PlaymoFriends
General => Brainstorming For Playmobil => Topic started by: Rhalius on December 10, 2011, 23:58:56
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I'd really like to see a new western train released, its really the kind of thing that ties the entire western theme together. They could skip the soldier fort for once in favor of a new train.
-The main train set.
Rails in an oval shape, comes with a locomotive, a passenger's wagon and a cattle wagon.
Includes two cows and a horse that can be put in the cattle wagon, along with accesoires such as bags, crates, barrels and suitcases.
Also comes with a dead tree that can be laid down over the tracks.
Included clickies: Machinist, well dressed lady with child, two train robbers and a cowboy.
By adding the train robbers the set is made more appealing to action oriented kids.
-Luxury wagon.
A wagon for the social elite, it comes with luxurious furniture and a bed, glasses, a liquor bottle and a large suitcase.
Included clickies: Grey haired gentleman, well dressed cowboy who can be used as a bodyguard to the gentleman.
-Passenger's wagon.
Same wagon that comes with the train, to offer more space for passengers.
Included clickies: Cowboy and his daughter.
-Money wagon.
A wagon with steel bars before the windows and strong doors. Inside the wagon is a safe filled with money.
Included clickies: two armed soldiers.
-Cargo wagon.
An open wagon with low sides that can store pretty much anything. Comes rather cheap due to the limited content.
Included clickies: a railroad worker.
-Train tunnel with goldmine.
A rock formation that goes over the track and has a tunnel for the train. Comes with a piece of rails that goes through the tunnel.
There is a path that goes up the rocks to a miner's camp on top of the rock formation, with a mine shaft that goes down into the rock formation that has one open side where the mine is located. Inside the mine there is a little track for the mine cart as well, and several rock formations with hiding places. This has been used before, they could make several smaller places like that and fill them with gold nuggets.
Included items are of course a mine cart, sticks of dynamite, picks, shovels, a cookpot and a small tent with several sleeping bags, several sacks of gold, a chest, several mugs and a ladle to go with the cookpot, a campfire and several scrubs that go on top of the rock formation.
Included clickies: four miners and a bandit.
-Bridge.
The tracks move up over a bridge here that goes over a river. Kind of a classic thing for any western setting.
Includes three cows, a calf and a horse.
Included clickies: a cowboy with a lasso who lets the cows drink at the river.
-Trainstation.
Pretty much just a new version of the old western train station, with about the same amount of clickies. I cant see a way to improve it.
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Sounds great to me! :high5: I would love love love love love to see the western train and train station come back, and your additions sound great! I like the tunnel idea a lot.
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I am on board (no pun intended) ;) with your new train proposal. A bridge and a tunnel would be awesome! Very cool ideas!
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Thanks, just trying to find ways to make the trains appealing to more kids.
The goldmine with the tunnel seemed like a good way to stimulate sales.. those that have the goldmine might want the train to go through the tunnel, and those that have the train might want a tunnel. And with this system neither would be required for the other. :)
Of course train wagons always require the train, but its best to keep the content of the train set itself a bit low so its not that its affordable. Aside from that maybe they should make the train set slightly underpriced to make it a great deal because so many expansions are possible.
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I would love the western theme to make a glorious comeback. With the water tower and windmill add on's along with the new stage coach, western take along and indian superset this may become a reality.
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If there will be a western set, I'm afraid I have to buy a new house. :lol: :lol:
:xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly: :xholly:
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And the prices?
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It's rather impossible to estimate the prices since its different for each country.
I'd say the price of the main train should be a good one to make it more affordable, it all starts with that after all. Something like 60-70 euros would be a good range.
The goldmine would probably be more expensive due to the large rock formation and all the equipment that would come with it.
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But would Playmobil make a profit at that price?
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I'd advice them to take their profits from the expansion packs such as additional tracks, wagons, a trainstation and such. Those parts won't sell without a train, the train is pretty much a requirement for them.
They could make the prices on those packs a little steep to balance things out. The lower price on the initial train would also be justified by the somewhat limited content of that package. Just a round track, a locomotive with two wagons, a few clickies with accesoires does not seem to warrant an overly high price.
Excluding batteries is also a good way to lower the price since batteries are expensive. Should be noted on the box that it does not have batteries.
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I'd advice them to take their profits from the expansion packs such as additional tracks, wagons, a trainstation and such. Those parts won't sell without a train, the train is pretty much a requirement for them.
It's not sound business practice to sell a major item at little or no profit (or even a loss) in the hope of selling subsidiary items (expansion packs, if you like) at an excessive price. And, a train station is no use without a train, but you can have lots of fun with a train set with no station. And, of course, you can always make your own station.
They could make the prices on those packs a little steep to balance things out. The lower price on the initial train would also be justified by the somewhat limited content of that package. Just a round track, a locomotive with two wagons, a few clickies with accesoires does not seem to warrant an overly high price.
