PlaymoFriends
General => Report & Review => Topic started by: Tiermann on July 04, 2022, 23:55:47
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Hi all, this is a review of the Bat Fairy Ruins set. I know there is interest in it since it has Steck castle parts and other interesting bits. I am hosting images on my own site that doesn't have extra security so if images don't show up for you I have put a link directly under each photo.
The Box front:
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807box.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807box.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807box.jpg)
Pretty standard for this theme for the box.
Open box with bagged contents:
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807open.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807open.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807open.jpg)
Happily they have left enough room in the box you could put a second unassembled complete set in there for storage :hmm:
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The set assembled from the inside view
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807set.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807set.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807set.jpg)
Note the gargoyle is the same color as the walls and is a unique color to this set so far (as are the walls - more on that in a moment)
Also of interest is that the floor of the ruins is a new piece and has slots for the ladder and the shield grip. You can pick up the set without the ladder falling off.
The other side of the set
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807setback.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807setback.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807setback.jpg)
One thing I really like about this set is how it is a nice complete scene from all sides. It is especially good from the long front and back but works from any angle.
Many bats in this set, plus a pair of crows
The thing I dislike about the set the most is that the larger tree is not molded to fit the root piece. Both have been used before and the tree was made for directly on a landscape plate not to fit on top of that root piece. It looks awkward and wrong to me, the one part of the set really that just doesn't work.
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Here is the wall color in comparison to a regular light grey rock on the left and classic castle Steck wall attached on the right
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807walls.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807walls.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807walls.jpg)
The set comes with 2 of the round tower window wall sections, one double female connector, two corner connectors, one three way connector, the broken round wall with window piece, the short broken wall top piece, the small end short broken wall piece, the gargoyle and a small adapter for the gargoyle to sit on. All in this blue grey color unique to Steck parts. The instructions are online at Playmobil and all part numbers can be found there.
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The Steck connected unique parts for this set.
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807steck.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807steck.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807steck.jpg)
The large dark grey rock piece has a place on the bottom to fit a battery operated LED light fixture to light up the holes in the rock. There are special pins for that to be seen in a moment. It also has a hole that requires a lid to cover on the end. Not super useful in regular Steck construction.
The smaller rock piece is a more useful shape, but has gold printing on it. The printing looks great and could be erased off, but you will be paying the price of a printed piece from DS for it.
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807rockpt.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807rockpt.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807rockpt.jpg)
The floor fits nicely in a half round tower and could be useful any time you area construction such as this. Note it sticks out in front of the wall on the left.
The tree is the most useful bit in my opinion.
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807tree.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807tree.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807tree.jpg)
Note it is a little taller than one Steck unit high. Looks great though and has a few holes on the sides for attaching to as well as that nice length to the branch sticking out.
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The light feature on the large rock is interesting. It is a very bright light. That is because you fill in all the holes in the rock. The set comes with pins that fit in the holes. Some are in milky trans light blue and the others in the dark rock color. A surprising and wonderful aspect to the set is that they have given you enough of each pin to fill all the holes in the big rock. The instructions say to use three crystals per side of the rock. You can change that however you want though.
The rock pinned with the light on in the dark:
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807light.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807light.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807light.jpg)
Extra pins in the rock compartment
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807hole.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807hole.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807hole.jpg)
Some of the extra pins in front of the outside of the rock
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807pins.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807pins.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807pins.jpg)
These pins are a standard size. That means you can use them to fill any hole that is designed to fit a typical small plant stem. Here they are on the baseplate from the lava scorpion set.
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807stone.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807stone.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807stone.jpg)
The dark grey rock pin could be super useful to diorama makers who need something to fill in obvious baseplate holes. Hopefully it will come out one day in other rock colors. I hope the designers realize how useful this piece is and do reuse it. It would be a shame if this is the only time we ever see it.
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Another feature to discuss is the hanging candelabra that has short candles on it. The candles are separate pieces that will fit any small pin location, like has been used for the taller candles in the past. The bottom section of the light is the right width to hold Klicky feet. This is shown in a box photo, so the bat fairy hanging upside down is a planned feature of the set
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807upside.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807upside.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807upside.jpg)
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Some other interesting parts in the set
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807parts.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807parts.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807parts.jpg)
Unique color on the flame pieces. The spider in magenta is unique.
