3134 Garden Superset

[playmofire]

Well, here's the promised review of the 3134 Garden Superset.  It's the sort of set that only Playmobil could produce in my opinion as it hardly seems the sort of set which will have any mass appeal amongst children, so why should a toy manufacturer produce it?  It also has plenty of detail and room for imaginative play which is Playmobil's hallmark.  At some point if will feature in a fire and rescue story.

So here we go with box front and then box back.





Then, an overview of the set:

[playmofire]

Now to look at the set in more detail:

First the lady of the house wearing removable sandals and with bare arms and "pedal pusher" pants:



and then the gardener with his overalls, straw hat and watering can



and the recliner chair, which is a one piece item and so doesn't have any adjustment to the angle of the back.  An adjustable back would have been a nice detailed touch:

[bonniebeth]

Looks like a great set. I'm gonna have to start watching for it on ebay. That's a nice backdrop, by the way.

[playmofire]

Thanks Beth, and now for the detailed stuff.

The base plate shows how you can have the garden with a patio and stepped area and grass and a planted area if you want:



but the keen gardener can use the planting blocks to create a cultivated terrace.

Here are the planting blocks:



and here they are in position prior to planting out:



and another view showing the green hedge to provide privacy from the neighbours or people passing by:

[playmofire]

Now for some plants and equipment with the set:

There are three sunflowers which can be used to form another hedge along the back of the ground plate.  There are actually four spaces in this area and so I have an extra sunflower plant tucked for use there but in this picture show the hydrant which comes with the set in the fourth space:



With a scythe and a rake (plus the watering can and a length of hose) the gardener is over well equipped for the job, but there are various spades which can be added from DS:



The possible spades choices are:

http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-24-5430

and

http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-26-6640

It is time that Playmobil brought out a garden fork and rake and a hoe too to go with the garden centre series and other garden sets.

Finally in this post, a view of the terrace area after planting up:

[playmofire]

Now to the main garden area, shown with the hydrant in an alternative spot first.



And then a view of it after some planting up.  Again, the gaps can be filled by taking plants from other sets or buying them from DS.  I intend to do the latter in the coming year.



Of course, results like this only come about as the result of hard work:





and care and attention:



Even the lady of the house plays her part:



ending the day with a nice cup of tea:

[playmofire]

I hope you've enjoyed this review folks.  Writing I've had more ideas for this set - some furniture on the terrace area, for instance tables and chairs, would look nice, and the set as a whole can be just one part of a garden, the allotment garden being another part:

http://collectobil.com/catalogue/items/4482.htm

I've got that set, too, so I'll dig it out and review it as well.

[flatcat]

Great review, Gordon

I've got this set, and it's my joint favourite superset along with the road construction one

I love the way it is possible to do garden design

 

Damo

[Wolf Knight]

Great review and pictures Gordon!!!
These planting blocks are a really nice touch! Seems to me that playmobil is promoting the importance of the DS service, since there are so many gaps to fill... The single recliner chair is a nice touch but, as you suggested, more garden furniture could be used here!! Good idea on suggesting extra gardening tools too!!

Thanks for all your feedback on this set!!!

[playmofire]

That's one way of looking at it, Panos, but I imagine that as much as anything it's trying to keep costs down and leaving room for play value so different layouts can be experimented with.