Author Topic: 4821 fire engine  (Read 16731 times)

Offline baden-wurttemberg

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #40 on: February 21, 2010, 18:12:31 »
Thats a great review of 4821 fire engine Gordon.  :clap: Thanks for sharing with us!  :)







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Offline skypurr

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #41 on: February 22, 2010, 01:51:47 »
This is a very thorough review Gordon,  :wow: I must admit that I have never had a fire engine or other large vehicle from new and didn't realise how many pieces they have and how complicated putting it together was.  Thank you for showing us.
I am intrigued as to how you have managed to keep it all a secret!  ::)

Elaine
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Offline playmofire

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #42 on: February 22, 2010, 14:45:53 »
Thats a great review of 4821 fire engine Gordon.  :clap: Thanks for sharing with us!  :)

B-W

Thank you B-W.


This is a very thorough review Gordon,  :wow: I must admit that I have never had a fire engine or other large vehicle from new and didn't realise how many pieces they have and how complicated putting it together was.  Thank you for showing us.
I am intrigued as to how you have managed to keep it all a secret!  ::)

Elaine

Thank you, Elaine.  It's certainly the most complicated vehicle, other than a pirate ship, I have come across.  The 3880 fire engine it replaces had only a dozen or so parts to put together and assemble.  And I still have to show the equipment that comes with it, once time and the light permit.

How did I keep it hidden?  Well, Diane was out a lot last week which is unusual.  I would have got the other photos done except that on Friday I had to go out with her.  Actually, each photo session lasted well unde an hour.
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Offline playmofire

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #43 on: March 01, 2010, 19:38:04 »
Well, later than planned folks I'm continuing this review and then looking at some optional ways of setting the 4821 up.

First, something I forgot to mention earlier.  There is a slot for the two-way radio between the seats in the cab; this can be seen in the photo "automatic gear level"   (which should, of course, eb automatic gear lever!). 

Second, a view of the rear compartment showing the pump and its surround.  This is simpler than that of the 3880 but accurately reflects changes in the 13 years since the 3880 came out as more and more equipment has been automated in its operation.  A new addition is the introduction of two generator outlets which can be seen on the left.  The pump is the same as the introduced with the 3880, but there is an additional inlet below the pump itself for the new suction hose.  (I haven't taken a photo of this but there is one here in a topic of noodwachter72's which shows the new suction hose in use:

http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=3728.0

The second photo shows the range of accessories which come with the new fire engine.  The new rescue gear and hose are reviewed here:

http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=3480.msg41329#msg41329

and here

http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=3568.15

I'm not happy with the blue broom, shovel and pickaxe, so these will be replaced by the grey versions.  The new style fire axes here are red but in other sets are silver.  Both look OK, but I may just add a touch of silver to the red versions to highlight the axe blade and the point on the back.  The petrol can is the first use of a new version which comes with a detachable cap which can be reversed to act as a pourer.

There is only one crew member and this is a disappointment as the 4820 has a crew of two and the 3880 which the 4821 replaces came with a crew of two.  I assume that keeping the price down is the cause of this.  However, set 4825 can provide an extra crew member and some other useful accessories (see below).  The figure has a belt which will take a range of accessories, e.g. the small fire axe, the Maglight torch.  The uniform printing is quite complex and on the left stripe on the back of the figure in my set is faulty - the yellow has not completely covered the white under stripe.  However, this can easily be covered with a BA set.  The figure has detachable work glover so that the hands are moulded in flesh pink.


“Today well-lived makes every yesterday a day of happiness to remember and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”

Offline playmofire

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #44 on: March 01, 2010, 19:51:31 »
One thing I haven't mentioned are the stickers which come with the set.  These are very comprehensive although I have just left them on and stayed with the printed 112 telephone number.

I mentioned set 4825, so here is a bit about that and how it can be used with the 4821.

The box front and back first of all.  I haven't got the actual box to hand at the moment, so these are taken from playmoDB.





This set provides the following amongst other bit and pieces:

extra crew member;

hose ramps (to protect hoses laid across a roadway from being crushed by vehicles driving over them);

hydrant stand pipe and hydrant key;

additonal hose connectors and a container for storing them;

a warning sign;

a ground monitor;

grass fire beater;

an extra hose reel.

