PlaymoFriends
General => News => Topic started by: Customizer on July 30, 2008, 21:07:59
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Hi ,
ENJOY here:
http://www.klickywelt.de/bilder-aus-dem-neuen-katalog-t29749.html#359676 (http://www.klickywelt.de/bilder-aus-dem-neuen-katalog-t29749.html#359676)
world greets
Andi
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thx to navygirl001 !!
here the pictures...
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more...........and all !!
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OMG OMG OMG! :omg:
Yay!!! They finally did it! :yippee:
After all these years we finally get some MERCHILDREN! :woohoo:
The new sea serpent looks awesome too. It is 3-headed, right?
Or is it only shown that way to convey movement?
I like the whole look of that new Ghost Pirate theme. 8-)
Thank you navygirl001 and Andi for all of the pics! :-*
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I like the mer-family also.
The Massal warrior looks great.
The pirate ghost ship and three-headed dragon look great too.
A lot of the other stuff I'll have to see before I comment further...
What, no ghost pirate kids?
-Tim
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:-[i am sorry for not being as happy as you with the new wonder-sea sets.
:) i could see a new "normal" pirate set though (that's not to bad), the 4776 mitnehm piratenfelsen.
:hmm: i don´t think the owners of the "pirates of the caribbean" rights will like this new "geisterpirat" family.
maybe i am just in a bad mood but the second thing i thought when i looked at the pictures (thanks andi) was that geobra was trying to take advantage on the success of the movie.
if this is so, they are missing their timing completely.
at least lego pays to use movie's themes and they launch their sets at the right time.
the first thing i thought was that these were false pictures done by someone trying to trick us.
the more i think of it, the more i wish it would be so.
:) the new specials are o.k., specially the massai warrior (maasai would be the correct name, i think).
:) i can see that someone who likes the fairy-world would also like this "meereskonigreich" new family - it kind of has the same atmosphere.
:eh?: but the geisterpirat... i just hate it - i am sorry - and i fear this will be a dangerous and expensive (in legal fights) path for geobra.
in the past i have talked about the way lego was not able to cope with its envy of playmobil (with a superior capacity to create wonderful "worlds") and mecanoo (with a superior capacity to make mechanical-moving sets) - and how this deviated the danish company from their unique design capacities.
now, it just seems that playmobil envies lego.
:( envy, as you know, is considered a mortal sin in some cultures.
:( together with greed...
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I thought about "Pirates of the Caribbean", too, Cachalote, but in a ... 'n optimistic way.
The wonderful thing of the new kind of ship ist that, at last, there's something that LOOKS like a galleon/caravel. The design is getting to the point I'm willing, something that can be used with knights, to take Crusaders through the Mediterranean to the Holy Land, and from Venice to Napoli & around the "boot", to Sicily ...
It's a beginning, to me.
Concerning the "Atlantid" people, I think many Playmobil fans were expecting this for a long time. It's interesting to see it come, and it kind of combines with Romans, in a religious way. There's interesting stuff to think about it, to the future, in combining things.
But I'm not willing to make huge things ... After I come (ever) to get some Romans, I think I'll probably go after Egyptians ... Myth is a bit like Trains, to me: I won't invest in this. I like civil medieval life. (Pirates go fine. Romans will do. Egyptians? Interesting, because of some personal interests (History).)
But it's very interesting! New, at least. And far from last.
My thoughts
Thanks for the news, Andi!
Playmobil really decided to make NEW stuff. It's good! :)
Gus
:blackhair:
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Thanks for the photos, Andi. Like cachalote, I am disappointed with what I see so far. Hopefully, there will be some new modern items, especially in the fire brigade line. (There are a couple of sentences on klickywelt I spotted which mentioned the fire brigade and one of these suggested the new fire engine would be an American styled one. If that is true and it is the only new fire engine, then that's going to be another disappointment.)
Like cachalote, I'm also puzzled about where Playmobil is going. To me, it's all getting rather like other products you see in the shops, and often not very well made products (I'm not thinking of Lego here). Playmobil seems to be trying to produce expensive competitors to cheap toys!
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Like Cachalote and Gordon, all I see in these Ghost Pirates is a knock of Pirates of the Carribean, but about four years too late. Other toy companies have been doing Pyrates and the like for years, why did it take Playmobil so long? The first POTC movie came out in 2003, and now the series has gone stale (I never even bothered to see the third installment).
I'll buy them of course, and with two previous Ghost Pirate specials maybe we should have seen this coming, but it's hardly a feather in Playmobil's cap, as the Egyptians are.
I like the Cossack and Massai Warrior Specials, I'll be buying several of each of those. More Zulu battles, anyone? The Cossack appears to have a new shoulder and waist belt - there's a dagger on his back hip as well as the scimitar.
The 4684 Knight, not so good, all recycled parts from mixed themes that do not add up to an interesting figure.
The new take-along sets look interesting - I'm keen on having smaller buildings that don't fill a whole table, and these might be the ticket. The Pirate one the kid is holding is the worst of the group.
Is this the third rehash of the Wolf knight logo? Still they do look rather spiffy, each with his own wolf companion - or are the knights really werewolves? I'm guessing these will retail in the £4-6 range for most of the sets in the theme except the guy with the ugly catapault, which is ideal pocket money range.
I gree with Gordon that Playmobil appear to be apeing toys at the cheaper end of the market, and I don't think this is wise.
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Wow... very cool!! I wonder what the Target sets will be this summer... we may see some items to go with these themes...
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Like Cachalote and Gordon, all I see in these Ghost Pirates is a knock of Pirates of the Carribean, but about four years too late. Other toy companies have been doing Pyrates and the like for years, why did it take Playmobil so long? The first POTC movie came out in 2003, and now the series has gone stale (I never even bothered to see the third installment).
The pirate theme doesn't strike me as a POTC knockoff (maybe because I haven't seen the movie). I mean, ghost ships have been around since... well, forever. This strikes me as PM just continuing its age-old pirate theme with a slight twist.
I agree with Martin--some of the new US$5 medieval-fantasy sets look interesting (images are a little too blurry to make out all details). The wolf knight theme earns a :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: from me. The notion of wolves pulling a catapult is absolutely farcical--not phantastical, but laughable. Kids will like it, but an ox would have been just as sellable and would maintain PM's tradition of being a subtle educational toy.
With the wolves being so small and close to the ground, I suspect the catapult would be stuck when it hit its first rut in the road (and they'd better not try cross-country). And why waste wolves when a single (or pair of) ox would do, and the ox is hardier and easier to keep alive?
