4049 construction trailer

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There are only a couple of major sets I'm wanting from the new releases this year, this construction trailer and the new police motorcycle (review to follow shortly).

I have a fairly significant construction selection which is useful for background detail in scenes as well as a possible source of incidents for my emergency services and I have long admired the 1:16 scale Bruder version of the trailer (indeed, I used to have one), and so the Playmobil version was a must.

First, box front and back and then a photo of the parts laid out for assembly, which is appreciable and a bit fiddly in places.

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The trailer is a neat little item with a drop tailboard which also folds inwards for mounting the lighting unit.  The trailer can, of course, be used with or without the unit.  It can easily be converted to a fire service unit for use at road accidents by a simple respray.

The photo with the unit mounted on the trailer shows the quite complex mechanism associated with the warning sign.

The hub caps are a new design and unlike the hub caps on the 3178 fire brigade trailer fit securely with no need for modification or glueing.

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The sign unit can be used either free standing or mounted on the trailer.  Here we see it used free standing, first as a simple direction sign and then as a direction and warning sign.

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The sign unit can be used similarly on the trailer.  Here it's shown in the first two pictures as a directional unit and in the third as a warning unit.  Note that the extra weight of using the flashing light warning means that a pair of
stabilisers have to be lowered to stabilise the trailer.

There are three push button switches for controlling the lights.  The first push starts the lights and the second stops them.  If they are not stopped manually, the lights switch off automatically after three minutes.  The top button operates the road closed lights, the left hand button the move left arrow and the right hand one the move right arrow.

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It's quite a complicated cycle of lights for each operation repeated throughout the 3 minute period.  The pattern is large lights at the top on with selected warning lights off, selected warning lights on and large lights at the top off, large lights at the top on and selected warning lights off.  The photos show the repeated cycle for the road closed warning.

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One figure comes with the set.  The hands are disappointing as they are finished in a metallic finish and I wonder if my figure has somehow got knight's hands.  Having said that, the latest grey ladder I ordered was also in a metallic finish, so maybe this is the new grey for Playmobil, whether it's appropriate for the piece or not.

The green trousers with an orange reflective stripe on are new to the construction range.

 

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To end, a couple of photos of the trailer in use, first in operation on the motorway and then being towed behind the old Unimog construction truck.

Overall, I'm pleased with this new addition to my collection.  At £15 it may seem a lot, but the electronics obviously are expensive (the unit comes complete with batteries) and the unit does add a good touch of realism to a scene, so I'm quite happy with my buy.

[Bill Blackhurst]

Excellent review as always Gordon! It's one of the new items on my want list, & now more than ever!

[Gepetto]

I agree with Bill, excellent review and the pictures are fantastic! Thank you Gordon.



Gepetto

[playmofire]

Thank you Bill and Gepetto.  I'm glad you like the pictures as I finally decided to just use space indoors rather than waiting for an opportunity to get my standard backdrop set up for the reviews I'm doing, and I had reservations about how well the pictures would look.