Author Topic: The A-Team  (Read 5929 times)

Offline Baron Marshall

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #20 on: June 15, 2021, 21:32:28 »
My opinion, but better to be an 80s retro toymaker than a pink/purple phone app accessory toymaker...
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Offline drbatesy

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #21 on: June 16, 2021, 08:02:25 »
Sorry Baron, that went over my head!  8} Who's making those?

Bolingbroke, I agree with your assessment, but as someone who's just started collecting, what I'm nostalgic for is 80s style Playmobil!  :lol:

Offline tahra

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #22 on: June 16, 2021, 08:27:17 »
My opinion, but better to be an 80s retro toymaker than a pink/purple phone app accessory toymaker...

Yes. Way better.

In a way, I wish they'd dedicate themselves to non-licenses... Still, I am happy with these, because unlike all the others, I AM a fan... but it makes no sense at all... like most the others :P

Offline Redmao

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #23 on: June 16, 2021, 10:01:27 »
Like many other toy companies, Playmobil is turning towards the 80's for ideas as the Gen-X seem to be fuelled by nostalgia. Most American toy makers have been riding this wave.
We are adults with income to spare on hobbies with fond memories of our youth and the toys and properties we grew up with.
Sorry to hit the old nail again, but with many kids less interested in plastic/physical toys, toy makers turned toward us the collectors and nostalgic to keep their factories going.

I would have loved to have the A-team in Playmobil form as a kid. I used to put a white klicky in the yellow car, remove the room and pretend that he was Crockett from Miami Vice!

Offline Baron Marshall

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #24 on: June 16, 2021, 10:21:08 »
Sorry Baron, that went over my head!  8} Who's making those?

It was just a little a jab at most of the Everdreamerz and fairy lines  :lol:
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Offline drbatesy

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #25 on: June 16, 2021, 12:47:34 »
Ah! Yes, in that case I concur! Sorry, I know a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it!  :-[

Offline Basie10

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #26 on: July 09, 2021, 09:06:22 »
Looking at this makes me wonder what could be next from the 80s?  The Karate Kid had almost as big a cultural impact as Back to the Future...I wonder if we'll get a version of Daniel-San and Mr Miyagi.  Indiana Jones? Die Hard? Star Wars? Gremlins? Predator? There's a lot of scope.

Offline drbatesy

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #27 on: July 09, 2021, 10:09:04 »
Indiana Jones and Star Wars are already being done by Lego. But generally yes, Basie, I think you're correct.

Offline Adam16bit

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #28 on: July 09, 2021, 18:58:47 »
Indiana Jones and Star Wars are already being done by Lego. But generally yes, Basie, I think you're correct.

The licensing would probably bump into what Hasbro is doing - unless there's a price point loophole (some items from Marvel and Star Wars got made by non-Hasbro manufacturers by raising the SRP significantly. Funko Hikari comes readily to mind, those were $80 as opposed to $50 for other licenses, and sometimes licenses are written by price point as well as size/master toy license/outlets/etc.  Diamond did a similar higher price point product for its not-quite-Mego figures of various Marvel heroes.)  Hasbro has been very protective of the Star Wars toy license in this scale, LEGO's stuff is a construction toy, and Funko's stuff are bobble heads with bases (as opposed to just figures with vinyl heads that turn, as that's a different kind of product with a different license agreement.)  I would buy every last Playmobil Star Wars set they made if they ever did it.  Indy, well, who knows.  It'd be cool but it underperformed last time Lucas/Hasbro/etc. did a big push for it around the time of the Crystal Skull movie.

For 80s licensing, I'd probably look at LEGO Dimensions and anything they did for that could be viable.  It seems like it's already been a proving ground - after all, we've already got Scooby-Doo, BTTF, Ghostbusters, and A-Team.   Gremlins, Beetlejuice, Knight Rider, E.T., Doctor Who, Goonies, Simpsons, and a few others were licensed for LEGO Dimensions and seem like they could also be good fits.  That's where I would place my bets - they've already proven the license holders are willing to do this kind of thing.

I assume Playmobil will want to do anything where there's a key vehicle (as we've seen with most of their US-friendly entertainment licenses so far) with multiple good characters.

Personally, I'd want to make Bill & Ted.  Lots of historical figures and heroes that can probably be made with mostly existing parts, a unique vehicle that can be made at a low price point, heroes with very distinctive costumes, also Playmobil George Carlin in wacky future clothing.  Like Back to the Future, it allows you to take something new, and reuse lots of old sets with a new license.  You can sell Western, Castle, and a few other themes alongside it.  Is it appropriate for kids?  Probably not. But Back to the Future isn't too far off from a similar tone in terms of some adult themes, albeit with less adult language.   If you're not a fan of Bill or Ted, you can still buy Gengis Khan, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Billy the Kid, Abraham Lincoln, etc.  Also Metrocenter Mall from here in Phoenix was used for the San Dimas mall for the first movie, and any excuse I could come up with for a Playmobil Metrocenter Mall playset would be great.
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Offline GrahamB

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Re: The A-Team
« Reply #29 on: July 10, 2021, 08:52:08 »
It's been said before, but Playmobil has often issued sets which seem inspired by movies current at the time (though usually a couple of years after the peak of popularity) without claiming to be exactly based upon the movie, to avoid licensing litigation. Here are a couple which seem to me to be right out of the Indianna Jones mould:

3015 Jungle Ruins, from 1998
4842 Treasure Temple with guards, from 2009

Indianna Jones films were released in 1981, 1984, 1989 and 2008, so 3015 was very 'late' but 4842 was perhaps able to cash in on some of the enthusiasm generated by the fourth film (mind you, I don't know how popular the fourth film was).
« Last Edit: July 10, 2021, 08:58:09 by GrahamB »
At that moment the ship suddenly stopped rocking and swaying, the engine pitch settled down to a gentle hum. 'Hey Ford.' said Zaphod, 'that sounds good. Have you worked out the controls on this boat?' 'No,' said Ford, 'I just stopped fiddling with them.' (With thanks to Douglas Adams)