A conundrum

[reylocann]

One of the older clowns found in sets such as 3513, 3545, and 3578 has its arms on different sides.  In 3513 the red arm is on the right.  In 3545 the red arm is on the left.   I wonder if this is Playmobil's way of insuring I remain completely and utterly confuzzled?  Or could it be that someone in the factory was just having a really bad day and the box cover photographers were smoking something other than cigs [this was the 70's/early 80's]    It might be interesting at some point in time - when I have far too much time on my hands     - to look more closely at this type of anomaly. 

[Tiermann]

Or it could be that the arms are always made in pairs, so sometimes it's one and sometimes it's the other. Or not.

The same thing with the colored bunnies in the Farm Game set 4992. The ones in mine didn't exactly match what is on the box, so perhaps there is one of each pose in each color. I got a second copy of the game recently from Malta and it had the exact same assortment as I already had. So maybe it's just the box that's off?

I did find a definite error in one of the instructions. On set
PlaymoDB Set Inventory: 4227 - Rescue Unit the instructions show the wrong dog. Meaning that Playmobil messed up their own instructions - in 2 different ways. The dog it shows on the instructions picture is the one with the neck post and with the dark paint on the muzzle 30 66 6840, the number printed "30 65 0222" is for the version like that but without the neck post. The one on the box cover and back - and that actually is in the box as I received it - is 30 67 1150 (no neck post, no paint on muzzle).

[Martin Milner]

Reylocann, do you have the actual reversed clowns in front of you, or are you basing your query on the box pictures?

I ask because box pictures are sometimes deliberately reversed to make them fit better. Normally it wouldn't matter, but with an assymetrical clown such as this one it shows if you are keen-eyed. The clown inside the box may be normal (if a clown can ever be called normal).

The clown in 3513 is playing a violin-like instrument (actually a rebec), and more than 95% of the time of these are played with the bow in the right hand and the instrument in the left. You can have a violin (or viola or cello) set up* for left-handed playing, but not all left-handed musicians play left-handed because they're usually taught the right-handed hold first. If the person setting up the photo was not a musician they could have got the instrument in the wrong hand, and the photo was later reversed to correct it.


* For those who are interested, it's relatively easy to switch the strings on a guitar to make it left-handed, but for a violin or similar bowed instrument is more complex, as the bass bar, sound post, nut, bridge and fingerboard all have to be changed to make it properly left-handed, not a job for an amateur. Having done that expensive process, the instrument is then much more difficult to sell on because 95% or more of players won't want a left-handed fiddle.

Next time you see an orchestra, count the number of left-handed players.

[reylocann]

THe reason I brought it up is because I disembodied a clown for my avatar and couldn't remember which arm was on which side so I went to the DB to look for a picture and the box pictures are different.... ... In the greater scheme of things it really doesn't matter to me but just thought it was curious!!!!