I've almost completed my blue and orange sets, I just need an orange Frankenstein and a Blue Creature. I'm wondering though are there other colors that are known to be Marx originals and not recasts? If so how can you tell? My first guess would be obviously the "Louis Marx & Co. Inc." stamped on the bottom but I would not put it past unscrupulous manufacturers (especially those located out of country) to leave this on their reproductions. Also my blue set all have MCMLXIII (copyright 1963) but the orange set does not, is this copyright date only found on the blue figures?
For some reason I'm really obsessed with these right now, I have to have the entire colored Marx Monster army. I may also expand into the Mexican repro's as well as a painted set. The painted sets really show off the detail in these figures, which is even more amazing given they were originally sculpted in the 60's.
And even though I'm sure we've all seen the painted versions here are some images I found on Ebay of them, just because I think this post needed some cool images.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxcreature.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxfrankenstein.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxmummy.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/Marxphantom.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxwolfman.jpg)
Orange and Blue are the only two original colors. They were the only colors anyone had seen until the first repros started coming out in the mid-1980's. The date and markings are not consistent on the bottoms of them. The first reissued were cream colored, and then the glow ones came out. After that they started coming in many other colors too.
Quote from: Toy Ranch on March 17, 2008, 10:06:44 AM
Orange and Blue are the only two original colors.
There's the teal blue, but wasn't there a dark blue, as well?
Quote from: Mike Scott on March 17, 2008, 10:26:50 AM
There's the teal blue, but wasn't there a dark blue, as well?
No, just teal.
I've seen some dark blue ones that are soft vinyl and feel/seem like vintage, but the only colors anyone saw before the 80's was teal and orange. Some stuff like Nutty Mads came in all kinds of wacky/rare colors, and even different sizes, but the monsters were just the 2 colors. I've seen some Mexican orange that looks pretty close to vintage orange, but they don't look right next to each other.
I read somewhere that Quaker Oats bought Marx in the '70s and shipped the molds to Mexico. That would explain how they got there, but does Quaker still own them?
The Marx monsters were always a favorite of mine as a kid - in the 60's, they were closest thing we had to monster figures you could actually play with! Well... sorta...
Bill Lemon was always rumoured to have sculpted these, he did sculpt for Marx but in an interview said he didn't do the monsters - anyone know who did?
Wolf Man dressed like the Aurora Bama box art (but minus the pointy ears!), the Creature enchained from Revenge, that flap of scalp hanging off the back of Kharis' head... those sculpts were genius!
Quote from: Eye of Kharis on March 17, 2008, 05:15:44 PM
Wolf Man dressed like the Aurora Bama box art (but minus the pointy ears!), the Creature enchained from Revenge, that flap of scalp hanging off the back of Kharis' head... those sculpts were genius!
Amazing sculpts indeed not to mention timeless. I would say that the Marx monsters are as iconic, if not more so than the Aurora sculpts. The Marx monsters set the benchmark for all figurines that were to follow.
You would think in a world of endless information, that we would know by now who was truly responsible for these incredible sculpts.
As a follow up question - were the Marx monsters ever rumored to have been sold on a card (or blister pack)? Or were these figures only sold as bulk product in a bin?
Quote from: fmofmpls on March 17, 2008, 05:47:12 PM
Or were these figures only sold as bulk product in a bin?
Supposedly, as a set in a bag with a header card, though I've never seen one.
I bought mine out of a bin. I remember the bins of those larger figs Marx made, the cowboys army guys and monsters....
I bet the playset guys know who sculpted the monsters.
I clearly remember buying all of mine out of a bin as well, right next to the Marx Nutty Mads, army men, cowboys, etc. And definitely always either teal blue or orange, as Toy Ranch said.
I don't remember seeing them being sold bagged, but I do know they were sold that way.
I think they also were offered in mail-order catalogs (maybe Aldens?) in the mid-sixties as well...
I have seen the Marx bag for sale at least once. I believe it says "Cinema Creatures" on the bag. There was no header card, just a bag with art printed directly on it.
Here's what I was thinking of that I mentioned in my earlier post:
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4373/64aldensdv6.jpg)
This is from a 1964 Aldens catalog - maybe catalog order was the only way to get the bagged Marx CINEMA CREATURES set, which could be why none of us remember seeing the Marx monster figures bagged in stores...?
If that were the case, it would also account for the super rarity of bagged examples as well.
Interesting to see them marketed this way in the sixties, sold with paints - almost as a craft item - weren't they reissued the same way as a Universal Monster Paint Studio or something in the 90s?
Quote from: Eye of Kharis on March 18, 2008, 04:07:21 PM
Interesting to see them marketed this way in the sixties, sold with paints - almost as a craft item - weren't they were reissued the same way as a Universal Monster Paint Studio or something in the 90s?
You have a very good eye Kharis; even if it's only one eye. Wow. That pic is super cool. Never seen that one before. And I think your right in your speculation too.
Here's a pic of the 90s Marx monsters paint set which was sold by Uncle Milton Industries in 1991.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/2344221144_85b685f673_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2344221150_41145b4ef1_o.jpg)
Quote from: fmofmpls on March 18, 2008, 04:41:16 PM
You have a very good eye Kharis; even if it's only one eye.
Thanx Herr General, it's not so bad really... except whenever I look to my right, my range of vision is stopped by my nose ;)
Quote from: fmofmpls on March 18, 2008, 04:41:16 PM
Here's a pic of the 90s Marx monsters paint set which was sold by Uncle Milton Industries in 1991.
Yeah,
that's the one! Thanx for posting the pix, mine is buried somewhere here in the Hill of the Seven Jackasses... I always liked that particular reissue, intended to reintroduce our old Marx monsters to another generation of monster kids...
Max bid $150....Oh, sorry I thought I was on Ebay!
That is way cool. I see a lot of listings for Uncle Milton white/cream colored monster reissues from the 90's, which I assume came from these sets. Though the originals being intended for painting came in rather unpaintable base colors, so were these sets issued in any other colors? I assume not. Also I wonder how the 60's sets were shipped? From the picture it looks like you'd get 3 orange, 3 blue but obviously not exactly the same combination as in the picture since there were orange and blue of each monster. Then again it could just be a picture showing the two different colors and the sets were sold either all orange or all blue.
Man, I sure missed a lot of monster stuff in the early 90's....Damned Army, once you sign up your ass is there's. I got sent to Korea in 91, where I didn't see a damned monster one!
Does paint even stick to original Marx plastic?
Quote from: raycastile on March 19, 2008, 01:26:46 AM
Does paint even stick to original Marx plastic?
It helps if you spray a little primer on them before you paint, and seal them after.
Quote from: raycastile on March 19, 2008, 01:26:46 AM
Does paint even stick to original Marx plastic?
Yes, and one of the favorite items in my collection is a set of Marx figures that were beautifully painted by a friend of mine. They look better than most of the Aurora models that I've had professionally painted.
I painted mine Back In The Day, mixing from the little primary colored bottles that I THINK came with the military Thingmaker?
They've chipped a bit over the years, but much of the paint is still there! And yeah, the only base color that made sense was the Creature's aqua. I left most of that.
Best,
-Craig W.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 18, 2008, 08:39:38 PM
Damned Army, once you sign up your ass is there's. I got sent to Korea in 91, where I didn't see a damned monster one!
That's because you joined the wrong army back in '91! We won't send anyone to Korea .. that is unless there's a cool Korean monster toy involved. Your right where you belong now ZombieHorror. The Universal Monster Army - accept no imitations!
The Marx monsters are fantastic. I always felt they needed to be painted to fully enjoy the sculpts. As good as any resin kit IMO. Here are a few from the Monster Studio kit I painted up, still gotta do the Creature and Mr. Modo. One of these days I want to get a set of the glow versions and paint them up similar to how Ray did his glow kits, with a wash on the exposed glow parts.
(http://i28.tinypic.com/28ib2bd.jpg)
Those are great paint jobs, you have some serious skills!
Those are beautiful. I especially like all the blood on the Mummy. I see even his base is bloody. How does a dried-up corpse have so much blood?
Quote from: raycastile on March 20, 2008, 01:04:03 AM
Those are beautiful. I especially like all the blood on the Mummy. I see even his base is bloody. How does a dried-up corpse have so much blood?
It's probably the blood of some poor infidel who dared disturb the eternal slumber of his beloved Princess.
George
Quote from: ramsey37 on March 20, 2008, 02:53:51 AM
It's probably the blood of some poor infidel who dared disturb the eternal slumber of his beloved Princess.
George
Or maybe he had a little too much Tana and decided to break some not-so-fake glass over at the Scripps Museum.
Seriously, Dr. Terror, your painted Marx monsters are some of the best I've seen - great work!
Here's one for the Eye of Kharis. It's a mock-up Monsters Of The Movies Mummy. This was a custom model I did back in the early 90s using a Marx Mummy and assorted Aurora accessories. I made the nameplate text by using other nameplates from the MOTM series. It's been a great conversation piece for visitors here at Castle Famous. I always start out by telling them that it's a rare Aurora prototype! ;D
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/15/20887404_5a9290b148_o.jpg)
Quote from: fmofmpls on March 20, 2008, 07:39:17 AM
Here's one for the Eye of Kharis.
Thanx for thinking of me, Herr General - and pretty clever to use wrappings from the
bonafide Aurora kit to aid in your "ruse"! ;)
Just amazing little works of art, those Marx monsters... who
was that masked sculptor anyway? I emailed the Louis Marx Museum with an inquiry - they responded, but unfortunately had no info...
Whoever it was, I think these two publicity stills were used as reference for the Mummy & the Creature, who have always been my favorites out of the six :
(http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2394/marxrefstillsvy5.jpg)
That's the only still I've ever seen of Kharis with his burned right arm/fingerless hand raised like that, and the pose of the Marx figure is just so atypical for it to be a coincidence. 99.9% of the time that hand is on his chest...
And anyone can see the Marx figure in that still from
Revenge of the Creature.
While we're on the subject of references, I've read countless times about the likeness of the Marx Hunchback being Charles Laughton - to me that figure has always been Anthony Quinn.
Zombiehorror, thanks for starting yet another enjoyable thread... so glad I enlisted!
Quote from: fmofmpls on March 19, 2008, 01:16:07 PM
The Universal Monster Army - accept no imitations!
I'll never join another!!!
Awesome paint jobs. It's great to see the subtle differences each individual puts on their monsters.
Yes...thanks for this great thread on the Marx Monster set. I believe these were my favorite monster toys when I was a kid. You could engage them in battle and not break them at all!
Beautiful paint jobs on these, guys! I have a set of the cream colored versions from the early 90's, and may try my hand at putting some color on them one of these days.
I wonder if that great Marx Dracula fantasy figure is still available somewhere. It did seem strange that no Dracula was produced for this line.
Ok Zombiehorror, what colors am I missing or what are the 14 colors you have. I know there is another member here that has several Frankensteins. Where are you MonstersforSale?
BK
I've only just begun my Marx madness so I only have the original teal and orange sets (minus orange Frankenstein & teal Creature). I've also picked up a wolfman from the 90's boxed set shown in a previous post, pink Phantom and yellow Frankenstein.
I'm pretty sure the Phantom is pink but he may be more peach, not sure since I haven't gotten him yet though.
Got my Phantom earlier today, he is neither pink nor peach but another orange figure. This one is not like my other orange figures that I have though. It's kind of hard to explain but all the figures in my orange set are a darker orange, this one is more of a flat orange.
The figure on the left is identical to all of my other orange figures prior to getting the one on the right.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxorangePhantoms.jpg)
So tell me Marxperts, is my full orange set comprised of knock offs? Or is my single Phantom a later release? Also if anyone knows, what is the chance of finding a Phantom with mask still in hand? My first two Phantoms (teal & the later glow version) I bought didn't have the mask and I didn't even realize he should have a mask until I bought my dark orange one-my new dull orange figure has his mask as well!
Last but not least, as a side note I just won the carded versions of the glow figures from Uncle Milton!!
The one on the left looks like the real deal to me.
I'm in the same boat as you...the Phantom on the right is a milkier orange and the one on the left is of the neon variety. Where else but on the UMA would such a similarity occur? The milky Phantom DOES have a price sticker of 19 cents on the bottom of it , which would [at least to me] signify it WAS indeed from the 60's... Am i wrong?? I LOVE them both!! Looks like BOTH of your figures stand a pretty good chance of being original... (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/HypophonyVampglassesskullkeychains.jpg)
Hey Michblk I tried taking a photo of all the different Creatures where they are and it just wouldn't come out so I'm gonna have to take them all down and set them together on a table or something. I'll try to do that tomorrow.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 22, 2008, 10:43:53 PM
Also if anyone knows, what is the chance of finding a Phantom with mask still in hand? My first two Phantoms (teal & the later glow version) I bought didn't have the mask and I didn't even realize he should have a mask until I bought my dark orange one-my new dull orange figure has his mask as well!
If you're patient and persistent, you can find Phantoms on ebay with the mask intact. Maybe 10%-20% have the mask. Of course, they all SHOULD have the mask. The ones that don't are damaged.
Quote from: ZOMBOPHOTO on March 23, 2008, 02:12:14 AM
Hey Michblk I tried taking a photo of all the different Creatures where they are and it just wouldn't come out so I'm gonna have to take them all down and set them together on a table or something. I'll try to do that tomorrow.
No problem, whenever you get around to it.
Thanks!
BK
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 22, 2008, 10:43:53 PM
Got my Phantom earlier today, he is neither pink nor peach but another orange figure. This one is not like my other orange figures that I have though. It's kind of hard to explain but all the figures in my orange set are a darker orange, this one is more of a flat orange.
The figure on the left is identical to all of my other orange figures prior to getting the one on the right.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxorangePhantoms.jpg)
So tell me Marxperts, is my full orange set comprised of knock offs? Or is my single Phantom a later release? Also if anyone knows, what is the chance of finding a Phantom with mask still in hand? My first two Phantoms (teal & the later glow version) I bought didn't have the mask and I didn't even realize he should have a mask until I bought my dark orange one-my new dull orange figure has his mask as well!
Last but not least, as a side note I just won the carded versions of the glow figures from Uncle Milton!!
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/DSC04732.jpg)
If any help, I took a pic of my 3 orange Marx Frankensteins since they were aquired at different times and their orange color can be compared. The one on the right (missing his left hand "pinky") belonged to my brother in 1964 (he had an orange set and I had a blue set). The middle one is from my friend, Bobby, in the late 60s. And the one on the left is from an antique shop from about 1997 or so (the base under his right foot is raised a bit...not flat, like the other two).
The orange color appears to be very consistent on all 3 monsters.
On your right side Phantom, I wonder if the orange plastic could have changed shades a bit as it looks like paint was removed? I rememeber a blue Marx monster that was painted with model paint (black). The blue became darker after the paint was removed with easy-off oven cleaner. The plastic was fine but the blue color wasn't right. Just a thought.
Best,
Richard
While Richard's explanation certainly makes sense, could it also be that this Phantom figure was actually part of the 60's painting set? The paint residue lends credence to this theory. Perhaps the paint set figures were of a paler shade of color? Speculation is what I do best. ;D
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4373/64aldensdv6.jpg)
I love these so much, but I am certainly no expert.
Let me through this out.
It is true that the original sets were PAINT PROOF. John Lamana painted mine and he's a genious painter and he couldn't get the paint to not rub off, even after priming.
SO...could the PAINT sets have been made of a more similiar (LIGHTER COLORED) but different plastic so that it could have been painted by kids.
The slickness of the more neon plastic was the problem, I think.
Found myself out of work again today so I thought I'd compile the color list using Brian's previously posted Creature collection, which I have cropped and reposted here.
So, first off we have the obvious (mentioned at least a hundred times in this thread alone) original Marx colors:
Teal
Orange
Next of course, Uncle Milton's 90's reissues:
Cream
Glow
Then from Brian's photo:
Red
Blue
Black
Brick Red
Light Green
Lime
Burgandy Red
Dark Green
The Red's are hard to really tell from a photo but those are my best guesses as to their shade. There are also two in the center which both appear to be white-possibly the glow & cream releases?
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxcreatures.jpg)
That makes 12 confirmed colors so far:
Teal
Orange
Cream
Glow
Red
Blue
Black
Brick Red
Light Green
Lime
Burgandy Red
Dark Green
Plus there is the variant milky orange (making it 14 colors), which I believe to be cast that way and not something due to outside elements-the paint issue is certainly an interesting theory. The only confirmation of this being a true Marx color though may be the discovery/existence of the other monsters being found in this shade. There is of course one other way to verify the color.....but I'm not going to cut him in half to see if the color is consistent throughout!
Any more colors to add? Anybody?
LOVE that bottom photo-- it's a Creature chorus line!
The Hunchback has gotta be based on Quinn.
The Marx figures probably made me fall in love with the Universal monsters. One of the earliest toy memories I have.
Edited my previous post and removed yellow...for now. I got my Frankenstein today and he is lime, here he is with the teal & glow versions.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxFrankensteins.jpg)
Quote from: The Drunken Severed Head on March 28, 2008, 01:46:54 AM
LOVE that bottom photo-- it's a Creature chorus line!
I bet they would make a great synchronized swimming team!
BK :D
I've seen that "milky" orange before, but it's always been when they were painted. Indeed the paint seems to affect the plastic, or they were made in different plastic only for the paint set. I've had 40 or 50 of the originals over the years, but only the painted ones have been different. I've seen the darker blue when they had been painted, as Richard mentioned, as well. Since only the ones that had paint on them have been seen (so far) as darker, I'm going to say it's a reaction with the plastic and paint.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2371496153_2063cd64a4_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2371496057_19e22730d5_o.jpg)
With and without flash...
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 22, 2008, 10:43:53 PM
Also if anyone knows, what is the chance of finding a Phantom with mask still in hand? My first two Phantoms (teal & the later glow version) I bought didn't have the mask and I didn't even realize he should have a mask until I bought my dark orange one-my new dull orange figure has his mask as well!
The Phantom with Mask unbroken is the hardest to find, even though the Phantom is pretty common as these go. The mask broke in the bins before they left the store in many cases. You can find them, but there is usually a battle when one comes up. Expect to pay $50 or more for one with an unbroken mask. The broken mask Phantoms outnumber the intact mask Phantoms about 10:1.
Just got these in the mail today, I'm sure a lot of you guys spotted this auction as well!! The best I can describe the color on these is mocha-I placed an Uncle Milton cream color Wolfman in the picture for comparison. I'm not sure when these were manufactured but they all have a "Made In Mexico" sticker on the bottom. I do notice on these that the quality of the mold is greatly degraded:
Frankenstein's left fingers are nubs, his neck bolts look like tumors in his neck.
The Wolfman's left middle finger is a nub, his left pinky to is gone, he has a lot of burrs throughout.
The Hunchback's left fingers again seem nubby when compared to the original.
The overall figures have squiggles throughout (looks like worm trails) instead of the more cloth like texture of the originals.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/Ebay%20wins/P5140132.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/Ebay%20wins/P5140133.jpg)
That's the color of the first reissues of these that were ever done, but the early ones that I had didn't have the flashing issues like those in your pic do, so I dunno...
I'm bringing this thread back from the dead!! I had an extra beige Wolfman (missing a pinky) that I'm going to throw up on Ebay in a month or so. I was going to put him up plain but decided to go ahead and slap some paint on him. I'm surprised my pictures even turned out since the display on my camera was broken by one (I think the wife and I know the culprit) of my daughters. As with most amatuer photographers I failed to capture alot of the detail but I'll try again once I've completely finished him.
Basic paint scheme~went with yellow shirt and grey paints
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3993.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3992.jpg)
Shading~can't really see alot of the shirt detailing from the photos and I went a little heavy on the pants but I redid them over and over with one color with no results so I said screw it, shadows are supposed to be dark
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3995.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3996.jpg)
Detailing~I wanted nasty-dirty-bloody
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3997.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCF3999.jpg)
Still have to paint the base and then it'll be done. This was actually the second time I had to paint him because when I was almost finished with him earlier my daughter (the same one suspected of breaking the camera) decided she wanted to paint a monster. I gave her an extra glow Creature to paint and she seemed quite content slapping color after color on him. I went into the living room to talk to my wife for a minute and she decided my paint job on the Wolfman needed some work so I had to wash him off and start again. My first attempt was the usual white shirt-blue jeans which I kind of wanted to change anyway so no big deal, I wished I'd have gotten a photo of that paint job though.
There is an issue of PLAYSET MAGAZINE that did an article on the Marx monsters, in it they said Bill Lemon did the sculpts. These guys have the dirt on the Marx company. Go to back issues www. playsetmagazine.com
Quote from: graveghoul on February 19, 2010, 06:49:55 PM
There is an issue of PLAYSET MAGAZINE that did an article on the Marx monsters, in it they said Bill Lemon did the sculpts. These guys have the dirt on the Marx company. Go to back issues www. playsetmagazine.com
Thanks for the heads up, I just had to pick this up. But I'm more confused by this than anything else?!!? First of all this wasn't much of a cover story, more like a cover blurb, a very short 2 page piece with more pictures than anything else and yet still worth it to me. There is this confusing sentence in the article;
"
Other colors have been found, including some of the wild fluorescent ones listed in the 1964 catalog were apparently not made."