"Because it looks cool with the wolves."
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Wait a minute--
I detect a marketing ploy--
Notice that for both the Mermaid theme and the Wolf Knight theme that the chariot / catapult doesn't come with its full load of animals (seahorses or wolves). One sea horse and one wolf comes with each set, and you have to buy all the sets to get your full team.
-Tim
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The Lyre in 4813 looks just like Cacafonix's one from the Asterix comics - could come in useful for the Gauls when they're not warring with the Romans.
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Thank you Andi for getting and posting the pics.
I think the Pirate ship is a little silly coming from a company like Playmobil. They are in a Fantasy mode . The ship looks useful as an abandoned ship wreck on the shores of an island . It is not sea worthy for sure and all the creatures are mythical as well . Oh well i guess they did the reality with the church and Egyptians earlier and now this was coming . There does seem to be a lot of useful parts in these sets for the Customizers . black ninja sword, large anchor, crusty battle ax & others. It is hard to see with the blurry images.
By the way what is Spiel & Sammelspass ( play & collecting passport ) ?
Thank again Andi
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By the way what is Spiel & Sammelspass ( play & collecting passport ) ?
The last word is sammel and spass put together so a closer translation would be Play & Collecting Fun. :)
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I agree with Martin--some of the new US$5 medieval-fantasy sets look interesting (images are a little too blurry to make out all details). The wolf knight theme earns a :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: from me. The notion of wolves pulling a catapult is absolutely farcical--not phantastical, but laughable. Kids will like it, but an ox would have been just as sellable and would maintain PM's tradition of being a subtle educational toy.
With the wolves being so small and close to the ground, I suspect the catapult would be stuck when it hit its first rut in the road (and they'd better not try cross-country). And why waste wolves when a single (or pair of) ox would do, and the ox is hardier and easier to keep alive?
"Because it looks cool with the wolves."
I hadn't noticed that! It's worse than I thought! Have Playmobil recruited a load of teenage geeks who sit all day in anoraks in dimly lit rooms playing computer games to design new items? (Apologies to any tgwsadiaidlrpcgs who are board members.)
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I've got them all added to PlaymoDB, here:
New Sets from German 2008-09 Catalogue (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=4681,4682,4683,4684,4685,4686,4774,4775,4776,4777,4800,4801,4802,4803,4804,4805,4806,4807,4808,4809,4810,4811,4812,4813,4814,4815,4816,4817,4818;title=New%20Sets%20from%20German%202008-09%20Catalogue)
I hope I've spelled everything correctly. I'm now on the hunt for better photos, although these will do until the official ones come out. Enjoy!
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Thanks Silvia, as long as it is not some store exclusive i will never be able to get in the US . I am still waiting for the info on the new blue party truck and the RC Diesel train ( IF they will be in the US ) .
Everybody was so excited about the new pirate with a bald head and now nobody is saying anything about the new addition of a glow in the dark bald head. You know how some bald heads shine, well now it glows 8-)
Tim and gordon i would also agree that playmobil has over educated itself on marketing and design . Normal is not good enough for the hipsters so now we need gimmicky sales pitches and shocking designs in the Playmobil board room . :-\
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Like cachalote, I'm also puzzled about where Playmobil is going. To me, it's all getting rather like other products you see in the shops, and often not very well made products (I'm not thinking of Lego here). Playmobil seems to be trying to produce expensive competitors to cheap toys!
I agree. The spirit of these remind me more of the cheap, mass-market Fisher Price, Mattel, Hasbro, etc. Chinese toys than Playmobil.
As others have mentioned, clearly the new Ghost Pirate sets are inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, but Playmobil is a few years late to the table. I too wonder if they might be sued, although I doubt they would lose. I suppose, along with the even more fantastical knights presented here, that the ghosts are simply an evolution in the pirate and knight themes for Playmobil. I can’t say I like it, but it will probably sell well because that’s what kids these days want. As for me personally, I want no part of the new knights, except maybe the Celtic looking shield via, and the only pirate set that interests me is the ship, as it would make a spectacular wreck.
I don’t collect sea people, but if it makes some board members here happy, that’s great.
I’m not sure about the mini-take-along tower sets. I have to see them in person, as they could be very interesting and useful or just be really cheap looking.
For me and for many on this board, I’ll wager, the great news is in the three new historical specials. These will be of inestimable value to Roman, Medieval, Napoleonic, and Imperial fans.
Tim: You’re absolutely right about having to buy all the sets to have a seahorses and wolves to pull the chariot and catapult respectively. It’s an ingenious marketing ploy! And wolves pulling a catapult! :lol:
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The Caravel/Galleon looks o.k. It needs to be dry docked for a while and patched up.
It has the possibilities of making a fairly neat little ship :yup:
The merchildren are cool....the masai warrior is neat as well...nifty anchor....
The rest of the stuff :hmm:
Jimbo
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I must say that I really like the new Specials :love: I think I need more than one of each :P
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Thanks for the pictures Andi :)
It looks like a cheap year for me , just a few specials to collect.
I'm not into ghost Pirates at all but these new sets do have a few nice parts with them and the ship being used just as a wreck would work OK.
I might buy the wolf Knights, some of the figures look alright and they are only small sets and shouldn't add up to much.
After seeing the Egyptians that will be available soon, I thought Playmobil was moving in the right direction with it's historical themes, so I am a bit sad to see all of these fantasy type sets. :(
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OMG OMG OMG! :omg:
Yay!!! They finally did it! :yippee:
After all these years we finally get some MERCHILDREN! :woohoo:
The new sea serpent looks awesome too. It is 3-headed, right?
Or is it only shown that way to convey movement?
I like the whole look of that new Ghost Pirate theme. 8-)
Thank you navygirl001 and Andi for all of the pics! :-*
My sentiments exactly, Sylvia!
WOW! ... :wow: :wow: :wow:
I read that not everyone is happy with the new sets, but I love :love: them !!!
I am just thrilled to see more new fantasy themes. Especially when they are as well thought out as the new Ghost Pirates and the Mer-People!
Finally, the real beginning of an Atlantis theme!
And, some really great Specials!
The Masai warrior is brilliant. I'm happy to see another cossack to join the earlier Special.
It would appear that Playmobil's designers really are listening.
Thank you Andi and Inga for sharing these wonderful images.
Inga also scanned the 2008-2009 cover, which I've attached for any Playmo-cover collectors.
