PlaymoFriends
General => News => Topic started by: Heronimus on January 13, 2011, 11:27:12
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I have seen on another playmobil forum where collectors have been discussing about the deteriorating quality of Playmobil. I dont know German language and therefore cant join (I cant register an account), but would like to see what do you guys think. I always feel proud telling my friends how superior their quality is, but is it true their quality is on the wane???? :-\
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quality? Hmmmm.....I'd have to say I think plastic quality has IMPROVE if anything. Just take a standard klicky from vintage and compare with a new klicky. New klicky feels more solid and not as thin and flimsy. Also much less prone to loose arms/legs. Plastics now also less prone to yellowing.
I do notice on the newer design 4290 ship, however, standing rigging is made of cheaper thinner plastic that is brittle and not durable as its vintage predecesors.
And overall design of new playmobil is not comparable to vintage level of detail and aesthetics.
But as far as quality, for the most part, IMO, I think the plastic is actually better.
However, system x buildings, IMO, do seem a bit thinner and less solid than old steck pieces, which are built like rocks. Not to mention, they come apart much more easily than steck.
I also see many parts that were once metal (like anchors and bells and hoists) are now being replaced with plastic ones of the same mould.
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I also see many parts that were once metal (like anchors and bells and hoists) are now being replaced with plastic ones of the same mould.
Yes, like the ball and chain which comes with the ghost in the set Rona reviewed:
http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=6739.0
Metal definitely seems better for some things, especially anchors! ;D
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well...we have talked about in other threads about the poor quality control, regarding missing parts and defectve parts or even too many extra parts in new sets.
Plastic is better I agree with Atto, but maybe control should be improved.
If anything I notice a difference from past years in the design of some sets or even some whole themes. :-\
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Yes i think the actual quality is continually improving. The exception is with certain US exclusives, like the take along police station. Very flimsy. However I think it is true that many sets are including less accessories, which decreases their "quality" in some respects.
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However I think it is true that many sets are including less accessories, which decreases their "quality" in some respects.
Very true,bb! I remember when nearly every vehicle came with a tool box with tools, traffic cones, triangular traffic sign, fire extinguisher, & so on, & the problem even then was you couldn't find enough room in the vehicle to store everything!
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One of my first sets as a child was silver ranch http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=3768 , and I remember being so awestruck at the number of tools that came with it.
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Very true,bb! I remember when nearly every vehicle came with a tool box with tools, traffic cones, triangular traffic sign, fire extinguisher, & so on, & the problem even then was you couldn't find enough room in the vehicle to store everything!
One of my first sets was the 3780 - Garbage Truck (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showinv.pl?setnum=3780)
And the little tools and toolbox it came with used to infuriate me! (and it still does now :P)
The tools would never all stay in the toolbox when you picked it up, and they would always get jammed and stuck in the side storage bins of the truck. let alone getting any of the small accessories stuck in the compartment behind the seats in the cab and have to tip it all upside down!
Damo :)
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Hi
I feel the plastic it self might be better but it is getting thinner. It really is hard to do a comparison as the old sets are sometimes 30 years old. How would todays Playmobil look in 30 years ? I know for sure the main building components are getting flimsier and it is quite annoying when you also take in the fact that like mentioned the accessories are held back as well. It is really hard to estimate if we are getting as good a value today as sets from earlier years. One area that I can for sure say that the quality is less is with most new rocks.
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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And the little tools and toolbox it came with used to infuriate me! (and it still does now :P)
The tools would never all stay in the toolbox when you picked it up, and they would always get jammed and stuck in the side storage bins of the truck. let alone getting any of the small accessories stuck in the compartment behind the seats in the cab and have to tip it all upside down!
Damo :)
Aw yes, those were the days! :P
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For medieval themes, I feel like the early 1990's were the best :'(
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I estimate I’ve purchased over 2,ØØØ sets at a grand total of maybe 2Ø,ØØر total parts. Of this, I have had ONE defective part (a motorcycle wheel that was malformed and I just never got around to sending it in to be replaced).
Take it for what it’s worth; I’ve had generally the same overall luck with other manufacturers of plastic toys.
I’ve had many pieces break; Some to abuse, other to age, and even a few to being played with.
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I estimate I’ve purchased over 2,ØØØ sets at a grand total of maybe 2Ø,ØØر total parts. Of this, I have had ONE defective part (a motorcycle wheel that was malformed and I just never got around to sending it in to be replaced).
Take it for what it’s worth; I’ve had generally the same overall luck with other manufacturers of plastic toys.
I’ve had many pieces break; Some to abuse, other to age, and even a few to being played with.
