89 of 98 people found the following review helpful: Valuable life lessons packaged in bright plastics, March 7, 2008
By Omar "Abu Ahmad Jihad" - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
I purchased this product (along with the Playmobile ambulance/mass casualty incident set and the Playmobile road construction set) for my five year old son. After a few hours my son asked me why our society was so keen on infringing on the civil liberties of its citizens in the name of safety and security. Like all the other five year olds whose parents purchased this product, he is precocious and wise beyond his years.
I answered that everyone still has the right to walk anywhere in this country, and that everything else is a privilege and not a right. People who voluntarily surrender their freedoms on the altar of personal convenience have no right to complain about it afterwards. My son is now well on his way to becoming an anarchist.
I wish this toy had been around when I was a child so that we might have learned important life lessons rather than the fluffy sugar-coated false utopia of Rainbow Bright and Friends.
81 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
A bit disappointed., March 7, 2008
By Inchoate Film viewer "Inchoate Film viewer" (Eastern USA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
Excitedly I tore open the package so the little ones could start playing with a model of their future. Boy were they disappointed when they tried to get the "passenger" through the detector but he was pulled aside because he is on the "No-Fly List". I don't see the point of a toy you are not even allowed to play with.
107 of 115 people found the following review helpful: European Security only, March 5, 2008
By Colin Principe "The Dude" (Lowell, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
I think the issue here is that Playmobil is a European-based company, where they don't believe in destroying their citizens' souls just because they choose to fly compared to other forms of travel.
A US-themed version however would need significant expansion
- 200 more "customers" to line up behind the security checkpoint
- some of the customers need to be business travellers who wait until the last minute to begin loading their bins and devote one bin each to their laptops, blackberries, cell phones, keys, etc etc etc
- other customers must have huge American flag t-shirts and look perfectly willing to experience this process
- extra guards to bellow instructions to the customers in line
- the ubiquitous plastic bags and bins for putting everything through X-ray
- there should be extra airport security on hand for when a "troublemaker" questions the arbitrary nature of the screenings
However, Playmobil has always been a company willing to allow you to build your sets at your own pace, so hopefully soon they will be coming out with various accessory packs to enhance this set up to a full-on American flight experience.
14 of 25 people found the following review helpful: Our "Security Times", March 4, 2008
By Richard Needham "riorick" (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
Unfortunately, this "toy" is a function of our "government" - or lack thereof ... one reviewer wrote that he was disappointed that the shoes were not removable ... how about "strip searches" ... Barbie allows it! My grandson thanks President Bush for this toy!
22 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
New Idea for Toy, March 2, 2008
By Fred Smoller (Orange, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
How about a lethal injection table? Kids can practice putting "just the right amount of" chemicals into the convicted man?
32 of 245 people found the following review helpful:
Helping Our Children Deal With Reality, March 1, 2008
By John P Bernat (Kingsport, TN USA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
Like most people, I hate airport security. I hate the fact that we "have to do" this.
That said, the people at the security checkpoints are not to blame for the world conditions that created their jobs. If this toy helps young air travelers be a little less apprehensive, and less "difficult" in passing through these stations, then so much the better.
Both my children attend Virginia Tech. In light of the events of the past year, I am actually very grateful that their campus administrators decided not to take a approach like this. Today my kids can live in the dorms, attend class, and try to learn in an atmosphere that is not oppressive.
However, if something like this, in some probative way, helped to keep either one of them alive, I'd favor them getting regular full cavity searches.
Also, I fly almost every week. I am kind and cooperative with the TSA gate personnel, because they're just doing their jobs. Does that make them (or me) "good brownshirts?" Does mouthing off to TSA personnel strike a blow for liberty (to borrow Harry Truman's phrase)?
Our constitution tries to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Is the relative order of those words an accident? Life comes first.
Order me two of these little items...
