts.

Interestingly the Playmobil UK site says only 2% of Playmobil is manufactured outisde Europe.

Do we all accept that the Dragon wings are the problem, and are not up to standard? Should we as a group write to Playmobil to ask where the wings were made, and if they will replace faulty wings?

It's only one part in one set that is causing the problem, but Playmobil should still be concerned enough to respond.

Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: playmofire on August 18, 2008, 11:51:58
Interestingly the Playmobil UK site says only 2% of Playmobil is manufactured outisde Europe.

Do we all accept that the Dragon wings are the problem, and are not up to standard? Should we as a group write to Playmobil to ask where the wings were made, and if they will replace faulty wings?

It's only one part in one set that is causing the problem, but Playmobil should still be concerned enough to respond.



I think your suggestion is spot-on, Martin.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: macgayver on August 18, 2008, 12:46:40

 Macgayver,

Yessir....the dragon set 5840 is the only one of the new Target assortment to have the label "Made In China".


I like him.....I do, he's cute.  But, he is not functional for play.  Ours has broken wings. :'(

Perhaps we just need to open up a "Dragon Wing" surgical unit at the hospital?  After he first boards the Alien Time Machine transporter for beaming into 'modern klicky time', of course.  ;D



Lol

How are the dragonwings connected ?

is it the same system like the previous dragon ?



@ Martin , the link is from the German Forum , so kinda trustfull regarding info

I must admit the not talking about the dragon in the threath


The more people who send a complaining mail to playmo the better
that's how you'll bring it under their attention
and that's how , maybe maybe , they might considder a solution

and I repeat , maybe


Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Martin Milner on August 18, 2008, 13:31:30
Lol

How are the dragonwings connected ?

is it the same system like the previous dragon ?



(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2750146441_2554a9947c_o.jpg)


I highly recommend reading a thread fully before posting on it. Your question was answered in the initial post of the thread.
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: macgayver on August 18, 2008, 13:53:51
oops
 :-[
thanks anyway  ;)
Title: Re: Quick Review of 5840 & 5836
Post by: Rasputin on December 15, 2008, 13:54:26
This set is on Clearance at Target for $14 . Well I must say this is a good sign to see this set going for clearance before christmas . I would assume the item was not a good seller and Target has too many and needs to clear them out . Hopefully if this is so, Playmobil will take notice and not attempt to insult the Collectors again by creating such inferior quality sets . Yes Tim I agree, China is capable of creating quality it is just that Playmobil needs to have some oversight in the matter and demand higher standards from them if they want to maintain the reputation they have worked so hard to mold.