Hi
Andy I bet you have a lot more parts than you think if you have over 2000 sets. A single simple klicky is made up of about 7 ( 2 arms, legs, head, hair, torso & skeleton) and that is just a simple one . Think of a Knight with all his armor and weapons or a Fireman or woman (I love that Monty joke)
I think what is in question is if Playmobil in general is getting flimsier (correct me if I am wrong)
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Yes, it's getting flmisier and also I feel like the quality control is getting worse. What I mean by that is not having the correct inventory....having a piece missing or a wrong piece... something that doesn't fit...
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I have stated at the 4006 preview that quite a few items were missing... I have also noted defectiveness or rather incompleteness, at klickies, like boots or arms greaves not being complete... I recall Sylvia has also pointed that out at just4klicks.
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Certainly, there are sometimes problems with quality control not being 100%, e.g. missing items or malformed items or printing not 100%, but bearing in mind the number of parts in a set and the quantity Playmobil produce, this is only to be expected and so long as problems like these are limited and there is an efficient method for replacing the faulty part or supplying the missing part, it's something that has to be accepted. What is important, though, is that people who buy sets with faulty or missing parts brings this to the notice of Playmobil as, otherwise, Playmobil will not know things are going wrong and so cannot do anything to stop things going wrong. This also applies to buying from DS. In one year (and I put in about an order a month to UK DS) on two successive orders the same part was missing but on the invoice. I reported this and the parts were sent to me. On the second occasion, the member of staff I contacted at UK DS told me that the packer in Germany needed to watch their work because if there were a third occurrence they would be in trouble.
As regards Playmobil becoming more flimsy, this will be partly accounted for by new mixes of plastic following the banning of some chemicals previously used in the process. However, the fact that the feel of the item is flimsier doesn't mean the quality is lower or it is more likely to break. I would imagine also that over time to contain costs the thickness of the plastic may be reduced, but I am also sure that there will be trials by Playmobil to test that the items made with the thinner plastic still have an acceptable "life" before deciding to market them.
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I would imagine also that over time to contain costs the thickness of the plastic may be reduced, but I am also sure that there will be trials by Playmobil to test that the items made with the thinner plastic still have an acceptable "life" before deciding to market them.
And this might be part of the reason why many buildings today seem to be only mere shadows of what they used to be. Look at the new Dairy Farm, for instance, to see how substantial of a barn you actually get!
As shown in this thread: http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=5701.0 (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=5701.0)
I know part of it is obviously 'playability' as the open structure actually allows children to maneuver better inside the structure, but there is a point ...
Hmm, maybe this is the adaptation for the adult collectors. Make the building more open so big fat adult hands can get in there better? Well, I guess you asked for more consideration for adult collectors ... ;D
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Hmm, maybe this is the adaptation for the adult collectors. Make the building more open so big fat adult hands can get in there better? Well, I guess you asked for more consideration for adult collectors ... ;D
:lol: :lol: :lol:
So true, so true!
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My brother used to edit a gaming magazine, and as part of every review he included a "Heft Test".
This is very simple "quick and dirty" measure of value - weigh the unopened box, and divide by the price.
We could easily initiate this at Playmofriends, using Grammes, Euros and Dollars as units, to get two ratios - grammes/Euro and grammes/Dollar.
The Euro or Dollar cost would come directly from Playmobil's website - German for the Euro, the US for the Dollar.
Obviously you need access to the price on the website for this to work, so only current sets can be rated accutrately, but we might get some interesting results.
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My brother used to edit a gaming magazine, and as part of every review he included a "Heft Test".
This is very simple "quick and dirty" measure of value - weigh the unopened box, and divide by the price.
We could easily initiate this at Playmofriends, using Grammes, Euros and Dollars as units, to get two ratios - grammes/Euro and grammes/Dollar.
The Euro or Dollar cost would come directly from Playmobil's website - German for the Euro, the US for the Dollar.
Obviously you need access to the price on the website for this to work, so only current sets can be rated accutrately, but we might get some interesting results.
I would suggest not using the box as Playmobil likes to change sizes for marketing strategies. I like the idea though
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Andy I bet you have a lot more parts than you think if you have over 2000 sets. A single simple klicky is made up of about 7 ( 2 arms, legs, head, hair, torso & skeleton) and that is just a simple one . Think of a Knight with all his armor and weapons or a Fireman or woman (I love that Monty joke)
Well, there you go then. I have even MORE pieces that ‘could’ have gone badly, and only one piece to date. (I don’t get the joke, but anyways…)
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Well, there you go then. I have even MORE pieces that ‘could’ have gone badly, and only one piece to date. (I don’t get the joke, but anyways…)
HI
It comes from "Life of Brian" where Stan wants to be a child bearing woman ;)
As far as parts in the box I do not recall any missing items that were of big concern. I recall much more extras than bits left our actually. In my collection I have only had a few errors due to mechanical errors and such so my record with Playmobil is very satisfactory. Now the thinner or flimsier plastic is a different issue that concerns me
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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I've never had missing parts in a set. I did have extra parts (a lot) or broken (just one caff) but never missing.
