Blue Cavern

Hi,

today I recieved a forkliftbox I didn´t have before and which I have been looking for. It had never been opened and is unassembled.

It is the early old box with only the german and french writings on the front before they started with the ages 3 and up-warning. This box I hadn´t seen before this one and it can only have been sold for a very short time before they changed to the new box with also the englich writing on the front.

And when I opened the box I was very surpriced to see that the chain is darkbrown on this one.
I had seen picture of this in catalogues when they just released the forklift and didn´t think it existed until now.

And I have also seen early pictures of the conveyor belt in catalogues in 2 other versions. I wouldn´t be surprised if they also will show up.

This darkbrown chain I wrote about regarding Kwak, but as you know I have done "research" regarding these Kwak-items and I am actually starting to seriosly doubt the ÖSI-kwak-list. I will recived another Quelle-catalogue soon from the year after but it seems the only Schleich-made Kwak items are the ones I have shown you before. I have also asked sellers of catalogues from end of 92 and 93 and 94 and Quelle seems to stopped with these items after 92. And I would surprise me a lot if Quelle asked Schleich to make more parts for Kwak after 92 if they sold them out after that.

I that case all of the other parts in the list are made for the smurfs or other characters. But I will probably get back regarding this.

/André

And here is the content.

I would also be surprised if this is a fake one because then the seller probably would assemble the parts and showing the brown chain on a picture and got a lot more for it compared to the common boxversion.

To me everything seems genuine.

/André

I have also found out that there also are releases from Schleich with numbers 40010, 40016 and 40017, but I only know the look of 2 of these "playset"-boxes.

/André

I have a picture of playset nr 40017, Smurfette cottage with a smurfette figure. This was released in the smurfette cottagebox but with a sticker on the side. The sticker had a picture of the smurfette figure and tells that this is included in the box. It was also released a cottageplayset nr 40016 with a cottage and a smurf. This was also released in the same way.

For both these sets they used the same boxes but with a sticker with the smurf included. So for these there are no new boxes. Have any of you collectors seen any of these 2 boxes?

Then there are also a playset 40010 with 6 cottages( 2 of each colour). For this I am not 100% sure so faar and if any of you collectors know this just let me know.

On this picture I also see the 2 ones I already have. Nr 40009, playset with the large house and nr 40019 playset with the windmill.

/André

Here are the different forklifts I have.

To the right the W.Berrie box ( nr 6412). On this box it clearly is written: Character and sacks not included) 14 components.

The old german box in the middle. I have 3 of those old not CE marked forklifts. On this box it says that a forklift consisting of 14 components are included. In all versions there are 14 components for the forklift. So no sacks included in this box. The box I have tells us on the backside that there are 9 playsets to collect so my box was released before nr 10 was out. I have this kind of box which says that there are 10 playsets to collect so there are probably boxes like this released with this writing aswell but then sold one year later.

To the left is the new germanbox with ages 3 and up warning. This box seems to include also 2 sacks but like written on the box no smurf is included. These CE-marked ones also are grey instead of silver. But I guess it could be both german versions in this box.

/André

I have a picture of playset nr 40017, Smurfette cottage with a smurfette figure. This was released in the smurfette cottagebox but with a sticker on the side. The sticker had a picture of the smurfette figure and tells that this is included in the box. It was also released a cottageplayset nr 40016 with a cottage and a smurf. This was also released in the same way.

For both these sets they used the same boxes but with a sticker with the smurf included. So for these there are no new boxes. Have any of you collectors seen any of these 2 boxes?

Then there are also a playset 40010 with 6 cottages( 2 of each colour). For this I am not 100% sure so faar and if any of you collectors know this just let me know.

On this picture I also see the 2 ones I already have. Nr 40009, playset with the large house and nr 40019 playset with the windmill.

/André

I am a visual person....can you post the pictures because I am not sure I know what you are talking about

Seeeing all the lifts together is very interesting.

I had no idea there are that many different variations but it is clear that the chains are different shares of yellow/orange as well...and seeing the brown one is very interesting.

I agree with you, Andre and think it came with that box. The chain break easily so it would be no problem adding it to the playset, but in your case it doesn't even look like the lift was ever assembled

Here is the smurfette cottage schleich number 40017 sold together with a smurfette character as shown on sticker on the box.
Have you seen this before?

/André

Like you said Maureen,

the box seemed never to been opened and no parts had ever been assembled.

/André

Maureen,

all the forklifts on the pictures are not different. The 2 CE-marked ones are the same and the 3 not CE-marked ones are just different moldnumbers and different colours on the chain.

So there are 3 different boxes and 4 different forklifts.

I do not think there are any other then these ones. But maybe someone has any other????

/André

Andre, I am so crazy that I consider the different shades of the chains as variation

Thank you for the picture of the smurfette house with the smurfette box. Now I know what you meant. I haven't seen it before and since it is all in French I think it is pretty rare. I wonder if it was released around the same time that Irwin released the cottages with the smurf figures in America in the boxes

Good morning Maureen,

This box I already have and you can see that it is a sticker because Smurfettes feet and shoes of the one printed on the box are visual just right under the sticker. And I am pretty sure they would not print a box like this. This box is from the mid 80s so it is long before the irwin ones.

But it is the same kind of playset. One house and one smurf.

Regarding the colours of the chain I agree that it is different shades in all these versions. And if I wanted I would probably find slightly different colours or partshapes on every item I buy, but I try only to keep the different markings and if there are some bigger differences in colour or shape I can keep more then one of each marking.

/André