Requesting Playmobil for making a better RC loco
- Thread starter Mobi
- Start date
) replied to one of us, three cheers for their customer service!playmofire
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I'd like to see a steam outline one introduced, but Playmobil of all types is robust.
As regards customer service and responding to public opinion, they are very good. Each year now members of their club can vote on what new items they want to see introduced into the accessories catalogue while they have also just positively responded to the "Toy like me" campaign with a promise to introduce some child figures with disabilities. On a personal note, at one time they produced sets on a 10,000 run basis and some years after a set I wanted had been discontinued and was no longer in the shops I wrote asking if they had a set left in their warehouse. I received a reply saying that they had three and had put one to one side for me if I wanted it, quoting original price and postage. The service from my bank was rather less good, as transferring the money to Playmobil doubled the cost of the set!
As regards customer service and responding to public opinion, they are very good. Each year now members of their club can vote on what new items they want to see introduced into the accessories catalogue while they have also just positively responded to the "Toy like me" campaign with a promise to introduce some child figures with disabilities. On a personal note, at one time they produced sets on a 10,000 run basis and some years after a set I wanted had been discontinued and was no longer in the shops I wrote asking if they had a set left in their warehouse. I received a reply saying that they had three and had put one to one side for me if I wanted it, quoting original price and postage. The service from my bank was rather less good, as transferring the money to Playmobil doubled the cost of the set!
ntpntpntp
Registered
As a toy manufacturer Playmobil will know their market well, somehow I doubt they'd really be interested in producing higher spec trains. They've already been there & done that with the old track powered trains and discontinued them in favour of the cheaper / simpler R/C line. Maybe they will release other types of train using the same mechanism if demand is there, just as the old line all used the same motor block.
playmofire
Registered
Playmobil dropped the track powered trains because of changes in legislation which meant that they were no longer considered as children's toys but for age 14+, and so outside their target market. The track powered trains proved popular, and still are popular.
Madman
Registered
I'm just starting to absorb the Playmobil train technology. I wasn't at all familiar with the R/C trains that required a crystal. I watched some Youtube videos and now have an understanding that the crystal technology is somewhat lacking. It seems that it can suffer from interference from electric powered items in the home. And I'm not sure about the range of the transmitter.
Perhaps thats the reason the new Playmobil train uses 2.4 Ghz technology. I would like to see more locos produced in this line. As I mentioned in my topic about Playmobil being a good value, the grandchildren would have more play value with these trains.
Perhaps thats the reason the new Playmobil train uses 2.4 Ghz technology. I would like to see more locos produced in this line. As I mentioned in my topic about Playmobil being a good value, the grandchildren would have more play value with these trains.
Not so much 'the crystal' (which only controls the channel, or frequency, of the radio control) as the section of RF spectrum they work in.. Lots of other stuff nearby which can cause interference.. Some of which will be many times more powerful then the Playmo RC..
playmofire
Registered
Mobile phones are one problem, steel girders in buildings another. Basically, the blue controllers are old R/C technology, but the range is good and they work the great bulk of the time.
Walts-Playmobil
Playmobil Trains.
If you want more information on the 27Mhz crystal available for the Playmobil trains there are details on my web site on the Hints & Tips page.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk
MyMiniatureWorlds
I'm New, Please Be Gentle
It would be great if they released something more "robust" or even anything else at all. But I think ntpntpntp is right here and our plea is not enough to justify a new product for them. It's the same with Lego: Adult Fans Of Lego are demanding sets that would allow them to build towns, cities, villages, etc. but every single year all they get are new Police and Fire Stations. That's what sells well and brings money...
Gizzy
A gentleman, a scholar, and a railway modeller....
LGB have in the past released battery powered versions of the Spremberger steam engine, and the KoF diesel loco.Mobi said:
In fact, the Spremberger is currently available as a rather brightly coloured item for the childrens' market;
http://www.lgb.com/en/products/narrow_gauge/details.html?page=&perpage=10&level1=6218&level2=6229&art_nr=90200&era=0&gaugechoice=36&groupchoice=98&subgroupchoice=0&backlink=%2Fwww.lgb.com%2Fen%2Fproducts%2Fnarrow_gauge%2Fsets.html
I guess it could easily be resprayed black or dark green, and made to look less toy like....
Zerogee
Clencher's Bogleman
Gizzy said:
Aieee, the dreaded "Harlequin" loco!
Actually as Gizzy says, with a repaint it would be quite acceptable - though I have read that its infra-red control system (as opposed to Playmobil's radio unit) is not very good, and almost useless outdoors.....
The (now very old) original battery versions of the KoF and the Kleine Dicke/Spremberger had a manual control lever on the side (forward-off-reverse, single-speed), which could be activated by a post clipped onto the trackside to provide a primitive "shuttle" control so that the loco could run backwards and forwards on an end-to-end track as well as running round a loop. The locos were very basic indeed, with all-plastic wheels and minimal coupling rods, virtually no separate details (no handrails etc, and no lights), and ran on two big D cell dry batteries in series inside the bodyshell, giving a massive 3 volts....
The size of the batteries provided both a decent run-time and the ballast weight for the loco!
You can still find these old locos around on evilBay now and then, though ones in pristine condition are quite collectable - but a slightly tatty one can be had quite cheaply and could be very handy for small visitors to play with.
Jon.
vsmith
G Scale indoors, O Tinplate, Micro Layouts
Since some here seem to be the Playmobil authorities can you answer a simple question?
A:On the latest battery set with the yellow engine, on the speed controller, when you turn the knob to run the engine can you then set the controller down and let it run on its own or does it have, like the Lionel battery sets, a springed control knob that returns it to stop automatically?
B: Does the engine continue to work if it goes into a tunnel, or does the R/C controller have to remain in close proximity in line of sight? Again the Lionel R/C system will lose contact in a tunnel triggering a slow down and stoppage once the signal is lost in a tunnel or behind an object.
Something like this would be interesting for shows where power hookup might not be available, but I'm not biting if it has the same stupid control set-up like the Lionel R/C battery sets.
PS same question applies to LGBs most recent overpriced battery train set locomotive and controller.
A:On the latest battery set with the yellow engine, on the speed controller, when you turn the knob to run the engine can you then set the controller down and let it run on its own or does it have, like the Lionel battery sets, a springed control knob that returns it to stop automatically?
B: Does the engine continue to work if it goes into a tunnel, or does the R/C controller have to remain in close proximity in line of sight? Again the Lionel R/C system will lose contact in a tunnel triggering a slow down and stoppage once the signal is lost in a tunnel or behind an object.
Something like this would be interesting for shows where power hookup might not be available, but I'm not biting if it has the same stupid control set-up like the Lionel R/C battery sets.
PS same question applies to LGBs most recent overpriced battery train set locomotive and controller.