List of sets discontinued 2014 (Germany and homemarket-countries)

[playmofire]

Thank you for the list, Hadoque, that's quite a clear out.  I'm not surprised that the fire theme is going as it is about five years now since the new models were introduced.  I think I heard somewhere that the new fire engines will be smaller, reflecting the change to smaller fire engines in real life.  I guess they will be based on the ambulance body or something similar.

As for whether the items being discontinued will reach the rest of the world, the answer is that of course they well in this coming year.

[Hadoque]

It seems like they want to discontinue everything which does not belong to City Life:
I've just noticed all sets from the "Sinterklaas"-theme (exclusives for the Benelux-countries) are also gone...


4887 Saint Nicolaus with angel
4893 Saint Nicolaus with Black Pete
5040 3 Black Petes
5206 Saint Nicolaus' steamboat
5217 Saint Nicolaus Calender

[Rhalius]

The sinterklaas stuff might be temporary since its holiday related, might be back later in the year or in another form.

I gues it makes sense they are wittling down the pirate sets a bit since they have released some additional pirate sets. The remote controlled pirate boat and lately a small pirate ship and carrying case as well.

But the western sets.. that really is too soon. is it really selling that badly? I thought it was doing quite well.

Knights theme will definatly be renewed later this year I hope, and I really really want something different than just castles, soldiers, knights and rediculous siege machines.
They should at least try something very different for a castle if they do design one. Not all castles had grey stones and red roofs.

[Birdie]

Thank you for the list!

I'm always worried about getting the sets I want before they discontinue BUT not buying too much PM in general.

I'm still hoping for a new large house and furniture 

[kenc]

Thanks for the list, Erwin!

If geobra would release a new castle it would look like this:

If it's for adult collectors:
-steck
-containing a donjon with a house for civilian klickies to live in
-historical correct heraldry of a boar or eagle or fleur de lis
-priced about 400 euros as it contains hundreds of steck parts
-including 8 klickies

If it's for children:
-mix of tab and sys-x non extendible building system
-containing low walls where a horse can easily jump over
-no house, only towers and oh, the largest being on a rock piece and a weird looking ballista on top of it
-strange heraldic designs of a lion and a dragon
-including only 4 klickies, a king, 2 soldiers and a bad guy for residing in the obligate prison
-priced at about 150Euros
I'm afraid we'll get this one 

[playmofire]

There's nothing strange about lions in heraldry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_%28heraldry%29

or dragons:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyvern

[Erik]

-strange heraldic designs of a lion and a dragon

Strange heraldic lions???
Recognize this, lol?It's on documents dating back to the 12th century...

[Hadoque]

The sinterklaas stuff might be temporary since its holiday related, might be back later in the year or in another form.

The Saint-Nicolas (with Black Petes) and Christmas themes are usually not available in shopracks in toystores throughout the year, but they used to be available every day from Playmobil's official webshops.  So their disappearance indicates they are discontinued.
Hopefully the themes come back in a new version, but I fear somewhat for the Saint-Nicolas Theme because all the controversay about the Black Petes in The Netherlands the past year...

I gues it makes sense they are wittling down the pirate sets a bit since they have released some additional pirate sets. The remote controlled pirate boat and lately a small pirate ship and carrying case as well.

The latest overhaul  of the Pirates Theme was in the summer of 2011 (home-market countries) and 2012 (export-market), so that is just 2,5 years of availability of the sets that now just have disappeared. The castaway-pirate was already discontinued last year. Okay, we got the RC-schooner near the summer of last year, but that one is now discontinued as well after only about 6 months (it was a "limited edition"... a very limited one it seems).

That new little pirates' boat with black skullsail is the 10th version or so of the original 4444.
The new Pirates' Carry-case is sized like those they started to use last year; at least 1/3rd smaller then the older carry-cases.
Both those sets have little content, and mainly recycled parts / figures. They look like they were designed as cheap US exclusives for Target stores or something...

The Pirates and Western themes can now be put together as one theme on one page in the catalogue, with the last one just having the Fort and the Western Waggon as leftovers. 

[kenc]

Strange heraldic lions???
Recognize this, lol?It's on documents dating back to the 12th century...

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Of course there's a lot of lions and dragons to be found in heraldry, it's just the designs that are not always very nice. Geobra did a good job with 2010 series of knights (lion and falcon and thus please more of that!), but 2004's lion and dragons were terrible. Same with the orange(!) falcon easter egg knight or the blue dragon knight of surpise figures series 5. The dragon seems to be taken from a tattoo catalog  It seems that different designers are creating different heraldic signs.

[Erik]

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Of course there's a lot of lions and dragons to be found in heraldry, it's just the designs that are not always very nice. Geobra did a good job with 2010 series of knights (lion and falcon and thus please more of that!), but 2004's lion and dragons were terrible. Same with the orange(!) falcon easter egg knight or the blue dragon knight of surpise figures series 5. The dragon seems to be taken from a tattoo catalog  It seems that different designers are creating different heraldic signs.

You're absolutely right about that.I too loved the 2010 heraldry, but they've made some hideous ones too, like the 2004 ones or the "howling wolf" one, now THAT's the worst ever, lol!!!