PlaymoFriends
Getting Started => Welcome! => Topic started by: Bill Blackhurst on July 02, 2008, 20:01:38
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Hello to all!
I am new here, & am very impressed with the family of members! I started collecting Playmobil in 1997 when the new fire series first came out with the sets of 3880,3879,3881,3882,3883, etc. It all started so innocently enough when I purchased a lone 3882 firefighter :-\. The attention to detail caught my never ending devotion, the realism of these little items is fantastic, with the SCBA systems, hose systems that you can actually make pump water, the jaws of life rescue equipment, generous supply of tools &, OK, I'll stop now because you all know what I mean :-[! Plus they are larger than LEGO, which is good in some ways, & bad in others! Bad being you need much more room to display them :love:. Most of my original collection had to be sold a few years ago, but I my obsession was rekindled later when I accidentally saw the next generation of the Fire Department series. Now to my demise, I started to collect the original items I had, plus added multiples of the newer fire department series! It seems I have too many fire department items to even count now along with all of the police, hospital, EMS, construction, harbour, airports, city life, rescue, grocery store, TV crews series, & so forth! It seems to be an addiction to having multiples of these items! Does anyone else suffer from this situation also :-[? To tell you how bad it is, I have 7 of 3880 fire engines, 2 of 5716 fire engines, 3 of 3879 ladder trucks, 3 of 3182 ladder trucks, hundreds of firefighters of all the newest designs since 1997, 7 of 3181 fire SUV, 7 of 3179 equipment trailers, 5 of 3177 chiefs cars, 2 of 3175 fire stations, plus station add on extensions, 2 of 3128 fire boats, 2 of 5721 fire raft sets, 2 of 5705 burning building sets,7 of 3180 haz mat crews, 2 of 4428 fire helicopter sea rescue, 2 of 5704 fire helicopter, 12 of 3176 fire command sets, 2 of 3525 early red ladder trucks, 4 3881 jump teams, 3 of 3789 white fire helicopters, 2 self made custom brush fire fighting units, 2 self made custom water tanker units, plus all of the many, many, many DS orders to customise everything :P! It's hopeless, I'm ruined! I like to set up displays showing the items working, but it takes a very large space to accomplish this endeavour! Plus it is not received well to take up a whole room to do this by the home team, if you know what I mean!! My main interests are the modern themes only, & try hard to stay away from getting addicted to the knight, roman, pirate series, etc., because it could become a very serious problem >:D!!! I look forward to communicating to everyone in the future, & hope to be of some assistance when ever I can. ;)
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Hello Bill and welcome :wave:
That's a lot of vehicles you have there. You should be able to take care of the big fires in a Playmocity... My main themes are also the modern ones but of course I have also been temted by the other themes - and I have also bought some (many) :(
Where in the world are you from?
Have a nice day and once again welcome :confetti:
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Welcome from the UK, Bill. As you can see, my theme and yours are the same, although my brigade is not as big as yours. Look forward to seeing your customs, please.
And now some bad news - at the end of this year or early next year (I think the former so they will catch the Christmas market), a new fire series will be introduced in Europe. I'm guessing it will be based on the Unimog type 4046 construction truck chassis.
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Hi Bill welcome to the forum.
There's nothing wrong with specializing!
I focus on the Romans (and formerly the medievals).
I turned the finished half of my basement into a display room.
-Tim
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Howdy Bill,
Welcome from Arizona. We could use some of your fire equipment
to cool this place down a bit!
Warm regards, 8-)
Jimbo
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Hello, Bill ... :wave:
A BIG welcome to Playmofriends from the beautiful United States Virgin Islands.
All the best and I'm really looking forward to seeing your collection,
Richard
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To tell you how bad it is, I have 7 of 3880 fire engines, 2 of 5716 fire engines, 3 of 3879 ladder trucks, 3 of 3182 ladder trucks, hundreds of firefighters of all the newest designs since 1997, 7 of 3181 fire SUV, 7 of 3179 equipment trailers, 5 of 3177 chiefs cars, 2 of 3175 fire stations, plus station add on extensions, 2 of 3128 fire boats, 2 of 5721 fire raft sets, 2 of 5705 burning building sets,7 of 3180 haz mat crews, 2 of 4428 fire helicopter sea rescue, 2 of 5704 fire helicopter, 12 of 3176 fire command sets, 2 of 3525 early red ladder trucks, 4 3881 jump teams, 3 of 3789 white fire helicopters, 2 self made custom brush fire fighting units, 2 self made custom water tanker units, plus all of the many, many, many DS orders to customise everything :P! It's hopeless, I'm ruined!
