What TLC Could Learn From Playmobil

Buford · Post by **Buford** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:27 pm

Let me try brick shelf first,

Thanks

Buford · Post by **Buford** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 2:16 am

When Ready
http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=3930

too many photos to deep link to.

Post by **Bruce N H** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:21 pm

Wow! If TLC made a set like this:

imagine how much they'd sell!
Thanks for the pics, Buford.

Bruce

forester3291 · Post by **forester3291** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:24 pm

Okay guys I'm a bit confused. Now, many of you have openly said that you despise megabloks and all other clone brands, and yet you praise Playmoblil for their set design and minifigs.

I'm a bit confusd by this and would liek to know why you flip-flop on the topic.

kajo163 · Post by **kajo163** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:44 pm

I'm not flip-floping. I never do':D'

As I said I've always admired Playmo for their realistic sets. Not just the castle ones, though I never owned one my self.

However, when I eas a kid I got stucked with the Lego stuff.
I still like the realistic features of Playmo, but I would'nt trade my lego for all the playmo in the world!

I do not think that you really can compare the two different toys (as is the case with Megablocks and Lego) To me, they've always been different things.

Is flip-floping the word of the week or what's up with that?':)'

I'm Joel. And I approved this message!'8)'

Buford · Post by **Buford** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:45 pm

That is not one set and it’s not “done”. That is about 3 castle sets, all modular combined into one mega castle.

I could half it and make two smaller castles or reconfigure it in a half hour. I have a bit of castle parts, including a whole another drawbridge assembly that just would not fit on my coffee table.

After I built it I changed my mind and decided the two towers on either side of the gate house should have the same height and the tower near the main hall & stables should be taller (for a look-out) and have a Sally Port.

Geometry can and will change to meet the developing needs of my 3.5 year old great nephew.

See above note, only LEGO can satisfy the “need to build" and I expect to build an endless supply of LEGO structures and I don’t expect my young great nephew to notice or care about the mix of LEGO with Playmobile.

& thanks Bruce, I'm always happy to help.

Jojo · Post by **Jojo** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:30 pm

Hello!

forester3291 wrote:Okay guys I'm a bit confused. Now, many of you have openly said that you despise megabloks and all other clone brands, and yet you praise Playmoblil for their set design and minifigs.

Playmobil is not a clone brand of LEGO. It's an independantly developed toy-system which, in the past as well as today, competes with LEGO for shelfe-space in Europe/Germany. Currently Playmo comes out on top, both in shelf-space and in better set design (in my as always more than humbly opinion.)

The topic of this thread is "What LEGO could learn from Playmobil", and looking at Buford's pics it's clear what they could learn: How to make realistic looking Castles. And that's a fundamental difference between Playmobil and MegaBloks: PM makes nice sets that LEGO could learn from but LEGO doesn't, while MB makes ugly albeit appealing (to kids) sets that LEGO better should not learn from but they do.

Bye
Jojo

forester3291 · Post by **forester3291** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:55 pm

kajo163 wrote: Is flip-floping the word of the week or what's up with that?':)'

I'm Joel. And I approved this message!'8)'

edited to remove pollitical comments

As to what JoJo said. I know what you guys were saying. I do agree with you that LEGO could learn from PM. But...I sure don't want them learning how to make Dragons and minifigs from either MB or PM.

Though I would like it if LEGO started looking at the minifig packs PM is putting out and say. "Maybe we shoudl atart doing that again."

Well anyways....

I'm Jordan and I aprove this message.

Jojo · Post by **Jojo** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:07 pm

Hello!

I did not say LEGO should copy from PM. LEGO already has a dragon, and it was PM that copied the idea "Dragon" from LEGO....

Bye
Jojo

lil Jon · Post by **lil Jon** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:30 pm

i'm impressed by bufords play mobile collection.

I used to have a western style Fort for play mobile, and if i recall correctly it was some what modular.

Is the castle some what modular?

Buford · Post by **Buford** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:17 am

I have another nephew, Ian, who has always been a PITA. Fifteen years ago when Ian was about 3.5 years old he and his parents spent six months in Oxford UK. They left in mid winter and returned mid summer. With both Ian and a new born my sister had her hands full.

While they were gone I did the entire playmobile pirate ship thing, including Robinson Caruso and half the British coast guard. I was dating a babe at the time so a pleasant evening consisted of hot chocolate and permanent felt tip pens to detail the Minifigs if you ever painted cast lead soldiers? We spent weeks detailing.