All the best,
Richard
see attachment
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i invite you to take a look at 2 of mega-blocks' pages.
the 24 "pyrates": http://www.megabrands.com/en/products/index.php?Brands+-+Pyrates%26trade%3B&brand_id=25
and the 23 "pirates of the caribbean" - http://www.megabrands.com/en/products/index.php?Brands+-+Pirates+of+the+Caribbean&brand_id=35
:hmm: many of the ideas for these sets are identical with the playmobil ones.
i like to believe that playmobil came up wih the islands and boat sets first but there are also a lot of details that seem to appear first on mega-blocks:
- the obsessive presence of skulls; :(
- ghost-pirates, skeletons and ghost-ships; :(
- extra-large arthropods (sorpion v. crab), sea-serpents and multi-headed sea-monsters. :(
these things are all the things i don´t like in the new way playmobil is taking the pirate family. :'(
not only they seem "ugly" to me (like mega-blocks sets do) but now, they also seem un-original.
i have to say i am sad about this. :(
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extra-large arthropods (sorpion v. crab), sea-serpents and multi-headed sea-monsters...
i can see no smiles... :'(
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... i was forgetting one thing: to be fair i kind-of like the sperm-whale skeleton. :)
the teeth are too agressive, though.
and the skeleton is missing a lot of vertebrae and all of fin bones.
and there are eyes where there should be holes.
and it glows, so it is probably a bit radioactive.
... actually, on second thought, i hate it! >:(
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Isn't Mega Blocks some kind of pathetic imitation to Legos ?
Maybe playmobil wanted to put a little distance between the Pirate movie and the releases of these sets to avoid any legal action . If the copyright holder has already exhausted his merchandise sales it would not make sense to spend a lot of legal funds to stop larger companies at this point ( especially if it is a long shot to begin with )
It would also make it appear that playmobil is less of a trend follower if you are so far behind you might actually think you are ahead ;D
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some motorcycle racers have the same logic, rasputin.
they get sacked after one season... ;)
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"Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise was polemical ... There are those who like it (them), there are those who like the first one, and hate the other two ... There are those who like the first, dislike the second, and didn't even get the work of taking a look at the third. There are those who like the second better than the first but dislike the third. There are those who like the third better than the other two ...
I don't think Playmobil had any kind of thought about connecting themes: Playmobil toy continues free of characters. It's good that they didn't do a Jack Sparrow!: I wan't to give names to my characters.
But I do happen to like PotC series. I have them all here, at home, and I watch them now and again ... Good series, to me.
One thing that it (the series) changed in the concept of piracy is that BEFORE PotC[,] pirates were "the bad guys", no matter what, even in the spirit of "Treasure Island". PotC brought a concept that pirates can be "good guys", and created enemies for pirates: ghosts.
So, Playmobil isn't producing PotC, but reproducing a new concept that has spread, since PotC, that has to do with modern life's morals, and changes ...
History is one thing. Fantasy is another. Playmobil is toy. I (adult) like its historical features, and it's what I use. Children will LOVE ghost pirates, because French versus English is adult talk: nowadays, French and English (and others) to be alike IS educational, if we give a better thought.
We will (I will) wait for more XVIIIth century historical Playmobil (as well as XVIIth, XVIth, XVth, XIVth, & Venice ...), but this toy is according to some needs of our days, I think.
It isn't [a line meant] to me, though. (I mean, I don't play PotC ..., nor will I.) It's for children. & They will love it. & It will sell. A lot, I believe.
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I dislike the knights, but it has everything to do with role-playing game generation. (It's ridiculous to me, too, a catapult pulled by wolves :-\ and not only ridiculous ... It's sad, because I seem to have absolutely no interest in it.) But there's this Narnya talk[ * ], as well, that makes me understand that children will get it, and possibly love it as well ...
Gus
:blackhair:
[Ps. * Not to talk about wargs ... Maybe if the wolves were GIANT, it'd be fun even for us ... But, c'mon!: a catapult pulled by oxes in "Peter Jackson's LotR era"??!! You've got to be kidding! Children don't ~buy~ anything pulled by oxes! ...]
[Parents would buy more happily, though, if they were pulled by either wargs or minotaurs ... But, well, parents will buy whatever their children ~buy~.]
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Besides all this, if you pay attention at Youtube, you'll see that there are MANY playmobil adaptations of PotC made by children playing. I'ts because, like it the critics or not, PotC is good stuff, at least to children (and some big guys :wave: ...)
Playmobil only lacks a(/some) good science fiction & super heroes line(s), to allow children to follow cinema closer, according to recent production. (At least on super heroes ...) But I think that, in this, Lego will give the bit that Playmobil doens't wish get to work about.
But I'd like to see some realistic Playmobil astronauts. However, according to something Leonard Neemoy said, in a documentary made for the Star Trek IV (1980-something? ...), "the Space Programs are in crises" ... However, we will have a new Star Trek, in the end of this year, that may come out as polemic as PotC (...).
Gus
:blackhair:
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Besides all this, if you pay attention at Youtube, you'll see that there are MANY playmobil adaptations of PotC made by children playing. I'ts because, like it the critics or not, PotC is good stuff, at least to children (and some big guys :wave: ...)
Playmobil only lacks a(/some) good science fiction & super heroes line(s), to allow children to follow cinema closer, according to recent production. (At least on super heroes ...) But I think that, in this, Lego will give the bit that Playmobil doens't wish get to work about.
Hi Gus
You've been using "polemic" a lot lately--"an aggressive refute of current opinion. The art or practice of disputation or controversy."
Is this what you mean?
As for POTC, Playmobil's pirate theme has been big since I was a kid in the 1980s.
The company claims to have a policy against chasing trends, which may be why we don't have superhero themes. As fun as movie adaptions might be, looking to Lego, it seems the toy has become a movie accessory.
But, I'm certain PM will sooner or later go that route.
-Tim
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I've got them all added to PlaymoDB, here:
New Sets from German 2008-09 Catalogue (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=4681,4682,4683,4684,4685,4686,4774,4775,4776,4777,4800,4801,4802,4803,4804,4805,4806,4807,4808,4809,4810,4811,4812,4813,4814,4815,4816,4817,4818;title=New%20Sets%20from%20German%202008-09%20Catalogue)
I hope I've spelled everything correctly. I'm now on the hunt for better photos, although these will do until the official ones come out. Enjoy!
Heather, you are so quick! Excellent work, your cropping of the photos works really well, especially considering the quality of the original pictures.
Small point, but 4803 looks to have two figures, and 4806 three.