It's certainly better than Simcity ... ;)
Welcome to Playmofriends, Bill!
It's a bit like a family, all right. It's a very nice place to be. (I'm new here, too ... About four months.)
Do you take pictures of your displays? It'd be great to take a look :lens:
I'm Gustavo, 'live in Rio. People here call me Gus, which is how I sign ... :)
I hope you enjoy it here. Thanks for your introduction! It's a good beginning to talk about yourself ... One of the secrets of enjoying, I believe, is to keep talking ;D & showing what you like to do with your Playmos :yup:
See you around.
Gus
:blackhair:
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Hello LHAAP,
I live in Greenville S.C. USA. Playmofire has informed me of my impending doom! If Playmobil comes out with a fresh Fire Department series, I'm in big trouble 8}!
Greetings Playmofire!
You've really got me worried now ;)! I may need to find a larger house, or come up with another storage plan :-\!
Hi Timtheos,
Thank you for your support! I only wish I had a basement or extra room to setup my collection like you, but I'm not rich or famous yet! I have a hard time storing 85% of my collection now, because I don't like to expose any of it to temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. I think high temperatures cause the white & grey parts to yellow! Also it may cause damage to decals whether they are installed or not installed :-\! Exposure to sunlight is a definite NO NO too, because it does the same damage!
Hey Jimbo!
Was sup from S.C.! I think we're gettin' in the same type of situation here as y'all are in Arizona! The drought here has gotten worse, and water restrictions are not too far away in the future if we don't get some relief! I like your smiley with the sunglasses, the image fits your location well :wow:!
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Welcome Bill.
It sounds as if you have already found a like-minded spirit in Playmofire ;)
Enjoy your stay here!
Bogro
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Hi Bill! :wave:
Welcome from Scotland where the grass is always green, no matter what season it is.
(There is at least one advantage to living in such a rainy climate! ;))
It's wonderful to have you here as a member.
Have fun! :)9
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Welcome Bill,
I've enjoyed your posts on Playmoboard, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better here.
cheers, Martin
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First rule of business is a heart felt "THANK YOU!!" to everyone for the warm reception into this Playmobil family :love:.
Hello Gustavo :wave:!
I have recently posted several albums of some of my custom projects in process, you know that projects are never fully completed when it comes to Playmobil, they just keep evolving ;D! Check them out & give me your opinion.
Hi Richard of the Virgin Islands :wave:!
Greetings CountBogro :wave:!
I believe you are correct when it comes to Playmofire, Tim W, Fire Chief, & I being kindred spirits! I look forward to talking to everyone about fresh ideas concerning up coming projects! I admire the awesome work that I have seen done by everyone on this board :wow:!
Hi Sylvia :wave:,
Greetings to a special person that lives in my mothers family's ancestral country :love:, her maiden name is Turner. I wish Playmobil would come up with a special play pal figure of a Scot wearing a traditional outfit, with kilt & bagpipes ;D! I would buy quite a few!
If you would be so kind as to send us some of that rain, it would be greatly appreciated ;)!
And finally,.... Hello Martin :wave:!
It is good to see you here also! I was growing a little bored over on the other place! It didn't seem to have as many people with the same interests as mine! I feel that I have come across at least 4 members here so far that enjoy the same themes as I! Please understand, I do not think anything wrong with the pirates, knights, Romans, Vikings, & such, it just seems everyone else is into them except for me, until now! I am glad to have found this place, & wish I could have found it sooner! I look forward to talking to you in the future!
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I feel that I have come across at least 4 members here so far that enjoy the same themes as I! Please understand, I do not think anything wrong with the pirates, knights, Romans, Vikings, & such, it just seems everyone else is into them except for me, until now! I am glad to have found this place, & wish I could have found it sooner! I look forward to talking to you in the future!
I've got a fair amount of Fire, Police and Rescue stuff, though most of my collection had to be packed away and hasn't returned to light yet. I can blame Gordon for stimulating my interest in the Fire Service with his excellent customisations and photographs.
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Hello Gustavo :wave:!
I have recently posted several albums of some of my custom projects in process, you know that projects are never fully completed when it comes to Playmobil, they just keep evolving ;D! Check them out & give me your opinion.
I've taken a look at the pictures you uploaded to the photoalbum here at Playmofriends ... They're good pictures, very nicely taken :)
Do you make stories? ... I'm curious because/ uh, I'll publish a new topic on this ;D
Nice pictures, anyway!