The shields in the Ayuma sets is a new mold, different from the old castle small shields. This set has the only black example so far. The bat heraldry is a sticker.
The crystal casket seems to be a new piece as well. The part number isn't in PlaymoDB yet at least. It's a cool piece. Has it been done in another color previously?
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A couple of additional random photos
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807forest.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807forest.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807forest.jpg)
The little plant bit the bat is sitting on is a unique number and is in dark green
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807runes.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807runes.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807runes.jpg)
The braided type plant piece is also a unique number and possible color in the dark green
The purple cobweb window insert was in a Novelmore Violet Vale set previously but is uncommon
There are a surprising number of unique colorations in this set. This seems to be true of many Ayuma sets. Using a unique color palette really helps the theme a lot I think. The sets feel dark and magical in mood and really work for a deep forest setting as is portrayed in the video series.
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The two Klickies and their spirit animals
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klick.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klick.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klick.jpg)
The green Fairy is named Loxy, and the Bat Fairy is Xamira
Loxy has the wing style of a Knight Fairy but the coloration of a Forest Fairy. A militant Forest Fairy? No hand weapons included in the set, just the large fire weapon.
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickf.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickyf.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickf.jpg)
Xamira has a narrow cape
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickside.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickside.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickside.jpg)
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk.jpg)
(http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk2.jpg)
http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk2.jpg (http://animobil.info/playmo/70807/70807klickbk2.jpg)
Xamira has the magenta bat ornament on her waistband.
The warthog is in really interesting colors with nice print. They have created a new mold for the tusks which is unique and attractive in the gold. The baby spinosaurus in black with magenta paint is an interesting choice. They are Spirit animals so I suppose they can be anything. Hmm is my avatar Tiermann the Dinosaur my spirit animal??
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Overall I love this set. It is not in the top most tier of prices but maybe the next tier down. I would prefer Ayuma be more normally priced, so I just wait for good sales on them.
This set has all sorts of things to love about it, but some odd choices as well. Why mold the walls in a unique color instead of normal light grey? I guess it has to do with the color theming of the series to make it darker and rich looking. Still it limits the usefulness of the parts to diorama makers and castle customizers.
The Steck tree branch is great, the rock pins are great, the interesting flame colors are cool, lots of bats and interesting unique animals. More than enough good to make up for the few negatives to me personally.
Let me know if you have any questions I can answer on things here.
Thanks for reading - Tiermann
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Lots of great pieces there and the new steck is most welcome.
I guess the designers forgot what the hooks on steck floor pieces are. They're not just to keep the floor in place but are meant to represent the ends of wooden beams and as such should be as wide as the gaps in the wall pieces. It's the one thing that really lets this set down, having those skinny bits with a gap either side.
Oh yeah, and again with the stupidly oversized box. Many people ship playmobil outside the free service they run and a box twice the size means paying a lot more in postage for literally nothing. Plus it's a waste of cardboard.
Thanks for sharing Tiermann.
Is that gargoyle available in the regular grey?
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The gargoyle is available in three greys so far
light grey 30 02 8184 (from 70745 Violet Vale Wizard Tower)
dark grey 30 06 7123 (from 70362 Scooby Doo Adventures in the Cemetery)
blue grey 30 04 0624 (from 70807 Bat Fairy Ruins)
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Great review, Tim. Lots of play value and great parts. I think I may have to get this set - consider yourself an influencer! :P
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Thanks for the detailed review!
I am tempted by this one, especially since it's available in a new colour - I'm glad they went with it, because even though it's not compatible, it works well for this set and all of these pieces are repeats and widely available.
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Thanks for the review!!
Good to know that the steck is in another colour.
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Great review, Tim. Lots of play value and great parts. I think I may have to get this set - consider yourself an influencer! :P
Does that mean we're under the influence?
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Thank you dear Tim for this excellent review :wave:
Karim
PS : I have featured your wonderful and stylish butlers with the presentation of Ms Georgiana Lambe from Sanditon :love:
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Does that mean we're under the influence?
