|
|
The largest and most expensive set amongst the May 2002 Fire Department novelties is the
multi-purpose Headquarters (3175).
This new System-X building seems to be designed to replace both the Large City House
(3988) and the Train Station Building (4302) Sets. Although it is currently launched
as a headquarters for the Fire Department, it can also be turned into a
hospital, a police bureau, a small helicopter port or - with a bit of
imagination - a train station.
It extends the System-X part list with a new series of rooftop elements
and a few new glass structures.
The Fire Station Central (3176)
set comes with all the required accessories to turn the neutral
headquarters into a full blown Fire Station. It contains a dispatching room
where emergency calls can be processed and a bed room where fire fighters can have a bit
of rest while they await their next intervention.
The Fast Intervention Car (3181)
is the only RC-Modul compatible vehicle scheduled for release in 2002.
Like the other RC-modul compatible cars, it seems to be a bit larger in
scale than the usual PLAYMOBIL® vehicles. This is probably to
accommodate
the extra space needed for the Rc-modul components.
The Rescue Equipment Trailer (3178) comes with a battery powered 4
source floodlight to light up any disaster area. The trailer also offers
a lot of storage space for rescue tools and emergency equipment.
 The
redesigned water pump system in the Fire Fighting Equipment (3179)
set puts out a continues water flow, instead of the come-and-go water
flow of the previous fire fighter pumps. The arsenal of accessories
included in this set can be used to create an elaborate network of
hydrants, hoses and water pistols.
The Fire Chief Unit (3177) is an adaptation of the
Economy City
Car (3069). In the
back of this compact car there is space for three hand-held fire
extinguishers.
 In total, there have been 5 different versions of the Fire Escape Truck
throughout the PLAYMOBIL® history. The newest
Fire Escape Truck (3182) is
a slightly modified version of the Ladder Unit 52 (3879) set that was
released in the fall of 1996. The most striking differences are the
redesigned battery powered emergency strobe light, and the updated
clothing of the crew.
As far as the Fire Fighter figures are concerned, they all get a new -
more internationally oriented - black and gray uniform with white and
yellow accents. The figures from the Hazardous Material Crew (3180) also
come in a completely new outfit that looks not unfamiliar to the biohazard
suits we saw after the discovery of some Anthrax Letters last year.
All the
new Fire Department vehicles have the standard European emergency phone number
'112'
printed on the back and sides. An extra decal sheet with a series of
additional emergency numbers (999, 18, 911, 115, 199, 118 & 122) is
included with each vehicle in order to convert it to other national
standards in Greece, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the United
Kingdom and the U.S.
|
|
|
(picture courtesy PLAYMOBIL®)
And how is this all going to affect your collectors budget? Well, the
Headquarters will be available at a suggested retail price of €100.
The Fire Station Central interior set will have a shelve price of
approximately €19. The new RC-modul compatible Intervention
Car will come with a price tag of about €35, while the
Equipment Trailer will cost you €31. And €9 is enough
to hire the Hazmat Crew for the riskier kind of clean-up job. |
|
All trademarks mentioned on
this website are brands of Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co.KG
protected by international law. This especially pertains to the brands
PLAYMOBIL®, PLAYMOBIL® System X, PLAYMOBIL® RC Train and PLAYMOBIL®
Funpark. All images and concepts are used by the grace of Geobra Brandstätter
GmbH & Co.KG.
|