:hmm: many of the ideas for these sets are identical with the playmobil ones.
i like to believe that playmobil came up wih the islands and boat sets first but there are also a lot of details that seem to appear first on mega-blocks:
- the obsessive presence of skulls; :(
- ghost-pirates, skeletons and ghost-ships; :(
- extra-large arthropods (sorpion v. crab), sea-serpents and multi-headed sea-monsters. :(
these things are all the things i don´t like in the new way playmobil is taking the pirate family. :'(
not only they seem "ugly" to me (like mega-blocks sets do) but now, they also seem un-original.
i have to say i am sad about this.[/font] :(
Ugly, unoriginal, and unrealistic. Playmobil are now firmly market followers, not market leaders, and their design and concept people should be ashamed. I completely agree with you Cachalote. Why this obsession with giant skulls?
"Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise was polemical ...
One thing that it (the series) changed in the concept of piracy is that BEFORE PotC[,] pirates were "the bad guys", no matter what, even in the spirit of "Treasure Island". PotC brought a concept that pirates can be "good guys", and created enemies for pirates: ghosts.
So, Playmobil isn't producing PotC, but reproducing a new concept that has spread, since PotC, that has to do with modern life's morals, and changes ...
Gus
:blackhair:
[Ps. * Not to talk about wargs ... Maybe if the wolves were GIANT, it'd be fun even for us ... But, c'mon!: a catapult pulled by oxes in "Peter Jackson's LotR era"??!! You've got to be kidding! Children don't ~buy~ anything pulled by oxes! ...]
[Parents would buy more happily, though, if they were pulled by either wargs or minotaurs ... But, well, parents will buy whatever their children ~buy~.]
Never read Captain Blood (1922) by Rafael Sabatini, or seen the Douglas Fairbanks pirate movie The Black Pirate from 1926, or seen Roman Polanski's "Pirates" movie, or CutThroat Island (with Geena Davis) Gus? Pirates were presented as heroes decades before POTC.
Undead pirates? Anything Ghost-Piratey following it has to give POTC at least a nod of appreciation, though the first Playmobil Ghost pirate (4572 Special in 1999) pre-dates the POTC Franchise, so maybe POTC should give a nod to Playmobil...
The company claims to have a policy against chasing trends, which may be why we don't have superhero themes. As fun as movie adaptions might be, looking to Lego, it seems the toy has become a movie accessory.
But, I'm certain PM will sooner or later go that route.
-Tim
I can't see how Playmobil could do superheroes without licensing. You can't make a Batman without him lookign like Batman, and creating new "PLaymobil" superheroes is blah.
I'm not sure about the mini-take-along tower sets. I have to see them in person, as they could be very interesting and useful or just be really cheap looking.
For me and for many on this board, I'll wager, the great news is in the three new historical specials. These will be of inestimable value to Roman, Medieval, Napoleonic, and Imperial fans.
I agree about the new Tower sets - they could be very nice and useful, but I just have that nagging doubt that they'll have a Fisher Pricey feel.
I really don't have a problem with the concept of wolves pulling a catapault, dog pull dog sleds after all, and if you don't have an oxen or horse available, you use the next best thing. These wolf-knights may come from an area of wide open plains where there are lots of wolves, but no horse or oxen. The catapault itself is just gosh-awful.
The individual wolf-knights are just that - individual. They've clearly designed each one to be different on the surface (different helmet, weapon, shield etc.), but with a group identity. Each has a wolf companion, so there are too many parts for them to be in the Specials series. I think I'm going to like them, as they fit into the regular Knights theme, but also form their own sub-theme. They might even get their own Really Useful Box :)
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Heather, you are so quick! Excellent work, your cropping of the photos works really well, especially considering the quality of the original pictures.
Small point, but 4803 looks to have two figures, and 4806 three.
Thanks! Right on, I'll fix it.
I'm undecided about how much I'll want most of these sets, although my girls squealed at the idea of merpeople. One said, before seeing them, "Is there a shell chariot, pulled by seahorses?" Batting a thousand. (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4815) Gotta get that one at least.
I'm excited by the first hints of the themes floated by the Cossack and Masai warriors.
I'm seriously thinking of splitting the Knights theme into pre- and post-2004, when System X and the Lion and Dragon knights started. They're getting more and more different from the basic knights-in-shining-armour idea. Not necessarily bad, just not the same theme, and the Wolf knights are continuing along the same trend. I bet little boys will eat them up.
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Hi Heather, you can find good photos off the KlickyWelt website. Sign in and click once to enlarge, and once again to magnify. The photos are catalog quality.
Category = Playmobil Neuheiten
Thread = bilder aus dem neuen katalog
http://www.klickywelt.de/bilder-aus-dem-neuen-katalog-t29749.html
-Tim
Thanks! Right on, I'll fix it.
I'm undecided about how much I'll want most of these sets, although my girls squealed at the idea of merpeople. One said, before seeing them, "Is there a shell chariot, pulled by seahorses?" Batting a thousand. (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=4815) Gotta get that one at least.
I'm excited by the first hints of the themes floated by the Cossack and Masai warriors.
I'm seriously thinking of splitting the Knights theme into pre- and post-2004, when System X and the Lion and Dragon knights started. They're getting more and more different from the basic knights-in-shining-armour idea. Not necessarily bad, just not the same theme, and the Wolf knights are continuing along the same trend. I bet little boys will eat them up.
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I can't see how Playmobil could do superheroes without licensing. You can't make a Batman without him lookign like Batman, and creating new "PLaymobil" superheroes is blah.
Hi Martin
PM could do (though I wouldn't want to see) generic superheroes. Most spinoff heroes like the Tick or Underdog started out as non-trademark infringing imitations of superheroes.
PM could have a guy with a cape, eye mask, and tacky boots and call that Ubermensch.*
*I'm being fascetious here. Ubermensch, though the Nietszhen term that inspired Superman, was also a favorite term of a certain goose-stepping clique in the late 1930s / early 1940s).
I really don't have a problem with the concept of wolves pulling a catapault, dog pull dog sleds after all, and if you don't have an oxen or horse available, you use the next best thing. These wolf-knights may come from an area of wide open plains where there are lots of wolves, but no horse or oxen. The catapault itself is just gosh-awful.
I think you would kill the dogs or need at least 20 of them for a half-ton catapult. I did a little research today. Sled dogs, pulling maybe 400 pounds, run in 10 dog teams (granted, that is for speed). One large dog can pull a cart intended to carry a child and two large dogs can pull a light cart intended for one adult.