Apparently "influencer" really is a thing. Along with 'personal coach,' 'entrepreneur,' 'lifestyle guru,' 'celebrity' and several other job titles which people claim for themselves to avoid doing real work.
Anyway, Tim's review did influence me into buying thus set (got it half price ;D).
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Great review, Tiermann! Thanks for all of the great pictures and detailed information about this cool set! :D
The thing I dislike about the set the most is that the larger tree is not molded to fit the root piece. Both have been used before and the tree was made for directly on a landscape plate not to fit on top of that root piece. It looks awkward and wrong to me, the one part of the set really that just doesn't work.
That is weird. It still looks a great set though.
These pins are a standard size. That means you can use them to fill any hole that is designed to fit a typical small plant stem.
Is that the same size as the pin on most of the flame pieces, such as the ones used with torches or staves?
The shields in the Ayuma sets is a new mold, different from the old castle small shields. This set has the only black example so far. The bat heraldry is a sticker.
Interesting! I was not expecting that. How does it differ? Looking on Animobil, it looks like it might just be a bit narrower.
There are a surprising number of unique colorations in this set. This seems to be true of many Ayuma sets. Using a unique color palette really helps the theme a lot I think. The sets feel dark and magical in mood and really work for a deep forest setting as is portrayed in the video series.
I agree! While not the best for matching other parts, the sets really do look nice with these colours.
Hmm is my avatar Tiermann the Dinosaur my spirit animal??
Definitely. ;)
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Is that the same size as the pin on most of the flame pieces, such as the ones used with torches or staves?
Interesting! I was not expecting that. How does it differ? Looking on Animobil, it looks like it might just be a bit narrower.
Yes, the same size for the rock pins as a flame
The shield shape is almost identical, but the handle on the back is totally different. Old knight shields have a looped or D shaped handle. The Ayuma shields have an L shaped handle
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I thought the shield looked narrower at the top, is it?
Also if it has an L shaped handle then can it turn like the L shaped handle on the bigger shield does?
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The shape of the front is identical to the old castle shields except perhaps a tiny bit smaller. The rim is also thinner than on the old shields. The handle does not turn
Ayuma back
(http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/30031714b.png)
http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/30031714b.png (http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/30031714b.png)
Old heater shield from the knights like in 3666
(http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/heatersmside.png)
http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/heatersmside.png (http://www.animobil.info/shields/wit-icons/heatersmside.png)
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Thank you for the review - this is a must have :love:
And thank you for pointing out that tree-steck part... Will need to see if it is available... (my wallet does NOT like you, but you know how it is, don't take it personally :P )
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Thanks for the additional information and shield pictures! :D
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An additional piece of information I just discovered - all of the yellow flame pieces are glow in the dark. I turned the room light off and there they were glowing. So that's an additional cool feature. They are using quite a bit of glow in the dark with Ayuma. The weeping willow branches for the Tree of Wisdom and the waterfall sets glow in the dark. In the big waterfall set 70800 there is also glow in the dark hanging plant, flower stems, and the three leaf plant that was an ocean plant previously.
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Enough already! I'm buying all the Ayuma sets as fast as
I can my wallet lets me!
Seriously though Tim, it's good to read your comments to learn about all these features which aren't always apparent in the promotional literature. A similar thing happened with Jim's review of the Scooby-doo Haunted House. Somehow I ended up with two of those.... :-[
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I just wanted to echo some of the earlier comments and say that such a detailed photo and text review helps me with deciding to buy, so thank you very much Tim.
I particularly like the gargoyle (and without playmofriends might never have known that the gargoyle is available in other sets/colours), the candelabra, and the Steck compatible parts (I like the Steck wall parts even though they are a different colour). All in all a great 'parts pack' and currently 25% off on the Playmobil UK website.
Best wishes,
Neil
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And 50% off here (https://www.fenwick.co.uk/sale/kids/toys?prefn1=brand&prefv1=Playmobil) Neil.
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Thank you very much GrahamB, that is good news for my shopping list but bad news for my wallet.
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Wallets should be seen and not heard!
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Wallets should be seen and not heard!
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
(mine wants to hurt you... but you know the stupid thing... )