What?!?! The colors were found but not made, oh okay that makes perfect sense!??! Did they mean to say, "....that were apparently made.".
Also they do say that Bill Lemon was the sculptor but didn't someone in this very thread say Bill himself said he did not sculpt these? Anyone know just how reliable Playset Magazine's info is?!?
The coolest Marx Monster item in the story is the 1964 Marx catalog listing for the Cinema Creatures which mentions 3 colors, none of which are the teal or orange we all know today.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P2260008.jpg)
Also take not of the 10"x24" window streamer in black and fluorescent color. Anyone remember seeing one of these or more importantly know of one existing today?
Now going back to the Marx only came in teal and orange discussion, sometime last year I came upon a website; http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) were he has this picture and the following comment posted;
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/plasticmonsters2003.jpg)
"
These Universal Monsters were my favorite plastic figures. They sold for ten cents apiece, but soon went up to a whopping nineteen cents. They came in bright, flourescent colors and I used to just stare at them for hours. I do mention these on my school page. I also tried painting them like models and ending up ruining them. So, off to Newberry's toy basement to buy another set."
So I wrote him asking about it, figuring he was getting Marx Monster confused with Nutty Mads in his fuzzy monster memories. And here was his reply;
"Hi Erin,
Thanks for your question, it's a good one. The colors that I can recall were a sort of neon. I had some figures that were orange and some that were a bright pink color. I always kept re-buying them, but I did get a hunchback that was blue one time, and also a green one. Right now on ebay, somebody is selling them one by one, and they're all green. The bright colors may have been a special issue for a time, but I can recall them vividly.
I did have a green set, and I've even had the teal ones. They also came in blues, and for a short period, I believe in the mid-90's, they were re-issued in gray. I loved Marx toys, they were the best. Thanks for stopping by!"
His memory would certainly match the description in Playset magazine of the other colors, then again maybe he read the article and just infused the info with his own Marx Monster memories?!?
Playset magazine is pretty much 99% correct. I was into playsets and figures for a long time. PM has the scoop as they interview retired Marx employees. One thing you have to know about Marx is they had many color variations when a product came out. Yes the GRANTS bin monsters were sold in orange and teal {I can still remember the day Mom bought them in 1965} they were most likely a Grants exclusive and sold to them only in those two colors. While a mail order store got theirs in another color scheme. When it comes to colors and collecting headaches Marx will give you them!!! I can write you pages on Marx variations in toys. I think when you picked these to collect you just scratched the surface.
P.S.
I don't know if you are collecting only originals or the reissues also. but on ebay there are reissues being sold for high prices and the owners don't know if they are reissues or original. Most ones on ebay that are glow, silver, off white are reissues.
Quote from: graveghoul on February 26, 2010, 06:27:08 PM
Playset magazine is pretty much 99% correct. PM has the scoop as they interview retired Marx employees. One thing you have to know about Marx is they had many color variations when a product came out.
I just can't believe no one is jumping on this thread?!? Long time monster collectors here contend that Marx monters only came in teal and orange period. Maybe they think this whole discussion is a bigfoot/Loch Ness issue!? I know Marx did alot of other colors for other figures but again most here only believe Marx monsters came in teal and orange!
Quote from: graveghoul on February 26, 2010, 06:27:08 PM
Yes the GRANTS bin monsters were sold in orange and teal {I can still remember the day Mom bought them in 1965} they were most likely a Grants exclusive and sold to them only in those two colors. While a mail order store got theirs in another color scheme. When it comes to colors and collecting headaches Marx will give you them!!! I can write you pages on Marx variations in toys. I think when you picked these to collect you just scratched the surface.
The "Grants bin" monsters were also sold in Aldens catalog as a set with paints as shown in a previous post earlier in this topic. I wrote Playset magazine about this color issue and they did say they themselves have seen these figures well at least the yellow and green. The only difference being the plastic is of the softer type where as reissues are harder. But what they didn't answer was; "Where are all these other colors?!!?". I wish they had an idea of how many of these other colors were produced. Why do you only see teal and orange?!!? I mean obviously these other 3 colors must have been a limited run and maybe only sold in certain areas of the country.
Quote from: graveghoul on February 26, 2010, 06:27:08 PM
P.S.
I don't know if you are collecting only originals or the reissues also. but on ebay there are reissues being sold for high prices and the owners don't know if they are reissues or original. Most ones on ebay that are glow, silver, off white are reissues.
Right now I haven't added any new ones but I'll definitely be on the look out for the other 3 original colors. I'm also interested in getting as many of the Mexican reissues as possible, I do love that silver set! I currently have full sets of teal, orange, mocha, glow (carded and loose), cream and a mib Monster Studio from 1991.
And lastly a picture I posted earlier of my lime green Frankenstein that I thought was a reissue even though the Ebay seller listed it with an original Phantom saying both figures were from 1964. But now after seeing and discussing this with you as well as Playset magazine I now present as an original
1964 MARX FRANKENSTEIN IN VILE GREEN
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxFrankensteins-1.jpg)
This thread has inspired me to start collecting the Marx figures. I think the hunt is what's appealing to me. It seems like a never ending search, which will keep my interest for many years to come. I remember these as a kid, so I must have had 1 or 2 of them at one time.
I just picked up my first one - the Glow Frankenstein (I do think I will only collect the Frankenstein monster for now). I have a long way to go, but thanks for the inspiration - this will be fun, or aggravating...
If anyone has any extra Frankenstein figures for sale, let me know.
I've been reading the thread. Thanks for posting the information from Playset! Sure would like to see that window streamer!
This is a great thread Zombie. I love the Marx monsters!!! I just got a reissue mummy yesterday for painting. the only thing is I modified his right eye to give it a more closed look. The other colors might be scarce because they might have been produed in canada,or the uk. I know with other figures they came in different colors in canada. There are many Marx mysteries. There was a few days ago on ebay a person selling a blue monster. It had all the markings on the bottom but no date. He claimed it belonged to a Marx employee.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 02, 2010, 10:06:42 AM
I just can't believe no one is jumping on this thread?!?
And lastly a picture I posted earlier of my lime green Frankenstein that I thought was a reissue even though the Ebay seller listed it with an original Phantom saying both figures were from 1964. But now after seeing and discussing this with you as well as Playset magazine I now present as an original
1964 MARX FRANKENSTEIN IN VILE GREEN
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxFrankensteins-1.jpg)
That vile green Frank is a thing of beauty. I would love to collect the other color variations including the Mex repros tho I don't like the silver or glow. I painted the creams. Some of these take forever to find and are out of my price range :'(.
What no glow!? They arn't worth much being reissues so they are candidates for painting. Paint them and leave certain areas alone so they glow like the Aurora models!!
Quote from: graveghoul on March 02, 2010, 08:50:56 PM
What no glow!? They arn't worth much being reissues so they are candidates for painting. Paint them and leave certain areas alone so they glow like the Aurora models!!
I have a glow Creature that I'll be painting soon but for now here's my finished Wolfman-
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030013.jpg)
As has been stated before you really can't appreciate the detail on these figures until you slap some paint on them.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030016.jpg)
Again I wanted nice and bloody, the wife thinks I went overboard with it. But hey he's a friggin' Wolfman!!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030015.jpg%5Bimg%5D%3Cbr%20/%3EThe%20only%20thing%20I%20changed%20a%20little%20was%20I%20added%20a%20little%20mod%20podge%20to%20the%20feet%20area%20to%20make%20it%20look%20like%20he%20was%20sloshing%20in%20the%20mud.%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030018.jpg)
Can't forget to detail the back!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030017.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P3030024.jpg)
Another shot of the built up mud area at his feet.
Quote from: Herr Vogel on March 02, 2010, 10:55:00 AM
This thread has inspired me to start collecting the Marx figures. I think the hunt is what's appealing to me. It seems like a never ending search, which will keep my interest for many years to come. I remember these as a kid, so I must have had 1 or 2 of them at one time.
I just picked up my first one - the Glow Frankenstein (I do think I will only collect the Frankenstein monster for now). I have a long way to go, but thanks for the inspiration - this will be fun, or aggravating...
The Marx Monsters have ensnared another victim...LOL. Good luck with the hunt!!
Wolfman looks like he needs to use a napkin!
Those are really cool! Believe it or not, but I don't have any Marx Monster figures, but I want to change that!
I wish that somebody would release factory painted versions of all the Marx monsters.With today's paint-application technology, these things would look amazing.
How about jumbo versions of the Marx figures, 12 inches tall. Waxy plastic would be fine, but paintable plastic would also be most welcome.
I love both of those ideas.
Hell yeah!
Your bloody Wolfman looks great! Nice paint job.
I would like others to come out. Dracula, Metaluna Mutant, etc. Wouldn't that be awesome?
There is a beautifully made Marx-style Dracula that was (is?) available on this website.Check it out.
Quote from: Mord on March 28, 2010, 01:36:47 PM
There is a beautifully made Marx-style Dracula that was (is?) available on this website.Check it out.
I tried to find it and could not. Guess they were all sold?
Quote from: BANE on March 27, 2010, 09:38:59 PM
I would like others to come out. Dracula, Metaluna Mutant, etc. Wouldn't that be awesome?
That has been a major dream of mine for like 30 years. All the unconventional monsters in crazee cool colors. Pink invisible man , purple Beulah (It conquered the world) , Saucer men etc etc.
If I won a lottery I would pull all the strings to achieve this. Alas,just a dream. :(
Marx was originally supposed to bring out Dracula in there six inch line. But forgot what the story was. :-\
Bela Jr.? Isn't that about the time he first tried to sue over the Aurora box-art?
I believe some legal stuff.
I love the Marx monsters almost as much as the Aurora kits. I picked up dark blue repros of the Hunchback and Mummy back in 1989 at Rare Plane Detectives hobby shop in New Jersey on vacation and have since gotten the complete glow set. These guys look amazing painted, the detail in these scuplts is simply astounding! I have to get good pics of the Phantom and the Hunchback, but here are the others in the set.
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/ShelvesNovember201012.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6057.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6058.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6056.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6055.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6054.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6053.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6052.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6051.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6050.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6040.jpg)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f24/RedKing71/My%20Collection/IMG_6042.jpg)
My glow set - (I have the glow ones) were all blister packed.
They all look great, but that mummy is the bees knees!
They are all cool , the Frank is great,Mummy awesome but the Chreech needs to be finished with a double/triple semi gloss coat to make it look wet. Wolfman needs nasty animal eyes not human looking. Just my opinion. I've painted them too over 20 years ago.
(http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp47/WickedLester666/monster5.jpg)
(http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp47/WickedLester666/monster1.jpg)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/toyz026.jpg)
Along with the great 6" Marx monsters, sculpted brilliantly, were the Cowboys, Indians, Romans, Vikings, knights, Marvel Super Heroes etc. My belief that these fantastic figures were sculpted by a single gifted artist. I was always of the believe that all the Marx figures were only bin toys....with usually 19 cents marked on the bases of mine. After many years of collecting I ran into this unusual item that carded two of the Japanese 6" soldiers. What I am saying is that any weird and unusual marketing combination of the Marx figures is possible. If you are familiar with Marx playsets you know that parts and pieces of one playset could show up in several other sets. How cool it would be to find Marx monsters packaged with some other connected Marx item. Bud
Joe Ferriot is credited with sculpting some 90% of the Marx figures. I've seen Bill Lemon credited as sculpting some, too. My favorite of the Marx figures are the Weird-oh's -- so much better than the model kit versions!
Seriously... is there a cooler piece of plastic than the Marx 6" Frankenstein?? Methinks not. God, how I marvel at this iconic sculpt, the way it perfectly captures the awkward gait of Glenn Strange.
This Thanksgiving I am grateful to Bill Lemon, or whomever it was who created the Marx 6" Frankenstein, for the many hours I spent not only playing with it, but also just staring at its sheer perfection.
Now pass the stuffing.....
I TOTALLY agree with you, GAK! With the Creature running a close second...pure vintage monster goodness.
Quote from: bigbud on November 24, 2010, 08:51:25 PM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/toyz026.jpg)
Along with the great 6" Marx monsters, sculpted brilliantly, were the Cowboys, Indians, Romans, Vikings, knights, Marvel Super Heroes etc. My belief that these fantastic figures were sculpted by a single gifted artist. I was always of the believe that all the Marx figures were only bin toys....with usually 19 cents marked on the bases of mine. After many years of collecting I ran into this unusual item that carded two of the Japanese 6" soldiers. What I am saying is that any weird and unusual marketing combination of the Marx figures is possible. If you are familiar with Marx playsets you know that parts and pieces of one playset could show up in several other sets. How cool it would be to find Marx monsters packaged with some other connected Marx item. Bud
I had those soldiers.. I still have an original Marx German Grenadier!
I don't know if I can think of any early-mid 60's Marx 6" figure that isn't exceptionally sculpted. To know positively who did the sculpting would be great information. Till I hear otherwise I'll believe it to be Mr. Lemon. I wonder if he did any of the smaller playset figures? Bud
Quote from: Gasport on November 25, 2010, 12:02:01 AM
I TOTALLY agree with you, GAK! With the Creature running a close second...pure vintage monster goodness.
I reverse that order,but only by the razor-thinnest of margins. Cool to the bone.
When did Marx go out of business? I remember having as a little kid in the mid to late 70s the Marx Spidey, Captain America, Daredevil and Thor as well as several Disney cartoon characters. I wish I knew what happened to those Marvel figures, I would love to still have them!
Not sure when Marx went out of business. I have a set of the monsters and a complete set of the vikings and the knights and the superheroes.
When I was a kid I went fishing with my dad in a row boat and I saw a dollar bill on the lake bottom, I stuck my fishing pole down and pulled it up. It was a twenty dollar bill. I dried it off and we went into town and the first thing I bought with my twenty was these, I still have 'em...
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/sc0d710cfc.jpg)
Great story Mono!
BK
That is an awesome story Monolith! What great memories so many of these classic toys hold for each of us.
wow! Incredible story, and that to still have the originals from your youth! Fantastic!
I love a good fishing story and yours tops them all! 20 bucks well spent!!
After I bought the Marx superheroes I still had a lot of change left over and I bought me and my little sister some ice cream.
I don't remember what else I bought after that, tho.
Mono, I've got that set too! Ain't they cool! Just checked under the bases.......28 cents! What a deal that was back then! Funny thing......my Spidey is lime green too! Wonder if Marx put out a red one? Doesn't really matter, that lime green is fine! Bud
bigbud--I'm pretty sure they did make a red Spidey.
I also have a complete set of these Marvel heroes that are smaller. They are four and a half to five inches tall and came painted. Three of these I've had since I bought in the store when they came out when I was a kid and the Hulk I got at a flea market about a year ago and that made me want to complete the set, then I found the remaining Thor and Daredevil on e-bay. This smaller, painted set is much harder to find than the bigger un-painted set. The stars on Captain America's chest and shield are stickers as are the circles on Thor's chest, which you can't see in the photo. This set does not have the Marx logo on the bottom.
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/IMG_2919.jpg)
The 6 inch cowboys & indians came in a playset. They were grouped with a covered wagon.
Mmmm Marx PLaysets....The 6" Old West Marx have many cool poses. Timmee also made some excellent Western guys, about 5 and a Half inches. I love the knife fighting guys the best.
Speaking of the old West...there was a dog back in those days that limped into a saloon, limped up to the bar and said "Ahm lookin fer the man that shot mah PAW". I'll be here all week.
(http://s4.hubimg.com/u/1280555_f520.jpg)
I found a german grenadier like the chap in back buried in the ground next to my mom's house. The markings underneath read Louis Marx and Sons, and gives the year in roman numerals.
The cool thing is, I used to have a lot of the Louis Marx soldiers, so I know the real deal and this is a complete soldier in good shape - albeit dirty from years of being buried. Antique shops I've seen price these at 30 bucks.
Yea, that German is nice......I believe there was a set of six (or 7) Germans. The tuff one to get is the German thrusting downward with a bayonet on his rifle. Only seen pics of that one. Monolith....I've never seen the smaller version of the Marvel figures. Quite a find! I have several of the smaller version Nutty Mads. Does anyone know the origin of these smaller versions? Bud
Hey, you know, since we are discussing the Marx 6" figures let's see if we can remember all the different series Marx put out.....the Marvel Heroes......The Germans......The Japanese........The Knights.........
My favorite was the Dinosaur set. Marx had the best toy dinosaurs anywhere.
The Marx dinosaurs were awesome! My cousins who are a few years older thanme had the huge Marx dinosaur playset with the cave and mountains and it seemed like hundreds of awesome doinosaurs and cavemen. I had a slew of the dinosaurs too-I used to be able to get them on blister cards probably 6 or 7 dinos per card right up until about 1984 at this great little toystore called Duane's Toyland that my Dad used to take my sister and I too alot. They had a huge amount of old stock that they just kept out until it sold. They had Aurora glow monsters and the Prehistoric Scenes kits until the early 80s. Man I wish I had the foresight to buy alll that they had, but what did i know, I was only like 10!!
Quote from: bigbud on December 20, 2010, 12:27:02 AM
Hey, you know, since we are discussing the Marx 6" figures let's see if we can remember all the different series Marx put out.....the Marvel Heroes......The Germans......The Japanese........The Knights.........
Vikings, Cavemen, Monsters, Cowboys/frontiersmen, Indians, Nutty Madds, Weird-oh's, Campus Cuties, Man from UNCLE, Astronauts.
Then there are the Hong Kong "GoldMarx" figures in harder plastic -- and painted. Soldiers, Romans, Egyptians -- some repeats of standard Marx figures -- and some exclusive to the line.
I used to have a nice collection of these -- but sold most of them some time ago.
Quote from: bigbud on December 18, 2010, 12:18:44 AM
Mono, I've got that set too! Bud
Frankly my friend, I'd be shocked if you DIDN'T have them too! ;D
When can we get some more shots of your awesome collection Bud?? I have a blast looking through the shots you send out (but not nearly often enough)!! And I know I'm not alone!
Quote from: Dr. Madd on December 20, 2010, 04:11:07 AM
My favorite was the Dinosaur set. Marx had the best toy dinosaurs anywhere.
I had the dinosaur, caveman, set with the rock caves for the cave men and they were the best toy dinosaurs!
Scatter my friend! Good to hear from you! I'll get some photos up sometime soon. Ran into some great stuff lately too. You have a great Christmas season! And that goes for all you great guys and gals of the UMA! Bud
I'll add the Blame It and Disney character figures to the Marx 6" list too..........Bud
Here's a pic of my 6'' Vikings...
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/IMG_1400.jpg)
And here's my set of 6'' Knights...
Both sets I pieced together over the years. Most of them I got at toy shows and flea markets.
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/IMG_1401.jpg)
Great pics, Monolith! A few of those figures I never had -- so cool to see pics of them.
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/JimBertges/100_2337.jpg)
I picked up some Mexican reissues of the Marvel characters in red. They are excellent copies, except this Iron Man has a bit of a "deformity" if you look closely.
Jim, I had to check out Ironman several times to see the flaw you mentioned.......I don't believe what I THINK I see. Tell me that isn't Tony Stark exposing himself! Bud
Call Pepper Potts! Iron Man needs his bolt tightened!
That's just wrong.......very wrong! Bud
Here's adding the Man From U.N.C.L.E. 6" figures to our discussion on Marx figures... Alexander Waverly,Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo,THRUSH officer, THRUSH agent #1, THRUSH agent #2........(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/Marx6figures009.jpg)
Here are the Marx 6" Man From U.N.C.L.E. bad guys that came in the Man From U.N.C.L.E. Target game. Really some nice sculpting! Check out the guy holding the walkie-talkie and checking his watch! pure cool! Bud(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/Marx6figures008.jpg)
Love the vikings and knights.. Anyone ever see any safari guys like that?
bigbud--- Sweet U.N.C.L.E. sets! Very nice.
Fantastic to see all those UNCLE figures with guns, etc. intact!
Hi ya Terry! I thought they were tuff to find too, but was goofing off on E-bay just tonight and found all 12 of them in a single auction! And at a decent price.........at the moment........Bud
Just thought I'd post my Marx monsters that I painted years ago...
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/sc0d86090f.jpg)
And here are the other three. These are the glow versions beneath the paint.
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/sc0d85f8e7.jpg)
That's some great paint on those little figures!!
Incredible paint job! They really pop!
Thanks!
The Marx monsters have been in my life for as long as I can remember, I have a blue Wolf Man, a blue Mummy and an orange Creature that I've had since the '60's.
Wow, can see why these are so popular! Great collection there bigbud
Wow, great job on the paint jobs!
BK
Awesome paint jobs, Monolith!
Hey Mono! Just curious.....Is Phantom still holding his mask, or is picture at an angle to his hand? If no mask, did the glows come out of the mold without masks? Bud
Thanks for the compliments on the paint jobs, everyone.
The Phantom in the photo has a piece of the mask in his hand, it's like a little nub which I painted to look like he was holding the tip of his cape. I don't remember of ever seeing a glow version with the mask, maybe they exist, tho.
Has anyone seen a glow Phantom with his mask?
