PlaymoFriends
General => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: The_Mad_Hadder on August 16, 2016, 17:39:07
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Do to the nature of my business, this theme actually fits well and I have been given the green light to set up a diorama display at the office. This is the first order of items that arrived today:
(http://i.imgur.com/1j3we9b.jpg), unfortunately Playmobil stopped making the container car 4126, you cannot even buy replacment parts so it is off to ebay to buy these. I also need to pick up 3 of set 4210 Crane (these are used to load containers from the dock onto the rail cars.
Playmobil was helpful enough to allow me to order as many containers as I wanted right from Germany and so I picked up 60 of the 40'OT and 20 of the 20'OT. I really wish these things had doors rather then being open tops
So where am I going with this, well the Port of Montreal will be built, i have attached a picture reference
(http://www.ceresglobal.com/images/locations/montreal_terminal_1_full.png)
I am a bit disappointed with regards to the size of 5253, all of the truck and trailers are longer then this thing. Personally I would have sold this vessel as a modual base set. The basic set would come with the bow, stern, bridge and a haul section. The vessel would be about twice the width as it is now and you could purchase and connect as many haul sections as you wanted to your hearts content. You would also have tower sections to add to the bridge as well as cranes if you so wanted.
As I already have a ton of brass track, I will not be buying any of the plastic stuff, since this train that I am using is going to be static anyways I am not to worried about function of the RC train on brass track.
I hope you enjoy
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Oh bliss! :banana: Go for it, Mad Hatter, live the dream! I love to see this display come about. Bring it on! :apple:
I am a bit disappointed with regards to the size of 5253, all of the truck and trailers are longer then this thing.
Well, it's a matter of bath size vs floor space. The first will never match the latter, so in the PM world container cargo ships by necessity are dwarfed by trailer trucks. Try to incorporate the basic rules of the PM universe into your display, first to avoid disappointing those who look at it with Toronto harbour in mind, and second to make your audience think about the principles of toys (more subtle than reality in miniature).
I hope you enjoy
I sure will. :yippee: Many thanks!
Best wishes
StJohn
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"first order" ;D
Yes, you are mad. I love people who seem crazier than I am, it makes me feel all normal and under control. :D
Looking forward to seeing thee diorama.
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Haha I thought you meant you were angry. This is a fantastic kind of mad ;D
Good luck with this huge project. It sounds like a dream!
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Yes, you are mad. I love people who seem crazier than I am, it makes me feel all normal and under control. :D
I subscribe to Tiermann's words. I feel SOOOO full of restraint right now. Can't wait to tell my wallet ;D
That should be an epic dio!
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I'm also fond of the Cargo theme, but I am more a railroad fan. Great fun to load sugar and powder milk from the kitchen to your cup of coffee in the living room :lol:
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The only delay I am having at the moment is finding the needed items off e-bay since playmobil no longer sells the flatbed rail cars or the rail crane. Not to mention that the containers have not arrived from Germany yet.
Also I was thinking I may just scrap the boat and make my own. After building one of the two that I picked up, they are just way to small. I did not even bother building the second one. But we have a client that makes ABS sheets and has the tools to heat, bend and form ABS so I am going to have them make me a ships hall with deck.
Sincerely,
James C. Byrne
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I'm also fond of the Cargo theme, but I am more a railroad fan.
I hear you Marco, and I am incorporating the railroad shunting yard /siding aspect into this as we move far more cargo from the port of Montreal's via CN then we do via truck. Port of Montreal is connected to two main lines but fingers out into 9 inside the port itself with 3 sets of 3 before merging back into two. I do not know if I will be going that big as it would take up a lot of room and we are not going for scale here, plus I do not believe playmobil 4210 is wide enough to accommodate three tracks side by side like the real units at the port of Montreal can. I am thinking I will be able to do two sets of two as this is going to require the use of two left hand switches and two right hand switches.
I also need to source a grey vinyl roll with a foam backing to act as the concrete dock and rail yard that I can paint the yellow marking lines, plus it will be keeping in with the plastic look of playmobil.
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"first order" ;D
Yes, sadly besides the Parts order on the containers this is all I could get from Playmobil. I snagged the last train and cargo truck they had in stock. Everything else I need I have to get off eBay. So I am just looking for used cranes and rail cars as I rather not pay the prices they are asking for new mint in the box since I will be opening them ( I reserve the big spending to the western theme).
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You could also search for a LGB Toytrain container car.
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Keep an eye on Craigslist and kijiji. I see lots of port stuff etc on my local Craigslist.