G.
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I've taken a look at the pictures you uploaded to the photoalbum here at Playmofriends ... They're good pictures, very nicely taken :)
Do you make stories? ... I'm curious because/ uh, I'll publish a new topic on this ;D
Nice pictures, anyway!
G.
Hello Gustavo,
Thank you for the positive review of my photo albums ;D! I am trying to find out how to do slide show movies with a sound background, but I am not very computer suave :-[, & that frustrates me severely >:(! I am not fond of what I believe is called stop motion movies? I wish I could find someone in my area that liked Playmobil as much as I do that could assist me with these projects! I feel with my collection, & someones experience, the possibilities would be endless ;)!
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Possibilities ARE endless Bill, don't worry! :)
In time, things will happen, and ideas.
There are excellent ideas for background without graphic computing, and they get much, really much more natural and beautiful! :yup: And there's a few people here who might give you a hand, even at a distance.
Do you have a (whole) room (or basement, or attic ...), or a garden to dispose to make displays?
G.
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Hi Gustavo,
Alas, I don't have the existing room utilized at this time to display all that I would like too :(! Space shortage is a problem also! I don't have a basement, dedicated room, or garden. I share my display room with my lizards, a tortoise, cats, computer, a bed, my wife's tread mill, etc. :-[! Even putting up shelves would cost a small fortune, & still would not have everything displayed :eh?:! I may post some pictures of the items that I have stored in boxes to give an idea of what I'm up against, but I haven't decided yet :-\. All they would be pictures of are huge brown boxes, not revealing much :(!
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Don't worry, Bill ... Just like me: no space. Only, you have (much) more stuff, which probably makes you a bit (hm ... much) more anxious than I :-\
Well, you really won't have everything displayed together so soon, but, bits by bits, small sets by small sets ... &, Please, I'm not giving you these advices (only) because I want to see it, but because I want you to have great fun with your playmos! :yup:
For a beginning, what I'd suggest you -- and possibly this isn't news to you ... -- is to get a table easy to assemble & disassemble, so that you can make fast scenes ... Jochen could give you some tips on background ;D ... (Take a look at his site, I'll see to link it here, but you can see it through his profile.)
G.
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Hello Bill and welcome!!
With so many of us having more enthusiasm and klickys than room we should probably start comparing storage containers and labeling systems! At least now I can be surprised when I open a tub and come upon something I had forgotten about.
I know you will enjoy the community here and see you have already found some 'fire' friends, sure glad I am not into that modern stuff! Too easy to go off the deep end :lol:.
Gepetto
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Hello Bill and Welcome to Playmofriends
I was just flicking through the photo gallery when i saw some of your wonderfull pictures. I was quite suprised to see someone else who shares the very same interests as myself and Gordon (Playmofire). We are quite a rare breed to be honest as most often people are interested in Pirates and Castles. I wanted to take this opportunity to aleviate your fears on another point you raised, that of wanting to buy or own multiple vehicles :lol:. I have built up quite an extensive collection of fire engines and police vehicles, oh and there is also my ambulance service, did i mention that i have my own Playmobil demolitions company with a fleet of tipper trucks and excavators :lol:. I remember working out the next additions to my Police force the other week and making a note that i will need at least 4 of the new Police cars to serve my needs !! Two of these will be dog units and the other two will go to traffic, oh and i will need another one for the fire arms unit, better make that 5 :yup: :lol:.
Hope you enjoy your stay here, we are quite a friendly bunch. I am looking forward to seeing more of your pictures !!