Quote from: bigbud on December 28, 2010, 11:58:53 PM
Hey Mono! Just curious.....Is Phantom still holding his mask, or is picture at an angle to his hand? If no mask, did the glows come out of the mold without masks? Bud
I just came across a glow in the dark Phantom on ebay that has a mask, but I think most of the examples I've seen don't have the mask.
I'm betting the Mexican Re-popers wouldn't care if Phantom came out of the mold without his head long as there was a peso in their hand........I say we send a silent strike force across the border, smash the molds, and make a run for the border.........
My glow Phantom had his mask, but he took a dive off the shelf last month and it broke off.
And now, Redking, I suspect you will again move........adding a Phantom mask to the the trail of Major West's better half and Godzilla feet!.............you monster! (Hey, Red......bet nobody knows what the heck I'm talking about) Ha! Bud
LOL-Im not planning on moving anytime soon, but when I do you are probably right about the Phantom mask since I didnt find it!
Quote from: bigbud on January 10, 2011, 08:15:38 PM
And now, Redking, I suspect you will again move........adding a Phantom mask to the the trail of Major West's better half and Godzilla feet!.............you monster! (Hey, Red......bet nobody knows what the heck I'm talking about) Ha! Bud
I DO!!
Gary......that's cause you are everywhere.......just like the Shadow. It's scary! Bud
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 8)
Anyone here the winner of these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=320691558829&si=Vplwer1jILIsjFmdYG8vovGcmX4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=320691558829&si=Vplwer1jILIsjFmdYG8vovGcmX4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT) , if the seller is correct about the age then the green ones would be more of the elusive Vile Green figures from the 60's. There looks to be quite a color/shade difference between the Frankenstein and Creature greens, the Frankenstein does look exactly like the one I have in my collection; also from a seller that listed it as a vintage 60's Marx Monster.
Quote from: Eye of Kharis on March 17, 2008, 10:07:02 PM
I clearly remember buying all of mine out of a bin as well, right next to the Marx Nutty Mads, army men, cowboys, etc. And definitely always either teal blue or orange, as Toy Ranch said.
I don't remember seeing them being sold bagged, but I do know they were sold that way.
The Marx Weird-Ohs figurines were certainly sold in individual cellophane bags as well with coloured printing right on the cellophane as opposed to a header card.
8)
Quote from: Monolith on December 01, 2010, 01:56:11 AM
Not sure when Marx went out of business.
From Wikipedia:
Quote from: WikipediaThe Company slowly lost its preeminence from the 1950s on, perhaps due to not aggressively advertising on television as its rivals did. In 1955, with sales of US$50 million, Marx only spent $312.00 on advertising for the entire year (Time 1955). By contrast, Mattel Toys in the same year had sales of $6 Million but spent $500,000 for advertising, sponsoring shows like The Mickey Mouse Club (Clark 2007, p. 220).
In 1972, Marx sold his company to the Quaker Oats Company for $54 million ($246 Mil. in 2005 dollars) and retired at the age of 76. Quaker owned the Fisher-Price brand, but struggled with Marx. Quaker had hoped Marx and Fisher-Price would have synergy, but the companies' sales patterns were too different. Marx has also been faulted for largely ignoring the trend towards electronic toys in the early 1970s. In late 1975, Quaker closed the plants in Erie and Girard, and in early 1976, Quaker sold its struggling Marx division to the British conglomerate Dunbee-Combex-Marx, who had bought the former Marx UK subsidiary in 1967.
A downturn in the British economy in conjunction with high interest rates caused Dunbee-Combex-Marx to struggle, and these unfavorable market conditions caused a number of British toy manufacturers, including Dunbee-Combex-Marx, to collapse. By 1979 U.S. operations were ceased, and by 1980 the Marx brand disappeared, and Dunbee-Combex-Marx filed for bankruptcy. The Marx assets were liquidated in the early 1980s, with some trademarks and molding tools going to a few other toy manufacturers of the time, including the Mego Corporation.
Pity.
:(
Quote from: zombiehorror on May 05, 2011, 01:48:00 PM
Anyone here the winner of these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=320691558829&si=Vplwer1jILIsjFmdYG8vovGcmX4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=320691558829&si=Vplwer1jILIsjFmdYG8vovGcmX4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT) , if the seller is correct about the age then the green ones would be more of the elusive Vile Green figures from the 60's. There looks to be quite a color/shade difference between the Frankenstein and Creature greens, the Frankenstein does look exactly like the one I have in my collection; also from a seller that listed it as a vintage 60's Marx Monster.
Not me Dammit! I've been so busy buying comic books these totally got past my radar. I would have paid more than that. I like those green ones.
Quote from: bigbud on December 22, 2010, 09:54:07 PM
Here's adding the Man From U.N.C.L.E. 6" figures to our discussion on Marx figures... Alexander Waverly,Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo,THRUSH officer, THRUSH agent #1, THRUSH agent #2........(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/Marx6figures009.jpg)
What are those neon cones in back? Were they made by Marx as well?
???
Quote from: Monolith on December 25, 2010, 03:55:19 PM
Just thought I'd post my Marx monsters that I painted years ago...
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97/monolith_06/sc0d86090f.jpg)
I love those! Incredible the detail you painted on those small figures.
8)
Quote from: zombiehorror on May 05, 2011, 01:48:00 PM
...if the seller is correct about the age then the green ones would be more of the elusive Vile Green figures from the 60's. There looks to be quite a color/shade difference between the Frankenstein and Creature greens, the Frankenstein does look exactly like the one I have in my collection; also from a seller that listed it as a vintage 60's Marx Monster.
So how many of the Bilious Rose, Creepy Yellow and Vile Green figures have you acquired? And did you ever get the last teal blue monster and last orange monster you needed?
???
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxcreatures.jpg)
The lime green one in this photo (almost yellow looking) also has Marx on the bottom. I think it's a later re-issue. I know some of the other colors have Marx too.
BK
QuoteWhat are those neon cones in back? Were they made by Marx as well?
Those are rather strange table ornament Christmas trees made out of reflective glass squares........man, this is an old thread........so old that when I saw those "neon cones" in the photo I forgot it was MY photo and was about to exclaim "Hey, I have those Chrismas ornaments too!". Must be gettin' old......Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on May 06, 2011, 10:53:37 PM
Those are rather strange table ornament Christmas trees made out of reflective glass squares........man, this is an old thread........so old that when I saw those "neon cones" in the photo I forgot it was MY photo and was about to exclaim "Hey, I have those Chrismas ornaments too!". Must be gettin' old......Buddy
Hahahaha, I've done that ;D Those Man From Uncle figs are very cool!
Toy Ranch, we could trade!.......... all my Marx UNCLE men for only one Ventures Mosrite! Buddy
Quote from: Toy Ranch on March 17, 2008, 10:06:44 AM
Orange and (Teal)Blue are the only two original colors. They were the only colors anyone had seen until the first repros started coming out in the mid-1980's. The date and markings are not consistent on the bottoms of them. The first reissued were cream colored, and then the glow ones came out. After that they started coming in many other colors too.
Have any Mexican repros been found to this time in the original Marx orange or teal? Are there any other defining marks on the base which verify that a figure is a Marx original?
???
Hey gang.
Have not clocked in several weeks. Health issues and work.
From what I know from the about 20 figs I have the originals do have the round stamp with the Roman numerals.
The early repros have the same stamp except the Roman numeral has a bar across it. The later repro's (90-'s) have the circle flat and bare.
I got burned,sorta , a few months ago buying a lot of supposed all six originals. The price was high and worked him down to about $110.00 delivered. Turns out only one was original with 5 early repro's. All in VG+/7.5 condition. Still not a BAD buy. I CAN tell you from the 90's repro's compared to the 80's that the newer ones have a more detailed crisper mold. I have several in the vile green that I paid on avg $20 and well worth it. $20 a pop in NM condition I'll take the 90's repops all day long. I LOOVE the crazy cool colors and they seem to be harder to find than not bad originals. As far as originals in teal I have a very nice Creech I paid about $23 delivered for.
Wicked Lester, thanks for the update on the figures. Gasport and several of us are still sorting out what is an original/ re-pop. Hey Lester.......a friend of mine pointed out that you might just be a very enthusiastic KISS fan......true? Buddy
I love these and could kick myself for ever getting rid of my 70's monsters, showing my true age but hey, toys are great for kids and adults right? Thanks for all the good information. I did not know they reproduced them so much.
Our motto here is "You're never too old to have a happy childhood"!
;)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 18, 2012, 10:42:31 PM
The early repros have the same stamp except the Roman numeral has a bar across it. to be harder to find than not bad originals. As far as originals in teal I have a very nice Creech I paid about $23 delivered for.
Gasport has speculated that any orange or teal figures with the bar covering the Roman numerals are Marx figures molded and issued after 1963:
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=205.2925 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=205.2925)
What do you think?
???
Hep, you keep the vat stirring............ You ask what we think, so here's my thoughts. Teal and orange are the only original colors of the Marx monsters, and any figure cast without MCMLXIII clearly marked on the base is a repo. I personally dislike any vintage toy being repro-d. There is still enough imagination and innovation in the world that reproducing a desirable, collectible item is, in my opinion, both lazy and done solely for financial gain (greed on the backs of true innovators).
"But it puts a desirable figure within the reach of collectors and fans at a reasonable price".....sorry, that line of reasoning doesn't work for me. The original 1963 teal and orange figures are readily available, constantly on E-bay, and not at the escalated value of many '63 toy items. They can be identified and purchased by the careful consumer. I speak only as a collector. If a repro Marx monster makes you happy, that's great. Just not my thing. Please don't anyone take my comments in a personal way...........I love you all...........it's your repros I hate........Ha! Love, Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on January 23, 2012, 11:42:47 PM
Hep, you keep the vat stirring............ You ask what we think, so here's my thoughts. Teal and orange are the only original colors of the Marx monsters,
Did you miss this post or do you just choose to disbelieve!?!?
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.msg124737#msg124737 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.msg124737#msg124737)
In short there is info that Marx monsters also came in Bilious Rose, Vile Green and Creepy Yellow!!
Quote from: bigbud on January 23, 2012, 11:42:47 PM
.....any figure cast without MCMLXIII clearly marked on the base is a repo.
I have a teal and orange set as well as a "vile green" Frankenstein and re-pops of mocha, cream and glow here are the differences:
Teal: All these figures have the circled C (copyright) for Universal at the front of the base, except my Creature which also has a bar instead of MCMLXIII
Orange: All have bars instead of the roman numerals, the Marx info is on the opposite circle (compared to my teal) on the bottom of the Hunchback, only the Creature's Universal copyright matches my teal one all the others have the circled C (copyright) at the back of the base
Vile Green: Bar instead of roman numerals, there is residue from an old price tag sticker that matches the size/shape of stickers I have seen on other original Marx monsters (though I suppose if someone really wanted to fake that they could), the circled C (copyright) matches my orange (at the back of the base), at the very end of "INC." there are two squiggly lines/flaws (This is important remember it for later comparison!)
Cream/Uncle Milton: The placement of the copyright info matches my teal set, the circled C is at the front of all the bases, the Marx info on the Hunchback is located on the same side as my teal
Glow/Uncle Milton: All copyrights again match my teal set, there is no Marx info on them
Mocha: All the copyrights are at the back of bases, Marx is in the opposite circle, all characteristics matching my orange set with the exception that The Mummy has no Marx info, this Frankenstein also has the two odd squiggles after "INC." that my Vile Green Frankenstein has
Milkier Orange: Bar instead of roman numerals and the circled C (copyright) is at the back of base
These are all the Marx Monster figures I have so they are all I can go by, if any of my teal/oranges are not original then I cannot tell the difference between their respective colors!??!
I know you voiced that your info was just your opinion but I'm just offering up some comparisons and oddities like my teal Creature (which matches my other teals) having a bar instead of roman numerals?!!? I offer anyone to check this info against their monsters and see what differences/similarities we come up with!
Are there any Marx Universal monsters other than these:
Frankenstein
Wolfman
Mummy
Creature
Phantom
Hunchback
???
Quote from: Hepcat on January 24, 2012, 10:38:17 AM
Are there any Marx Universal monsters other than these:
Frankenstein
Wolfman
Mummy
Creature
Phantom
Hunchback
???
No; Although there have been two fan made Dracula's, this one from Chris Ecker (1990's);
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/JimBertges/Miscellaneous/100_2272.jpg)
And this one conjured up right here by some of the fine folks at the UMA;
(http://www.terrybeatty.com/drac.jpg)
QuoteI know you voiced that your info was just your opinion
QuoteDid you miss this post or do you just choose to disbelieve!?!?
Yep, just my opinion, and I'm sticking by it. If a vile green Franky has the MCMLXlll in the circle I'll be a believer. Again, only my opinion; to modify the Marx metal molds for their figures by covering the MCMLXlll would be costly and done for a very specific reason. My belief is that it was done to distinguish a figure produced in 1963 from a figure done at a later date. I "choose to believe" that Marx monster figures produced in 1963 carry the distinction of being called original........................ Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on January 24, 2012, 11:53:43 AM
Yep, just my opinion, and I'm sticking by it. If a vile green Franky has the MCMLXlll in the circle I'll be a believer. Again, only my opinion; to modify the Marx metal molds for their figures by covering the MCMLXlll would be costly and done for a very specific reason. My belief is that it was done to distinguish a figure produced in 1963 from a figure done at a later date. I "choose to believe" that Marx monster figures produced in 1963 carry the distinction of being called original........................ Buddy
I suppose if you want to call Marx figures from 1963 the only originals then you would be correct as the Bilious Rose, Vile Green and Creepy Yellow ones are from a 1964 catalog listing (and I'm sure there where teal and orange sets made after 1963 by Marx)! The plate cover up could be due to the popularity of these figures and the thought that they would/could be produced for years to come so a bar was simpler (more cost effective) than changing the roman numeral for each consecutive year. Certainly even Marx Nutty Mads made in 1964 are still considered original Nutty Mads!??
Quote from: bigbud on January 24, 2012, 11:53:43 AMIf a vile green Franky has the MCMLXlll in the circle I'll be a believer. Again, only my opinion; to modify the Marx metal molds for their figures by covering the MCMLXlll would be costly and done for a very specific reason. My belief is that it was done to distinguish a figure produced in 1963 from a figure done at a later date. I "choose to believe" that Marx monster figures produced in 1963 carry the distinction of being called original....
Should I understand that you would therefore not regard Marx production of these pieces in say 1964-65 - if Marx did indeed produce another run(s) - as "originals"? So you would therefore require not only Marx production but Marx production verifiably from 1963 to earn the "original" label?
???
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 24, 2012, 12:41:22 AMIn short there is info that Marx monsters also came in Bilious Rose, Vile Green and Creepy Yellow!!
I have a teal and orange set as well as a "vile green" Frankenstein and re-pops of mocha, cream and glow here are the differences:
Teal: All these figures have the circled C (copyright) for Universal at the front of the base, except my Creature which also has a bar instead of MCMLXIII
Orange: All have bars instead of the roman numerals, the Marx info is on the opposite circle (compared to my teal) on the bottom of the Hunchback, only the Creature's Universal copyright matches my teal one all the others have the circled C (copyright) at the back of the base
Vile Green: Bar instead of roman numerals, there is residue from an old price tag sticker that matches the size/shape of stickers I have seen on other original Marx monsters (though I suppose if someone really wanted to fake that they could), the circled C (copyright) matches my orange (at the back of the base), at the very end of "INC." there are two squiggly lines/flaws (This is important remember it for later comparison!)
I take it that you've not yet seen a Bilious Yellow or a Creepy Rose Marx figure yourself?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on January 24, 2012, 12:56:20 PM
I take it that you've not yet seen a Bilious Yellow or a Creepy Rose Marx figure yourself?
???
Nope! My guess is that these alternate colors were extremely limited even in the 60's and may have only been regional offerings?!
I got to looking again at the Marx monsters I do have and noticed another oddity; On the backs of some of my monsters there are circles, sometimes one sometimes 2 obviously having something to do with the manufacturing process?!? The oddity about it that these marks are not consistent on the orange or teal figures, nor are they consistent on the repros, some have them, some don't?!?! Could there have been more than 1 mold for each monster? They did have 12 factories worldwide could the monsters have been manufactured in more than one plant, accounting for differences in even original Marx monsters?
QuoteShould I understand that you would therefore not regard Marx production of these pieces in say 1964-65 - if Marx did indeed produce another run(s) - as "originals"? So you would therefore require not only Marx production but Marx production verifiably from 1963 to earn the "original" label?
Just a farmboy from Kansas..........what did you say? Make it easy on yourself....... For me any deviation of the information in the circles under base makes a figure questionable as original. Do you assume that production of figures with the MCMLXlll marking were produced in '64 and '65? That would be interesting if true, but such proof would be difficult to come by. And to me it wouldn't matter too much. In my mind there is no "other run", those figures I consider as original Marx monsters will have the MCMLXlll on the base, period. The original Marx monster production ended when MCMLXlll was altered or removed.....take it as fact or opinion......it's what I believe.
Quote(and I'm sure there where teal and orange sets made after 1963 by Marx
What proof is there that the original teal and orange Marx monsters were produced after '63? I've seen or heard of none.
QuoteThe plate cover up could be due to the popularity of these figures and the thought that they would/could be produced for years to come
Pure speculation..... I'll add acouple that are just as possible: 1. Marx altered the molds prior to selling the company off. Afterall, you don't buy the production mold as a yard ornament. Marx had to know there was a possibility the molds would be put back in action. 2. Quaker Oats altered the molds before selling them to the Mexicans. 3. The Mexicans actually felt it was necessary to distinguish their repros from the original figures. 4. Scatter, in an act of conscience, snuck into the old Marx factory and welded a bead across the MCMLXlll completely obliterating it. It took 2 months for the Mexicans to clean up his sloppy weld job, leaving a raised rectangle where the MCMXLlll once resided.
QuoteI take it that you've not yet seen a Bilious Yellow or a Creepy Rose Marx figure yourself?
And I don't believe you will............ till the Mexicans pump out something yellow and close to red. Kinda like what I suspect they did with the green.
Quote from: bigbud on January 25, 2012, 12:38:08 AM
............ till the Mexicans pump out something yellow and close to red. Kinda like what I suspect they did with the green.
Those are the two colors I would most like to find - Canary Yellow and a nice Fire Engine Red.
QuoteThose are the two colors I would most like to find - Canary Yellow and a nice Fire Engine Red.
If we knew where those molds resided in Mexico, we could shoot them a copy of that '64 ad claiming yellow, rose, and vile green. You'd have your wish within a month I bet. And an outbreak of E-bayers pronouncing a find of the rare and seldom seen lost colored monster figures............
Here are both my neon orange and milky orange [as Zombiehorror pointed out] Marx Phantoms. Both display the bar covering the date on the bottom. The milky orange figure also includes a price tag of 19 cents from some [i can only guess] long gone store called Neisner's. Those dastardly Mexican recasters obviously are willing to go to any lengths to make us gullible collectors believe this was produced during the 60's! CURSE THEM!!
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/marxPHANTOMS001.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/marxPHANTOMS002.jpg)
Quote from: Gasport on January 25, 2012, 01:10:50 AM
Those dastardly Mexican recasters obviously are willing to go to any lengths to make us gullible collectors believe this was produced during the 60's! CURSE THEM!!
It's even worse than that, it's an obvious attempt by Marx to recast their own figures after 1963 and attempt to pass them off as originals!!
Quote from: zombiehorror on February 26, 2010, 01:43:02 PM
Now going back to the Marx only came in teal and orange discussion, sometime last year I came upon a website; http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) were he has this picture and the following comment posted;
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/plasticmonsters2003.jpg)
"These Universal Monsters were my favorite plastic figures. They sold for ten cents apiece, but soon went up to a whopping nineteen cents. They came in bright, flourescent colors and I used to just stare at them for hours. I do mention these on my school page. I also tried painting them like models and ending up ruining them. So, off to Newberry's toy basement to buy another set."
So I wrote him asking about it, figuring he was getting Marx Monster confused with Nutty Mads in his fuzzy monster memories.
Is the colour of the Frankenstein figure what most posters are calling teal blue, or is it Vile Green? Or is the Hunchback teal blue, or some other colour?
???
You should ask this fellow if he'd like to join UMA. We could use his monstrous insights.
:)
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 24, 2012, 01:40:39 PM
Nope! My guess is that these alternate colors were extremely limited even in the 60's and may have only been regional offerings?!
Or perhaps sold only through one specific large retailer.
:-\
Quote from: bigbud on January 25, 2012, 12:38:08 AMDo you assume that production of figures with the MCMLXlll marking were produced in '64 and '65?
I have no assumptions. Quite simply, I never encountered these figures as a kid and what little I "know" about them I've learned from discussions on this forum. But you see you fellows have now infected me with your own enthusiasm for these figures and I'm trying to figure out how to tell a Marx produced figure from a Mexican reproduction.
Quote from: bigbud on January 25, 2012, 12:38:08 AMThat would be interesting if true, but such proof would be difficult to come by. And to me it wouldn't matter too much. In my mind there is no "other run", those figures I consider as original Marx monsters will have the MCMLXlll on the base, period. The original Marx monster production ended when MCMLXlll was altered or removed.....take it as fact or opinion......it's what I believe.