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Wow, there's a 5254 Crane for $15 Canadian on my local Craigslist! 8}
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You could also search for a LGB Toytrain container car.
Marco,
Thank you, however I rather stick with all playmobil where possible otherwise this would just be an LGB trainset with all the structures and not really belong on this forum. I am just not shelling out 100.00CAD for a flat bed rail car that only sold for 15 bucks not even 9 years ago. I have a bunch of playmobil 7522 flat cars I could use, but was hoping to go with the more colourfull 4126. Just have to see them as they pop up on ebay for cheap and snag them.
Cheers
James
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Your enthusiasm is awesome!
Hope you will post photos of your display as you begin to build it so we can share your enjoyment in creating it.
If Playmobil had delivered every part you needed all in one go it wouldn't have given you the same satisfaction as you will have in tracking down the elusive parts you need. Collecting and adding each piece to the whole is much more fun. I hope all your bids are successful!
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Your enthusiasm is awesome!
Hope you will post photos of your display as you begin to build it so we can share your enjoyment in creating it.
If Playmobil had delivered every part you needed all in one go it wouldn't have given you the same satisfaction as you will have in tracking down the elusive parts you need. Collecting and adding each piece to the whole is much more fun. I hope all your bids are successful!
Sometimes it is enjoyable like when I am hunting down missing sets from the Western theme, but for this I would have rather been able to buy everything from Playombil at cost rather and have the items now. I get that 100.00 for a rail car is not really that bad, but I do not need the box and I do not need it to be in unused condition so I rather find them in the 10-20 dollar a piece range.
I will be able to set up most of this display and then just add the 3 cranes and about 5 to 6 rail cars as I come across them at the price I am willing to spend.
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It has been a bit since my last update. In that time I have been able to acquire 3 of the red container cars and 1 of the yellow ones. Have been getting them from Germany for about 40-45 CAD a piece, but they are in really good condition.
(http://i.imgur.com/6vnkMkE.jpg)
Still on the hunt for more. Also I was able to get one crane from set 4085 that is currently being shipped to me. So one down and 2 more to go.
The containers that I ordered over a month ago from Playmobil.ca that had to be shipped direct from Germany have still not arrived, hence the empty rail cars...
Things do appear to be coming along nicely now though and bit by bit we chip away at it until it will be done.
Cheers,
James
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It has been awhile since my last post on this top, but finding rail cars that have been out of manufacturing for 10 years poses an issues. Since my last posting I have acquired 12 more flatbed cars. I have also picked up two cranes.
(https://i.imgur.com/ECv8sDM.jpg)
Do not fear, right now they are set up on top of a filing cabnet, but they will be moved to a proper display table soon enough.
(https://i.imgur.com/DYKQNQu.jpg)
As for the containers I had ordered back in August/September, well the order never got placed on Playmobils end. Due to the change in DS parts being shipped from Germany direct now, there was some confusion. So after the past two weeks of phone tag with the parts department, the order was finally processed yesterday and my CC has been billed. I have been told that the items should be arriving in the next two weeks.
More updates to follow.
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So a few boxes showed up today...
(https://i.imgur.com/3IGg2DU.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/IL0NBiN.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/cvR2m9T.png)
So many containers, so little time ;D
Also of note, the PM Cargo containers are made in Czech Republic and not Germany. The Green containers have thinner walls and as such are not as stiff or sturdy as their blue or orange counterparts. As such I would advise against buying these if there intended use is by children.
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I had some time today to put a few of these containers together and place them on the rail cars. They really look sharp, would like PM to make some yellow and grey ones of this size. I think now that I have opened most of these sets, maybe this thread should be moved to trains or dioramas, not that I mind it here.
(https://i.imgur.com/LPQfowd.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/UG4yej2.png)
As always enjoy,
James
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Looking great! Interesting the containers are of different weights of plastic. It looks like the mold is the same?? Must be something to do with the pellets they are using.
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Tim,
Not just weight, but the walls themselves are actually thinner and they seem to be older stock since the more recent sets only use the orange and blue containers. My thoughts are they made a new mould. The outside dimensions remain the same however.
Cheers,
James
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oh nice, you are in my area now... :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ Very nice to see someone else thinking about a modern transportation diorama.
I have got a load of stuff upstairs, preparing a dio exactly like this :lol: ;)
Have about 30 trucks, 70 containers, 4 container cranes etc. etc. Still more to come.
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I always love to see large theme groups. Looking forward to the full layout!
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Keep in mind that double stacking is not done in Europe.