Hi Martin;
Yes, I was using Java 1.7.0_55 to compile & test my frameworks support of the PB to Java feature set. Once I upgraded to JVM 1.8.0_66 the example application crashes as you first reported after recompiling the Java Classes. However, restoring the 1.7.0_55 class compiles runs fine with the 1.8.0_66 JVM.
I'll have to dig deeper into this.
Regards ... Chris
PS: Happy New Year!