The precise point on which I'm still not clear is whether you don't believe Marx produced any figures after 1963, or whether you would not be willing to classify any production after the initial Marx run in 1963 as "original" even if Marx itself did additional later production runs.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on January 25, 2012, 10:48:43 AM
Is the colour of the Frankenstein figure what most posters are calling teal blue, or is it Vile Green? Or is the Hunchback teal blue, or some other colour?
You should ask this fellow if he'd like to join UMA. We could use his monstrous insights.
The blue Hunchback is representative of the common teal, although it looks way bluer in that picture! The Frankenstein is green but not what I (originally) considered vile green because of this picture:
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/monster-bin.jpg)
Which I also found at http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) If this picture represents the "original" colors then you have teal (Which does appear more accurately in this pic than his other.), orange, rose, green and yellow (Which if I'm correct is actually a lime green, at least to my eyes!?)
Who knows Jeff may just be a lurker at the UMA!??!
QuoteThose dastardly Mexican recasters obviously are willing to go to any lengths to make us gullible collectors believe this was produced during the 60's! CURSE THEM!!
Exactly! We need a catchy phrase to go by............. If it's got a bar, repro they are! Nice! Love, Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on January 25, 2012, 11:58:41 AM
Exactly! We need a catchy phrase to go by............. If it's got a bar, repro they are! Nice! Love, Buddy
Or.......If it's got a bar, it was made by Marx in '64'!! ;)
If you need my ear
If you want my time
Then I fear dear sir
You must speak in rhyme.
;)
QuoteIt's even worse than that, it's an obvious attempt by Marx to recast their own figures after 1963 and attempt to pass them off as originals!!
Very funny guys! I see where we differ in opinion........the word "original". I consider a figure cast in 1963 and with MCMLXlll to be original because that's the year they
first came out. For me....again.......for me, I want only such figures in my collection. Sure, your orange barred Phantom is from the 60's, but not 1963, or so I believe. I can show you my teal Phantom with MCMXLlll on the base.........I know it was produced in 1963..........your Phantom with a bar.......it was produced in ? I do indeed understand and admire you guys that want all color variations of the Marx Monsters, no matter how many continue to be pumped out. I'm sure you can understand my desire to only own those figures with the MCMLXlll on the base. Your definition of original is fine with me..........just isn't the same as mine. Buddy
The Gallery of Monster Toys has the Marx figures as circa 1969!
Quote from: Gallery of Monster ToysIn addition to battery-operated and wind-up toys, Louis Marx also manufactured a wide variety of solid plastic figurines. Marx produced figurines of dinosaurs, animals, soldiers, cowboys, Weird-Ohs, and every other pop-culture character imaginable. The classic monsters were no exception. Marx issued a set of six licensed Universal Monsters circa 1969. The set included Frankenstein, Wolfman, Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, and Hunchback of Notre Dame. The set was sold both loose, and together in a plastic bag with a printed logo that read "Cinema Creatures!" The monster figurines have been re-issued many times over the years, most recently as a glow-in-the-dark set by Uncle Milton in 1991.... But the original 60's versions were molded in blue and orange plastic. Other colors have also been reported.
Here's the link:
Gallery of Monster Toys :o
I have a complete set of teal and a complete set of orange figures...today i inspected the bases of them all. Every one of my teal examples had the roman numeral date except the Creature, while none of the orange ones did...makes me wonder if ANY of the original orange figures had the date on them...anybody out there have one?
Quote from: Gasport on January 25, 2012, 09:52:15 PM
.....teal examples had the roman numeral date except the Creature, while none of the orange ones did...makes me wonder if ANY of the original orange figures had the date on them...anybody out there have one?
More importantly does anyone have a teal Creature with MCMLXIII on it?
Quote from: Hepcat on January 25, 2012, 11:26:29 AM
I have no assumptions. Quite simply, I never encountered these figures as a kid and what little I "know" about them I've learned from discussions on this forum. But you see you fellows have now infected me with your own enthusiasm for these figures and I'm trying to figure out how to tell a Marx produced figure from a Mexican reproduction.
???
Go to your local Taco Bell, and order some Nachos. Place the figure 6 inches from the Nachos. Should the figure move toward the Nachos, you probably have a mexican reproduction.
Hearse......that's wrong...........just wrong..........
Quote from: Gasport on January 25, 2012, 01:10:50 AMThe milky orange figure also includes a price tag of 19 cents from some [i can only guess] long gone store called Neisner's.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/marxPHANTOMS002.jpg)
I've now read several accounts mentioning that these Marx figures were initially sold for $0.10 but the price was later raised to $0.19. This would also seem to indicate that Marx issued these figures over a period of several years.
:-\
Hey Guys, This is my first reply/post so if I don't follow correct UMA ettiquette please be kind. I loved the Marx monsters as a kid and still do. Over the last few years I have accumulated all six in original teal blue, original orange, lime green(unsure if original), Uncle Milton cream color and glow on blister card, and assorted Mexy repops. I remember well buying these figures in bins in mid '60s. I only ever saw the teal and orange (I still have most of my beat up originals as well as the upgraded sets mentioned above). I can tell you right now the info in the circles on the base bottom cannot be used as the end-all be-all way to tell if it is an original Marx. All of my original teal ones have the 1963 date (roman numerals of course), but all my original orange ones have the bar over the date. If you've stared at these beautiful figures all your life like I have you can tell they match the ones you bought as a kid (originals) by color and exact molding detail. My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe). From my personal experience of what I remember/own only the teal blue and orange ones came out in the '60s by Marx. The green ones are cool but they don't have the crisp detailing of the '60s figures so I think they must have come out later (I don't know exactly when). I think the orange ones with the bar across the date must have come out in 1964 and it was easier to bar out the date than change the mold. Also the plastic is a little less flat looking on the orange ones than the teal ones which corresponds to the way Marx switched from the "lead based" plastic, like with the series 3 nutty mads and the Marx dinosaurs. I think these figures are the most iconic monster kid toy period, even over Aurora models. Thanks for reading my reply.
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 26, 2012, 02:12:46 PM
I can tell you right now the info in the circles on the base bottom cannot be used as the end-all be-all way to tell if it is an original Marx. All of my original teal ones have the 1963 date (roman numerals of course), but all my original orange ones have the bar over the date. My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe).
Welcome aboard and thanks for the info!! This begs the question; If subsequent years had the date barred out then was the bar just some kind of temporary addition? It almost had to be since Uncle Milton's later repops bear the MCMLXIII or is it possible that there were/are more than one mold for each monster?!
Hi Zombie Horror, I dont know, I've always wondered about that. The bar was probably a small addition to block the date that the Uncle Milton people removed. That's why I was saying you can't just go by that date to tell what is a genuine Marx. So much time has gone by we may never know the truth behind this monster mystery.
Quote from: bigbud on January 19, 2012, 10:45:03 PM
Wicked Lester, thanks for the update on the figures. Gasport and several of us are still sorting out what is an original/ re-pop. Hey Lester.......a friend of mine pointed out that you might just be a very enthusiastic KISS fan......true? Buddy
Back in H.S I had a tarantula named Wicked Lester. Not sure if it was because of the pre-Kiss band but I doubt it cuz they sucked. Just like the name.
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 26, 2012, 10:16:34 AM
More importantly does anyone have a teal Creature with MCMLXIII on it?
I just checked mine. Yes I do. :)
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 26, 2012, 02:12:46 PM
My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe).
I think the Uncle Milton are more like mid to late 80's. I bought mine at a comic shop I frequented when my now 27 Y.O kid was maybe 4 Y.O. I painted them without any primer using enamel hobby paint and aside from a few chips they have held up for all that time.
(http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp47/WickedLester666/CIMG0774.jpg)
I would love to have a full set of the Vile green and at least a couple of the yellow.
Quote
More importantly does anyone have a teal Creature with MCMLXIII on it?
I just checked mine. Yes I do.
One mystery down.......... now does anyone have any of the old (notice I didn't say original) orange monsters with the MCMLXlll on the base?
I have 15 orange original marx monsters,none have the date on them and all have the bar across it. Most have 19 cent stamps and three have sticker tags two of which is from Newberrys and the other is just a No name sticker. I have watched many auctions and have not seen an orange monster with the date on it. Ever. I know for a fact at least one set is without a doubt vintage, I bought them from a family who's mother was going to a retirement home
and her Boys were my dad's age, he was born in 1954. Along with that set I also bought a sears Hamilton invaders set,with box. A voyage to the bottom of the sea sears set, with box. A mpc horror house target set only missing one bullet. Original marx dinosaurs with the pot bellied t rex. A marx bedrock flinstones set with box. Tons of marx 6 inch sotw figures, and many more items to numerous to mention. All the toys i got that day were from that era. So I don't doubt that the orange set is original. I have yet to see an orange that even closely resembles the original color. All of my teal/blue monsters have the date on them and I have 12 of them. So until someone shows up with proof otherwise all teals have dates and all oranges do not. It's pretty easy to tell the difference between old and reproduction, the plastic is different. And the old ones have particular smell to them. I would imagine it's the plastic
breaking down. That's my 19 cents worth anyway!
Did Marx, unlike most other companies, change the copyright date on the bottom of their toys as the years progressed and more runs were created? The impression is that Marx, like Auroura, had a good long run with their monsters. While Aurora added glow parts and changed the packaging (three times!) the copyright date on the models remained the same. Very often, copyright date is not the date of manufacture, but the date of registration or re-registration.
The only thing a copyright date is good for, is to let you know it can't be older then that date, and is possibly newer. I have some antiques which have serval copyright dates on them. Maybe the reason for the bar across the date on later issues was Marx would perfer not broadcasting, later on during the run, that the designs were several years old.
Frankenstein73........glad you finally added to this conversation. Lesson learned for me is that the oldest orange monster figures have the bar across the roman numerals. That is worth remembering. Buddy
You bet buddy. I've several of the reproduction sets as well,I started rebuying these monsters about 15 or so years ago. I remembered playing with my uncles set at my grandmothers house when i was a kid in the mid 70's. two of which i still have, a hunchback and franky! And if memory serves me correctly i didnt start seeing the colored mexican repros until around twelve years ago and they started showing up on ebay. Thats when i bought my first repro set,(dark blue)and a single black mummy. The blue set was good quality but The plastic was different shades from figure to figure,and the black mummy had major molding issues on his back. before then all I saw were the teal,orange, and the carded and loose glow versions. I never saw any other colors besides teal and orange until the repos started showing up,that's why I don't think they ever made the vile green, yellow, Or red. If they did it was extremely limited, although I vaguely recall (or imagined?)seeing a yellow one showing up before then on eBay and it sold for quite a bit more than the teal and oranges were bringing. At the time I had No idea that Marx had supposedly made more colors? But it's been a long time and a year Or so after that the Mexican sets started showing up. i wish i would have paid more attention and could remember the dates and years i spent looking at these better, it would help narrowing down when the repos were started being made. Oh well, hindsight i guess. And I just realized I messed up in my previous post. My dad was born in 1949 not 54. Oops, sorry dad!
Hi, new here... and looks like a fun place ;D
Erin had written me regarding those timeless childhood classics, the Marx 6" monsters (also favorites of my troubled youth).
Hopefully I'll be able to add something to the discussion in some way soon. Regretfully I never seem to have much of any spare time (including to eat dinner, ack...) but I'll try as I can :o
Right now, trying to check out the posts some.
Me?
Hello... my name is Mike... and some people think I'm... well, insane.
My site, ToyMemories.com (used to be 3 different; ToyMemories.com, MarxFiles.com and MultipleToymakers.com until AOL ambushed me and obliterated its' hosting, after which the three were mutated into just the TM site. Before= thousands of pics, a variety of articles. Now, a lot less pics and articles, which makes me sad.) and my interest is in toys (original Marx being my favorite), and the behind the scenes material and history. Mostly older stuff, I try to keep to early 1980's and back (newer stuff just isn't the same, to me at least).
Some people make fun of me and say that when I was young I had drawings of toys, and didn't have actual toys... haha... but I know that's just light-hearted kidding, as I had prototypes of toys too :o
So, thanks for having me, I'll look around a bit...
(http://www.toymemories.com/images/360_CreatureComeToB.jpeg)
(this was one of my older picture links for the Marx Files site, an original Marx design drawing, colorized, of my favorite... the Creature)
Welcome aboard Mike!!! As Mike mentioned I sent him an e-mail regarding some of these questions over the Marx monsters after I found his site http://www.marxfiles.com/ (http://www.marxfiles.com/), a site by the way which is loaded with tons of Marx info!!! I don't know how the site has escaped me as I've done searches for Marx stuff before and never found it?!? I do suggest everyone go and check it out!!
I also informed Mike about the Marx Frankenstein sculpt pics that were posted here a while back! If anyone has them saved (or is the owner of the sculpt) maybe they can be re-upped so he (and others that may have missed them) can check them out?!
I look forward to any info that can be dug up on the Marx Monsters, hopefully some still exists in the documents of the Marx files?!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/marxfrankenstein.jpg)
Love the Strange Frank!
Thanks, Erin! ;)
Yes, that was some e-mail... haha
I believe I saw the original monster prototypes when they "first" sold, but they went way more than I could handle. Like I mention, my brain is perpetually swamped, but I even think I saw one of them re-sell after that (again, expensive). I do own a variety of other original Marx 6" figure prototypes, and they're extra cool art in that size.
I know I have some info., not all-inclusive, but I have to dig it up (could take a little time). Personally, before the Mexican re-issues showed up, all I had seen since I was a kid were the blue and orange like many others here apparently.
One of my favorite things, check my post above as I added a pic; I had taken an original Marx design drawing for the Creature (it was the one I liked best out of the 6), colorized it and used it for a site link a while back.
Below, here, is one of various site title pics I had used when the MarxFiles site was independent of the others. I had changed the title pic almost monthly for a while (sadly can't do that anymore...)
So, hopefully I'll be able to add something to the story.
Anyways, thanks again, Erin! Seems like a cool place...
(http://www.toymemories.com/images/647_10.05monsterTitle.jpeg)
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 24, 2012, 12:41:22 AM
Cream/Uncle Milton: The placement of the copyright info matches my teal set, the circled C is at the front of all the bases, the Marx info on the Hunchback is located on the same side as my teal
Glow/Uncle Milton: All copyrights again match my teal set, there is no Marx info on them.
I take it that the Uncle Milton Marx figures were properly licenced repros.
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/AUncle-1.jpg)
Were the cream ones packaged and sold the same way as the glow-in-the-dark ones? Do you have a picture of an Uncle Milton cream figure side-by-side with a glow one?
???
The Cream (or Buckskin) colored Marxies were issued in by Uncle Milton in 1991 as a boxed set, complete with paints and brush.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6790071171_da44ef1093_b.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6790071179_f3974553ed_b.jpg)
Quote from: Hepcat on January 30, 2012, 11:18:40 AM
I take it that the Uncle Milton Marx figures were properly licenced repros.
Were the cream ones packaged and sold the same way as the glow-in-the-dark ones? Do you have a picture of an Uncle Milton cream figure side-by-side with a glow one?
???
First question yes.
Next, as far as I know the cream were sold individually loose or in a boxset called Monster Studio, the glow were sold both on card and loose.
Finally, here's the best I could do since my girls have all the cream ones painted, this was the one that had the least paint on him!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/DSCN5625.jpg)
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 25, 2012, 11:47:23 AM
The blue Hunchback is representative of the common teal, although it looks way bluer in that picture! The Frankenstein is green but not what I (originally) considered vile green because of this picture:
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/monster-bin.jpg)
Which I also found at http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) If this picture represents the "original" colors then you have teal (Which does appear more accurately in this pic than his other.), orange, rose, green and yellow (Which if I'm correct is actually a lime green, at least to my eyes!?)
Did Jeff ever get back to you with respect to where he got that picture?
???
Lovin' this thread!
I bought my Uncle Milton's in that comic shop loose for $3 each over 20 something years ago. I was never much of a mummy figure fan until I got one in the vile green a few months back.
I had this awhile back but traded it to Bane and some other stuff for the Pop Top repops. This may or may not have some info needed to this thread but it is a cool mag nonetheless.
(http://www.playsetmagazine.com/photos/IssueNo11_cover.jpg)
Quote from: Hepcat on January 30, 2012, 12:09:12 PM
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/monster-bin.jpg)
Did Jeff ever get back to you with respect to where he got that picture?
???
So I sent Jeff an email asking him myself. Here is his reply:
Quote from: JeffThose images were created in photoshop to simulate the same ones sold in the early and mid 60's. A friend of mine had the gray re-issue set, and I took shots of them and retouched the colors in. There are still some pics of the colored figures around on the web. I've seen a blue hunchback out there.
Ulp!!! So the picture has been colourized and doesn't constitute evidence of the existence of the Bilious Rose and Creepy Yellow figures.
:(
Quote from: Hepcat on January 31, 2012, 12:29:04 PM
Ulp!!! So the picture has been colourized and doesn't constitute evidence of the existence of the heretofore unseen colours.
:(
No, I figured that photo was manipulated, the only evidence is Jeff's own recollection of seeing/having those colors and the info in Playset magazine that coincides!
These are really nice paint jobs! Love 'em!
Look at this shyster on Ebay slyly intimitating that his tan repros were molded by Marx in 1963:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marx-Universal-Monsters-Phantom-Hunchback-Wolfman-Frankenstein-Mummy-Creature-/170788140220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c3c434bc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marx-Universal-Monsters-Phantom-Hunchback-Wolfman-Frankenstein-Mummy-Creature-/170788140220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c3c434bc)
Quote from: schitzengrinzTitle says it all (or almost all!)
date on bottom says MCMLXIII which is 1963
>:(
Quote from: Dr.Terror on March 19, 2008, 11:06:53 PM
I always felt they needed to be painted to fully enjoy the sculpts. As good as any resin kit IMO. Here are a few from the Monster Studio kit I painted up, still gotta do the Creature and Mr. Modo.
(http://i28.tinypic.com/28ib2bd.jpg)
Nice! Beautiful paint job!
8)
Quote from: Eye of Kharis on March 18, 2008, 04:07:21 PM
Here's what I was thinking of that I mentioned in my earlier post:
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4373/64aldensdv6.jpg)
This is from a 1964 Aldens catalog -
Could you repost the picture please?
???
Quote from: bigbud on November 24, 2010, 08:51:25 PM
After many years of collecting I ran into this unusual item that carded two of the Japanese 6" soldiers.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/toyz026.jpg)
Awesome item!
Quote from: bigbud on November 24, 2010, 08:51:25 PMAlong with the great 6" Marx monsters, sculpted brilliantly, were the Cowboys, Indians, Romans, Vikings, knights, Marvel Super Heroes etc.
Do you have any of the Romans?
???
I finally finished painting my set after almost 10 years.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/doctorterror/PTDC0212.jpg)
Looking good!
Quote from: Dr.Terror on March 26, 2012, 12:00:32 PM
I finally finished painting my set after almost 10 years.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/doctorterror/PTDC0212.jpg)
Nice! Did you make any alterations to the first four you painted?
???
Added one more layer of color to the Mummy's face and painted Franks lips. I also trimmed the flashing on the creatures hands so the claws would be pronounced. I tried to go for the wild look of the Revenge lobby cards and the gorgeous color promo shots from Life. I love goooold.. I highly recommend painting at least one. The details in the sculpts are wonderful, quality you'd expect today.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/doctorterror/PTDC0217.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/doctorterror/PTDC0220.jpg)
Dr T.
Those paint jobs are SWEEEET! I really like what you did with them. Hopefully you have a few layers of dulcote on them so no chipping.
QuoteDo you have any of the Romans?
Yes, maybe 4.....these are hard plastic and I never really understood their chronology in the Marx figure series. I always thought they were first and the soft plastics came next......Buddy
I've heard that the Romans were among the figures sculpted only in Japan.
:-\
I believe a great majority of the Marx 6" (sometimes described as 5 1/2") hard plastic figures are currently on E-bay. Romans, Vikings, Knights, Egyptians. All look absolutely mint and most are in the $40 ea. range.........Buddy
Interesting! So making two lists:
HARD PLASTIC
Romans
Vikings
Knights
Egyptians
SOFTER PLASTIC
Universal Monsters
Nutty Mads
Weird-Ohs
Campus Cuties
Marvel Superheroes
Man from UNCLE
Can anyone expand upon these lists?
???
Softer plastic.....Cavemen, Cowboys, Indians, Blame-its, Knights, Vikings, Germans, Japanese, Disney, THRUSH agents.
Hey, the rare 7th 6" German soldier is currently on E-bay. He is thrusting down with his bayonet. Unfortunately this figure is minus the bayonet blade.....
Okay. So I'm amending my lists as follows:
HARD PLASTIC
Romans
Egyptians
SOFTER PLASTIC
Universal Monsters
Nutty Mads
Blame-Its
Weird-Ohs
Campus Cuties
Marvel Superheroes
Men from UNCLE & Thrush Agents
Cavemen
Vikings
Knights
Old West Cowboys & Indians
WWII Soldiers
Disney Figures
8)
Amend again......Knights and Vikings are in both hard and soft plastic sets.
