Helo,
Jude ...
Actually, the Playmobil paint pens were rather good! They were easy to use and allowed for a lot more detail than you would expect.
Most of the white figures seemed to have been made from a different plastic formula and they had a peculiar odor of their own.
The only real problem was that, over time, the paint had a tendency to fade in sunlight and in fluorescent light as well.
Before the moveable hands were introduced in the 1980's, I attempted to paint my little klickys' hands with a wide variety of paints (including Playmobil's paint pens). Nothing worked very well for me and everything that I used either flaked or rubbed off with use. Same problem with painted boots and shoes when mounting my klickys on their horses.
Although I still love the early klickys, I was very happy to see the introduction of the moveable (flesh coloured) hands (and later the boots and shoes). In fact, when I visited the factory at Dietenhofen in 1984, I was able to talk them into providing me with new arms for all my old klickys. (Before any "purists" out there get all excited ... I kept the "old" arms and all my original klickys can be
restored quite easily!) ...
If (and when) you begin casting and painting your own klickys and accessories,
Jude, you will probably become as totally addicted as I have ...
As I said before, we're here to help. And, you certainly have a wealth of talent and experience from our members here to draw from ...
All the best,
Richard
