[DrunkSmurf]

Hi has anyone visited the Nuremberg Toy Museum? Did it have a good layout? I found it on the web, but couldn't get any details other than driving directions.

It's a long drive from the US.

[Rachel]

Hi Tim, sorry I don't know anything about it.

It's a long drive from the US.

I can say yes to that though.

[Syd Smurf]

It's further from Australia too......especially in my car

Would be interesting to hear more

Dyar

[Tojo]

Sorry I haven't been there either. It's not all that far from Frankfurt, about 2 hours by car.

[Smurfysmurf]

Did you try this link? it is in German but it has a few pictures and may give you an idea what is in that museum

http://www.museen.nuernberg.de/spielzeu ... uppen.html

I have been to a few toy museums in Germany when I was in school,...but I can't for the world remember now if this was one of them

If you need somebody to translate some of the information..let me know, I'll see what I can do

[DrunkSmurf]

Thanks for the link! Nuremburg was the toy capital of renaissance Europe and it's museum is purported to contain dolls and miniatures dating back to the 14th century.

[Tojo]

And of course one of Germany's best toys comes from Zirndorf just a couple of kilometers away - Playmobil!! It's also where their funpark is (a bit like Legoland). I'd love to go there, I'd be in heaven

[Rachel]

Thanks for the link Maureen, I really enjoyed having a look. It would be great to visit the museum one day.

[DrunkSmurf]

And of course one of Germany's best toys comes from Zirndorf just a couple of kilometers away - Playmobil!! It's also where their funpark is (a bit like Legoland). I'd love to go there, I'd be in heaven

Playmobil are as addictive as smurfs. In the USA (and UK), you can order spare parts directly. I can "make my own sets" and every month or so I piece together spare pieces I need. It actually involves a lot of pre-planning and architecting. If only Schleich supported this! I'm almost completely free of ebay.

Honestly, though, in terms of appearances, PM is inferior to a smurf figurine--smurfs look better, are more fragile, and more like a real "collector's item". On the other hand, if only smurf series supported the type of building and variety that PM supports. I tried hard to re-create a medieval smurf village. It is very difficult because smurf themes are a bit incoherent / inconsistent.

[Tojo]

I'm really into the new Roman series at the moment although I'm a bit disappointed with the new hair on some of the figures which is shinier meaning that the helmets fall off especially on the officers (centurios & tribuns).

We also bought our youngest son the Roman ship (galley) which is really nice except that there were two stern pieces in the box & no prow piece. The nice lady at Playmobil said she'd send us a prow free of charge so hopefully soon the Roman legionaries won't keep falling over the front of the ship into the water At least they don't drown like they would in real life as they float in the bathtub

[Rachel]

I'm really into the new Roman series at the moment although I'm a bit disappointed with the new hair on some of the figures which is shinier meaning that the helmets fall off especially on the officers (centurios & tribuns).

We also bought our youngest son the Roman ship (galley) which is really nice except that there were two stern pieces in the box & no prow piece. The nice lady at Playmobil said she'd send us a prow free of charge so hopefully soon the Roman legionaries won't keep falling over the front of the ship into the water At least they don't drown like they would in real life as they float in the bathtub

Thanks Tojo, your post has brought a very big smile to my face this morning.

First of all it is such an "adult" post, complaints about the shiny hair and helmet problems makes me glad we don't have these kind of serious issues with smurfs, just breaking conveyor belts and paint rubs on noses.

Also you comments about drowning Roman legionaries in the bath, that makes me feel a lot better as Richard has recently insisted on taking boats in the bath with him............

[DrunkSmurf]

Also you comments about drowning Roman legionaries in the bath, that makes me feel a lot better as Richard has recently insisted on taking boats in the bath with him............

Any boats, or does he have preferences?

[DrunkSmurf]

I'm really into the new Roman series at the moment although I'm a bit disappointed with the new hair on some of the figures which is shinier meaning that the helmets fall off especially on the officers (centurios & tribuns).

A point of contention among the PM medievalists (and to some extent the Roman collectors) is how PM has turned completely away from civilian sets and focuses entirely on soldiers, in order, purportedly, to better market to boys.

In the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s, PM released medieval bakeries, tailor shops, gypsy families, Merry Men banquets, et cetera. Those are all gone now, being replaced by an improbable barbarian series and roughly identical soldier sets.

Geobra is investing the bulk of its imagination into the modern city life sets and leaving the history fans a little behind, on the grounds that kids don't find that appealing. Or, maybe just Geobra execs don't find it appealing....

[Tojo]

Yeah that's a shame there aren't any civilian medieval sets any more. In the Direct-Order brochure you can get the timbered houses in different colours but no civilians. I don't like the Barbarian range either - a bit too fantasy like. Even the Victorian civilians seem to have more or less disappeared.