Okay. That's the kind of info I need:
HARD PLASTIC
Romans
Egyptians
Knights
Vikings
SOFTER PLASTIC
Universal Monsters
Nutty Mads
Blame-Its
Weird-Ohs
Campus Cuties
Marvel Superheroes
Men from UNCLE & Thrush Agents
Cavemen
Vikings
Knights
Old West Cowboys & Indians
WWII Soldiers
Disney Figures
:)
I had few of the large hand-painted Romans (one of which had a curiously botched paint job). Bought them at Woolworth's. Also had some of the big soft plastic WW2 figs (mostly Germans). And, of course, some Nutty Mads. A fond memory: After a harrowing trip to the dentist, my Dad surprised me with two items to salve my psychic wounds: A copy of Meet the Beatles AND a Nutty Mad (Waldo the Weight Lifter). Those were likely also procured at Woolworth's, since it was down the street from where he worked.
Quote from: dlhenderson on March 29, 2012, 09:02:59 AM
I had few of the large hand-painted Romans (one of which had a curiously botched paint job).
Neat! I didn't realize that the Romans came painted. They were the hard plastic, were they not?
???
Hep, I believe all the hard plastics came painted.......again.........most all the hard plastics are on E-bay at the moment in around the $40 range and down. Take a look.......... Bud
Not bad at all. Here's an image of one of the Roman soldiers I lifted from Ebay:
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/ARoman.jpg)
8)
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 26, 2012, 02:12:46 PMAlso the plastic is a little less flat looking on the orange ones than the teal ones which corresponds to the way Marx switched from the "lead based" plastic, like with the series 3 nutty mads and the Marx dinosaurs. I think these figures are the most iconic monster kid toy period, even over Aurora models. Thanks for reading my reply.
Are you saying that the series one and series two Nutty Mads were made from lead based plastic and are flatter looking than the series three Nutty Mads whose plastic did not include lead? Would the Marx Weird-Ohs have been made from glossier plastic as well therefore? And were the dinosaurs made from flatter or glossier plastic?
???
Hi Hepcat, I'm certainly no expert on this but the plastic changed on Marx figures around 1964. I collect Marx Prehistoric Times playsets as well as monster stuff, and I've read dinosaur collectors refer to the earlier Marx dinos as being made from "lead-based plastic". These older dinos are more sought after because there were small variations in many of them called "marbling" where small color variations would occur. The later plastic is always uniform in color and slightly glossy, not flat like the older plastic. There is no consensus as to why Marx switched plastics. Some theories are that the new plastic came out of the molds easier which led to less time loss due to cleaning of the molds. Maybe the new plastic mix was just cheaper? Who knows? Anyhoo, Marx seemed to have changed the type of plastic on all their figures. This must have happened in '64 because the first run of Marx monsters (teal color) came out in 1963 and they are obviously the older flat-type plastic. The second run of monsters (orange color) came out in 1964 and they seem to be the newer type of plastic. If you hold a teal blue monster and an orange monster up to a bright light the orange one will look slightly translucent by comparison. This is really apparent with the third series Nutty Mads (glossy green color) which came out in '64, as they are obviously slightly translucent compared to the earlier, flat color, Nuttys. All of my Marx Weidos are the older flat color plastic, even though they are dated 1964 on the base bottom (in regular numbers, as opposed to roman numerals, strangely enough). Maybe the Weirdos came out just before Marx switched plastic recipes in '64. I think '64 must have been the date of the plastic switch because the Weirdos are the older plastic and the series three Nuttys are the newer plastic, and both series came out in '64. I wish someone that worked for Marx back in the day would come forward and clear some of this up for us. I hope this helps, Hepcat. I always love to discuss this crazy stuff. Oh, by the way, I just ordered a six foot Jack Davis Frankenstein poster repro. I've been wanting to hang one of those babies for 40 years. Cheers, Michael
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 08, 2012, 02:18:56 PMThis is really apparent with the third series Nutty Mads (glossy green color) which came out in '64, as they are obviously slightly translucent compared to the earlier, flat color, Nuttys. All of my Marx Weidos are the older flat color plastic, even though they are dated 1964 on the base bottom (in regular numbers, as opposed to roman numerals, strangely enough). Maybe the Weirdos came out just before Marx switched plastic recipes in '64. I think '64 must have been the date of the plastic switch because the Weirdos are the older plastic and the series three Nuttys are the newer plastic, and both series came out in '64.... I hope this helps, Hepcat. I always love to discuss this crazy stuff.
Yes, that it does!
:)
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 08, 2012, 02:18:56 PMOh, by the way, I just ordered a six foot Jack Davis Frankenstein poster repro.
I wonder what an original would fetch these days?
???
Quote from: frankenstein73 on January 29, 2012, 12:55:49 AM
You bet buddy. I've several of the reproduction sets as well,I started rebuying these monsters about 15 or so years ago. I remembered playing with my uncles set at my grandmothers house when i was a kid in the mid 70's. two of which i still have, a hunchback and franky! And if memory serves me correctly i didnt start seeing the colored mexican repros until around twelve years ago and they started showing up on ebay. Thats when i bought my first repro set,(dark blue)and a single black mummy. The blue set was good quality but The plastic was different shades from figure to figure,and the black mummy had major molding issues on his back. before then all I saw were the teal,orange, and the carded and loose glow versions. I never saw any other colors besides teal and orange until the repos started showing up,that's why I don't think they ever made the vile green, yellow, Or red. If they did it was extremely limited, although I vaguely recall (or imagined?)seeing a yellow one showing up before then on eBay and it sold for quite a bit more than the teal and oranges were bringing. At the time I had No idea that Marx had supposedly made more colors? But it's been a long time and a year Or so after that the Mexican sets started showing up. i wish i would have paid more attention and could remember the dates and years i spent looking at these better, it would help narrowing down when the repos were started being made. Oh well, hindsight i guess. And I just realized I messed up in my previous post. My dad was born in 1949 not 54. Oops, sorry dad!
LOOK! its a yellow mummy! he has been painted over but you can see the yellow underneath and it has the DATE! I knew i had seen one before. this thing looks vintage to me. heres the link. (i saved the pics and will post them permantly later) i just wish id have seen it before the guy that used the buy it now. dang!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3a707faf43&item=250995519299&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=AODzDHAHWrLAh%252FcZbgf0%252BF%252BgcH0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3a707faf43&item=250995519299&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=AODzDHAHWrLAh%252FcZbgf0%252BF%252BgcH0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
I don't know Jeff.........I see a mighty definite greenish to those photos. Lighting can be tricky........Buddy
Quote from: Dr.Terror on March 26, 2012, 12:00:32 PM
I finally finished painting my set after almost 10 years.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/doctorterror/PTDC0212.jpg)
Outstanding Doc!! What you lack in speed you make up for in quality!
You may be right buddy, I looked at them on my computer instead or my phone and it looks more questionable. Plus it looks like the plastic is marbled yellow and brown like it wasn't mixed? Maybe marx had trouble with the other colors mixing and that's why we only see teal and orange? And only a few rejects of the other colors got out. Or its just antother mexrepo.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 02, 2010, 10:06:42 AM
...the Ebay seller listed it with an original Phantom saying both figures were from 1964. But now after seeing and discussing this with you as well as Playset magazine I now present as an original
1964 MARX FRANKENSTEIN IN VILE GREEN
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxFrankensteins-1.jpg)
Two questions:
1. Is the plastic dull like that of the teal figures or is it glossy and somewhat translucent like that of the orange figures?
2. Does it smell the same as your orange figures as opposed to like the newer Mexican recastings?
???
Re: "Vile" Green Frankenstein, I have all six in this shade of green. I picked them up from eBay auctions in the last few years. Some have the bar where the date should be (like the original orange ones from '64), and some are blank where the date should be. A lot of dealers represent these as original to the '60s. I was on the fence about these green ones being original for awhile. The plastic is flat looking like the teal blue originals, but they don't seem to have that smell of the older lead-based plastic. I finally concluded these green ones must be repops because of the sloppy molding...there is a lot of excess plastic on the molding seems on some of them like those Mexican repops they crank out these days. This is especially apparent on the green wolfman. There is so much plastic sticking out the sides of his head he almost looks like he has werewolf ears. In the original teal blue and orange ones the molds were cleaned regularly and you didn't get all of this excess on the mold seems. I like the green ones and they look way cool, I just think they came out of the molds too imperfect to be original to the '60s....Louis Marx had better quality control than that.
I agree, HH. Too much flash plastic, just like the white "Uncle Milty" one behind it.
So you're saying the quality control was bad on the Uncle Millton Glow-in-the-Dark rereleases?
???
Thanks Monster Bob. Yeah Hep, let's just say I've got a Marx Phantom in teal blue, orange, green, mexi-repop black, Uncle Milty beige and glow; the Uncle Milty glow is in a sealed blister pack I bought at TRU about 20 years ago and it's the only one with a broken mask. There's the mask, bouncing around inside the blister. So the verdict is: Louis Marx would have fired Uncle Milton for sucky quality control.
The more modern plastics used are much more brittle- the newer plastics snap- the old stuff had to be chewed off!
Quote from: Hepcat on April 15, 2012, 01:19:26 PM
So you're saying the quality control was bad on the Uncle Millton Glow-in-the-Dark rereleases?
???
Or more likely, the molds were showing their age.
Not sure about the quality of the plactic but the Unlce Milton versions are devoid of much details. I bought a few sets of beige Mexico re-pops with incredibly crisp details. They have the Marx and Uni logo. Except Hunch, no Uni.
The Marx molds were def altered for the milton release at least for the copyright info.
As for the plastic. My uncle milton Monster Studio figures are much more brittle than the mexico versions. Broken phantom mask, broken fingers on other characters. I'm guesing the army man plastic used must have been different and just not as flexible.
Here are a couple of photos of my Marx Nutty Mads Bagatelle Game:
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/ActionBagatelleGame.jpg)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/NuttyMadsGame.jpg)
8)
Interesting to see the drawn versions of the familiar Nutty Mads on that bagatelle game, Hep.
Here's a gaggle of the green ones I got off eBay around ten years ago. They aren't the flat "lead" versions I had as a kid. Wonder how much lead I ingested from various toys and things back in the 50s. Maybe that's why I'm a Space Cadet!
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/800/umanuttymadgreen2.jpg)
Quote from: dlhenderson on August 16, 2012, 08:12:13 AM
Interesting to see the drawn versions of the familiar Nutty Mads on that bagatelle game, Hep.
Here's a gaggle of the green ones I got off eBay around ten years ago. They aren't the flat "lead" versions I had as a kid.
Do you think that they're still Marx originals as opposed to repops?
???
They have the Marx imprint on the bottom, and the lady I bought them from claimed that her husband had them when he was a kid. Are there any repops that don't have the Mexican imprint? Here's a close-up of the two types of plastic. Took advantage of a beam of morning sun coming through my kitchen window for proper Nutty Mad illumination.
(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2117/umanuttymadcomp2.jpg)
Quote from: dlhenderson on August 16, 2012, 08:12:13 AM
Interesting to see the drawn versions of the familiar Nutty Mads on that bagatelle game, Hep.
Here's a gaggle of the green ones I got off eBay around ten years ago. They aren't the flat "lead" versions I had as a kid. Wonder how much lead I ingested from various toys and things back in the 50s. Maybe that's why I'm a Space Cadet!
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/800/umanuttymadgreen2.jpg)
My dad use to have the green weight lifter and he got it in the early 80's from a garage sale. I'm guessing if they are repops they are old ones.
They're marked 1963 (in roman numerals, of course) on the bottom.
That right there plus the gaudy limegreen colour may be the key. From Wikipedia:
Quote from: WikipediaIn the 1980s and '90s, recastings from the original Marx molds began to appear from PlastiMarx out of Mexico. These are usually (but not always) a cream color, do not carry the Marx copyright on the bottom, and are worth considerably less than the originals.
From the Nutty Mad Men website:
Quote from: Nutty Mad MenAfter Louis Marx & Co. was sold to Quaker Oats in 1972, the Nutty Mad molds were purchased by a Mexican company called Plastimarx, which manufactured new toys from the old molds. These versions are distinguished by their cream-colored palette and are worth considerably less than the Marx originals. Further reissues (in white and black) were produced through the 1990s... but none of these have quite the aesthetic impact of their brighter hued forebears....
;)
Quote from: Dr.Terror on April 15, 2012, 07:33:51 PM
Not sure about the quality of the plastic but the Uncle Milton versions are devoid of much details. I bought a few sets of beige Mexico re-pops with incredibly crisp details. They have the Marx and Uni logo. Except Hunch, no Uni.
The Marx molds were def altered for the Milton release at least for the copyright info.
As for the plastic. My uncle Milton Monster Studio figures are much more brittle than the Mexico versions. Broken phantom mask, broken fingers on other characters. I'm guessing the army man plastic used must have been different and just not as flexible.
I
couldn't agree with you
more, Dr. Terror!
Especially the Monster Studio set. A cool idea, presentation wise, but junk if you want to use the set(busted, malformed characters). It displays well though.
I don't understand. How can the Monster Studio figures display well if they're malformed and prone to breakage? And does this apply to the Glow-in-the-Dark Uncle Milton figures as well as the Monster Studio ones?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on August 16, 2012, 07:29:59 PM
I don't understand. How can the Monster Studio figures display well if they're malformed and prone to breakage? And does this apply to the Glow-in-the-Dark Uncle Miltie figures as well as the Monster Studio ones?
???
Okay, Hepcat...
I'm sorry, I didn't make myself more clear to the community. :-\
When I said "It displays well though", you have to understand that
I find some items look better in the box and some look better out of the box.
I meant the box. I think this "Monster Studio" displays well
with contents in the box. Your mileage may vary.
Here's the box
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudio.jpg)
The water color paint set is dollar store-lame IMHO (Stick a bat or a cob web on the plastic cover~or something). The idea was to paint and repaint and repaint these monsters for hours of fun (and wash off the watercolor when you're done and start again). I haven't tried it but I don't think I want to paint these plastic monsters with water color paints. That's just me.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudiowatercolors.jpg)
The monsters included were substandard castings. Several in my kit were deformed and, as Dr. Terror mentioned, brittle with pieces missing. If one wanted to display Marx Monsters, get the real deals. They are out there. But the castings in
this kit are poor and best left in the box.
A Hunchback comparison~Uncle Milton Monster Studio example on the left(deformed hand, no thumb) and a much better late issue on the right
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudioHunch.jpg)
Frankenstein base. A very poor casting in this set
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudioFrank.jpg)
Now, perhaps my set was the only flawed set sold. I don't know, I've only got this one. If and when I ever display it (I ran out of room and need another monster room wing), it will display in the box.
I believe some things display better
in the package and other things out
of the package. In the words of the Big Bopper, " I knoooow what I like!"
In package:Horroscope. It's going to stay in its wrap, the way it came.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/horrorscope.jpg)
Hasbro paint sets. Unless canvas is painted, no use displaying the unused contents
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/paints.jpg)
Out of the package:Monster Old Maid set. I love these cards and had to display a few
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/monsteroldmaid.jpg)
Green Ghost, Haunted House and Bats in the Belfry. Way better seeing the pieces though the box art is great
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/greenghost_hauntedhouse_bats.jpg)
I hope this clears up my statement
Quote from: dlhenderson on August 16, 2012, 01:38:09 PM
They're marked 1963 (in roman numerals, of course) on the bottom.
they sounds originals to me.
Drool...
Quote from: Richard on August 16, 2012, 09:28:17 PM
Okay, Hepcat...
I'm sorry, I didn't make myself more clear to the community. :-\
When I said "It displays well though", you have to understand that I find some items look better in the box and some look better out of the box. I meant the box. I think this "Monster Studio" displays well with contents in the box. Your mileage may vary.
Here's the box
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudio.jpg)
The water color paint set is dollar store-lame IMHO (Stick a bat or a cob web on the plastic cover~or something). The idea was to paint and repaint and repaint these monsters for hours of fun (and wash off the watercolor when you're done and start again). I haven't tried it but I don't think I want to paint these plastic monsters with water color paints. That's just me.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudiowatercolors.jpg)
The monsters included were substandard castings. Several in my kit were deformed and, as Dr. Terror mentioned, brittle with pieces missing. If one wanted to display Marx Monsters, get the real deals. They are out there. But the castings in this kit are poor and best left in the box.
A Hunchback comparison~Uncle Milton Monster Studio example on the left(deformed hand, no thumb) and a much better late issue on the right
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudioHunch.jpg)
Frankenstein base. A very poor casting in this set
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudioFrank.jpg)
Now, perhaps my set was the only flawed set sold. I don't know, I've only got this one. If and when I ever display it (I ran out of room and need another monster room wing), it will display in the box.
I believe some things display better in the package and other things out of the package. In the words of the Big Bopper, " I knoooow what I like!"
In package:
Horroscope. It's going to stay in its wrap, the way it came.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/horrorscope.jpg)
Hasbro paint sets. Unless canvas is painted, no use displaying the unused contents
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/paints.jpg)
Out of the package:
Monster Old Maid set. I love these cards and had to display a few
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/monsteroldmaid.jpg)
Green Ghost, Haunted House and Bats in the Belfry. Way better seeing the pieces though the box art is great
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/greenghost_hauntedhouse_bats.jpg)
I hope this clears up my statement
well i'm drooling.
You are a Master of Display (and Monsters) Richard!
8)
Quote from: horror1o1 on August 16, 2012, 09:31:06 PM
they sounds originals to me.
Here's a close-up of one of the bases.
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/595/umanuttyclose1.jpg)
And those last few display shots are...just DAMN.
Quote from: Richard on August 16, 2012, 09:28:17 PM
The water color paint set is dollar store-lame IMHO (Stick a bat or a cob web on the plastic cover~or something).
I agree! An added detail like that would mean everything.
Quote from: Richard on August 16, 2012, 09:28:17 PM
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/monsteroldmaid.jpg)
That Godzilla game is a tough one! Are its contents not worthy of display?
???
I first saw the Godzilla Game in like 1967 or so, at a town "fall festival" that they used to have at the High School, with autumn/Halloween games for the kiddies, etc. They always had a table of 'for sale' goodies, mostly used kid's games and puzzles, garage sale style. The Godzilla Game sat on this table that year, and was priced at like 25c, which of course I didn't have in First Grade! Waaah! I stood mesmerized by the art on the box, though, and never forgot it. It took me years to find one once I started looking, and finally bought one from Hake's in the mid-80s, for what was then a lot of money. Funny and ironically, I found the matching Kong game soon after- at the garage sale of a family I went to school with, for...15c(!) True Story.
Quote from: Monster Bob on August 16, 2012, 10:20:33 PM
You are a Master of Display (and Monsters) Richard!
8)
Thank you, Monster Bob! This means a lot coming from you (as your displays/collections are awesome!!!) :)
Quote from: dlhenderson on August 16, 2012, 10:28:10 PM
Here's a close-up of one of the bases.
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/595/umanuttyclose1.jpg)
And those last few display shots are...just DAMN.
Just based from the ones I have and the one my Dad had I would say these are original.
Quote from: Monster Bob on August 16, 2012, 10:45:12 PM
I first saw the Godzilla Game in like 1967 or so, at a town "fall festival" that they used to have at the High School, with autumn/Halloween games for the kiddies, etc. They always had a table of 'for sale' goodies, mostly used kid's games and puzzles, garage sale style. The Godzilla Game sat on this table that year, and was priced at like 25c, which of course I didn't have in First Grade! Waaah! I stood mesmerized by the art on the box, though, and never forgot it. It took me years to find one once I started looking, and finally bought one from Hake's in the mid-80s, for what was then a lot of money. Funny and ironically, I found the matching Kong game soon after- at the garage sale of a family I went to school with, for...15c(!) True Story.
I also love the art of the Godzilla game. Hopefully I find one someday.
Quote from: Hepcat on August 16, 2012, 10:29:50 PM
That Godzilla game is a tough one! Are its contents not worthy of display?
???
No, unless the board is displayed. The game pieces are plain multicolor plastic and there is a wooden round disc which is the missle. The spinner is cool. But I think this game displays better closed (Incredible cover graphics). I have the 6 Hasbro mystery games displayed like this too. I always thought a 6 foot poster of all the gameboards would be cool. Think it would, anyway.
I don't know about "tough one"~ this is my original birthday present (from 1964, I believe). Like much of my stuff, it's always been "with" me.
Monster Bob, LOVE your Godzilla story!! I, too, didn't have a King Kong game till much much later. Monster Bash 2 (1998) is where I found it. Cheap, but a lot more than 15c ! LOL
Quote from: Monster Bob on August 16, 2012, 10:45:12 PMIt took me years to find one once I started looking, and finally bought one from Hake's in the mid-80s, for what was then a lot of money. Funny and ironically, I found the matching Kong game soon after- at the garage sale of a family I went to school with, for...15c(!)
Cool! Were they in comparable condition?
???
Quote from: Richard on August 16, 2012, 11:46:53 PMThank you, Monster Bob! This means a lot coming from you (as your displays/collections are awesome!!!) :)
You wouldn't happen to know approximately when he may have posted pictures in the Monster Room thread, would you?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on August 17, 2012, 08:45:58 AM
You wouldn't happen to know approximately when he may have posted pictures in the Monster Room thread, would you?
???
No.