1,048 of 1,098 people found the following review helpful:
Serious Security Breach, February 29, 2008
By W. C. Isbell "roxybeast" (Oklahoma City, OK, USA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
My family was planning a vacation to Europe, so I purchased this item to teach my twins about what to expect at the airport and hopefully, alleviate some of their anxiety. We also downloaded the actual TSA security checklist from the American Airlines website and then proceeded with our demonstration. Well, first we had to round up a Barbie and a few Bratz dolls to play the other family members, so that cost us a few extra bucks at the Dollar General and it is aggravating that the manufacturer did not make this product "family-friendly." Of course, since the playmobil Dad could not remove his shoes or other clothing items, unlike the Barbie, the playmobil security agent became suspicious and after waving her wand wildy a few dozen times, called her supervisor to wisk the Dad into a special body-cavity search room, (which incidentally led to quite an embarasing and interesting discussion with my twin daughters about personal hygiene and a slight adjustment to the rules we had them memorize about touching by strangers). But worst of all, since the suitcase did not actually open, the baggage inspector made a call to the FBI and ATF bomb squads which then segregated the family's suitcase (which btw was the only suitcase they provided for our educational family experience) and according to the advanced TSA regulations, had to blow it up, (since they could not otherwise mutilate the luggage, break off the locks and put one of those nice little advisory stickers on it), which we had to simulate out in the backyard with a few M-80s and other fireworks. The girls started crying. They became so hysterical by the whole experience that we could not even get them in the car when the time came to actually take our trip, and so we had to cancel the whole thing at the last minute, losing over $7,000 in airfare and hotel charges that we could not recoup do to the last minute cancellations. We've now spent an additional $3,000 to pay for the girls therapy and medication over the past year since this incident occurred, and the psychologists have told us that this will affect them for life, so much for their college fund and our retirement. Then, to top it all off, when we tried to use to playmobil phone to call the company to ask for reimbursement, as you might expect, of course the damn thing didn't even work; neither did our efforts to e-mail them using the computer screen on the baggage checkpoint; and our real-life efforts to contact them to obtain re-imbursement have also likewise been ignored. Worse yet, we had the product tested and found out that it was positive for both lead paint and toxic chemicals, having been manufactured in China by workers holding formerly American jobs, so now we all have cancer and have been given only another year or so to live. My advice - educating your kids about airport security with this toy may actually be more harmful to them than just packing them in the damn luggage with some bottled water & hoping they survive.
91 of 113 people found the following review helpful: Needs a Water Boarding Option, February 29, 2008
By Bruce Gladstone "beglad" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Educational:
Now that John McCain has decided that Water Boarding (that terrific technique invented by the Spanish Inquisition) is OK in some circumstances it should be added as an option to this Toy. How is the next generation going to learn the benefits and techniques of torture if some of the better torture options aren't made available to them?
183 of 207 people found the following review helpful: Disturbing Security Breach, February 29, 2008
By T. Phillabaum "Security Consultant" (LA, CA United States) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
While I'm sure your child will love this do we really want to reveal our security secrets to the terrorists? I bet al-Qaeda is training the next generation with this very product. I am saddened to learn that Playmobile hates America.
19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
This is just the start of an amazing trend, February 28, 2008
By PeterC@AWS "rare reviewer" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
While this toy captures all the realism of the perennial airport security checkpoint, I can't wait until they release the 'virtual border fence' set or the 'harsh interrogation method' starter kit. Comment
19 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
Goes well with....., February 28, 2008
By 8string "8string" (Petaluma, CA) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
This toy goes very well with the other playmobil "political action figure" sets:
Playmobil Abortion Clinic
Playmobil Waterboard Funhouse
Playmobil Non Lethal Weapon Riot Police
And of course the companion to this set:
Playmobil Body Cavity Search
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
All I can say is WOW!!, February 28, 2008
By David C. Evertsen "Just the Cook" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
Durability: Fun: Educational:
This is the perfect playset, I can't wait till it comes back in stock. I am also ordering the 4 additional security screeners standing around to make it 100% authentic.. Thanks PlayMobil
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