Well they all came home and Ian found the pirate ship with all the extras and did not need close supervision for the next 2 years. It’s a good deal to make child that happy for 2+ years.

Remember it’s all just toys. I love Brio for rug rats. As a child ages a little Playmobile is top shelf for attention to details and thoughtful extras. I only posted half the photos.

When a child ages a little more and one wants to build, they develop their own design ideas. That is where TLC comes in. I expect Charlie to outgrow playmobile and make the leap to LEGO in time.

Adults look back, I do, at some of their favorite toys they played with as children. Playmobile has Knights & Castles, Pirates, Vikings and Wild West sets; all of which are done well, have been around a while, are fondly remembered, and passed from generation to generation.

Yes the Castle system is 100% modular, see the cave with castle walls? I could rebuild that as part of a proper castle if I wanted to.

Post by **Formendacil** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:09 am

Personally, I don't think of Playmobil as a clone brand: it isn't composed of bricks the same way Lego, MB, et al. are.

It is a RIVAL brand, in that it draws off much the same customer base. But I wouldn't call it a clone.

~I am Michael. So I have written. So I am done.~

Emperor James · Post by **Emperor James** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:01 am

Buford, your Playmobil collection is exceptional. My castle is slightly smaller, although I have 4 siege towers. My playmobil collection consists of four of this: http://www.collectobil.com/catalogue/items/3123.htm , which I got for $20 each and combined together for a large castle with four corner towers. I also bought a gate for the castle, and a few smaller sets.

As for "flip flopping", I have always been of the opinion that playmobil is beating the megablocks out of TLC at the moment. Also, as has been noted, Playmobil is hardly a clone brand, but if it was, I would not be buying LEGO at all.

Buford · Post by **Buford** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:42 am

I have about 100 minifigs, 4 types of knights and about 20 Vikings.

The Dragon is cool, he can live in the huge cave under the Baron's Castle. A knight can "offer a cookie" and put the dragon on a leash for blood free PC version of make-a-new-friend version of slay the Dragon.

I got a waterfall, a place to find and retreive "excalaibar."

The combo castle is about 36"x36".

3024 Golden Knight 1 $5.99 $5.99
3125 Super Set - Knight 1 $14.99 $14.99 Armorer
3317 Ghost 1 $3.99 $3.99
3653 Knights with Catapult 2 $17.99 $35.98
3665 Baron´s Battle Tower 1 $84.99 $84.99 Castle with cave
3666 King`s Large Castle 1 $179.99 $179.99
3669 Knight with Squires 1 $9.99 $9.99
3674 Knights with Prisoner 1 $17.99 $17.99 Cage on Cart
3887 Siege Tower 1 $42.99 $42.99
3888 Castle Defenders 1 $75.99 $75.99 break-away wall + tower
3890 Baron 1 $3.99 $3.99 Baron + Dog
7045 Jousting Equipment 1 $8.29 $8.29
7175 Large Round Tower 1 $20.10 $20.10 3 level tower
7200 Castle Extension Walls 1 $15.99 $15.99
7421 Draw Bridge 1 $23.99 $23.99 extra draw bridge
7664 3 Black Lion Knights 2 $6.99 $13.98
7665 Black Lion Leader 1 $2.99 $2.99
7669 3 Green Dragon Knights 2 $6.99 $13.98
7670 Green Dragon Leader 1 $2.99 $2.99
7671 3 Gold Dragon Knights 2 $6.99 $13.98
7672 Gold Dragon Leader 1 $2.99 $2.99
7673 3 Fierce Knights 2 $6.99 $13.98
7674 Fierce Knights Leader 1 $2.99 $2.99
7677 3 Viking warriors 2 $6.99 $13.98
7678 Viking Leader 1 $2.99 $2.99
3150 Viking Longboat 1 $39.99 $39.99
3154 Norse King and Prince 1 $6.99 $6.99
3155 Sea Serpent ``Nessie´´ with Viking 1 $14.99 $14.99
3156 Viking Boat 1 $8.99 $8.99
N/A 3 brown Bears 1 $7.99 $7.99
3226 2 skunks + snake 1 $3.99 $3.99
7093 Oak Tree w/Secret Hideaway 1 $10.99 $10.99
7249 Waterfall 1 $5.99 $5.99
7262 Magic Tree 1 $8.49 $8.49
3840 Dragon 1 $19.99 $19.99
7743 Large Cannon 1 $5.99 $5.99
Total $764.49

Plan is to catapult skunks in to castles for a easy win. Great theater and clever if you are 4 years old.