Perhaps there will be some civilian Romans some day. All the Legions had civilian bakers etc as well as the military ones after all. I'm waiting for the new 'specials' to come out (next week hopefully) as then I'll buy 6 of the Tribun figures as a Praetorian Guard unit.

[DrunkSmurf]

Perhaps there will be some civilian Romans some day. All the Legions had civilian bakers etc as well as the military ones after all. I'm waiting for the new 'specials' to come out (next week hopefully) as then I'll buy 6 of the Tribun figures as a Praetorian Guard unit.

That sounds really interesting. You should post pictures (or post to a Playmobil site and tell us which one). Have you seen the Roman gladiator arena? To its credit, it has one woman in a green stola. Maybe she's a senator's or a knight (equites) wife.

Some of the hardcore historians on the PM board I keep up with (Playmoboard.com) had some criticism about the Roman helmets and pilum arrangements. The Romans haven't reached the USA yet, but I think they look pretty good. The only thing I'm not terribly fond of is the "catapult" with its giant bow contraption. On the other hand, the scorpion spear launchers are a nice touch. What I like most about PM historicals is when PM finds a little detail about history that isn't completely part of mainstream knowledge and adds it to the toy. Like the PM falcons that go with the medieval sets, or the specialized boar spear with the old hunting set. Yes, we know the medievals hunted. But, you don't usually see that in the Hollywood movies set in those times. It introduces the kid to something unexpected, but factual.

That's my "intellectual argument" against PM drifting more toward fantasy. Pop-fantasy is arbitrary and often senseless (like the barbarians in their bull-head football jerseys)(if they are so uncivilized, why are they so organized?). Whereas including historical details in the medieval toyline to some degree whets a kid's appetite to study more history.

I read non-fiction almost exclusively now, and find "reality" more complex and layered than the often simplistic or naively non-causal artifices of pop-fantasy. Fantasy though commands the audiences--probably because so much history over-emphasizes dates and battles. I've been plowing through a biography of Mehmed II (who captured Constantinople). While a quarter of the book consists of intriguing anecdotes and character sketches, the rest is nothing but dates and lists of battlefields. I guess in highschool history class, the kids are only exposed to the dates and battlefield lists, and thus they grow up hating history and preferring the more intimately contemporary (to the reader) pop-fantasy.

[Tojo]

I read a lot of non-fiction too although I do like to read some historically based novels & fantasy too.

When the Romans came out there was also a mini (approx. A5 format) booklet available for free in the shops which explained the history etc of Rome & the Romans (from origins, uniforms, weapons, tactics....) which I thought was a very nice idea as it gives the children an insight into the toys they're playing with.

I've seen the arena in the shops all built up. It looks very good indeed & has a different chariot to the one available seperately.

The ballista is also pretty cool & fires the spear quite a way when the trigger piece is pressed down.

Perhaps I'll take a few photos of what I've got so far when I have time. It won't be for a week or so though as I'm going to be busy next week.

[DrunkSmurf]

Hi Tojo
Would you recommend some fantasy or historical fiction you've read recently?

Uh, er, English only......

Gore Vidal has an OK book on the emperor Julian the Apostate. I should re-read it as an adult (I read it in highschool and some of the strange personal life Vidal created for Julian as a youth went over my head).

[Tojo]

Hi DrunkSmurf!

most books I read are about the Napoleonic wars & apart from Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpe' series I also really enjoyed Richard Howard's 'Alain Lausard' series of which there are 6 (Bonaparte's Sons, Bonaparte's Invaders, Bonaparte's Conquerors, Bonaparte's Warriors, Bonaparte's Avengers & Bonaparte's Horsemen). They are a bit like Sharpe but from a French point of view. It's a shame that there don't seem to be any more forthcoming.

A not bad link for historical books is this one:-

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index.cfm?page=5

On the fantasy front, I found the Eragon books OK but nothing special. On the other hand I really enjoyed Trudi Canavan's 'Black Magician' trilogy:-

http://www.trudicanavan.com/aboutbooks.php

I couldn't put the books down once I'd started. It took a while to get into the first book but then I couldn't stop.

I hope I've been some help.

[steveparkes]

Interesting post Tojo, I've got loads of books on Rome and the Roman army, I was even in a re-enactment group for legion XXIV. I have always loved reading about rome and romans, don't know why. I've just finished reading Troy by David Gemmell...a truely excellent read, I can heartily reccomend it.

[DrunkSmurf]

Interesting post Tojo, I've got loads of books on Rome and the Roman army, I was even in a re-enactment group for legion XXIV. I have always loved reading about rome and romans, don't know why. I've just finished reading Troy by David Gemmell...a truely excellent read, I can heartily reccomend it.

Wow, did you know Gemmell died in June? I looked him up on Amazon after reading your post. Did he finish the Troy series?