Heidi (2020)

[tahra]

It makes it much harder to reproduce proper adults.

But they are not meant to. Even Airgam are better proportioned.. that is why I think realism doesn't mix that well with playmobil...  Like amazing paintjobs with rust and such - they are gorgeous.. but them it seems that the klickys seem out of place...

[PMatt]

Well, if people want realism, I have no idea why they even look at playmobil.. for that, go to 12" Hot Toys

Spot on tahra, I've been thirsting after Hot Toys stormtroopers for years now! 

The point I was trying to make was not about realism though. I wouldn't want klickies to be any more realistic than they already are – indeed, I tend to shy away from more sophisticated customizations made with clay, paint, textiles, and so on. Proportions sure are off, but they work both on their own and in conjunction with tools, vehicles, and animals.

When you see a PM construction worker, there's no mistaking it for anything else than a construction worker. The same – I think – cannot be said when you see PM Ghostbusters. Take Venkman and Stantz: if it weren't for the nametags, would the slightly different hairpiece be enough to tell two individuals apart? (Photo from Kastor's Korner)



Playmobil allow a great degree of personalization (changing hair/beard on a klicky sometimes makes a huge difference), but at the same time there's little to make a character which exists outside of the PM world recognizable – even more so with standard heads. Heads like the ones from Playmobil: The Movie, while unsettling from a certain point of view, might be more suited to movie characters: should they manage to capture a few iconic traits, they'd make it far easier to identify individual characters, even for an untrained observer.

Let's go back to bedrock: given their proportions, Klickies are children pretending to be adults (knights, firefighters, builders) by donning some trademark accessories. This is how Hans Beck designed them [...]

I had no clue about that! I was only aware Playmo-heads are the way they are because eyes and mouth are what children focus on when drawing people.

Truth be told, I can't say I see much of a discrepancy between regular klickies and speedo klickies. There's no radical design differences and the latter allow for customizing opportunities aplenty withouth looking out of place when side by side with regular klickies.

[tahra]

Spot on tahra, I've been thirsting after Hot Toys stormtroopers for years now! 

I can resist stormtroopers fine. If they do a proper Ahsoka.... I am lost.  And then she WILL need Ani to keep her company (and I doubt I could persuade my sister to part with hers    )  <wallet shudders>

The same – I think – cannot be said when you see PM Ghostbusters. Take Venkman and Stantz: if it weren't for the nametags, would the slightly different hairpiece be enough to tell two individuals apart? (Photo from Kastor's Korner)

I suppose that depends on what the "original" character has going, and how familiar you are. I cannot comment on ghostbusters, I only tell them apart by the nametag, or "the one with the elvis hair" - but I don't really know the characters... or care.

But it CAN work.. Look up Serenity's avatar: Sereinty's Profile  - even before the name, and from a tiny avatar "chest-up", I could tell it was Zoe!  That is an AMAZING work right there   (mine are in the works for YEARS - started after hers)

Same goes, IMO, with the main character customs from Battlestar Galactica (link on playkingdoms) - in fact, I sent a lousy pic via sms to my sister of just the torsos drying, and they are instantly recognizable...  I thing ANYONE who ever saw Galactica would immediatly see Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, Adama, Tigh and Athena... Maybe Sheba.. and Boxey...

I think the original characted MUST have something to tell him/her apart from everyone else.. or.. well... playmofaces being what they are.. And on this I think we should really not go the way of weird unklicky like prints - though I think some of the movie are close enough - Dasher's stupid face excepted - or where does it stop? Should they have ears? A nose? <GASP>.


(maybe this discussion about playmobil as means to portray non-playmo characters should be moved to another thread, if a mod sees this? )

[Tiermann]

Along this discussion of character and Klickies - the new Scooby Doo series are great - just regular klickies but the hair and clothing choices are perfect for the characters and you can tell it's them right away. The only one that is off a little is Shaggy who is very hard to do in Klicky form since the character is tall and thin.

[StJohn]

PM as a toy concept forever has the figure at its heart, lavishing attention on its wearables and accessories. The further one moves away from this centre, the more ephemeral it gets: there weren't any buildings in the first half decade of PM's existence, and the long 'building boom' – starting with the introduction of Steck und continued through the System X years – has been erratic and is now dying out, despite its adult fanbase. Ask a child to show you his favourite PM, and I guess it will present some figure. Ask what its favourite Lego part is, and my guess/experience is that some ingenious building brick will be produced. They are toys for different age and interest groups.