You can only justify a low price if costs are low to start with. What you describe as a package with limited content (in this case, VERY limited content - http://playmodb.org/setpics/4010.jpg) used to sell for well over £100. It's hardly likely to sell for less in the future unless the contents are very limited, in which case people won't want to buy it anyway.
Excluding batteries is also a good way to lower the price since batteries are expensive. Should be noted on the box that it does not have batteries.
Compared with the cost of the item, a set of batteries may not cost a lot.
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Another possible addition to a new western train, an exploding dynamite wagon, perhaps somthing similar to this one from another well known train maker.
Set would include two bandits with reversable faces, pre and post explosion, a barrel, some dynamite, pistols a rifle and a squirrel??
Oh and of course some kind of naked flame so they can see when inside the wagon.
Wagon works by a lever being flicked up throwing the sepearte pats every where if the coupling is knocked too hard, hence the warning not to shunt loose or to bump.
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01561-1.jpg)
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01566-1.jpg)
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01563-1.jpg)
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01569-1.jpg)
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01555-1.jpg)
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj263/Blackandbluepanda/DSC01557-1.jpg)
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:lol: AWESOME
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That would be a really neat addition! That's the kind of thing the creators might go for, too. We already have an exploding volcano, and knock-out walls on jail cells and castles and such.
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Only one small correction:
On a steam locomotive you need two persons: a train driver and a fire man (who is shoveling coal).
That means: you need in the first/main set these two men/clickies. (http://www.schweinchenforum.de/images/ferkelmodern1024/smilies/lokomotive.gif)
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I'm on board for those train sets! :cowboy:
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:lol: I love the curious cowboys with soot all over their faces! Well done ;D!
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Maybe if they release houses again, maybe they could release a bit of a western village in a large set?
its always the sherrif's office but that gets boring, in a village set there would be room for buildings that may not do well when sold seperatly, such as an undertaker.
Aside from an undertaker, the village could also have a bank, a hotel and maybe some stables and all kinds of street decor. Includes clickies could be a banker, a bankrobber, an undertaker, two cowboys and several civilians. Several horses too, and maybe a part of the bank that can be blown up.
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What about a western building with interchangeable signs so that it could be changed from one building to another?
It could have signs for a sherriff's office, bank, saloon, drug store, general store, hotel, post office, and restaurant, with these signs perhaps being pieces of card that slide into a holder, rather than permanent stickers, so it could be changed over and over again. In fact each one could have two different sides so they could produce less pieces.
Then it could have a desk, a jail cell wall/bank bars, a bed, a table, four chairs, bar/counter, safe, and a shelving unit. That way by changing around furniture and the sign you could make different things out of it. It would be fun for a kid even if they just had one, but you could also buy multiples and use each one for a different use.
It could also have a small hanging sign to attach to the outside wall which could have changeable inserts making it serve as a wanted poster, an ad for the latest show at the saloon, the day's menu for the restaurant, etc.
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I would love to have new Western cars. I got the whole train set a few years ago on Ebay at a price so reasonable I really thought I'd never actually get it from the seller. I don't have the Western station, but have almost all the other things, particulaly with the reissue of the windmill and water tank.
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I have just seen these pictures of the dynamite accident !!! hilarious !!! and awesome custom too !!! :love: :love: :love: :love:
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I have just seen these pictures of the dynamite accident !!! hilarious !!! and awesome custom too !!! :love: :love: :love: :love:
The dynamite truck isn't a custom, George; it was produced by LGB. Here's a link:
http://www.gscaleonline.co.uk/G-SCALE-1225-SCALE-LGB-EXPLODING-DYNAMITE-CAR-94008
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Thank Gordon i didnt know !!! sure this wagon looks like a fine addition to a playmo western set !!!!
and here it is !!!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LGB-Dynamit-Explosionswagen-Toytrain-Nr-94008-NEU-originale-alte-LGB-Qualitat-/260905375819?pt=DE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item3cbf2c184b (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LGB-Dynamit-Explosionswagen-Toytrain-Nr-94008-NEU-originale-alte-LGB-Qualitat-/260905375819?pt=DE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item3cbf2c184b)
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I really like the idea of changeable signs. Could work well for quite a few buildings.
That might make for great DS packages too, that could exist out of a sign and all the items needed to turn a building into what the sign says it is.
Like a hotel sign. It could come with six beds, a chamberpot, a small table with two chairs and some food.
Would be nice though if for a new system, the windows could easily be changed between the buildings as well for variation, I am not sure how easy it is for the old western buildings, I only ever got my hands on the old sherrif's office though so I am no expert on them.
Aside from the size they used to use, I would also like to see larger western buildings though. Like a saloon with a stage, piano and upstairs rooms along with a bar and a table or two with chairs.
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I'd be on board with this idea! I would go broke, but it'd be worth it ;)