Kindest regards Tim
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Great photos, Bill. :wave:
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Hello Tim,
I just got some time to breath & noticed you had left me a post. We are in the middle of moving to another location, & my collection is in an uproar! 15 large boxes of Playmobil stacked in the kitchen, 13 ex large boxes of Playmobil stacked to the ceiling in the garage, & 10 ex large boxes of Playmobil in a storage building waiting to be moved ASAP, & shelves of Playmobil still on the wall that need packed up! I think I'm going to go crazy 8}! My EMS fleet consists of 4 4221 ambulances, 2 4222 medi vacs, 4 4224 first responder cycle medics, 2 4223 medic supervisor cars with extra drivers, & all units have more EMT & Paramedic figures added. My second design hospital that I hope to be putting together soon after the move, consists of the 4404 base hospital, 2 4942 floor additions, 4 7883 side additions & 3 3459 surgery OR's, 5 3980 patient rooms, 4 4225 nicu units 2 4227 search & rescue units. My police dept has 8 3904 police cars, 4 3166 police vans 2 are set up as swat team vehicles, 1 is my CIS van, & 1 is my prisoner transport unit. I now have 4 of the 5801 swat team vehicles that are customised like the ones in my album, 1 swat boat, 1 police boat, 3 3986 police cycles, 2 3564 police cycles, 4 of the new swat team motorcycles, 2 3985 police search dog teams, 1 3908 police copter, 1 swat copter, 2 police dept buildings 1 large, & 1 sub station, & I lost count of the police personnel after 75, 3 bicycle police, 3 horse patrol officers, 2 swat jet ski officers, & a partridge in a pear tree! Man, I probably forgot something, but oh well! I have looked at your customs, & really admire your ingenuity! I can't bring myself to do any radical modifications to my collection that can't be reversed without much of a problem. It is good to have met you, Playmofire, & Fire chief on this board! I really enjoy the kindred spirits of our common likes! On other boards I always felt as an outsider because I didn't collect knights, Romans, pirates, etc.! I only collect the modern themes, City, police, fire, rescue, airport, construction, liesure time, EMS, hospital, RC trains, & farm. I hope to be posting some pictures of my Playmobil City Fire Department on a working building fire soon also! I was wondering if you know how to make a slide picture movie with just a music background that can be viewed on the net? I look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards from across the pond,
Bill
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Great photos, Bill. :wave:
Thank you Playmofire! Coming from you that is a real compliment! I hope to be putting more pictures on soon, but right now we're packing up to move. Wish us luck!
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Thank you Playmofire! Coming from you that is a real compliment! I hope to be putting more pictures on soon, but right now we're packing up to move. Wish us luck!
Hi Bill,
Every blessing for your move! Diane and I have been trying to move house now for 18 months without success, so our warmest wishes go to you on your success. :wave:
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On other boards I always felt as an outsider because I didn't collect knights, Romans, pirates, etc.! I only collect the modern themes, City, police, fire, rescue, airport, construction, liesure time, EMS, hospital, RC trains, & farm.
It's right that there are many collectors of all the knights etc. but please don't feel like an outsider, Bill. Here there are at least some modern themed collectors - including myself ;)
But I have to admit that I'm thinking about buying the new egyptian sets, when they arrive here :-[
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Hello Bill
Thank you very much for the kind words in regards to my customs :-[. However i think i should thank you because it was seeing your pictures that gave me the lift i needed to finally get back into posting again. I guess us 'modern' collectors are a breed apart from the rest and it can get a little bit lonely doing our thing amongst the castles and pirates that seem to be the norm of late.
Other than that its a pleasure to share my creations with others and i only hope they serve as an inspiration for them to have a go at customising. Its suprising how quick you catch the bug so to speak, one minute your keeping everything standard and the next your going all out and making something near enough new. That's the trouble with some of my customs, they take to long to make because i tend to over complicate them and i wont make certain things until i have an understanding of how the real thing works.
Saying that from what you have been doing yourself it does seem the bug has truly got hold of you :yup: !! I have just ran through your list and noticed how much you have got. You certainly share in my own philosophy of having more than one vehicle, but your doing it in style :yup:. I can only dream of having a Police force as big as yours :)9. I think my fire service is getting there slowly but it has been slightly neglected for a while. I have been working more towards making new equipment. Hopefully i will have some of it completed soon so i can add it to my thread. I have some nice hydraulic jacks for lifting train cars in the production line as well as some hydraulic props !! The only trouble is i haven't found my ideal 'Heavy Rescue' vehicle yet so half of the equipment hasn't got a vehicle to carry it >:( :lol: I will continue to wait patiently until i find it >:(..........
Kindest Regards Tim :wave:
PS: I am not sure how to do a photo story using slide pictures and music. I just tend to go for still pictures showing certain key points of the story as it progresses. I usually just add a bit of text to tell people what is happening.
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Hello Tim,
I have an idea for your heavy rescue unit vehicle! I would be afraid to try it myself, but seeing your work, you could probably convert it with no problem :wow:! Are you ready?...drum roll please.... the new 4323 heavy hauler & trailer unit ;D! You will need to do some disassembling to paint it red, add some 7837, & 7838 crates, a 4476 mini fork lift & some 7842 pallets, a few 3178 rescue trailer drawers from the Playmobil DS dept. all to be used for storing the heavy duty rescue equipment. Add a flashing blue light bar, some custom UK Fire Dept striping, a couple heavy duty winches, tools & equipment from the 4422 race service trailer, & bingo! It seems to be the only vehicle in production to handle your extreme rescue needs... I can see it now... :P! What do you think ;)?