Irrespective of the fact that in actual practice catapult-like artillery was disassembled and transported in wagons, the fact that dogs are so inexpensive to care for (compared to horses) leaves me wondering why they were not used as draft animals for heavy loads historically.
Either because you would need so many, or because dogs lack the endurance to haul grinding loads leaves me thinking the dog-drawn catapult is a crock of cow patties.
-Tim
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Hi Heather, you can find good photos off the KlickyWelt website. Sign in and click once to enlarge, and once again to magnify. The photos are catalog quality.
Category = Playmobil Neuheiten
Thread = bilder aus dem neuen katalog
http://www.klickywelt.de/bilder-aus-dem-neuen-katalog-t29749.html
-Tim
Thanks Tim, but those are the ones I used: clicking on the 100-pixel-high thumbnail image on my pages brings you the full-size picture, which is not much bigger than the thumbnail in these cases. Those catalog page images are about 600x900 pixels; I'd need them maybe four or five times that size to get crops with reasonably visible details.
Not to worry, this is the way it goes: almost all my new additions start out with tiny blurry pictures, and get updated as the official pictures are posted. It's only the sets that don't show up on the official websites (Target or Karstadt exclusives, for example) that tend to keep their not-so-good pics. I'd rather have the sets there with place-holder pictures than wait for ideal ones.
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Irrespective of the fact that in actual practice catapult-like artillery was disassembled and transported in wagons, the fact that dogs are so inexpensive to care for (compared to horses) leaves me wondering why they were not used as draft animals for heavy loads historically.
-Tim
In Europe, notably Belgium, up to the end of the First World War and probably for some years after until the motor car finally took over, large dogs were used as draught animals on a small scale, usually used by milk sellers. Dog carts could be drawn by one, two or even five dogs. There are some photos here:
http://www.messybeast.com/history/dogcarts.htm
The Belgian army used Belgian mastiffs as draught animals in place of horses, as did poor farmers. The army used them for pulling machine guns and ammunition carts.
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In Europe, notably Belgium, up to the end of the First World War and probably for some years after until the motor car finally took over, large dogs were used as draught animals on a small scale, usually used by milk sellers. Dog carts could be drawn by one, two or even five dogs. There are some photos here:
http://www.messybeast.com/history/dogcarts.htm
The Belgian army used Belgian mastiffs as draught animals in place of horses, as did poor farmers. The army used them for pulling machine guns and ammunition carts.
playmo did one before... :yup:
http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=5550
best,
socrates
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I am especially excited about the knights with the antic style armor...
Hmm, I am not too excited about the ghost pirates even though I love PoC. Well, maybe I am too much focussed on parts to be used for other purposes as well... So, this might be what I dislike about the merman as well... ::)
The civil specials are boring... :-\
I was looking forward to a new fire engine, but we still have the second half of 2009 to come...
(...just thinking on how exciting this september will become... :love:)
I love the mongolian knight. They obviously recycled the body of the "magdeburger ritter"... a brilliant choice... :wow:
The little castles are a little small and I expect them to be not compatible with sysX or anything else...
...but the klickies look nice and some parts are looking useful anyway... 8-)
best,
socrates
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I'm seriously thinking of splitting the Knights theme into pre- and post-2004, when System X and the Lion and Dragon knights started. They're getting more and more different from the basic knights-in-shining-armour idea. Not necessarily bad, just not the same theme, and the Wolf knights are continuing along the same trend. I bet little boys will eat them up.
I tend to agree - I prefer the pre-2004 knights for a more realistic look, the 2004-onwards knights are more Fantasy-inspired.
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You've been using "polemic" a lot lately--"an aggressive refute of current opinion. The art or practice of disputation or controversy."
Is this what you mean?
I meant it as simply as Greek "pólemos, polémou", Tim.
Never read Captain Blood (1922) by Rafael Sabatini, or seen the Douglas Fairbanks pirate movie The Black Pirate from 1926, or seen Roman Polanski's "Pirates" movie, or CutThroat Island (with Geena Davis) Gus? Pirates were presented as heroes decades before POTC.
Undead pirates? Anything Ghost-Piratey following it has to give POTC at least a nod of appreciation, though the first Playmobil Ghost pirate (4572 Special in 1999) pre-dates the POTC Franchise, so maybe POTC should give a nod to Playmobil...
No, Martin, but, after I wrote what I wrote, it did come to my mind some thoughts of general culture, about b&w 1920s movies ... Even so, in my generation (born in '76), I never had heard anything questioning so plainly, and even in those works I doubt that there is anything like this: "He's a pirate!" "But a good man!" ...
It's very original to me. Not that pirates weren't used as heroes before, but never (argumentatively) defended as good men before, no, that I don't think that has been produced. I don't know. Maybe I'm only ignorant of former productions.
I have to admit that the model to MY playmobil pirate world is more like (Charlton Heston's version of) Long John Silver, in a "Treasure Island" movie version from the '80s (or late '70s) ... That is, in my conception, maybe the best production on pirates I have as (reasonably) trustworthy reference. PotC, although I like it (very much) isn't reference to me, because it's completely fantastic (= related to pure fantasy).
I use to watch "Master & Commander" usually, too ... It's better reference to my pirate world, in many things. But I have to say that my writings on piracy are very superficial, at least compared to my fantasy on "Medievaliae" ... I write on medieval stuff for a while, and have a better production, in my self evaluation.
In other words, you're not completely wrong in bringing all those references. They're valuable.
& Different.
Anyways ... 8} (going nuts)
:lol:
Gus
:blackhair:
[Ps. It also makes me think, Martin, that you, as well as me, admit, somehow, that the new catalogue contents is very interesting, no matter that, maybe ... unexpected :) ...]
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It's very original to me. Not that pirates weren't used as heroes before, but never (argumentatively) defended as good men before, no, that I don't think that has been produced. I don't know. Maybe I'm only ignorant of former productions.
I think we need to chip in and buy Gus a nice quiet, peaceful vacation to somewhere for about a month. Somewhere where the women smile alot, where the drinks are mild, yet refreshing, and where the waves wash in and wash back out again, and again, and again.
Unrelated:
Somebody's task, should they choose to accept it, is to build a life-size, functional catapult with tiny wheels and hitch five Siberian Huskies to it and see how far it moves.
-Tim
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I think we need to chip in and buy Gus a nice quiet, peaceful vacation to somewhere for about a month. Somewhere where the women smile alot, where the drinks are mild, yet refreshing, and where the waves wash in and wash back out again, and again, and again.