You notice the flimsier plastic in newer sets? from what year on? I don't have latest sets.... I think the newer sets I have are the 5301 mansion...of the diving expedition theme and they look as good as ever to me.... and then I have the 2010 Xmas, Kristkind and saint niklass blister and they look great too.... So you notice it in big parts?
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Well they are a bit thin and flimsy in the new castles...
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One example of something that's a tad lower quality is the 4835 Dragon castle. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but compared to the old steck castles it is hardly comparable. The plastic used for the rocks is very thin and same goes for the material used for the towers. I think the klickies and the smaller pieces are still very high quality. That is just my opinion, but I am no expert ;)
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One example of something that's a tad lower quality is the 4835 Dragon castle. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but compared to the old steck castles it is hardly comparable. The plastic used for the rocks is very thin and same goes for the material used for the towers. I think the klickies and the smaller pieces are still very high quality. That is just my opinion, but I am no expert ;)
Yes I will agree with you! Still, its good quality!
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As I mentioned in my thread about the new school, there does seem to be more issues with missing/defective parts. But the quality overall doesn't seem diminished. I also disagree that system X is less stable and durable than steck- As someone who occasionally has to cart buildings up from the basement for little girl play-time, the victorian dollhouse and steck castles are vulnerable to falling apart during transport, an issue I never have with even the largest system x buildings. I think the old steck buildings are generally more attractive, but I have appreciate the durability of X. Also, once you go through the hell of attaching all the little connectors the first time, System X goes together as quickly as steck.
I'm more concerned with playmobil becoming more stripped down, with less accessories. Some of the new themes (agents, dragon riders-even tho I love some of the sets) seem too focused on one type of play, and gimmicks, instead of more "open" themes. Don't know if that makes any sense to anyone, don't know how else to explain it... ;D
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As I mentioned in my thread about the new school, there does seem to be more issues with missing/defective parts. But the quality overall doesn't seem diminished. I also disagree that system X is less stable and durable than steck- As someone who occasionally has to cart buildings up from the basement for little girl play-time, the victorian dollhouse and steck castles are vulnerable to falling apart during transport, an issue I never have with even the largest system x buildings. I think the old steck buildings are generally more attractive, but I have appreciate the durability of X. Also, once you go through the hell of attaching all the little connectors the first time, System X goes together as quickly as steck.
I'm more concerned with playmobil becoming more stripped down, with less accessories. Some of the new themes (agents, dragon riders-even tho I love some of the sets) seem too focused on one type of play, and gimmicks, instead of more "open" themes. Don't know if that makes any sense to anyone, don't know how else to explain it... ;D
Initially I really liked sysX. I liked the building of it - it was fun and took time. I guess like building lego is fun.
I see now,however, how much easier Steck is for children! System x is really hard for them to put together (heck, it is for adults at times too, depending upon the individual assembly ...).
Steck only looks better because they moulded more details on the pieces. They could have done that with System X too, if they wanted. However, Playmobil would have to have diffferent moulds for each theme. This way, with just plain blob block shapes they just use the same mould and put in a different colour of plastic. No texture, no detail.
Well, they say, let's just put a sticker over it....
I do not know if one is any more durable than the other - but I have had my school fall apart on my as I tried to pick it up. That's wasn't fun - I had to take the WHOLE thing apart and start again on it because of how system X goes together. Just a pain in the ___. System X building are always falling apart around here and I know the girls do not play harder than a boy would. Nor harder than I and I have my olde toys from when I was a kid and my kids still use them.
All the nostalgia of Steck aside, I really do think System X could have been made MUCH better by having moulded in details instead of so many blank walls. The castle pieces have some stone details, why not wood planks instead of just brown coloured pastic? Then you could have red and white coloured wood pieces for barns and stables, etc
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http://www.klickywelt.de/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=43553&start=45
It is this thread I am talking about.
Cheers, :wave:
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I thought it was interesting that I'd been reading this thread and thinking that I hadn't had any defective Playmo. Then I got my fairy Easter egg and when I opened it I found that her wings had been deformed by the curve of the eggshell.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a335/ronastoo/warpedfairy.jpg)
EDIT: I just called Playmo to let them know I had defective wings and that I'd like a replacement and they told me they didn't have any and that I'd have to call back in two to three weeks. I'm a little upset that I have to call them back to get a replacement piece for something that's defective. ::breathing dragon fire::
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Watch it with the Dragon Fire, MamaDragon, or you might need more replacements then just those wings.
