NEW POLICE AND LIVING HOUSE 2008 - UPDATE !!!

[LHAAP]

The red & blue flashed alternately on both sides.

I have taken a look at the British website http://www.ukemergency.co.uk/. There I have also found emergency vehicles fitted with red and blue lights, but for the most part the cars are fitted with only blue (like the rest of Europe). In other countries, e.g. France and Span, it is also possible to find emergency vehicles with red/blue, but it is only a minority of the cars - that's why I think PLAYMOBIL should stick with the traditional double blue lights

PS: Very "cool" police cars you have in the UK. Not that I haven't noticed them before, I just think you should know here also;)

[playmofire]

On Friday I saw an ambulance not 100 yards from my house flashing red & blue lights on the roof. It was estate car (stationwagon) size and mostly yellow, not white. The red & blue flashed alternately on both sides.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy - but as it was outside the health clinic I'm sure I'll have another opportunity.

Yellow is now the EU standard colour for ambulances and EU members will move over to a mainly standard yellow over time.  (Which is a puzzle why the new ambulance and ambulance car are white and red, but probably this is because white is a very common international colour for ambulances.)

The car you saw, Martin, sounds like a paramedic first responder unit.  Any emergency vehicle (police, fire, ambulance and presumably coastguard) is allowed to use flashing red lights, but only when stationary, which the one you saw sounds a sif it were.  However, this idea doesn't seem to have caught on much except with the police on motorway patrol cars.

[Martin Milner]

Yes it was stationary.

I saw a Fire Tender yesterday (Mercedes-Benz) returning to base, so no lights flashing. The entire back panel was diagonally striped red/orange in thick stripes, but in other respects apart from cab seats the 3880 unit was a pretty good match. there was some sort of erectable structure on top but it wasn't immediately distinguishable as a ladder.

[playmofire]

Yes it was stationary.

I saw a Fire Tender yesterday (Mercedes-Benz) returning to base, so no lights flashing. The entire back panel was diagonally striped red/orange in thick stripes, but in other respects apart from cab seats the 3880 unit was a pretty good match. there was some sort of erectable structure on top but it wasn't immediately distinguishable as a ladder.

Something like this?

[Martin Milner]

That was it, except the ladders were not visible.

So the 3880 is pretty good, except the cab only holds two and there aren't enough side storage compartments. However in the spirit of Playmobil having to reduce sizes so as not to be totally unusable for play, or too expensive, this is pretty good.

Makes me wonder why they discontinued it, and why the less common turntable ladder vehice is kept in the lineup. Maybe 3880 will get a revamp.

[playmofire]

I think this picture of an earlier Mercedes fire engine shows the accuracy of the Playmobil still more when you look at the "crease" below the cab window.

I expect the new fire engine (guessing due for release in Jan 2009, but out for Christmas 2008) will be based on the new-style Unimog (see the new construction truck 4046) and will probably look similar to the non-Playmobil one shown below marketed by Peterkin in the UK and in German livery by Dickie in Germany, which is based on actual versions.  Mind you, I also expect that the 3880 will be around for some time yet in sets for stores and such like.

[playmofire]

I promised some extra information on blue lights, so here goes. 

My 3166 police van plans show an all blue light part number 30 66 9850 which, confuisingly, is also the part number for the red and blue light unit on the 3904 police car!  I can let you have the 3166 plans and the 3925 ambulance plans if you need them, Heather, and the scans of the 3904 police car.

[playmofire]

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There's also various units in the Fire & Rescue vehicles, 30 67 0820 , I can't find the other one but Gordon probably can.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but been a bit under the weather these last few days.  Anyway here's the lowdown on blue lights for the fire engines.

3880 from Jan 1997-Oct 1999: blue light unit using 2 x AA batteries: body of unit (i.e. electronics and bulb and battery holder) 30 88 410(; light cover (i.e. clear blue plastic cover) 30 09 983(; grey centre section to fit on cover 30 09 984(, replacement bulbs 30 81 324(.  The zeros in brackets were added when the Playmobil computer system was revamped.

3880 from from Nov 1999 (and still continuing so far as I know in the recent re-releases in store sets): blue light unit using 2 x AAA batteries: body of unit (i.e. electronics and bulb and battery holder and now clear blue cover) 30 67 0620, grey centre section 30 09 9840.  I'm told that the unit still contains bulbs and these can be changed, but I've never managed to get on apart!

3879 from 1997 to ?:  blue light unit using 2 x AA batteries: body of unit (i.e. electronics and bulb and battery holder) 30 88 410(; light cover (i.e. clear blue plastic cover) 30 09 999(; grey centre section 30 09 514(; replacement bulbs 30 81 324(. 

3182 from 2002 and still current (from PlaymoDB) blue light unit using 2 x AAA batteries: body of unit (i.e. electronics and bulb and battery holder and clear blue cover) 30 67 0820, grey centre section 30 09 5140.  I would hazard the guess that this unit appeared in the 3879 version maybe from Nov 1999 as with the 3880, but I can't be sure.

[Richard]

Wow!

I hadn't looked too closely at the new Police sets until Heather put those pics up at PlaymoDB.
Now I can see there's some really cool stuff coming for this theme.

I especially love the jewel thieves set - great to see one is a female!
Finally, some equality of the sexes in Playmobil's criminal underworld.

Wow, indeed, Sylvia !!!

I was so excited about the new flying boat that I also missed the jewel thief set.

However, I stumbled across it at this interesting site ... Click HERE ...



Thanks again, Andi ... 

All the best,
Richard

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[Rasputin]

The picture on the left it looks like a magnet on the end of the pole and on the right picture it is a hook ? It would be better if it were the magnet and the crown had a metal piece in it and then it would be a game .