This is my first Playmobil purchase since my children stopped playing with it 20 years ago. These are my first impressions.
This set consists of an oval of track, loco, controller, wagon with three containers and two people. The packaging was a bit basic, no foam, only corrugated cardboard. The loco and wagon had come free in transit, but with no damage as far as I can tell. It was not really clear how to open the box as it was glued all round.
The models have sturdy construction and clip together well. The finish on the plastic is very good. I can see these are well designed to fit with the Playmobil people, for example the handrails and loco controls fit the hands of the people, and the feet clip into the foot wells and steps.
The assembly instructions are clear, however there is no mention on the box of the need for a small screwdriver to unfasten the battery compartments in the remote control and loco, which could be frustrating if you didn’t have one to hand. I can imagine those small screws easily getting lost as batteries are removed and replaced. I will probably leave out the loco battery compartment screw as it is not really required. The battery pack clips in place under the cover and would not fall out even if you turned the loco upside down.
The operating instructions are brief but clear. Radio control is simple to set up. There is no need for matching colour crystals any more; instead there is some kind of pairing process between the controller and the loco which is remembered until you remove the battery.
The motor control is not very granular. There seem to be four speed settings, slow-ish, medium, fast and very fast. There does not seem to be a slow shunting speed. The light and sound buttons work fine. The distance between the wheels (wheel base) is longer than the other Playmobil four wheel motor blocks. Perhaps due to the long wheel base the loco slows down appreciably on curves.
Lighting is good with three white lights going forward and two red lights in reverse.
The sound is basic but could do with being louder if you wanted to use it outdoors. Maybe the volume is low to protect the sanity of parents!
The motor is quite noisy. Maybe it will run in over time. The noise of the motor almost masks the electronically generated engine noise.
Couplings are standard and work well – they hold their grip and are released easily. The loco has no hooks only loops. The wagon has one hook fitted; an additional hook is provided if you want hooks at both ends.
The track is strong plastic which clips together easily, and can be used like that if laid on a flat surface. There are clips provided to join the tracks together more securely. The set provides an oval (12 x curves and 2 x straights).
The wagon is well built, with spoked plastic wheels, and is a reasonably good representation of a low sided wagon. The sides fold down and have working retaining hooks. Three small removable containers with opening tops are provided as a load.
Overall my initial impressions of Playmobil as a manufacturer are very good. I think this model is great provided you are happy with fictional locos and are looking for a value for money battery powered radio controlled loco. Obviously it will fit in well with any other buildings, vehicles and people you have. This would be a super introduction to model railways for children.
I will include some pictures once I figure out how to include them in a posting. :-)
