Between 1977 and 1990, Playmobil released 15 sets containing vans, all constructed on a similar pattern. This includes one set from Playmobil (USA). At least another 41 sets containing vans were released by other licensees and subsidiary companies, but I haven’t included those (see here for the full list). The vans included here are ambulances, police vans, camper vans, school buses, TV vans, an airport transport van and a post van. The internal layout and stickers differ between the different purposes for which the vans were created.
The accessories differ from set to set, but there are essentially 12 different vehicles in the 15 sets.
In theory all parts are interchangeable with corresponding parts in other vehicles. Each vehicle consists of 14 or 15 parts:
a. 2 pairs of wheels on a metal axle, 5 sets (all pre-1981) have grey wheels, 10 sets (all post-1981) have black wheels with white hubs
b. a windscreen, the same on all models, clear but often showing yellowing and distortion with age
c. a black steering wheel, the same on all models,
d. a grey steering wheel holder, the same on all models,
e. a front bumper (fender), black on all but one set, where it is orange,
f. a rear bumper (fender), black on all but one set, where it is orange,
g. a piece forming the two headlights and the radiator grill, black on all but one set, where it is orange,
h. a base, white yellow or blue,
i. a mid-section which forms the seats and dashboard as well as a ‘stripe’ around the vehicle, blue, yellow, red, orange, green and white,
j. a roof, white yellow or blue, in one of three types (see below),
k. a ‘liner’ with seats and other interior furniture, one of 8 types (see below),
l. an upper rear door, the same colour as the roof,
m. a lower rear door, the same colour as the mid-section.
Additional parts on some vehicles include:
n. warning lights (2 blue or 2 yellow or 4 yellow or 4 orange) on the roof,
o. decals/ stickers on the outside of the vehicle,
p. a table (usually green) on liner types B and C,
q. a sign across the front of the roof,
r. a camera platform.
The three types of roof are;
Type III roofs (on camper vans) are in two sections:
The ‘liner’ which fits inside the rear part of the vehicle comes in one of 8 types. Each of the seats in the liner, as well as the passenger seat in the front, have a small prong which holds the lower edge of a klicky’s torso when they are seated there.
The following pictures show all the vans in the 15 sets, with pictures of set contents.
Ambulance. White van with a red stripe, grey wheels, Type I roof, Type A liner
White’AMBULANCE’ stickers with black lettering. Red Cross stickers (red cross on white).
Found in sets: 3254x version 1, 3157x, 9950
3254xv1 set contents
3157x set contents
Set 9950, about which little seems to be known, also contains this van. The box picture shows it with grey wheels, a roof sticker (black lettering ‘RKN BG14’) and ‘Malteser Hilfsdienst’ stickers. Those stickers don’t seem to appear on the 3254xV1 or 3157x vehicles, but they do appear in the set below.
Ambulance. White van with a red stripe, black and white wheels, Type I roof, Type A liner
Found in set 3254x Version 3
This version appears to have been issued with a different set of stickers from Version 1 as well as black and white wheels, free-wrist klickies and an orange stretcher. On Klickywelt it is called version 3 (pictures of the set contents including sticker sheet): this set version is not featured in Collector, although the vehicle (with black and white wheels) appears frequently on eBay.
White ‘AMBULANCE’ stickers with black lettering. Red Cross stickers (red cross on white). Also supplied; clear roof sticker with black lettering ‘RKN BG14’, clear sticker with white Maltese Cross on red shield, white stickers with red lettering ‘Malteser Hilfsdienst’.
“The Maltese are an international Catholic aid organization. We help people in need, regardless of their religion, origin or political conviction, in Germany and worldwide. Almost 50,000 Maltese volunteers in Germany. With almost 31,000 full-time employees, Malteser International is also one of the largest employers in the health and social sector. In particular, the close cooperation between full-time and volunteer positions is what sets us apart.” https://www.malteser.de
3254x Version 3 set contents
Police van. White van with a green stripe and grey wheels, Type I roof, Type B liner.
Found in 1977 set 3253x
3253x set contents
Police van. White van with a green stripe, black and white wheels, Type I roof, Type B liner.
Found in set 3155y. Set contents:
TV van. White van with a blue stripe, black and white wheels, Type I roof, Type F liner
Found in sets 3188x, 3530 and 3468
3530 set contents
3188x set contents
3468 Set contents
Schoolbus. White van with an orange stripe, black and white wheels, Type II roof, Type A liner
Found in set 3521
Contents of set 3521
The orange signs clip onto the front and rear bumpers:
Camper van. White van with a yellow stripe, black and white wheels, Type III roof, Type C liner
Found in set 3258 version 1
3258 version 1 set contents
‘Lufthansa’ Airport van. Yellow van with a blue stripe and grey wheels, Type I roof , Type G liner
Found in set 3255y
Contents of set 3255y
Post Van. All yellow van, grey wheels, Type I roof, Type H liner
Found in set 3235x
Contents of set 3235x
The addresses on the 24 letters (I only have 23) and 8 small parcels include many of the international companies licensed to produce their own Playmobil sets in 1978:
Postamt = Post Office. Kassenbücher= Cash Books Briefmarken= Postage Stamps Banknoten= Banknotes.
The four blue cylindrical objects are franking stamps, which fit in the counter at the back of the van:
Members of the public can access postal services from the back of the van and the postal worker sits behind a counter.
Schoolbus. All yellow van, black and white wheels, Type II roof, Type E liner
Found in set 3170x released by Playmobil (USA) in1986.
Contents of set 3170x
Two of the four road signs in my set are Japanese, so this was perhaps an export version. Here are the stickers from the US version.
Camper Van. Yellow van with an orange stripe, black and white wheels, Type III roof, Type C liner
Found in set 3148
Contents of set 3148
Camper van. All blue van, black and white wheels, Type III roof, Type C liner
Found in set 3258v4
Contents of set 3258 version 4
Page created 26 March 2021