Timmy, are you sending Gus to see me here in the Virgin Islands? ... :klickywink:
Somebody's task, should they choose to accept it, is to build a life-size, functional catapult with tiny wheels and hitch five Siberian Huskies to it and see how far it moves.
Timmy, I'm looking at a 9 inch model (http://www.onager.com/) of a Roman onager ... Click HERE (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AEL63A).
The shipping weight is about 2 pounds.
If the scale of the 9 inch model is 1 inch equals 1 foot, then the length of the full scale Roman onager would be about 9 feet (which seems somewhat correct for a small mobile onager). Therefore, if a 9 foot full scale onager is 12 times the size of a 9 inch scale model. And, if the scale model weighs 2 pounds then a full scale model would only weigh about 24 pounds.
Even though the scale model is made from oak, most of us would admit that 24 pounds for the weight of a full scale onager (even a small one) doesn't seem to make any sense at all. So let's just arbitrarily say that the full scale 9 foot onager weighs 500 pounds.
A team of ONE Alaskan Malemute can pull a sledge that weighs more than 2000 pounds.
(A Malemute is about the size of a wolf.) Click HERE (http://www.tsamc.org/tsamc/faq/FAQ.html).
Therefore, a team of five Wolves could probably pull a catapult that weighed in excess of 10,000 pounds!
So, it would appear that the Playmobil designers may have done their homework on this one.
All the best,
Richard
see attachment
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A team of ONE Alaskan Malemute can pull a sledge that weighs more than 2000 pounds.
(A Malemute is about the size of a wolf.) Click HERE (http://www.tsamc.org/tsamc/faq/FAQ.html).
Therefore, a team of five Wolves could probably pull a catapult that weighed in excess of 10,000 pounds!
So, it would appear that the Playmobil designers may have done their homework on this one.
All the best,
Richard
see attachment
But the small wheels are the problem, they'd always be getting caught in the smallest dip and hollow or hole and awkward to get up and over obstacles. People are finally waking up to the problem of small wheels in the pram and pushchair (baby buggy) area. The old fashioned prams and pushchairs with large wheels was easy to push over uneven ground or up kerbs, but not so the modern style baby buggy which almost seems to run on castors. And the problem of small wheels and uneven ground gets worse with weight.
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No, Martin, but, after I wrote what I wrote, it did come to my mind some thoughts of general culture, about b&w 1920s movies ... Even so, in my generation (born in '76), I never had heard anything questioning so plainly, and even in those works I doubt that there is anything like this: "He's a pirate!" "But a good man!" ...
There has been a controversal discussion about the 3940 pirate ship somewhere in Asia (indonesia?)... There the government thought about forbidding the pirate ship as it displays the pirates in such a romantic way... This sounds very strange for a german, as we do not even have a secret isle close to germany where pirates could hide (well, maybe scotland? :P), but in a country where still every year thousands of people get killed by pirates, I comlpetely agree that such a cute toy might be insensitive...
From our point of view it is more like a romantic carribean adventure playing in a long lost past, with honour that counts and all this stuff... ...hmm, and I think, the pirates are always the heros... :)
Astrid Lindgren wrote her famous story about the little "longstocking" in 1945 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_Longstocking) and from this day on, there always were good pirates... ;)
best,
socrates
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I suspect we've thought a lot more about the catapault and the practicalities than the designers ever did.
If the wolves were not dragging it miles across rough terrain, but from the place it was assembled (just outside of shot of the castle walls) to the place it need to be used (just inside of shot of the castle walls) would that be permissible?
It's waaaaay to small to be of any use in a siege anyway.
There has been a controversal discussion about the 3940 pirate ship somewhere in Asia (indonesia?)... There the government thought about forbidding the pirate ship as it displays the pirates in such a romantic way... This sounds very strange for a german, as we do not even have a secret isle close to germany where pirates could hide (well, maybe scotland? :P), but in a country where still every year thousands of people get killed by pirates, I comlpetely agree that such a cute toy might be insensitive...
From our point of view it is more like a romantic carribean adventure playing in a long lost past, with honour that counts and all this stuff... ...hmm, and I think, the pirates are always the heros... :)
Astrid Lindgren wrote her famous story about the little "longstocking" in 1945 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_Longstocking) and from this day on, there always were good pirates... ;)
best,
socrates
I don't think the historical Pirates can be compared to the modern pirates in Asia, but maybe it is too close to the bone for them, and each country must have its won politically correct madness... goodness knows the UK leads the field on stupid ideas (baa baa rainbow sheep, anyone?).
Captain Blood was published in 1922. The hero is a doctor, captured treating a wounded soldier after a battle in England, accused of being on the wrong (i.e. losing) side, sold into slavery and transported to the West Indies, escaped, and became a pirate to exact his revenge. Definitely a hero, not a bad guy. Any advance on 1922?
I have books about pirates written before that, by people who had experienced piracy first hand, and there's little doubt in my mind the majority of pirates were vicious, bloodthirsty, greedy people who lived hard and died young - but life in the navies of that era was hard, and people died young, but poorer. Piracy certainly had many attractions.
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By the way what is Spiel & Sammelspass ( play & collecting passport ) ?
= play and collecting Fun
spiel = play
sammel = collect
spass = fun
My German is approving these last months ;D
concerning the new releases , Love them all
lot of new parts
lot of new custompossibilities
If I look at the new schip ................ maybe if I close all the holes in it
she might be sea worthy ;)
or ........
or..............
time will tell ;)
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i am quite surprised how long it has taken me to decide if ilike these sets or not...usually its love at first sight for me.
anyways, i am really looking forward to the merpeople theme. and i think i like the ghost pirates which is strange as i don't generally collect pirate sets. and i really want to see the baby unicorn from the 4777 tower in closer detail as it looks like it may have a horn, just like the adult unicorn. previously these babies have just had a star printed where the horn would be. :lens:
i am most looking forward to the main catalogue to see where they take us with the masai tribesman special as i think he could be taken into a really interesting theme. here's hoping anyway :crossed:
and i am still sure that we will get a new fire theme so maybe next year won't be as easy on my bank balance as i had hoped ;)
claire :wave:
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Richard those figures of Pull Dogs seem to be under controlled environments. I do not think that in times of battle thousands of years ago they would have found many level concrete like surfaces to have a dog pull 3000 LBS . I do not discount the notion of using dogs as i have used them myself to pull myself . I had a cart with 24 inch pneumatic tires with a 100 lb. german short haired x with American bull dog ( aka Pit bull ) and he did fine pulling me around . I also used him for carrying Abalone out of canyons at about 1/3 his body weight with side packs on . Any heavier and he would loose his side balance . Now most of these harnesses & packs were engineered to fit a dogs body perfectly so i have no idea what a primitive set up would look like or fit like . It could be done and if you did not have a larger more vulnerable animal why not . A K9 serves many purposes on top of pulling ( attacking , sending messages or supplies, looking intimidating, keeping other predators away at camp, and etc.... )
My vote is why not and after all this is a toy that is supposed to inspire the imagination and i encourage my kids to think out side the box . For peets sake according to my 3 year old everything flies ;D
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i want it all except the modern stuff and mermaids, but my sister does so we might buy every new thing in the catalog ::) :lol: 8}
but that is ok
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I think we need to chip in and buy Gus a nice quiet, peaceful vacation to somewhere for about a month. Somewhere where the women smile alot, where the drinks are mild, yet refreshing, and where the waves wash in and wash back out again, and again, and again.