In addition, I've added other items, notably a portable pump, a smoke ventilator, an extra container to take hoseconnections, a sack of granules for dealing with fluid spills at road traffic incidents, an extra beater, extra hose branches and two foam branches, a crowbar, forcilble entry equipment, some chocks for stabilising crashed vehicles and small hand tools, all of which can be fitted inside the 4821.
 


« Last Edit: March 01, 2010, 20:09:25 by playmofire »
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Offline playmofire

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #45 on: March 01, 2010, 20:15:44 »
The first two photos show how the extra equipment fits in with the portable pump, the smoke extractor unit and the two containers taking up the spare compartment.  The smoke extractor is in the middle of the compartment and cannot be seen.  The other extra items are fitted in to the four slide out trays, with the exception of the ceiling hook which goes on the top.

A problem for anyone wanting to carry ladders on the new fire engine is that if these are carried, then the water monitor and lighting unit must be removed, which is a bit annoying.  However, the lighting unit and mast can be fitted to the rear door.  (I've reduced the lighting unit to two lamps as this looks better and is more realistic.)
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Offline playmofire

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #46 on: March 01, 2010, 21:34:56 »
We'll end with a photo of the fire engine in "Continental" mode, as it were, with the detachable hose reel fitted and looking, in my opinion, very much like the real thing.  I've never come across this ste up of hose reels in the UK and I can't recall seeing a USA fire engine with this arrangement and that's why I call it "Continental" mode.  I've seen photos of both French and German fire engines with one or two hose reels mounted at the rear and I believe that this is used where the fire engine is not fitted with a water tank and so relies on the mains hydrant for this. 

I've made this an extensive review of the 4821 as when it first appeared I was very critical of it because of the lift-up compartment covers and I said I wouldn't buy one.  Having bought one, I have to reverse my opinion - it is a very good model of a fire engine, probably Playmobil's best in some ways.  The lack of the working roller shutters of the 3880 is a pity, but I can see that for this system to have been used and offered the level of storage space that the 4821 does, the finished item would have had to be bigger both in height and width, more complicated to make and assemble and certainly more expensive andm maybe out of scale.  I would have liked a proper system for storing the ladders on the roof, but maybe that will come in an accessory set in 2011 or 2012 (after all, the 3880 in a later re-incarnation was given this feature).  I could do without the blue printed area on the sides to the rear of the cab as that seems to be a purely German livery feature and could surely have been dealt with through the use of stickers.  Printed on, it can probably be dealt with by rubbing/polishing it off, but that would take a lot of work and may end up in damaging the finish; maybe the answer is to produce my own stickers in red if I feel it important enough.  The fact that there is only one crew member and one reel of hose for two hose reel point towards attempts to keep costs and price down which is understandable in the present time.  But overall, I give a big vote in favour.  The question now is - how do I smuggle in another 2 4821s plus the new turntable ladder, 4820?

Oh, and for those interested it represents a Scania with Rosenbauer bodywork, a strange choice as I would have expected Playmobil to choose a German vehicle manufacturer, maybe MAN.

And about those lift-up shutters, there's always the mystery Greek fire engine attached which seems to use just such a system.


“Today well-lived makes every yesterday a day of happiness to remember and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”

Offline WarriorOfToys

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #47 on: March 01, 2010, 23:47:49 »
Quote
The question now is - how do I smuggle in another 2 4821s plus the new turntable ladder, 4820?

Simple!
You send them to your work adress and come home early when you know your wife is away.
Then you can hide them and work on them as you wish!

Great reveiw btw!
Steck is BACK! <:>

Offline Bill Blackhurst

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #48 on: March 02, 2010, 00:00:03 »
  The question now is - how do I smuggle in another 2 4821s plus the new turntable ladder, 4820?

Let me know your proven plan when you develop it! I'm going to need 4x4821's & 4x4820's, & it's going to be difficult to hide that many  :lol:!
Thanks for the terrific review that has determined my resolve to get 8 new future vehicles  :)9!
  Forget about all of the other stuff,....all we need is the reintroduction of the 3526 Fire Engine!

Offline Gepetto

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Re: 4821 fire engine
« Reply #49 on: March 02, 2010, 01:04:28 »
Excellent review Gordon, I wish I could organize my things half as well as you do the equipment on your trucks!!  :wow: I am sure many of us are waiting to see how you do, sneaking in a few more trucks so we can try the same thing!  :lol:



Gepetto