Beck's original design was a work of genius, above all else in how he found the absolute perfect ratio for the body and its parts and whatever objects that the figures can hold or carry. It makes PM is instantaneously recognisable, and universally loved.

Truth be told, I can't say I see much of a discrepancy between regular klickies and speedo klickies. There's no radical design differences and the latter allow for customizing opportunities aplenty withouth looking out of place when side by side with regular klickies.

The legs of speedo klickies have been slimmed down in order to make them appear more realistic (same with knights' chicken legs and many others) and their body has been sculpted towards realism (breast and belly clearly articulated) – they now intentionally resemble adults with HUGE heads.

My critique is more than a matter of taste. As a fact, I do like speedos and agree that they blend in well, but also see them as the beginning of a perilous turn away from Beck's golden ratio. Super 4, Spirit and whatever Manga lookalikes that are now about to follow are departing much more radically from the norm of yesterday. How will this end? Will they still be recognisable as PM? I am not confident, because it is a bit like Lego phasing in new building methods incompatible with the classic studs and tubes ... 

[PMatt]

(maybe this discussion about playmobil as means to portray non-playmo characters should be moved to another thread, if a mod sees this? )

You're totally right, I'm afraid I've been derailing this discussion from its original subject. I'll try to keep it short: those are extremely valid points all of you tahra, Tiermann, and StJohn are making and I'm glad we could have this discussion. Thanks for the customs you linked tahra, those are lovely and indeed if one is familiar with the characters you can't get them wrong.

And on this I think we should really not go the way of weird unklicky like prints - though I think some of the movie are close enough - Dasher's stupid face excepted - or where does it stop? Should they have ears? A nose? <GASP>.

I'm not by any means in favor of adding further details (nose, ears) to PM heads, though I think making what we have (eyes, mouth, eyebrows) slightly more detailed might have its reasons in certain cases. On the other hand Tiermann is right, Scooby Doo klickies are instantly recognizable and look great with standard heads.

Super 4, Spirit and whatever Manga lookalikes that are now about to follow are departing much more radically from the norm of yesterday.

As for those figures, their look hasn't grown on me either, StJohn. At least they seem to be niche and confined to certain themes, for the moment.

[Macruran]

(puts on moderator hat *klick*  ) I think the discussion's flowed naturally out of consideration of the Heidi sets, don't see a need to split. If someone would like to start a megathread for discussion of Playmo aesthetics, that'd probably be popular.

[tahra]

Ask a child to show you his favourite PM, and I guess it will present some figure. Ask what its favourite Lego part is, and my guess/experience is that some ingenious building brick will be produced. They are toys for different age and interest groups.

Yes, playmobil was always about the "people", while lego is (supposed to be) about the buildings... Though I THINK there are plenty of lego sets that stray from the concept, with specific huge parts that are good for nothing else. That sounds familiar

Super 4, Spirit and whatever Manga lookalikes that are now about to follow are departing much more radically from the norm of yesterday. How will this end? Will they still be recognisable as PM? I am not confident, because it is a bit like Lego phasing in new building methods incompatible with the classic studs and tubes ... 

AFAIK, these new weird ones ARE speedos, right? And the "series" among them look to be speedos and normal ones. I would really like the spirit-like faces, if they weren't printed so high on the heads that make them look retarded. I would LOVE to know the why of such a decision. And they would be sooo nice - useless (as in can't do customs), but pretty.  The fairies with that starved-full-diaper-legs-apart look are less... nice.

You're totally right, I'm afraid I've been derailing this discussion from its original subject. I'll try to keep it short: those Thanks for the customs you linked tahra, those are lovely and indeed if one is familiar with the characters you can't get them wrong.

Yes, but they need  to have SOMETHING for us to "hold on to"... I mean, faces are all alike, but still...

I have been struggling with some customs for YEARS (SAaB, Clone Wars, Terra Nova, Black Sails, Defiance)...  I mean Apollo was in the works BEFORE my moronic years!

(puts on moderator hat *klick*  ) I think the discussion's flowed naturally out of consideration of the Heidi sets, don't see a need to split. If someone would like to start a megathread for discussion of Playmo aesthetics, that'd probably be popular.

Well, I disagree.    ALL OT discussins flow naturally from whatever it is we were discussing.. but not only this is completely unrelated to Heidi, but there are too many posts off topic by now, and (IMO), it's an interesting subject all by itself, that should be apart.  Oh well.