Dinosaur Playsets

[japfeif]

Wanted to remind anyone interested in my book Dinosaur Playsets: an Illustrated Guide to the Prehistoric Playsets of Marx and MPC that copies are available on eBay (as well as directly to me via PayPal ($44.99 +$3 shipping) to japfeif(*at*)aol.com and through Amazon....but preferably as a last resort as their fees have gotten ridiculous!)! Available copies are going faster than expected and the time to print more when these are gone can be a bit lengthy (as I found out after the first run sold out), so please check out the auction (there are a few sample pages on the listing) and if you are a fan of playsets (and other dino items) from Marx & MPC (of which there is VERY little info available elsewhere!), as well as Superior, Whitehall Games, Spaulding, Toy Street, etc., and also related figures & sets from companies often confused with Marx, MPC, & the like (such as Ajax, Nabisco, Ja-Ru, etc.), this is definitely the book for you! Reviews have been great (check out Amazon), I'm quite proud of it, and want to be able to share this guide to these often-neglected playsets with all you dino fans!!!

[Mike Scott]

I'm not a dino collector, myself, but the book looks terrific! I'm always happy to see books like this get published. Adding valuable information useful to the collecting world! 

[Hepcat]

...the book looks terrific! I'm always happy to see books like this get published. Adding valuable information useful to the collecting world! 

++2!!!

[Hepcat]

Sorting out the history of the Marx dinosaur play sets from this thread isn't easy especially with all the pictures that have disappeared into the ether as a result of Photobucket's vandalism. Nonetheless, I've decided to give it a try.

The first Prehistoric Times play set Marx issued was in 1957: 



Here's a picture of the contents from Bigbud's collection:



Marx reissued somewhat smaller versions of this play set in various boxes until 1963:





Marx reissued a variant of this play set with cliff terrain pieces in 1970 under the name One Million B.C.:



I believe the Prehistoric Play Set then followed:





And the Prehistoric Dinosaur Play Set:



And then Prehistoric Mountain:



And finally Giant Prehistoric Mountain with even taller cliff terrain pieces:

[Dr Wolfenstein]

Sorting out the history of the Marx dinosaur play sets from this thread isn't easy especially with all the pictures that have disappeared into the ether as a result of Photobucket's vandalism. Nonetheless, I've decided to give it a try.

  Great work Hepcat. I've never owned any sort of playset but have always liked them.

[japfeif]

  Great work Hepcat. I've never owned any sort of playset but have always liked them.

Nice collage Hepcat...although you know that the first pic was a facsimile box & not the authentic one! I've seen them on eBay...very good work on them though....the designer has even made a few of sets that were never made but "should have  been", like a King Kong playset!!! He does good work!

This post reminds me that I want to mention that copies of my book Dinosaur Playsets: an Illustrated Guide to the Prehistoric Playsets of Marx and MPC are still available, and I recently put a few on eBay!
Just throwing that out there!   

[Hepcat]

Nice collage Hepcat...although you know that the first pic was a facsimile box & not the authentic one!

Yes I do.

This post reminds me that I want to mention that copies of my book Dinosaur Playsets: an Illustrated Guide to the Prehistoric Playsets of Marx and MPC are still available, and I recently put a few on eBay!

You might be also be pleased to see this post then:

http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=29649.885

[horrorhunter]

My Best Plastics Corp. collection:



Complete except for the Smilodon. Best dino/prehistoric animal figures are tough to find.

[horrorhunter]

Godzilla Attacks N.Y. Giant Playset (Trendmasters, 1995)





I bought this new from TRU back in the '90s. The Heisei Series was all the rage in those days so this playset follows the plotlines from those movies somewhat. King Mecha Ghidorah helps defend the city against the Big G. This playset doubles as a target game. The Godzilla figure shoots blue missiles from his mouth that represent his radioactive breath. Different parts of the city "explode" when hit in the right place (spring loaded pop-up bases make the break-away pieces fly apart). I checked it and everything still works. The "breath" darts still fire with some good velocity.

[Hepcat]

A ten year old in 1995 is now 33 years of age which is plenty old to look back fondly on the toys and playsets he had in 1995!

[horrorhunter]

A gift from the Halloween Treat Box Guru, Jason:



He sent me samples of the King Kong and Godzilla boxes he made for this past Halloween, as well as a sample of next years Dinosaur Boxes offering. I added the Best Plastics Flats. Yep, everything fits in those 3 boxes.

Jason also sent the 2 Monster Markers at the bottom of the pic.

Thanks, Jason! Love this stuff, man. 

[Hepcat]

Oh man! And what's really cool is that I can appreciate all this junk every bit as much now as I did as a ten year old!

[Hepcat]

Paint Your Own Dinosaurs kits such as this one are widely available in craft stores these days:



With Xmas fast approaching, we might all consider getting one of these sets for a loved one ourselves!

[Hepcat]

HG Toys released the incredible Godzilla Battles the Tricephalon Monster Play Set that no youngster could possibly resist coveting in 1979:











Here are a couple of informative video clips on this now highly prized item:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQFI7qxNRnw#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKuLu8k9QIw#

Evidently HG Toys produced a red Tricephalon Monster for another play set a few years later:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgxGItQiJhs#

[BigShadow]

Oh man, that Godzilla play set it tops!!!  I definitely need to get my hands on a decent one with box.