If I could choose, simply chip in, send the money, so that I can apply it in Playmobil ;D ...
---
KNIGHTS
& fantasy
It doesn't appeal me the catapult with small wolves. Put wargs/giant wolves or minotaurs to pull it, it'll be great!
(thingking with myself) "Isn't a unicorn born with a horn" (answering myself) "Mommy unicorns will be glad that they aren't ..."
"Oooops: then, Playmobil got it wrong ..." "Well, maybe it isn't a baby unicorn, but a young one, and the horn has grown already ..." "Aw ... Yeah, why not ..." ;)
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PIRATES,
Fantasy & reality
...hmm, and I think, the pirates are always the heros... :)
No doubt. But the first one who said that was a blacksmith called Will Turner ;D ...
But Long John Silver is my greatest hero!!! :yup: :yup: :yup:
As for piracy in real world, in Brasil, for example, there's a great problem of informal commerce that is called piracy. (I don't know in English, but in Portuguese (Brasil), a copied dvd is called a "dvd pirata", literally a "pirate dvd", and there's SERIOUS problems in the copyrights sector ... It's really a BIG problem, in Brasil, with cds, dvds, computer stuff, and whatever media there comes around ...
It's interesting to put thought on distinguishing real piracy and fantasy piracy; maybe "educational" (...)
About the vacations, Tim, I'll love them ... As soon as I'm better settled professionally. And it's not now ... :(
Time will come (smiley looking up, dreaming ...)
[It's ... well, not funny but, it's funny: although I'm in Rio, and there's a few nice places I can go, I haven't been doing nice things. Maybe because I haven't been getting so many visitors. We, Carioca, seem to enjoy the town better when we're showing it to tourist friends ... Last time I went to the Sugar Loaf, it was to take some friends from Sampaulo, who were around, for their hollidays ... But, well Fred & Masie WILL wish to see the Sugar Loaf (& othe places), so, I can't wait for them to arrive!!! ;D ]
Gus
:blackhair:
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The 4684 Knight, not so good, all recycled parts from mixed themes that do not add up to an interesting figure.
I like him ... Maybe the helmet (another one that I always wanted to have, and is becoming common again, with conquistadors ...) will come at hand, and the little "French" moustache is very funny ... I'll get more than one of that one* ;D
(I hope they reach Brasilian stores ... But, well, there's internet, all right.)
G.
:blackhair:
*Not ten, as some in here probably will ... Maybe nine ... :lol:
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Uhm ... Shouldn't the Masai warrior bring a yellow leopard skin, painted/printed on his gown? ... :hmm:
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Uhm ... Shouldn't the Masai warrior bring a yellow leopard skin, painted/printed on his gown? ... :hmm:
I guess the leopard skin should be yellower - I'm going to pretend it's been bleached whiter in the sun.
Red is the predominant colour for Masai clothing, with a suprising amount of check or tartan. After a Google search through several hundred photos I have yet to see a leopard skin of any hue being worn.
I'm just really impressed that Playmobil are doing one at all - in fact I'm jumping for joy...
(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd97/Martin_Milner/P7151227.jpg)
(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd97/Martin_Milner/2838196.jpg)
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:wow: Many, many thanks to navygirl001 for originally posting the pics and many, many, many thanks to Andi :*) who always keeps us informed of the newest Playmo developments!
I love the new items (except perhaps the take along containers although the contents, such as the young unicorn with budding horn, are interesting. I don't much care for this whole "take-along" category - houses, castles, treasure chest, etc. - as it seems to me like a gimmick with little or no long-term play value.)
Regarding the issue of "copying" Pirates of the C., etc., I say, "Who cares?" These are very cool toys that kids will love. I am glad that Playmobil doesn't license this type of stuff and I hope they never do. Playmobil provides generic themes that can be applied to many different story lines when the key ingredient of imagination is added. Besides using the cool new ghost ship and pirates for POTC play, the merpeople and the many new sea creatures (plus the other new ones this year like the sperm whale) can be used to play various story lines such "Little Mermaid," "Finding Nemo," even "Jaws," though I hope that young kids don't see that movie! Once the commercial Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks themes have been played out there are still infinite play possibilities for a child's imagination.
I first got really involved with Playmobil about 8 years ago when my son was enjoying the Indiana Jones movies (hence my moniker ;D ) and we used the jungle theme to play "Raiders" and the castle sets to play "Last Crusade" (and Harry Potter, too!) In my view, the problem with licensing is as follows: an "Indiana Jones" figure is only Indiana Jones but this guy below can be Indy and lots of other characters, too.
- Anne :)
picture courtesy of Playmodb - thanks, Heather! 8-)
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According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai#Clothing) the Maasais replaced animal-skin with cotton cloth in the 1960s - Playmobil has made an "old" Maasai :)
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Regarding the issue of "copying" Pirates of the C., etc., I say, "Who cares?" These are very cool toys that kids will love. I am glad that Playmobil doesn't license this type of stuff and I hope they never do. Playmobil provides generic themes that can be applied to many different story lines when the key ingredient of imagination is added. Besides using the cool new ghost ship and pirates for POTC play, the merpeople and the many new sea creatures (plus the other new ones this year like the sperm whale) can be used to play various story lines such "Little Mermaid," "Finding Nemo," even "Jaws," though I hope that young kids don't see that movie! Once the commercial Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks themes have been played out there are still infinite play possibilities for a child's imagination.
I agree completely with you, Indianna. I'd like to add (to you, Tim), that, when I mentioned super heroes, I meant (but expressed myself poorly, sorry) that there's few material that can be used to customize (a child's common -- no magic Macgayver painting* -- customization) super heroes ... Playmobil could think about this, somehow ...