But Bob's a good friend. Over the years, I've seen~and believe. :)
Btw, I don't know that I've posted any pics in a "monster room thread". Is that thread in the modern monster section? I only have 60s and 70s stuff on display (and a sprinkling of late model stuff)
Quote from: Richard on August 17, 2012, 12:49:45 PM
Is that thread in the modern monster section?
Here it is:
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=106.0 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=106.0)
Quote from: Richard on August 17, 2012, 12:49:45 PMI only have 60s and 70s stuff on display (and a sprinkling of late model stuff)
That's precisely what most of us want to see! So show us your stuff!
;)
SWEET collection Richard. I'm a graphics guy myself and if I had the $$ I'd have even more stuff in my already crowded rooms.
Quote from: Richard on August 17, 2012, 12:49:45 PM
I only have 60s and 70s stuff on display (and a sprinkling of late model stuff)
Oh, I see............all you have are the
FREAKING GOLDEN AGE monster toys. I beg you......post pics. Soon. PLEASE!!! :D :D
WOW, Richard! That display of yours is nothing short of hypnotic!! My eyes glazed over and i felt a drool string about to escape from the corner of my mouth within seconds...can only imagine how cool it must be to oggle in person!
Quote from: Wicked Lester on August 17, 2012, 06:47:19 PM
SWEET collection Richard. I'm a graphics guy myself and if I had the $$ I'd have even more stuff in my already crowded rooms.
Quote from: Gasport on August 17, 2012, 08:56:47 PM
WOW, Richard! That display of yours is nothing short of hypnotic!! My eyes glazed over and i felt a drool string about to escape from the corner of my mouth within seconds...can only imagine how cool it must be to oggle in person!
Quote from: Scatter on August 17, 2012, 07:05:45 PM
Oh, I see............all you have are the FREAKING GOLDEN AGE monster toys. I beg you......post pics. Soon. PLEASE!!! :D :D
Thank you, all! :) But nothing really special in my collection.
The things I have~ everyone has seen
all of this stuff already,
and more (in the Media /gallery section of UMA).
However, I have my ideas of display which could be different than the next person. So perhaps I can show pics of my monster room in the interest of how I like to arrange things. That could be useful. It might help out someone else with their display. Some items are mint. Some are so-so. But I attempt to work everything into an interesting display with an emphasis on maximum viewing (understanding that the space to contain this is severely limited).
Hepcat has a link to the "show your monster room" section in a previous post. I see it
is in the modern toy section. I'd
really like to start a thread right here~ in
this vintage section. Not to confuse or duplicate but most of my displayed stuff is just that~vintage era. Let me think about it. :-\
Quote from: Toy Ranch on March 17, 2008, 10:06:44 AM
Orange and Blue are the only two original colors. They were the only colors anyone had seen until the first repros started coming out in the mid-1980's. The date and markings are not consistent on the bottoms of them. The first reissued were cream colored, and then the glow ones came out. After that they started coming in many other colors too.
I agree. However, I don't know if collectors of the originals are aware that all six original figures, in sets of three orange and three blue, were sold in plastic ILLUSTRATED BAGS...! I have only seen an original illustrated bag once, but I am certain it exists (though I could be wrong about the color combinations - they might have been sold six blue in a bag and six orange in a bag). I also believe retailers opened these bags and dumped the loose figures into bins for merchandising. Sometimes these figures are found with ink stamped prices on the base (like 25 cents). I do remember seeing MARX plastic figures (which I call "waxy plastic") in the five and dime stores of the mid 1960s when I was a babe in the Woo...lworths...! Collectors of certain types of Halloween plastic (particularly sucker holders) call those pieces "hard plastic" (but I think they should be called "brittle plastic"). I have long collected Halloween and monsters, so my five and 10 cent store memories are invaluable to me! :)
Quote from: Allhallowsday on August 21, 2012, 10:19:09 PM
I agree. However, I don't know if collectors of the originals are aware that all six original figures, in sets of three orange and three blue, were sold in plastic ILLUSTRATED BAGS...! I have only seen an original illustrated bag once, but I am certain it exists (though I could be wrong about the color combinations - they might have been sold six blue in a bag and six orange in a bag). I also believe retailers opened these bags and dumped the loose figures into bins for merchandising. Sometimes these figures are found with ink stamped prices on the base (like 25 cents). I do remember seeing MARX plastic figures (which I call "waxy plastic") in the five and dime stores of the mid 1960s when I was a babe in the Woo...lworths...! Collectors of certain types of Halloween plastic (particularly sucker holders) call those pieces "hard plastic" (but I think they should be called "brittle plastic"). I have long collected Halloween and monsters, so my five and 10 cent store memories are invaluable to me! :)
I know nutty mads came in a similar type of bag as well.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on August 21, 2012, 10:19:09 PMCollectors of certain types of Halloween plastic (particularly sucker holders) call those pieces "hard plastic" (but I think they should be called "brittle plastic").
I take it you're referring to the sucker holders as brittle plastic as opposed to the Marx figures.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on August 22, 2012, 10:12:42 AM
I take it you're referring to the sucker holders as brittle plastic as opposed to the Marx figures.
???
Yes, Halloween sucker holders are very easily cracked, chipped, and you wouldn't want to drop one! Also, they are subject to melt marks. I refer to them as "brittle plastic" but it's not a term that has caught on. I refer to Nutty Mads, Marx 1964 Monsters, MPC Pop Tops and Weird Monsters as "waxy plastic". As far as I know, nobody else does. I do hear the term "hard plastic", particularly for the Marx Monsters because they are heavy, durable, and you wouldn't want one thrown at your head!
Waxy plastic is probably the best term for them though.
The problem is that I don't even know what Halloween sucker holders are so I can't make the comparison.
???
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/covertestsz1.jpg)
Here is a pic I took 3 or 4 years ago - it shows one "sucker holder" (we called them "lolipops" not "suckers" when I was a kid). The sucker holder is the masked "party goer" on the left side of the image holding the flat pumpkin. When new this toy, which is on wheels, would have had a few "suckers," probably wrapped together in cellophane and secured with a rubber band, in the pouch on his back.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on August 22, 2012, 02:10:12 PM
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/covertestsz1.jpg)
Here is a pic I took 3 or 4 years ago - it shows one "sucker holder" (we called them "lolipops" not "suckers" when I was a kid). The sucker holder is the masked "party goer" on the left side of the image holding the flat pumpkin. When new this toy, which is on wheels, would have had a few "suckers," probably wrapped together in cellophane and secured with a rubber band, in the pouch on his back.
still drooling over the STrange bucket. Man that thing is beautiful.
Quote from: horror1o1 on August 22, 2012, 05:56:13 PM
still drooling over the STrange bucket. Man that thing is beautiful.
You ain't kiddin' brother.
Finally got the MARX monsters pic to load:
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/MARXUniversalMonstersTWELVEblue1sz.jpg)
I'm wondering how many kids ever used the Phantom figure as a stand-in for Dracula? Too bad Marx never made one.
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/MARXUniversalMonsterssixORANGE1sz.jpg)
I have the blue set but need/want the orange set of Marx monsters. PM sent.
Here's some closed auctions of the orange MARX monsters:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item337aceae83&item=221103697539&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item337aceae83&item=221103697539&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item2572ae057a&item=160837797242&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item2572ae057a&item=160837797242&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item4845f1d712&item=310411122450&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item4845f1d712&item=310411122450&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=x29VQ1u1FfTP7gVeJxy5V87DAOg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
Quote from: Richard on August 20, 2012, 01:18:03 AM
Hepcat has a link to the "show your monster room" section in a previous post. I see it is in the modern toy section. I'd really like to start a thread right here~ in this vintage section. Not to confuse or duplicate but most of my displayed stuff is just that~vintage era. Let me think about it. :-\
We definitely don't need a new "vintage" toy room thread. Most posters have toys that are all mixed together. At what year would you draw the line? How would you separate things out?
The original poster probably put the thread in the Modern Toy forum because the rooms are quite naturally from today.
:)
Quote from: Allhallowsday on August 21, 2012, 10:19:09 PMHowever, I don't know if collectors of the originals are aware that all six original figures, in sets of three orange and three blue, were sold in plastic ILLUSTRATED BAGS...! I have only seen an original illustrated bag once, but I am certain it exists (though I could be wrong about the color combinations - they might have been sold six blue in a bag and six orange in a bag).
The Marx Weird-Ohs and perhaps the Nutty Mads as well were also sold in their own separate cellophane bags with printed graphics. Does anyone have any of the Nutty Mads or Marx Universal Monsters still in this kind of original packaging?
???
Quote from: Dr.Terror on March 19, 2008, 11:06:53 PM
(http://i28.tinypic.com/28ib2bd.jpg)
Boy in this pic Frankenstein really looks like Lon Chaney Jr. in Ghost of Frankenstein.
Proper paint sure brings out the sculpts, would love to see other Marx lines wtih a nice paint job!
(http://www.illustrationlives.com/images/illustrations/frankenstein_chaney_full.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img10/9493/marxmonsters.jpg)
I loved these plastic Universal monsters. I used to buy mine out of a bin as well. Newberry's toy basement actually, circa 1963. I also bought the large army men as well. Plastic figures were great.
Quote from: jeffs60s on October 05, 2012, 08:40:46 PM
I loved these plastic Universal monsters. I used to buy mine out of a bin as well. Newberry's toy basement actually, circa 1963. I also bought the large army men as well. Plastic figures were great.
That's a big ten-4 :D
Quote from: jeffs60s on October 05, 2012, 08:40:46 PM
I loved these plastic Universal monsters. I used to buy mine out of a bin as well. Newberry's toy basement actually, circa 1963.
Where was this? Was Newberry's a chain? Was it like Kresge and Woolworth?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on October 06, 2012, 09:00:49 AM
Where was this? Was Newberry's a chain? Was it like Kresge and Woolworth?
???
The one I used to go to as a kid in LA was something like a Woolworth.
I'm not sure if Newberry's was a chain or not. There were two of them in Portland, Oregon. For official lookup reference, they were: J.J. Newberry Co.
Quote from: jeffs60s on October 06, 2012, 01:41:35 PM
I'm not sure if Newberry's was a chain or not. There were two of them in Portland, Oregon. For official lookup reference, they were: J.J. Newberry Co.
It was indeed a chain, and the last store closed in 1977. More info here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.J._Newberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.J._Newberry)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 30, 2012, 08:32:01 PM
I bought my Uncle Milton's in that comic shop loose for $3 each over 20 something years ago. I was never much of a mummy figure fan until I got one in the vile green a few months back.
I had this awhile back but traded it to Bane and some other stuff for the Pop Top repops. This may or may not have some info needed to this thread but it is a cool mag nonetheless.
(http://www.playsetmagazine.com/photos/IssueNo11_cover.jpg)
Never saw the magazine. Perhaps Jim Bertges held onto it?
I wouldn't mind having a set, even the Mexican pops. How much does one of the later sets run?
Quote from: Haunted hearse on October 07, 2012, 06:52:57 PM
I wouldn't mind having a set, even the Mexican pops. How much does one of the later sets run?
i have thought about getting the repops myself but i keep hearing the detail isn't very good on them.
Get repops if they are cheap, paint them when you find originals.
Quote from: jimm on October 07, 2012, 08:10:44 PM
Get repops if they are cheap, paint them when you find originals.
yup that was my thoughts exactly
Yes, they look friggen sweet with a nice paint job
I really need to find some of these but they are going for too high online. A few years back i went to a toy show and never seen on above $20 bucks most were much lower but i spent my money a decoder pim like Ralphie's from "a Christmas Story"
horror101, the message is always the same....drink your Ovaltine.....ha!
Quote from: bigbud on October 13, 2012, 08:46:54 PM
horror101, the message is always the same....drink your Ovaltine.....ha!
lol! It actually took me many years to find one of those from the same year. hard to believe it's 72 years old.lol!
has anyone else seen some suspicious looking orange and teal marx monsters on ebay lately? I mean some just look too new and bright
Quote from: horror1o1 on October 13, 2012, 09:11:07 PM
lol! It actually took me many years to find one of those from the same year. hard to believe it's 72 years old.lol!
Huh? What's 72 years old?
???
Quote from: horror1o1 on October 13, 2012, 09:15:04 PM
has anyone else seen some suspicious looking orange and teal marx monsters on ebay lately? I mean some just look too new and bright.
Do you have any examples? Brightness is misleading. You can fiddle with brightness, contrast etc. of pictures in Photobucket.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on October 13, 2012, 11:57:03 PM
Do you have any examples? Brightness is misleading. You can fiddle with brightness, contrast etc.of pictures in Photobucket.
???
No the button is 72 years old and i don't want to point to any of the auctions incase it is a members but a few days ago a seen a few one was a orange frankenstein and it raised my eyebrow.
You can see a variety of Mexican bootlegs here:
http://youtu.be/ns6_cS_rngY (http://youtu.be/ns6_cS_rngY)
It's mostly focused on the Creature, but there's other monsters as well.
George
Quote from: horror1o1 on October 13, 2012, 09:15:04 PM
has anyone else seen some suspicious looking orange and teal marx monsters on ebay lately? I mean some just look too new and bright
I've seen some orange ones where the color looks off, but that could be the photos.
But... I did just see a weird Marx Creature in a mustard color. It looks like the classic Marx sculpt for the figure itself, but the base has been cut down and all the extras removed. Weird.
Hey all...
New to the board but long time monster lover and collector. I've recently decided to get into Marx's universal monsters figures and tried to do as much research as I could before I started. It seems that they come in many colors, some original and some re-pros, but the basic colors are Teal and Orange. I recently purchased an entire orange set for $200 from EBay. The seller said they were an old store find and they have never been touched by any children but were wrapped in old 1960's newspapers. So if I am to take him on his word, than they must be real. They seem to have all the correct markings...I'm just not sure. The orange plastic just seems a little different than some of found and exactly like others I have found. I will let the masters here put in their two cents.
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5788.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5790.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5791.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5792.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5793.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5796.jpg)
(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/bbcollector23/IMG_5797.jpg)
They look gorgeous! With respect to the orange colour though, I'm not entirely sure that there was complete consistency between any two batches cast by Marx during the years in which they were produced. Somebody else may have more insight on the subject though.
:)
I have a Creature in the same orange color that I picked up in the mid-eighties (not any later than 1985). It is lighter and more creamy appearing with the detail showing better than the ordinary orange ones.
Im not claiming to be an expert by any means, but the orange looks off to me. The plastic looks duller, to dark and solid of a color. I have a ton of vintage orange and teal marx and they all look the same color, the Marx colors are brighter and there was very little color change in marx figures. If there was it was clear spots, usually in the fingers. The "mexican" repros on the other hand often change shades, even in the sets. Its a nice set either way. Its getting to the point it isnt going to matter anyway, original or not. they have made way to many repops from the molds.
Quote from: frankenstein73 on November 15, 2012, 07:08:35 PM
I have a ton of vintage orange and teal marx and they all look the same color, the Marx colors are brighter and there was very little color change in marx figures.
Could you post the link to your own again?
???
This is the page, and I found another box buried in my storage room chock full of marx figures in it since these pics!
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241528#msg241528 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241528#msg241528)
Quote from: frankenstein73 on November 15, 2012, 08:29:48 PM
This is the page, and I found another box buried in my storage room chock full of marx figures in it since these pics!
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241528#msg241528 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241528#msg241528)
dang dude! That's a lot! your pretty lucky at finding these. Me i've been trying to get a set for years but when ever i seen them at a toy show seems like something always took my money. Now that i really want them and have been for a few years now i never see them.
The glow repros are usually pretty cheap H101-in fact UMA member BijouBob8mm has a bunch for sale for 5 bucks a pop or for trade. I'm getting the Phantom from him but he has the others still.
Quote from: RedKing on November 15, 2012, 10:44:02 PM
The glow repros are usually pretty cheap H101-in fact UMA member BijouBob8mm has a bunch for sale for 5 bucks a pop or for trade. I'm getting the Phantom from him but he has the others still.
I've thought about picking those up but i keep hearing that there is no detail in them or many are flawed so i'm leary about buying them
The detail is ok-i guess not as sharp as the originals but still fine. I did have a flawed Franky-he had a bulbous of extra plastic on his belly, but I fixed him.
I ended up buing a set of the Glow in the Darks. I think the detail on them is fine, however, I don't have an original to compare them with.
So have you had a chance to do a comparison yet?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on February 23, 2013, 09:14:36 PM
So have you had a chance to do a comparison yet?
???
I'ld have to have an original, or know someone who had one. You'll never get the whole look at one from photos alone. Meanwhile, i'm just glad to have these. Maybe I can later locate one of the vampires someone created to compliment this set.
deleted by user.
I picked up a white Creature yesterday at the flea market. I have been reading this thread to see what I have, but am still unclear about it. It has all the markings of the originals. The "c" the date and so on. If I read this thread correctly, it is a Milton one. There is ALOT of plastic between the fingers but otherwise the thing is gorgeous. No matter when it was really made, I am happy with it.
For $5 you can't really go wrong with one of these.
Now, the Aurora Witch model in box for $85 may end up being a "kick myself for not picking it up" moment, but we shall save that regret for another day...
Pics of both to follow later.
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 11:28:03 AMI picked up a white Creature yesterday at the flea market. I have been reading this thread to see what I have, but am still unclear about it. It has all the markings of the originals. The "c" the date and so on. If I read this thread correctly, it is a Milton one. There is ALOT of plastic between the fingers but otherwise the thing is gorgeous.
Does it Glow in the Dark?
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 11:28:03 AMFor $5 you can't really go wrong with one of these.
Agreed.
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 11:28:03 AMNow, the Aurora Witch model in box for $85 may end up being a "kick myself for not picking it up" moment....
It will.
;)
Quote from: Hepcat on April 15, 2013, 12:53:05 PM
Does it Glow in the Dark?
Agreed.
It will.
;)
It does not glow, the GITD version is much whiter than this one. This one is off white and does not shine.
The problem is, now I have the Marx bug and want them all.
The Witch was complete in a poor condition box. I got pics of the box, but couldn't commit to it since I was there buying comics and toys for our booth at the flea market in Wichita. I could grab it next month if it is still there.
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 01:43:09 PMIt does not glow, the GITD version is much whiter than this one. This one is off white and does not shine.
It's probably not a Milton one then.
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 01:43:09 PMThe Witch was complete in a poor condition box.
The poor condition box would lessen the desirability by half I'd say.
:-\
Quote from: John Pertwee on April 15, 2013, 01:43:09 PM
It does not glow, the GITD version is much whiter than this one. This one is off white and does not shine.
The problem is, now I have the Marx bug and want them all.
It sounds like your Creature is from the Uncle Milton Monster Studio paint set. It had repops of all six Marx Monsters in an off white/beige color, and the plastic was a bit more brittle but held paint better. There was also more plastic flashing like on the hands. Many of these Milty repops had 1963 in roman numerals on the base bottom, hence much of the confusion. These came out in 1991.
The first, and best, series are teal blue and came out in 1963. These had the best detail and are the real deal. In '64 the orange ones came out with the date blocked out and those are original Marx too. You can check back through this thread to read discussions on plastic types and so on to see what is genuine Marx. When the molds went south of the border chaos ensued.
Here are a couple pictures of the Uncle Milton Monsters Studio Paint Set:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/2344221144_85b685f673_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2344221150_41145b4ef1_o.jpg)
cl:)
I can tell that it was never painted. There is not even a spot on it. No dust. Nothing. This thing was kept somewhere safe up until someone brought it into my new shop over the weekend.
Now I think I am hooked and will need to get them all. Curses! Yet another set I am hooked on.
I have one ... it's a great set to get hooked on!
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/001MARXCREATURESwithBAG_zps134adb56.jpg)
Great original set with a great bag! You don't see those bags every day!! Are they yours?
Quote from: Mike Scott on April 19, 2013, 12:59:13 PM
Great original set with a great bag! You don't see those bags every day!! Are they yours?
No no no! It's from an old eBay auction - I think around 1999, not my picture, but I found it in an old folder of images I had grabbed from the '90s net... I haven't seen any of those bags, and as it's been pointed out in another thread, that example is missing the "Cinema" portion of the bag, they were "Cinema Creatures". That is so cool. I think it's great to see any example, but it's not my picture, and it's from a very early eBay auction. I think we all need to see it.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on April 19, 2013, 08:38:34 PM
No no no! It's from an old eBay auction - I think around 1999, not my picture, but I found it in an old folder of images I had grabbed from the '90s net... I haven't seen any of those bags, and as it's been pointed out in another thread, that example is missing the "Cinema" portion of the bag, they were "Cinema Creatures". That is so cool. I think it's great to see any example, but it's not my picture, and it's from a very early eBay auction. I think we all need to see it.
