Very interesting, thanks for posting.
Some of this has been covered in "Story of a Smile", such as the lead times and quality control issues involved in China-based manufacture. In Playmobil's case it's not the cost of labour that's forcing them to go to China, or rather the desire for greater profit margins, as we see with Mattel and others.
It's good to know that Geobra have a medium-term plan and are trying to live up to it - at the same time it's a grey area. They produce modern armed police and hunters carrying high-powered telescopic rifles, but shy away from modern armies. Of course if they also said they'd never produce Romans or Dinosaurs, so it'll be interesting to see if the company can continue to thrive, or even survive, without resorting to military means.
Unfortunately if they do produce modern military stuff, i'll be buying it.
I'm disappointed, but not suprised, thay the UK is seen as having more Americanised tastes than the rest of Europe. A stroll around the toyshelves quickly reveals the surfeit of licensed products and cheaply manufactured dross that won't last the kids till next Christmas. We've already had four gun killings this year, and in the last fortnight there was a murder less then 1/2 a mile from my home.
At least, with Europe on our doorstep, it's not that expensive to hop across the Channel and soak up some European culture. If you like in the US, it's far less easy to leave your country and experience other tastes and values, which is a great shame.
