Playmobil 3 car EMU

[Marco_4124]

Disassembling a Playmobil EMU:

I have disassembled and assembled a lot of trains, in general I follow this method:
— First take a thorough look at your train. Look for screws or clips. Be aware that sometimes these screws or clips are hidden behind stickers, doors, ventilation outlets and so on.
— Search the internet for manuals and exploded views from your train. That gives a fantastic sight on how the manufacturer builded the train.
— Never use force to separate items. The manufacturer didn't use force to complete your model, so won't you.
— If in doubt, look good again. Maybe you oversaw a screw or clip.
— My experience with Playmobil: all things are clipped together, except for motors or electronic.

Tip 1: Removing the seats.
— Remove the bogies under the train.
— Push with a screwdriver gently against the clip under the floor of the train.





— With your other hand, remove the seat.

[Marco_4124]

I don't know why but even though we have a few of this train it is our least favorite one.

Well, if I didn't stumbled over this EMU on eBay, I would not have bought it. But in combination with a Playmobil train engine I did find for only 5 Euro I could not resist to build up this EMU again. The train reminds me of a LINT 41 train that drives between Arnhem and Winterwijk in The Netherlands. But in my opinion Playmobil should have made a roof for this train (perhaps as aftermarket item). The coach in the middle is a little doubtful. I should have build this coach with only one door in the middle, like the red "Panorama Express" coach. At the other hand: I think this EMU will be very popular with the little kinds on the camping site, were my train usually runs.

[playmofire]

I've always liked the modern train and it was the first one I bought.  I think it quite looks the part and a bright yellow sticker on the front adds to the realism.  I have seen custom versions with a roof over the seating area and other changes, e,g. repainting.  However, the middle carriage I, too, have doubts about, if only for its great weight!

Thanks for the tip on removing the seats, although I've always just pulled them out of the carriage.  It is taking the body apart that I find most difficult and have never succeeded doing.

[Marco_4124]

Patience, my young padawan 

[Rasputin]

Are parts easy to come by in your area? In the US it's not easy to find say the overhead pick ups. Sometimes a train will get listed all broken down and you can replace a missing window or table top but those darn overhead pick ups seem to be harder to find. The motor units with the batteries seem to give me the most trouble. Cleaning the contacts is quite important.

[Marco_4124]

Spareparts I find on:
— www.ebay.de On the German eBay there are at least 3 sellers specialized in spareparts. My favourite seller in Germany on eBay is Playmoking. He has the largest assortment of spareparts. But keep in mind that he is dependend on what he find.
— The Dutch version of eBay is www.marktplaats.nl Here I find secondhand complete and incomplete Playmobil items. The incomplete items I strip for spareparts.
— There are several Dutch (internet) stores selling secondhand Playmobil.

The trick is to visit often these website's and stores and look for the items you are searching for. Sometimes an old Playmobil item is several months in store before I can find the spareparts.

[playmofire]

I can recommend Playmoking.  I have bought from him often and he is very helpful and has excellent English. I have occasionally bought from other German sellers and have found them the same.

[Marco_4124]

Tip 2: Removing the body from a Playmobil EMU.

Removing the body can be quite tricky, and it takes me several attempts before I succeed.

1) The body is hold together with 9 clips, see the red circles in the picture. Specially the clip in the front is hard to find.



2) The clip in the front is actually the lamp holder, see red circle in the picture.





3) Use a screwdriver to gently push the clip to the outside. The body will get loose. Stick a match between the body and the underframe. If the match don’t fit, make it a little smaller with a knife. First take the clips at one side, the other side will follow. Be patient, it might take several attempts.



4) The cabine is hold in place by 2 pins, see the red circle in the picture. Lift the cabine up, remove the seat as mentioned in Tip 1.

[Marco_4124]

The coaches are builded up. My first impression: it is quite a big train!. Work is on hand at the bogies. The motor bogie needs more attention that I thought, but it can be done. / De rijtuigen zijn nu opgebouwd. Mijn eerste indruk: het is een behoorlijk grote trein!. Ik ben nu bezig met de draaistellen, het motordraaistel heeft meer aandacht nodig dan ik dacht, maar het is niet onoverkomelijk.



I like the design of the nose. / Ik vind het design van de voorkant geslaagd.

[playmofire]

It's coming along nicely.