Thanks for posting this. I've always heard about these bags but never seen a picture of one. Now if we could just find some evidence of any of those weird colors of original Marx monsters....I keep hearing noise about these strange colors, but the only colors I've ever owned or seen proof of in the original Marx monsters from the 1960s are teal (1963), and orange (1964 or later). Any of another color are either Uncle Milton's or Mexi repops. I swear it's like hunting cryptozoological creatures. We'll find Bigfoot and Jersey Devil before we find MarxMons in Billious Pink or Gutpuke Green or whatever those colors were called. Hell, maybe they'll be playin' with'em.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 19, 2013, 09:48:48 PM
Thanks for posting this. I've always heard about these bags but never seen a picture of one. Now if we could just find some evidence of any of those weird colors of original Marx monsters....I keep hearing noise about these strange colors, but the only colors I've ever owned or seen proof of in the original Marx monsters from the 1960s are teal (1963), and orange (1964 or later). Any of another color are either Uncle Milton's or Mexi repops. I swear it's like hunting cryptozoological creatures. We'll find Bigfoot and Jersey Devil before we find MarxMons in Billious Pink or Gutpuke Green or whatever those colors were called. Hell, maybe they'll be playin' with'em.
I still believe my lime green Frank to be an original Vile Green (I think that was the colors name.). Although I have seen similar lime colored ones from Mexico mine has none of the flashing issues associated with those repros! Also I bought them from a seller in Pa. that stated they (there was an orange Phantom [I think it was one of the orange pumpkin/milky ones] as well) were his from when he was a child. There was also a 19 cent price tag on its base; not sure when the sticker fell off but apparently it did but I'm pretty sure there was a store name on it as well!
I'll have to check around to see if I have the pictures from the auction and/or a picture of the price sticker!
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 19, 2013, 10:10:25 PM
I still believe my lime green Frank to be an original Vile Green (I think that was the colors name.). Although I have seen similar lime colored ones from Mexico mine has none of the flashing issues associated with those repros! Also I bought them from a seller in Pa. that stated they (there was an orange Phantom [I think it was one of the orange pumpkin/milky ones] as well) were his from when he was a child. There was also a 19 cent price tag on its base; not sure when the sticker fell off but apparently it did but I'm pretty sure there was a store name on it as well!
I'll have to check around to see if I have the pictures from the auction and/or a picture of the price sticker!
It would be cool to see some actual proof of the existence of these other colors. I'm kind of obsessed with MarxMons like many other collectors. I put together a set of the green ones a few years ago from different eBay sellers and I was on the fence about them being from the '60s for awhile. Under the base they are marked like the orange ones I have which I know are vintage. I finally just came to the conclusion they must be Mexican recasts because of the extra flashing and slight molding defects on some of them. They still look cool on the shelf with my teal and orange sets. A couple of my orange ones have that 19 cent price sticker under the base. If we could find one of the unusual color ones with the old price sticker and it looked like the sticker wasn't added later, or better yet the original owner could vouch for it being that way when first bought, it would be pretty good evidence.
BTW I bought my original teal (I used to call them turquoise) set from dealers named Steve and Cathy Sawchuck from the old Toy Shop days. I bet many members on this site remember them. I gave what I thought was a lot for them back 10-12 years ago- $175. I just got tired of trying to put together a nice set and continually having to settle for lesser condition figures and still end up giving $15-$25 each for them. Of course now I'm glad I bought that set when that window of opportunity opened up. I haven't seen an entire set of the teal offered in a long time and I'd hate to think what one might cost in "like new" condition. It is common to see Buy-It-Nows at around the $100 mark each for the first run teal ones. Of course I suspect they actually sell at more around half that in auctions in excellent condition with the exception of Creatures and Phantoms with intact masks which always command a premium.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 19, 2013, 09:48:48 PM
Thanks for posting this. I've always heard about these bags but never seen a picture of one. Now if we could just find some evidence of any of those weird colors of original Marx monsters....I keep hearing noise about these strange colors, but the only colors I've ever owned or seen proof of in the original Marx monsters from the 1960s are teal (1963), and orange (1964 or later). Any of another color are either Uncle Milton's or Mexi repops.
OK, here's your evidence. Bigfoot does exist.
Left, what I call "pumpkin orange"- much more obvious difference in person. Cameras are what they are. Right, standard or what I call "popscicle orange".
Both original 1960s colors. (http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0029_zps755385c7-1_zpsbc2a794c.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/backlotcharlie/media/IMG_0029_zps755385c7-1_zpsbc2a794c.jpg.html)
Left, what I call "muted dark blue",
original "Osco Drug" price tag intact. Right, standard "bright" blue.
Both original 1960s colors. Again, much more obvious difference in person.
Background, what I call "Cinema Creatures! by Marx bag". Original 1960s. Retail bag. Price intact.
Yes, these figures were sold LOOSE and
BY THE BAG.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/backlotcharlie/media/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg.html)
Oh, and BTW, Photoshop's newest software
really sucks.
.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 20, 2013, 12:28:59 AMI gave what I thought was a lot for them back 10-12 years ago- $175.
Great price!
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 20, 2013, 12:28:59 AMBTW I bought my original teal (I used to call them turquoise) set from dealers named Steve and Cathy Sawchuck from the old Toy Shop days. I bet many members on this site remember them.
You bet I do! I always associate them with "the one that got away" though. They had a half price sale in 2005 or so and their M.I.B. Revell Flash Gordon and Ideal Haunted House Game were listed at great prices. I phoned immediately but they were already sold.
:(
I was still getting their offering sheets in the mail up until a couple of years ago but I've not seen any lately. Do they still advertise in any magazine? I've never been able to find a website for them.
???
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 05:28:21 AM
OK, here's your evidence. Bigfoot does exist.
Left, what I call "pumpkin orange"- much more obvious difference in person. Cameras are what they are. Right, standard or what I call "popscicle orange". Both original 1960s colors.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0029_zps755385c7-1_zpsbc2a794c.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/backlotcharlie/media/IMG_0029_zps755385c7-1_zpsbc2a794c.jpg.html)
i wonder if they had to use different plastic cause they ran out or maybe they didn't mix it right? Something to that effect. Or maybe it was a second run but soon after the first or vice versa?
Left, what I call "muted dark blue", original "Osco Drug" price tag intact. Right, standard "bright" blue. Both original 1960s colors. Again, much more obvious difference in person.
Background, what I call "Cinema Creatures! by Marx bag". Original 1960s. Retail bag. Price intact.
Yes, these figures were sold LOOSE and BY THE BAG.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/backlotcharlie/media/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg.html)
Oh, and BTW, Photoshop's newest software really sucks.
.
Quotei wonder if they had to use different plastic cause they ran out or maybe they didn't mix it right? Something to that effect. Or maybe it was a second run but soon after the first or vice versa?
They are not even close in color. I have a complete set of these, and it is distinctly different in color and esp. value. More "white" and "matte" to the color, like other Marx figures produced. Same with the blue, more like the U.N.C.L.E. figures produced. They had a certain color ready to roll, needed to produce more figures to fill an order, and went with it. Obviously they made a jillion times more of the common colors. As I said in the other thread, these were known colors by figure guys years ago.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 05:28:21 AM
Background, what I call "Cinema Creatures! by Marx bag". Original 1960s. Retail bag. Price intact.
Yes, these figures were sold LOOSE and BY THE BAG.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/backlotcharlie/media/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg.html)
I wonder how many unopened bags of those Movie Monsters exist? I'd venture to say that some of us here on this board would be willing to pay a silly price by any reasonable standards for an unopened old store stock bag of those.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 09:59:36 AM
They are not even close in color.... More "white" and "matte" to the color, like other Marx figures produced. Same with the blue, more like the U.N.C.L.E. figures produced. They had a certain color ready to roll, needed to produce more figures to fill an order, and went with it.
I think you're right. There was no such thing as "quality" control for kids' items in those days. It was all about just filling any orders as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Perhaps the more matte orange and blue figures were the ones packaged in the Movie Monsters bags.
:-\
having experienced the Marx monsters first hand as a monster kid in the 1960's i would beg to differ that only blue and orange existed as original issues. the orange are commonly refereed to as Popsicle orange because the color closely resembled a orange Popsicle obviously but there are also "blue Popsicle" colors out there as well as i have a wolfman in this color from back in the day. it was not bought in recent times. it is a transparent type blue. also i have a "Steele Blue" phantom that much resembles the Marx Mexicans from the original Davy Crockett at the Alamo set. this is also a figure i have had in my collection since i was a monster kid.
I suppose it is a reasonable thought that they did an initial run, say 10,000 (whatever) of each in the standard color, shipped the orders, got another order for 1,000 (whatever), went with what they had, and shipped. Like I said in the other thread, and this is going back 20-25 years anyway, the Marx guys used to call pumpkin a "promotional" color. Whatever that means.
lime green is not an original color..............
now that i look closer... my Phantom does look more to be the same color as the man from uncle figures. i will try to get a pix of my blue Popsicle wolfman up for viewing..............
Quote from: Hepcat on April 20, 2013, 11:05:48 AMPerhaps the more matte orange and blue figures were the ones packaged in the Movie Monsters bags.
I guess the answer to my own unfounded speculation is "No".
Quote from: Gasport on January 25, 2012, 01:10:50 AM
The milky orange figure also includes a price tag of 19 cents from some [i can only guess] long gone store called Neisner's.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/marxPHANTOMS002.jpg)
;)
Quote from: freddie poe on April 20, 2013, 11:14:09 AM
lime green is not an original color..............
Check out this post that Zombiehorror made earlier in this thread:
Quote from: zombiehorror on February 26, 2010, 01:43:02 PM
The coolest Marx Monster item in the story is the 1964 Marx catalog listing for the Cinema Creatures which mentions 3 colors, none of which are the teal or orange we all know today.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P2260008.jpg)
Also take not of the 10"x24" window streamer in black and fluorescent color. Anyone remember seeing one of these or more importantly know of one existing today?
Now going back to the Marx only came in teal and orange discussion, sometime last year I came upon a website; http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) were he has this picture and the following comment posted;
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/plasticmonsters2003.jpg)
"These Universal Monsters were my favorite plastic figures. They sold for ten cents apiece, but soon went up to a whopping nineteen cents. They came in bright, flourescent colors and I used to just stare at them for hours. I do mention these on my school page. I also tried painting them like models and ending up ruining them. So, off to Newberry's toy basement to buy another set."
So I wrote him asking about it, figuring he was getting Marx Monster confused with Nutty Mads in his fuzzy monster memories. And here was his reply;
"Hi Erin,
Thanks for your question, it's a good one. The colors that I can recall were a sort of neon. I had some figures that were orange and some that were a bright pink color. I always kept re-buying them, but I did get a hunchback that was blue one time, and also a green one. Right now on ebay, somebody is selling them one by one, and they're all green. The bright colors may have been a special issue for a time, but I can recall them vividly.
I did have a green set, and I've even had the teal ones. They also came in blues, and for a short period, I believe in the mid-90's, they were re-issued in gray. I loved Marx toys, they were the best. Thanks for stopping by!"
His memory would certainly match the description in Playset magazine of the other colors, then again maybe he read the article and just infused the info with his own Marx Monster memories?!?
Zombiehorror has also reported that he bought a Vile Green Marx Frankenstein that still had the original 19 cent price sticker on the bottom from a fellow who said he'd bought the figure in a store when he was a kid.
:-\
Quote from: zombiehorror on February 26, 2010, 01:43:02 PM
Thanks for the heads up, I just had to pick this up. But I'm more confused by this than anything else?!!? First of all this wasn't much of a cover story, more like a cover blurb, a very short 2 page piece with more pictures than anything else and yet still worth it to me. There is this confusing sentence in the article;
"Other colors have been found, including some of the wild fluorescent ones listed in the 1964 catalog were apparently not made."
What?!?! The colors were found but not made, oh okay that makes perfect sense!??! Did they mean to say, "....that were apparently made.".
Also they do say that Bill Lemon was the sculptor but didn't someone in this very thread say Bill himself said he did not sculpt these? Anyone know just how reliable Playset Magazine's info is?!?
The coolest Marx Monster item in the story is the 1964 Marx catalog listing for the Cinema Creatures which mentions 3 colors, none of which are the teal or orange we all know today.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P2260008.jpg)
Also take not of the 10"x24" window streamer in black and fluorescent color. Anyone remember seeing one of these or more importantly know of one existing today?
Now going back to the Marx only came in teal and orange discussion, sometime last year I came upon a website; http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) were he has this picture and the following comment posted;
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/plasticmonsters2003.jpg)
"These Universal Monsters were my favorite plastic figures. They sold for ten cents apiece, but soon went up to a whopping nineteen cents. They came in bright, flourescent colors and I used to just stare at them for hours. I do mention these on my school page. I also tried painting them like models and ending up ruining them. So, off to Newberry's toy basement to buy another set."
So I wrote him asking about it, figuring he was getting Marx Monster confused with Nutty Mads in his fuzzy monster memories. And here was his reply;
"Hi Erin,
Thanks for your question, it's a good one. The colors that I can recall were a sort of neon. I had some figures that were orange and some that were a bright pink color. I always kept re-buying them, but I did get a hunchback that was blue one time, and also a green one. Right now on ebay, somebody is selling them one by one, and they're all green. The bright colors may have been a special issue for a time, but I can recall them vividly.
I did have a green set, and I've even had the teal ones. They also came in blues, and for a short period, I believe in the mid-90's, they were re-issued in gray. I loved Marx toys, they were the best. Thanks for stopping by!"
His memory would certainly match the description in Playset magazine of the other colors, then again maybe he read the article and just infused the info with his own Marx Monster memories?!?
"Bilious Rose, Vile Green, and Creepy Yellow" are the original colors I'm really wondering about with the MarxMons. Monster Bob, you present good evidence about the different shades and types of orange and blue being original '60s issue. You have me believing and I'm drinkin' the Kool-Aid. Freddie, I believe you, too, about the weird types of original blues. You guys are Monster Scholars and know your stuff. But how about those Rose, Green, and Yellows, mentioned above. Does anyone have evidence, or even a clear memory, of those? Those are the cryptoid-like critters I'm really wondering about. ??? ??? ???
Quote from: freddie poe on April 20, 2013, 11:22:45 AM
i will try to get a pix of my blue Popsicle wolfman up for viewing..............
That would be great! Particularly if you could put it beside a regular turquoise/teal figure for comparison's sake.
:)
Quote from: Hepcat on April 20, 2013, 11:32:58 AM
I guess the answer to my own unfounded speculation is "No".
;)
Another pumpkin orange, by gully.
Neisner's has been out of business for 25 years or more, at least the one I knew of. That's obviously a real tag. I used to go to Neisner's as a little kid in Florida. Very similar to a Woolworth's.
i see what the catologue says but i never seen those monsters in bins back in the 1960's ..... i saw blues & oranges and some variations of both colors..unlike nutty mads which came in a variety of putrid colors.............
Quote from: freddie poe on April 20, 2013, 12:26:14 PM
i see what the catologue says but i never seen those monsters in bins back in the 1960's ..... i saw blues & oranges and some variations of both colors..unlike nutty mads which came in a variety of putrid colors.............
Pretty sure Sears (or another catalog retailer) advertised the figures in those colors, which was probably a "catalog exclusive", not uncommon in those days. Not sure what catalog the pictured text is from, but Sears may have just reprinted that same text.
It is not that strange to me that uncommon Marx colors are very obscure.
In another thread, I brought up the fact that Fritos had
hand-painted MPC Monster figures in their Fritos multi packs (I have a complete set- they are extremely nicely done and VERY hard to find), though the "put together" sets you usually see at shows and ebay (and claim are to be Fritos, with a repro box insert paper) are the common "Weird Monsters" that are everywhere. I believe it was Gary Knox said he remembered getting the MPCs
unpainted in Fritos, so that is from his memory. I cannot vouch for that. I know the ones I had from Fritos were the hand-painted ones. I got them from Rock's Grocery and Meats, in Illinois, circa mid-1960s.
i am by no means claiming to be an axepert about anything. i go by my personal experiences. short story: my dad owned a bar room in dowtown worcester ma. he bought it in 1959. a bar room in those days was no place for a young boy. my dad would give me fifty cents or a dollar and send me to the movies or to WT Grants, Woolworths, JJ Newberrys and such other stores to kill time. i became a monster kid buying the Marx wind-up Frankie, then the Aurora Frankie followed by Marx monsters and the like. i crusied these stores on a regular basis for years. despite being a former boxer and having some memory issues, i do seem to remember the past much better than the present. i can see those wire bins filled with marx monsters like it was today, i never seen any marx monsters in any color but blues & oranges despite what any catologue proposed.
Oh, that was definately the way they were sold 90% of the time- the common orange and blue, and in dump bins at the "five and dimes". Your memory is most certainly correct. But it is hard to dispute- and explain- the weird and different colors, especially when they have a vintage price tag affixed. It would be foolish for either of us to argue the evidence...Marx made a hellofalotta toys, and luckily for us, many of them still exist for us to find and collect. ;)
It's these damn Mexican knock-offs that have caused the problems. >:(
Just sitting back, marveling at the knowledge being imparted.
(http://[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/marxmonsters.png/%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/218/marxmonsters.png)[/URL]
[/img]
(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/marxmonsters.png/)
So, the monster Gods obviously doesn't want me posting pics on my own. Tried everything!! Does anyone want to volunteer to post a pic of some Marx figs?? Send me an email off my profile and I will send to you. Thanks!!!
one more try.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img11/218/marxmonsters.png)
Yup. The two on the left are correct. Tell us about the blue Wolf Man.
had it all my life............. im 58...... dated 1963
i have never bought a marx monster as an adult. those are all from my original purchases as a child.........i have a picture of me holding the mummy figure in 1963...
Do you remember how/where it was bought?
from a wire bin....thinking of the stores that were around back then... i might say from a Bradlee's or a Zayre's dept store......i don't do repro's on any monster toys. i do not buy now or have never bought meximarx stuff. its junk....this wolfman is an original issue figure. i just dug it out of the display case and put it back in. if anyone wants to see the bottom i will dig it out again. but it is going to say louis marx/universal and 1963 in roman numerals...
here is the bottom of the wolfman marx fig --
(http://imageshack.us/a/img845/5092/marxbottom.png)
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 01:15:00 PMIn another thread, I brought up the fact that Fritos had hand-painted MPC Monster figures in their Fritos multi packs (I have a complete set- they are extremely nicely done and VERY hard to find).... I know the ones I had from Fritos were the hand-painted ones. I got them from Rock's Grocery and Meats, in Illinois, circa mid-1960s.
Were all the ones you pulled from Fritos multi packs hand-painted or just some of them?
???
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 01:34:05 PM
Oh, that was definately the way they were sold 90% of the time- the common orange and blue, and in dump bins at the "five and dimes". Your memory is most certainly correct.
Sadly I have no memory whatsoever of these being sold at the five-and-dimes in London, Ontario. Perhaps because I was more oriented to model kits; I just don't know. Maybe they just weren't sold in my neck of the woods because I just didn't know of their existence until more recently.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 01:34:05 PMIt's these damn Mexican knock-offs that have caused the problems. >:(
I agree.
>:(
It's the revenge of the Mexicans for the U.S. having grabbed Texas and California from them I tell ya!
cl:)
Quote from: Hepcat on April 20, 2013, 05:00:50 PM
Were all the ones you pulled from Fritos multi packs hand-painted or just some of them?
???
The ones I had were hand painted. I seem to remember Gary Knox saying his weren't. but don't quote me.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 05:15:41 PM
The ones I had were hand painted. I seem to remember Gary Knox saying his weren't. but don't quote me.
You guys know GARY KNOX? Is he a member of this forum? We met a few times at toy shows in the '80s and '90s; I think my Marx Walking Frankenstein was the first one he'd seen in person. We talked on the phone a lot and swapped a few times; I used to talk with him when he was at Forney's Too. We wrote letters and swapped artwork... eventually lost touch. PM me if anyone cares to.
Gary lives here from time to time. I believe his handle is GAKENSTEIN.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 09:16:31 PM
Gary lives here from time to time. I believe his handle is GAKENSTEIN.
GAK! I think that is his signature on his artwork.
Quote from: freddie poe on April 20, 2013, 02:36:59 PM
one more try.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img11/218/marxmonsters.png)
Hey Freddie!...I'm totally digging that darker blue Wolf Man! Like yourself, i remember buying these guys at Grants back in the day out of wire bins and the only colors i ever saw were turquoise and neon orange. I did find one of the milky orange Phantoms on ebay sometime ago with a 19 cent original price sticker on it...Hep re posted my pic in this thread. Thanks for sharing this!
thanks Mike! if you look a few posts back you can see i posted a pix of the bottom of the popsicle blue wolfman! it is totally vintage 1960's and NOT a mexi marx...........i wouldnt have those repros in my collection just because they come in different colors... not vintage! - not in the HOUSE OF POE!!
Yeah, Freddie...that's the one i meant! I should'a said Popsicle instead of darker blue. So cool to know this variation existed back then! Totally worthy of it's display space in the House of Poe!
I remember going to "dime stores" (we called them five and dime) and there would be bins which were wooden cabinets lined with thick soft edged glass dividers...filled with inexpensive toys... toys like squirt guns, dinosaurs, or monsters. These toys might be marked 19 cents or 25 cents sometimes with blue ink.
there is a marx frankie in vile green on ebay right now. mexican dealer claims its original marx 1960's . he also shows the bottom of the figure which is undated. NOT from 1963!!
But could an Ebay seller be so dishonest?
:o
Quote from: freddie poe on April 21, 2013, 12:34:42 PM
there is a marx frankie in vile green on ebay right now. mexican dealer claims its original marx 1960's . he also shows the bottom of the figure which is undated. NOT from 1963!!
