Subject:
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Rip off of Playmobil?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Wed, 6 Jan 1999 16:26:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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981 times
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While thinking about Playmobil vs. Lego trains I took another look at the
Playmobil catalogue and I was rather startled. Take a look at....
http://www.toyweb.com/pics/PLAYMO/PM4021.jpg
and then compare it to...
http://www.lugnet.com/pause/search/?query=3225
What a rip off!! [1] I hadn't noticed the similarity before. I'm assuming that
the PM one came first because their catalogue has been out all of '98 and Lego
only introduced 3225 late in '98.
Not only are the recent Lego trains a poor comparison to the Playmobil ones,
but 3225 is a poor imitation. So not only do the train designers lack skill,
they also lack imagination.
3225 has the same small black steam engine, same red chassis, same open cab,
same coal bunker with inverted slope underneath[2], same red passenger coach
with same number of windows and no doors, same gold trim, same covered
balconies (or whatever those are called) same flat truck (ooh different
colour!) with same wooden crate, wooden barrels, tools etc. Now I don't know
if both these trains are based on the same real life train so I can't accuse
Lego of actually doing anything wrong but it looks suspiciously like something
along these lines happened....
Lego Germany regional office to Lego HQ...
"Hey we need a nice classic train to compete with Playmobil's Old Timer steam
train, Playmobil is killing us, oh and we need it before Christmas"
Lego HQ to design department...
"Hey, design us a train set like Playmobil's 4021, ASAP"
Lego Designer department manager to junior designer...
"Design me a train set just like Playmobil's 4021, and I need it tomorrow."
Junior designer...
"Err, ok. Do I get to design any cool new elements like a 9V steam engine
motor with coupling rods?"
Manager...
"No. Like I said I need it tomorrow, so don't even think of resurrecting any
old elements either like those piston covers"
Junior designer throws something together in half a day.
"Here, will this do?"
Manager...
"Ship it!"
So what we ended up with is that something that looks like a blatant rip off
of a Playmobil set, but with some glaring errors. See, the PM engine has
piston covers and tanks on the side to hold water that I was complaining were
missing and a dome on top that Larry was complaining about. And do you see
tinted windows on the PM train, huh?
Matt
[1] is this understood in US english? In the UK it means a blatant copy.
[2] you need to look at other pictures of 4021 to see this but I can't see to
get to their site at the moment.
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: Rip off of Playmobil?
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| Matthew Bates wrote: <good theory> Man this is scary!! Take a look at this one: (URL) that be the germ of 4561? it's a lot farther apart than the scary congruence of PM 4020 and TLG 3225, but.. it has a sloped large windscreen/canopy at the end, the (...) (25 years ago, 6-Jan-99, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Rip off of Playmobil?
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| Matt, to add ammunition to your arguement, PM trains utilize allot of LGB components and this basic LGB passenger car/van design has been around for some time, I believe. [side note: PM track is actually LGB track.] It is a corporate mystery when (...) (25 years ago, 7-Jan-99, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Rip off of Playmobil?
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| Matthew Bates wrote in message ... (...) that (...) Lego (...) SNIP I don't consider this accusation fair, since there aren't that many ways to build a small steam locomotive. I'm convinced *any* toy designer would come up with roughly the same (...) (25 years ago, 7-Jan-99, to lugnet.trains)
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