*however very cool, Michael!!! :wow:
I first got really involved with Playmobil about 8 years ago when my son was enjoying the Indiana Jones movies (hence my moniker ;D ) and we used the jungle theme to play "Raiders" and the castle sets to play "Last Crusade" (and Harry Potter, too!) In my view, the problem with licensing is as follows: an "Indiana Jones" figure is only Indiana Jones but this guy can be Indy and lots of other characters, too:
(http://playmodb.org/backs/3086_back.jpg)
:)
COOL! :D
I couldn't see the pic :( ... Usually, when we li[n]k from the Db, it doesn't come, maybe because it's gif. Try always to copy, and attach, or bring it from Collectobil.
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai#Clothing) the Maasais replaced animal-skin with cotton cloth in the 1960s - Playmobil has made an "old" Maasai :)
Maybe leopard hunting is forbidden; maybe leopards are extinct.
I sent a question to tease you all, but the fact is that there's no white leopards in Africa. Only yellow. There are only white leopards (and wolves, and bears ...) in snowy places ...
EVEN SO, this Masai warrior is a great beginning! :)
Lets hope they keep doing great things like him! :yup:
Gus
:blackhair:
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I couldn't see the pic :( ... Usually, when we li[n]k from the Db, it doesn't come, maybe because it's gif. Try always to copy, and attach, or bring it from Collectobil.
I have just attached the photo directly. There is a way to connect to Playmodb that always works, but I have forgotten how to do it! ::)
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Thanks Tim, but those are the ones I used: clicking on the 100-pixel-high thumbnail image on my pages brings you the full-size picture, which is not much bigger than the thumbnail in these cases. Those catalog page images are about 600x900 pixels; I'd need them maybe four or five times that size to get crops with reasonably visible details.
Not to worry, this is the way it goes: almost all my new additions start out with tiny blurry pictures, and get updated as the official pictures are posted. It's only the sets that don't show up on the official websites (Target or Karstadt exclusives, for example) that tend to keep their not-so-good pics. I'd rather have the sets there with place-holder pictures than wait for ideal ones.
There are now bigger and better photos on klickywelt on page 10 of the thread.
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Just a quick reaction on this all.
I love the sets, allthough I am not into the ghost pirates. I do like them though. I am just wondering why they have to be the baddies. They are what the player makes them to be. For all I care they could be the good guys trying to prevent the real baddies (the pirates) to steal from others ;D.
As to the wolfriders: I SIMPLY LOVE THEM !!! I imagine a vast plain where they live riding to their harts content and plundering, pillaging and (censored - there might be under-aged reading this) where they go. As to the endurance and grit of these dogs - I've remember reading about Amundsen getting to the southpole and Fridtjof Nansen in his attempt to get to the Northpole. Both used only dogs. I also remember reading of large numbers of teams working there with just (small) horses and failing misarebly because they couldn't cope.
In short: I can believe there could have been a place and a time where these sort of guys could have existed ...
As a conclusion ... I truly love the Masai and I really hope they will continue and create a theme around them! It would be great if my natives from the jungle theme finally found some mates :love:
Bogro
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A K9 serves many purposes on top of pulling ( attacking , sending messages or supplies, looking intimidating, keeping other predators away at camp, and etc.... )
Hi Rasputin
So you're thinking that the reason dogs weren't used on a large scale historically, considering what good draft animals they make, is because with so many better uses (hunting, guarding, attacking) it made better sense to use ox or donkeys?
I'm being won over to the notion that dogs can pull hard loads. I was initially doubtful because the Romans had mastiffs but don't appear to have used them as draft animals to any great extent. Maybe also dogs were a lot smaller in those days. Roman cavalry horses appear to have not been much larger than mules. Julius Caesar mounted his baggage handlers on mules once to trick the Gauls into believing he had more cavalry than he actually did and the ruse worked.
-Tim
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I dont have time to read through every post, so I may repeat stuff thats been said..
samurai sword! whoo-hoo!
Asian heads more available! whoo-hoo!
*one track mind*
anyway..the pirates themselves would be less goofy looking seperately. All the stuff together does look a little silly, but I still think they are cool.
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Hello Tim , I am no historian so i am not quoting a resource . Its just in time of war you use what you have and you use it however you can imagine it will help . If a dog will help your cause out, then throw a rope around its neck and utilize it . If the catapult no longer reaches the wall do to better defenses than the catapult needs to become bigger and heavier and the animal will need to become larger but slower .
And yes you still do need to feed an invading army so you cannot just stop hunting . Also with all the blood and carnage around i could imagine a tiger tearing a hole in your fly net in the middle of the night and making off with your officers arm . ;D
When it comes down to it I could imagine troops of 10 year olds with flying pigeons holding rabid mice doing battle, if thats all you have .
I do not think they make good draft animals but mediocre draft animals . If i had lamas i sure wouldn't have spent time designing a chariot and harness for my poor dogs .
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Some interesting developments for the Magic-Fantasy themes. The two sizes of the sea-hydra continues the trend towards parent and baby they have been on for a while now. The new unicorn foal likewise - the problem with the previous ones having the painted stars is that paint seems like it might wear off with play. there's a new paint job on one of the fish. The giant seahorses I don't like, they seem a little too 1-2-3 for the theme. It's the execution there rather than the concept I don't like. I really like the wolf knights - the heraldry for them is a big improvement over the last batch. I'm sure I will end up with all of those. I haven't checked the wolves yet to see if there's a new variation but I suspect there is.
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I'm seriously thinking of splitting the Knights theme into pre- and post-2004, when System X and the Lion and Dragon knights started. They're getting more and more different from the basic knights-in-shining-armour idea. Not necessarily bad, just not the same theme, and the Wolf knights are continuing along the same trend. I bet little boys will eat them up.
In my opinion, Heather, if you can manage somehow to make the knights to be in one section until future release(s) of new castles, it'd be wiser.
The new styles proposed by Playmobil are different, but we still can't say where it's going to take us, and I don't despise (or I want to believe) that they consider the collectors sector of their market (...)
As well as I'd wait to see how Playmobil will display and classify their fantasy knights in their own site, once they begin to appear. Very possibly there will be some sort of difference between fantasy knights and medieval castles, unless they became a bunch complete fools. So, my advice, if I may, would be to wait a bit.
But its discussion that we'll probably come back to, until they make any new move in Playmobil.com ...
Gus
:blackhair: