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Author Topic: 5843 US fire truck  (Read 18441 times)

Offline Rasputin

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5843 US fire truck
« on: August 31, 2008, 04:26:25 »
Well lets just start off with "Made in China" I really do not need to say more but i will . It was $19.99, The wheels are hard plastic, no doors open , the water pump reservoir is tiny , it is ugly and i am returning it tomorrow for a real Playmobil set . I do not want this thing anywhere near my other Fire Trucks . sorry for the bad review but this is one of the worst sets ever . I am writing Playmobil and complaining . :'(


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Offline Gepetto

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2008, 05:21:53 »
Nice photos Rasputin! But I agree with you, that is one cheap looking fire truck!



Gepetto
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Offline Rasputin

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2008, 06:11:37 »
Thanks Gepeto but i am going to throw them away . I do not even want to remember this set years from now .

I plan on smashing the truck up to avoid the embarrassment to playmobil when i return it to TRU >:D
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If you hear the sound of the bell which will tell you that Grigori has been killed, if it was your relations who have wrought my death, then no one in the family will remain alive. They will be killed by the Russian people. :prays:

Offline Gepetto

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2008, 06:28:27 »
Rasputin,

You should return the truck so they have to take responsibility for it, it will cost them more to have to deal with the return and so they may reflect on their shortsightedness. The funds could then be applied towards proper Playmobil items that are more deserving! If you destroy the truck it will be game over, they will feel the truck sold and so that must be the future.

Let your righteous indignation rain down upon them!! But return the truck.



Gepetto
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Offline playmofire

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2008, 06:31:24 »
Thanks for the review, Ra, which confirms what I thought - this is not good enough for Playmobil's name to be on it.  I agree though with Gepetto that you should return the set and say why and make them work for their sins, as well as writing to Playmobil at Zirndorf.
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Offline Martin Milner

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2008, 09:07:44 »
Quote from: playmofire on August 31, 2008, 06:31:24
...this is not good enough for Playmobil's name to be on it.

Absolutely right, Gordon, they should be ashamed.  :'(

Oh my sainted aunt, as my mother says. What on earth were they thinking? Is this really designed by Playmobil, or is it actually a knock off? With apologies to Tim, if Playmobil use their Chinese factories to produce crap of this sort, they're not helping to improve the image of Chinese produced toys. First we had the 5840 wing shedding chicken dragon, and now this.

NONE of the panels open from the look of the thing, but as there are no tools I guess they don't need to, because there's nothing to store anyway.

HARD wheels? As Playmo vehicles have had soft wheels for years, one can only assume that either this is deliberate design change or they used the wrong plastic, and nobody noticed or cared.

This appears to be the replacement for the excellent 3880 Fire truck. The only thing I dislike about that is it only carries two men, but as we've said before many times, Playmobil design represents, it does not reproduce.

Ras, if you can, get some scans of the instructions (if there are any) before taking it back, at least Heather's Playmodb can benefit from this Playmo-abortion.

I haven't had the courtesy of a response to my last email to Playmobil (about getting Roman figures in UK Museum Shops), possibly because I emailed to the Customer Services address given on their UK website. This time I think I'll send the email directly to my DS contact (who at least I know exists) and ask her to pass it on to the appropriate department.

I think I understand their intent - presumably the designers had been asked to produce a fire truck for under $20 for the US market, but couldn't they have used the 3880 truck, and cut out all the extras which make Playmobil such an excellent (if expensive) toy?

This thing is a red plastic box that looks like a fire truck, but I'm not sure kids wouldn't be better off with a cardboard box, at least that way things could be stored inside.

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Offline playmofire

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2008, 11:18:18 »
Quote from: Martin Milner on August 31, 2008, 09:07:44

This appears to be the replacement for the excellent 3880 Fire truck. The only thing I dislike about that is it only carries two men, but as we've said before many times, Playmobil design represents, it does not reproduce



I'm sure it's not, Martin, something like this would bomb completely in Europe.  I think there will be a new fire engine for2009 using the Unimog chassis of the new construction truck.  Having said that, our idea of a basic 3880 for Target make sense, but it lacks the American profile which Target presumably want.
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Offline Rasputin

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2008, 14:36:29 »
Quote from: Rasputin on August 31, 2008, 06:11:37
I plan on smashing the truck up to avoid the embarrassment to playmobil when i return it to TRU >:D

I just do not want them to be able to resell it  ;)

I just could not believe this was Playmobil at all . Maybe Playmobil is doing this on purpose to prove some kind of point ? Look how low quality the Chinese are ? We gave them the opportunity to make our distinguished toy and look how it turned out in their hands .  Just a long shot that i am hoping is a better explanation than Playmobil dumbing down the toy for the US market .
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Offline Gepetto

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2008, 18:03:38 »
I really don't think they  would try to resell the item, especially if the packaging were somehow compromised (wink,wink) but still returnable. I wonder if this truck and the chicken dragon are quality tests in a market considered too small to make an impact (USA) before implementation in a major market (Europe)? I appreciate they may feel the US market is more cost driven than quality driven but the fact that local chains like Fred Meyer (owned by Kroger) and Kmart are starting to carry Playmobil and that Target has been slow to restock means a shift in marketing strategy?


Gepetto
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Offline Martin Milner

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Re: 5843 US fire truck
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2008, 19:45:22 »
Quote from: Gepetto on August 31, 2008, 18:03:38
I wonder if this truck and the chicken dragon are quality tests in a market considered too small to make an impact (USA) before implementation in a major market (Europe)? I appreciate they may feel the US market is more cost driven than quality driven but the fact that local chains like Fred Meyer (owned by Kroger) and Kmart are starting to carry Playmobil and that Target has been slow to restock means a shift in marketing strategy?


Gepetto

That seems unlikely. As Gordon says, the style of the truck is for the US market, and the firefighters too are US in style. The packaging (for the chicken dragon) is for the North American Market. These arrive in the UK occasionally, but I think as surplus stock rather than a deliberate Playmobil policy.

Add to that the fat that Playmobil has been in the Uk for nearly 35 years, and people know what to expect. If they start dombing down and cheapening the product too much, they're more likely to drive away current buyers than attract new ones.

I just don't get this set. The truck is so simple, it's like it's not aimed at the usual market at all. It's just so.... Fisher Price. 
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