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EDIT: I just called Playmo to let them know I had defective wings and that I'd like a replacement and they told me they didn't have any and that I'd have to call back in two to three weeks. I'm a little upset that I have to call them back to get a replacement piece for something that's defective. ::breathing dragon fire::
That is unacceptable customer service. They should have taken your details, put you on the list for replacement parts, and emailed you or called you when the piece came in to let you know it was on the way.
Playmobil - time to wake up you US office. You cannot treat loyal customers in this lacadasical way and expect them to keep coming back.
Rona - you should call back, and if you get the same answer, get the employee's name and then ask for the supervisor or manager and push this up the ladder. I'd like to know if this is a systematic failure at the US office, or a lazy employee who doesn't deserve a job in today's tough employment market.
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I'd go so far as to email Zirndorf both about the wings (it suggests someone isn't packing the figure correctly) and the poor service from US Playmobil.
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Compared to the amount of playmobil I buy I have had a few defective items.
The 1st one was when I bought the Roman arena 4270 it has 5 defetive parts in it mainly figures with a thin paint problem.
4651 special Cleopatra had her eyes printed off centre.
4654 special Pirate had a problem with his legs.
Recently I have had a problem with the sandles on an Egyptian figure.
I have also had a Lion with a loose tail and a Knight with a snapped collar and also a Nun special with a bad habit which was a very common problem with them just popping off their heads.
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A couple of months ago i purchased 40 sets of pine trees. two of the big tree logs were deformed at the bottom, one barely manages to stand and quite a few of these logs were bend at an angle and the plastic quality seemed of poor quality, same goes for the quality on some dyno and egyptian sets , i have a sinking feeling that quality is definitely not getting better but actually slightly , only slightly worse perhaps ?? I hope that is not a trend and a sign of things to come ....
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EDIT: I just called Playmo to let them know I had defective wings and that I'd like a replacement and they told me they didn't have any and that I'd have to call back in two to three weeks. I'm a little upset that I have to call them back to get a replacement piece for something that's defective. ::breathing dragon fire::
Well, that’s interesting. I didn’t used to be that way, though it used to be a lady (sounded a bit older to my imperfect ear), whereas the guy I always seem to get now seems a bit more rushed…
As to your wing situation, I would advize that you give them a few days to see if they return to tier proper shape, this does happen sometimes with the softer materials. (No, that’s not an excuse for the guy being a jerk, but a fact of life sometimes.) If they don’t call them back and give them (or should I say him) Hell.
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I LIKE TO MODIFY WHAT I SAID:
I now believe CURRENT playmobil plastic is inferior to vintage plastic.
I now own playmobil stuff from vintage days to about 2000, and current.
OLD Steck and old ships are definitely FAR MORE SOLID than current castles system x and large playset pieces, even the newer ship designs. The old steck and ships have a noticeable "heft" to them just when you touch it, or pick it up. When I take a dremel to it (for customizing), the dremel doesn't really melt it. It's like carving solid WOOD.
Newer ships, like the 4290 and especially the new Roman ship, as well as some of the modern theme ships I've handled, feel more "plasticy." Same can be said of modern castles such as the 3268 Knights Empire Castle. I can bend the plastic with little effort from my own fingers or hands compared to a steck piece or an older ship.
As far as Klickies go, I think the quality went as follows:
vintage: less than good (imo)
mid (2000 and up): best quality
current: WORST
Why? Vintage klickies still stand the test of time, but you can tell they are made of a diff kind of plastic subject to loose joints, yellowing etc....and they're more "shiny" surface.
mid-range klickies are more solid, made from what seems to be better plastics, don't get loose as easily, and have a less smooth surface (not as shiny).
CURRENT klickies like dragon knights and romans are CHEAP plastic!!! you can see some of the injection mold swirls on the parts. They feel somehow "lighter" in weight than an older kliky (unless I'm imagining it). and they're flimsy! Several of my newer klickies have this problem of having too tight of wrist joints, and when you try to turn the wrist, their arm twists instead! And there are VISIBLE mold-seam lines that protrude from the cast and get in the way of movement of parts (like the wrists). I even compared a standard knights sword to a vintage one, and the current sword was DEFINITELY flimsier than the vintage one of the same design! And the newer klickies arecloser to having a matte finish (at least on the fleshtoned parts) and feel thinner. At least with the lots I have! (I've been buying a lot of specials lately, dragon knights, regular knights, and romans). The only thing I like better about new klickies is they now have well-done tampo-printing designs on them that make them more AESTHETICALLY beautiful compared to vintage or even mid-range klickies.
So I modify my post now because I was comparing vintage to more mid-aged playmobil, which I belive is better stilll than vintage. But more RECENT playmobil plastic is cheaper IMO!!