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Knowing Tim, he'll be sketching out the plans now!
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Knowing Tim, he'll be sketching out the plans now!
I was afraid of that! I don't mean to get anyone into trouble :-[, but I know with his ingenuity, all he would need was an idea, & a little shove ;), & we're off! Pictures of the project to be posted soon :wow:!
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Hi Bill,
Every blessing for your move! Diane and I have been trying to move house now for 18 months without success, so our warmest wishes go to you on your success. :wave:
Thank you Gordon, for the encouragement! It will be extremely needed :(o):!
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Hello Bill and welcome!!
With so many of us having more enthusiasm and klickys than room we should probably start comparing storage containers and labeling systems! At least now I can be surprised when I open a tub and come upon something I had forgotten about.
I know you will enjoy the community here and see you have already found some 'fire' friends, sure glad I am not into that modern stuff! Too easy to go off the deep end :lol:.
Gepetto
Hi Gepetto!
Consider yourself fortunate you have not gotten the fatal addiction to the modern themes as I have 8}! It is something that is almost impossible to overcome :-[!
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It's right that there are many collectors of all the knights etc. but please don't feel like an outsider, Bill. Here there are at least some modern themed collectors - including myself ;)
But I have to admit that I'm thinking about buying the new egyptian sets, when they arrive here :-[
I am glad to hear that you have the same interests! What do you have in your collection? Do you have a certain theme you like the best?
Oh no! Don't go crossing over to the other side now :o! LHAAP, put the Playmobil pyramid down, & step away from the cash register slowly....put your money back into your wallet P)...... remember that the NEW PLAYMOBIL POLICE DEPARTMENT is coming out too ;D! Now, do you really want those Egyptians ;)?
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Do you have a certain theme you like the best?
Hi Bill :)
My focus is on construction, police, leisure and citylife in general. In addition to these themes I have also just added all the underwater/deepsea sets to my collection + the wedding. I really like Playmobil's modern life themes. They are so detailed :love:
Oh no! Don't go crossing over to the other side now :o! LHAAP, put the Playmobil pyramid down, & step away from the cash register slowly....put your money back into your wallet P)...... remember that the NEW PLAYMOBIL POLICE DEPARTMENT is coming out too ;D! Now, do you really want those Egyptians ;)?
Hehe, your are right. I shouldn't cross the line but I think I have to.
It's going to be an expensive autumn for me: Police sets, Egyptian Sets + the new modern house sets :o
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Greetings LHAAP,
Hehe, your are right. I shouldn't cross the line but I think I have to.
It's going to be an expensive autumn for me: Police sets, Egyptian Sets + the new modern house sets :o
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Oh no! It looks like we (the modern theme collector group) may have to keep a vigil to prevent you from straying :lol:! But seriously now, just think of how many of the new police cars, police sea planes, modern house accessory sets, etc. you can get if you don't stray to the Egyptian theme..... MANY, MANY MULTIPLES :woohoo:!!!!! I'm telling you, it's going to be a great autumn :P! Stay with us, don't give in :help:, we're here for you!
It looks like you have the same interests exactly! Do you have an album on this site?
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Hello Bill
Thank you very much indeed for the reply, i am sorry for the delay getting back to you. I don't want to send your welcome thread off topic but i have been seriously considering the conversion you mentioned for a while now. The only trouble is i have lost two of my local Playmobil suppliers and the one that is left is the most expensive !! I am sure when i last looked the set you mentioned was £50 or $100. I was also wondering wether the vehicle would be big enough for my needs because, there is a serious amount of equipment to be carried :lol:. I think i will go for it in the end and use the method of storage you suggested (pallets and fork lift). This is quite a common way of storing equipment on some Rescue Tenders or Heavy Rescue Units here in the UK (i meant to say i am from the UK :lol:). The truck is ideal because the trailer or 'pod' can be deposited at the scene while the vehicle goes back for another. I have a few big ideas that need finishing off so stay tuned for more updates :lol:. Hopefully you will see the vehicle you mentioned finished and in service within the next few months !
Kindest Regards Tim
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Tim, try here (let me know if you can't see the pictures, or are you a member already?):
http://www.playmo-convention.de/board/viewtopic.php?t=2542