I noticed that "vile green" Frankenstein, also. The first red flag is it comes from Mexico. The second is the extra flashing on the foot. It is marked exactly like the vintage orange ones with the date blocked out. I have all six in this same green with the same markings and varying degrees of extra flashing and slight molding issues. I got all mine off eBay a few years ago. They look cool but I'm not buying that they came from the '60s. The Wolfman has so much extra flashing it looks like he has werewolf ears. I like the color and they display okay, but I don't think they are vintage because those '60s MarxMons didn't have those excess plastic issues. Didn't Marx have a subsidiary in Mexico a few years ago called Plasti-Marx? Maybe these green ones were cranked out in the '80s or '90s by them. In any event I don't think they are the vile green mentioned in that catalog page with bilious rose and creepy yellow. If they were I don't think there would be the molding issues. Just my opinion. If I'm proved wrong I have a whole set of vile green. It just doesn't seem likely considering the better Marx quality control back in the day.
i highly doubt those catalogue color claims ever materialized... the only odd/off color Marx monster i have ever seen that is correctly marked is the Popsicle blue raspberry wolfman pix i have posted which shows the dated bottom........see page previous page
Quote from: freddie poe on April 21, 2013, 07:09:15 PM
i highly doubt those catalogue color claims ever materialized... the only odd/off color Marx monster i have ever seen that is correctly marked is the Popsicle blue raspberry wolfman pix i have posted which shows the dated bottom........see page previous page
I agree. You would think something would have surfaced after all this time. You can probably classify Vile Green, Bilious Rose, and Creepy Yellow, with the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Mothman.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 21, 2013, 07:19:16 PMI agree. You would think something would have surfaced after all this time.
But Zombiehorror has made a pretty good case that his lime green Frankenstein is an original Vile Green:
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 19, 2013, 10:10:25 PMI still believe my lime green Frank to be an original Vile Green (I think that was the colors name.). Although I have seen similar lime colored ones from Mexico mine has none of the flashing issues associated with those repros! Also I bought them from a seller in Pa. that stated they (there was an orange Phantom [I think it was one of the orange pumpkin/milky ones] as well) were his from when he was a child. There was also a 19 cent price tag on its base; not sure when the sticker fell off but apparently it did but I'm pretty sure there was a store name on it as well!
I'll have to check around to see if I have the pictures from the auction and/or a picture of the price sticker!
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on April 21, 2013, 10:34:13 PM
But Zombiehorror has made a pretty good case that his lime green one is an original Vile Green.
:-\
His green Frankenstein looks exactly like mine which exactly matches my other green ones which all have minor flashing or molding issues. It also looks like the one Freddie was talking about on eBay. He also said something about a sticker which fell off, and the seller telling him it was vintage. I'm sure Zombiehorror is trying to get to the bottom of this thing like all of us, but until better evidence presents itself I'm with Freddie on this...I don't think the green ones (which are strangely being sold commonly from Mexico.....hmmmm?) are vintage '60s. Another question...if these are "vile green" from that Marx catalog listing then why haven't any of the bilious rose or creepy yellow shown up? I'm not trying to be overly skeptical here, but I think these green ones were repopped in Mexico a few years ago and are still making the rounds. They are a lot better than those they are currently cranking out down there, though.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 21, 2013, 07:19:16 PM
You can probably classify Vile Green, Bilious Rose, and Creepy Yellow, with the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Mothman.
I see.............then those colors DO exist!! :D
I think it's very safe to say the vast majority of the weird colored ones that are offered now on ebay are Mexico in origin, but sure, authentic ones will and do surface, along with the common popsicle orange and blues.
Remember, probably most of these are coming through the hands of toy dealers, many of which are young, and don't know the difference, and are buying and selling what they find through toy shows and other deals. Initially the blow mold Creatures were blowing through in the same fashion. Several years ago, I remember an east coast toy dealer saying he saw a huge box of the Creatures and sure enough, they started popping left and right for a long while in a multitude of colors. The same happened with the repop Pop-Tops a couple of years ago. The next thing you know, ebay sellers are calling the contemporary Pop-Tops vintage.
In a different vein, I find the fellows on the TOY HUNTER show humorous and a little painful to watch, esp. when they hop and and down, do a jig and act like girlies when they find a GHOSTBUSTERS or MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE toy and call it vintage...ultra rare...uber-valuable...etc. Makes for a good show, I guess? Sure, different strokes for different folks, but the day I'd pay $2000 for a Skeletor this or that (and think it can be easily flipped for $3000) would be a cold day in Miami. 'Ooooo...look at this rare Bumble Bee Transformer from Burger King...!' ::) :P
You got that right Bob...Toy Hunter is quite comical at best...i guess the word "vintage" applies differently to each individual based on his or her age...........?? when i say "vintage" pertaining to monster toys i am referring to the infancy/height of the monster craze which i classify as the 1960's.....
I agree, but in deference to the young fellows on this board, I'm willing to extend the "vintage" period into the seventies.
;)
Yep. In my head vintage=old. Fifty years, half a century, is pretty respectable, for humans or toys. Nobody consciously saved the stuff for its value back then. But by 1980, 1986, 1991, whatever, everybody was hoarding stuff because it would become valuable. General collector mentality. Christmas Barbies. Hoy hoy. "Save the box!" "The box is worth more than the toy!" etc.
TOY HUNTERS cracks me up when then walk into a toy collector's room, and my eyes scan the room like they do at a show, and I think- "Hmmm...shat, shat, shat, shat, shat....BINGO." And spot one thing on the wall I'd want. Of course I'm looking through jaded, glossed over, persnickity eyes, but still, my wife and I er...giggle like girlies. Bless her for putting up with my crap for so long.
Not meaning to offend the younger among us, and beauty and toys are in the eye of the beholder (and BTW, I'm gettin' me some new '66 BATMAN stuff!), but the presentation and antics on that show make me LOL and barf all at the same time. I guess that's dangerous for a guy my age. ;D
Bob! i have heard you speak of the Kane County Toy show. ..once me and my buddy drove there from Mass. in the early 1990's... while it was a great show...never would i try that again... got caught in a gun battle between gambling truckers at a rest stop -couldn't get a room anywhere and had to sleep under the stars (i'd swear a saw a UFO that night), the locals in a neighborhood bar did not seem to friendly - and i feel asleep at the wheel on the way back drove off the road and almost hit a tree... but they had really cool toys there!!! Of course i was much younger then and now the 3 hour ride to Chiller in NJ seems like an eternity..thank God my girlfiend drives!!
Here is the original Ebay picture of my Frankenstein (Pretty sure the seller was from PA.), originally I thought it was going to be banana yellow but I guess that was due to the green background!
(http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/96/25ea5913f6910d11570103a8c0fe7399/l.jpg)
Here again is the green Frankenstein along with a pumpkin Phantom and orange/teal Frankenstein! FYI: The orange Frankenstein looks much darker than it appears in person.....anyone that has original orange Marx knows the true color...I think the 2nd picture is much closer!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1222_zpse94d541e.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1222_zpse94d541e.jpg)
Here are the bases of the Frankensteins~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1223_zps2b63ad1f.jpg)
The date is blocked out on both the orange and green one but does appear on the teal!
Now I don't think there is anyway that I could take a picture and get my Frankenstein to appear the same color as the one mentioned previously currently on Ebay from Mexico, pictured below!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/Marxgreenmexico_zpscc13d7f1.jpg)
Which of course just means that although it may not be the same repro color it could still very well be a repro of another color!
There are currently two Hunchbacks on Ebay in green, one from a seller in Mexico the other from a seller in Florida~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxHunchbackMexico_zps4ad12790.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxHunchback_zpsa1ce643e.jpg)
The one on the right (Florida) looks to be more like my Frankenstein's color, whereas the one on the left (Mexico) looks like it could/would be closer to the previous Frankenstein from Mexico! I definitely don't think they are the same color!
And we have discussed this before but dates (or the lack thereof) don't mean sh*t when discussing the validity of vintage Marx!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1227_zps120d12a5.jpg)(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1226_zps3fae3ea3.jpg)
Notice the pumpkin, orange and mocha have a date block; the glow is completely missing the Marx stamp as well as date (All the repro glows are like that!) and both the teal and cream have the MCMXLII, which all the repro cream have the MCMXLII date......but those are obviously repros!
In the end it doesn't really matter whether my Frankenstein is a Vile Green vintage Marx or not because for one I don't intend to sell it and for two it isn't going to add any value as most vintage collectors don't believe in their existence and even if it were proven most won't have a nostalgia to these mystery colors as they only remember the orange/teal (and maybe their color variants)!
So far the only witness to the "bigfoot" in the room is Jeff from the previous mentioned http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) who states, "I remember having an orange "Phantom" and a pink "Mummy"." and has stated to me that he remembers the other colors!
Lastly I'd just like to add that I really, really dig that popsicle blue color!!!!
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 23, 2013, 01:28:21 PM
Here are the bases of the Frankensteins~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1223_zps2b63ad1f.jpg)
Those bases all do look pretty scuzzy, i.e vintage.
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 23, 2013, 01:28:21 PMSo far the only witness to the "bigfoot" in the room is Jeff from the previous mentioned http://www.jeffs60s.com/ (http://www.jeffs60s.com/) who states, "I remember having an orange "Phantom" and a pink "Mummy"." and has stated to me that he remembers the other colors!
Well we got Jeff to join UMA last year but he doesn't post very much.
:-\
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 23, 2013, 01:28:21 PMLastly I'd just like to add that I really, really dig that popsicle blue color!!!!
I agree! It's wild cool!
8)
Your green Frankie could very well be original vintage 1960's .... if my memory serves me well (as it does for the past and not the present) i remember seeing the first round of Marx monsters (in 1963) were the teal blue ones,,, i remember only seeing blue ones that first year... shortly after i remember seeing the Popsicle orange ones mixed in with the blues but the orange ones were undated..... so your green one very well could be original 1960's......who can say it is or is not... but it is definitely not a first issue release........does any one have 1963 dated orange monsters??
Color is such a subjective thing, especially when it comes to viewing something online, and I would never say this Frankenstein was yellow but I went to my daughters crayon box and tried to match it and what do you know green/yellow is a match!!
Going back to Jeff's site, he had previously posted this picture!
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/MONSTER-BIN.jpg)
Now obviously these are probably not the real deal but a recollection of the colors he remembers!
So you have pumpkin, teal, bilious rose, vile green and creepy yellow....which actually could be the same color as my "green" Frankenstein?!?
Here's a picture with the flash off~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1228_zpscd9c4a30.jpg)
Even though the crayons are supposed to be the same the one on the right is more yellow and doesn't exactly match like the one on the left!
Now with the flash~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1230_zps459e8aaa.jpg)
Now it appears as though neither crayon matches exactly, though in person (and without flash) the one on the left does!
Also with the flash the figure appears to be much more glossy than it really is! When actually holding the crayon next to it-it could almost be mistaken that the figure is made/poured from that very same crayon, finish and all; Not really matted but not high gloss either!
Also just noticed that on the back of the green/yellow Frankenstein there is a circle on each shoulder, which is also present on my orange and mocha sets but the teal, cream and glow are missing these circles?!
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/SAM_1231_zpsa3964ad8.jpg)
So just for fun I decided to look at the backs of the Mummys I have; the orange and mocha match whereas the teal, glow and cream match each other and were obviously poured from different molds than the other 2!
Now you can at least start to trace a lineage of what original mold a given repro came from!
On the Phantom's back(s) there is again another circle but only on the orange, pumpkin and mocha; and teal, glow and cream are the same-no circle!
I don't see any difference in the any of my Creatures!
The orange and mocha Wolf Man both have a circle in the middle of their back; teal, glow and cream do not!
At first I thought all the Hunchbacks were the same but then I noticed on the back of his left foot there is a small circle on the teal, cream and glow but it is missing on the orange and mocha!
So apparently the molds that Uncle Milton used were from the original teal molds and maybe the orange molds went to Mexico....or maybe they both eventually ended up there! If my green/yellow matched perfectly with the teal, cream or glow I would almost point to that as being further evidence of it's heritage but alas it matches the vintage orange and mocha repro I have, which could go either way! Get to inspecting those Cinema Creatures people...especially you guys with a lot of Mexican repros!
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 23, 2013, 02:45:06 PM
Going back to Jeff's site, he had previously posted this picture!
(http://www.jeffs60s.com/MONSTER-BIN.jpg)
Now obviously these are probably not the real deal but a recollection of the colors he remembers!
That picture does not constitute evidence. I emailed Jeff and asked him about the picture and his reply was that he colourized the figures.
:(
i remember the prices starting off as 10 cents, then 19 cents and lastly 29 cents in my locale.............
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 23, 2013, 02:45:06 PMSo apparently the molds that Uncle Milton used were from the original teal molds....
But numerous members have posted that the Uncle Milton figures don't have the detail of Marx originals or the Mexican recasts. It's as if Uncle Milton made casts of Marx figures and used those for molds as opposed to using original Marx molds.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on April 23, 2013, 05:57:52 PM
But numerous members have posted that the Uncle Milton figures don't have the detail of Marx originals or the Mexican recasts.
???
Any mold will show wear over time no matter what they are made of!! Lack of detail is probably due to the age of the molds, not to mention who knows how the molds were stored after Marx ceased production!
I just want to say that you guys are great for putting so much effort into trying to unravel some of the mystery behind Marx monsters history. People who don't give a ratsass about monsters, you know "normal people" ("lookat'em over there....I hate'em"), would think us mad. Or, at least strangely "off", with the amount of attention we pay to this confounding minutia. Vile green or vile repop, we love this stuff, by god! And that color green looks great whether it's vintage or not. I loved it enough to go after all six of them a few years ago.
Oh yeah, I was paraphrasing from Repo Man. I don't really hate "normal people". Although I have been known to avoid them some of....MOST OF...the time. >:D
Quote from: freddie poe on April 23, 2013, 02:23:13 PM
Your green Frankie could very well be original vintage 1960's .... if my memory serves me well (as it does for the past and not the present) i remember seeing the first round of Marx monsters (in 1963) were the teal blue ones,,, i remember only seeing blue ones that first year... shortly after i remember seeing the Popsicle orange ones mixed in with the blues but the orange ones were undated..... so your green one very well could be original 1960's......who can say it is or is not... but it is definitely not a first issue release........does any one have 1963 dated orange monsters??
All the vintage orange ones I've ever seen, or heard of, have the dates blocked out. Same with my funky green ones. I have a full set of the orange and have probably owned over 20 vintage orange ones total. I have been religiously doing eBay searches for "marx monster" for around 10 years now and have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of pictures of the base bottoms of vintage orangies. It's always been the same: dates blocked out. Unlike the teal ones which have the roman numerals for 1963.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 23, 2013, 10:47:49 PM
All the vintage orange ones I've ever seen, or heard of, have the dates blocked out. Same with my funky green ones. I have a full set of the orange and have probably owned over 20 vintage orange ones total. I have been religiously doing eBay searches for "marx monster" for around 10 years now and have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of pictures of the base bottoms of vintage orangies. It's always been the same: dates blocked out. Unlike the teal ones which have the roman numerals for 1963.
Which I guess implies the rights with Universal expired, but they went ahead and kept making them.
I always thought it interesting the Hunchback (being non-Universal) was not marked.
By the way, I bought a set of Uncle Milty figures, and I have no problem with the detail on mine. I have no way of knowing how much more detail the originals have, because I don't have any of those. I'm just happy to have a set, period, and not have to pay the high price the originals (or some repops which are being passed off as original).
So it's therefore your duty to your posting buddies to acquire an original or two just so you can report to us on the comparison!
;)
I don't think the Uncle Milton's are missing any detail, if they are I'd need a microscope to find it?! Now once you get into the Mexican reissues, there are definitely the flashing issues, lack of detail and just plain crummy molds on a lot of them!
Also I wouldn't really care if the Glow ones were lacking detail because, well quite frankly, these things just look so damned cool in the dark!!
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 23, 2013, 10:36:47 PMI just want to say that you guys are great for putting so much effort into trying to unravel some of the mystery behind Marx monsters history. People who don't give a ratsass about monsters, you know "normal people" ("lookat'em over there....I hate'em"), would think us mad. Or, at least strangely "off", with the amount of attention we pay to this confounding minutia. Vile green or vile repop, we love this stuff, by god! And that color green looks great whether it's vintage or not. I loved it enough to go after all six of them a few years ago.
There is no other place on the net as good as UMA for providing detailed informational content on just about any monster related toy and on most monster model kits and many baby boomer toys as well.
8)
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 20, 2013, 09:59:36 AM
They are not even close in color. I have a complete set of these, and it is distinctly different in color and esp. value. More "white" and "matte" to the color, like other Marx figures produced. Same with the blue, more like the U.N.C.L.E. figures produced. They had a certain color ready to roll, needed to produce more figures to fill an order, and went with it. Obviously they made a jillion times more of the common colors. As I said in the other thread, these were known colors by figure guys years ago.
That makes sense. I know if i had orders to fill i would use what ever i had
Quote from: Hepcat on April 20, 2013, 05:05:30 PMSadly I have no memory whatsoever of these being sold at the five-and-dimes in London, Ontario. Perhaps because I was more oriented to model kits; I just don't know. Maybe they just weren't sold in my neck of the woods because I just didn't know of their existence until more recently.
I just contacted three of my collecting buddies in Canada all of whom are baby boomers about the same age as I am. One was my best buddy in London who was also into the Aurora kits and my
Creepy and
Eerie magazines when he was a kid, another grew up in Hamilton and haunted the toy departments of the Kresge, Woolworth and Eaton stores downtown since he was heavily into the Aurora kits and
Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, and the third grew up in Ottawa and was into Marx Tinykins and other Marx figures as a kid. None of them remember the Marx Universal Monster figures being sold in stores.
Maybe they just weren't distributed in Canada.
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on April 26, 2013, 11:55:02 AM
I just contacted three of my collecting buddies in Canada all of whom are baby boomers the same age as I am. One was my best buddy in London who was also into the Aurora kits and my monster magazines when he was a kid, another grew up in Hamilton and haunted the toy departments of the Kresge, Woolworth and Eaton stores downtown since he was heavily into the Aurora kits and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, and the third grew up in Ottawa and was into Marx Tinykins and other Marx figures as a kid. None of them remember the Marx Universal Monster figures being sold in stores.
Maybe they just weren't distributed in Canada.
:-\
Here is a bigger question: Did Marx distribute anything outside the United States? Marketing to other countries wasn't as common fifty years ago. As long as I've collected Marx this has never come up in conversations with other collectors. I know that many things were marketed to Canada by U.S. companies....How about Marx?
Many Marx toys were definitely sold in Canada. I very clearly remember a Great Garloo on display at Kresge in downtown London. I pointed it out to my mother but at that price point it was an absolute no-go.
The Marx Playsets, e.g. Fort Apache, Ben Hur, Alamo, etc, were also sold in Canada. So were the Tinykins. That's why I found the absence of any memory of something as striking as the Universal monster figures curious.
In general, whatever toys were sold in the United States were also sold in Canada. Exceptions, such as the Topps Mars Attacks cards, are therefore worthy of note.
:(
Quote from: freddie poe on April 23, 2013, 02:23:13 PM
Your green Frankie could very well be original vintage 1960's .... if my memory serves me well (as it does for the past and not the present) i remember seeing the first round of Marx monsters (in 1963) were the teal blue ones,,, i remember only seeing blue ones that first year... shortly after i remember seeing the Popsicle orange ones mixed in with the blues but the orange ones were undated..... so your green one very well could be original 1960's......who can say it is or is not... but it is definitely not a first issue release........does any one have 1963 dated orange monsters??
I'd like to see an example. I kept a set of orange, of varying hues, and none have the date, but the usual marks. Except the Hunchback has no Universal Pictures mark, just a blank circle...
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 24, 2013, 10:06:36 AM
I don't think the Uncle Milton's are missing any detail, if they are I'd need a microscope to find it?! Now once you get into the Mexican reissues, there are definitely the flashing issues, lack of detail and just plain crummy molds on a lot of them!
Also I wouldn't really care if the Glow ones were lacking detail because, well quite frankly, these things just look so damned cool in the dark!!
I think the Uncle Milton ones were inconsistent in quality. I've seen some pictures posted here that had serious issues and others that were perfect. I have a "Monster Studio" set that is absolutely beautiful. One problem they do have is that they are brittle. You have to handle them with a lot more care than the originals.
Most of the Mexican Marxies are pretty well done, using the original molds. Sometimes the plastic is added to the mold before it has reaches the right temperature and fingers aren't completely filled. Later on, the molds got worn or people just didn't care enough to tighten the parts sufficiently and there is excessive flashing.
Generally, I like them a lot. I mean, if the are good enough for us to be confused about what is and what is not a first-run Marx, they must be pretty good.
The Mexican knock-offs that really tickle me are the one that are incredibly sloppy copies. Here are examples of both varieties side-by-side:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/8730990110_d8f9dfbd5c_c.jpg)
Evidently all the little guys were sold with the paint job shown. I have never seen one that was not painted the same way.
I have a full set of the orange ones and everyone of them have the MCMLXIII date stamp on them.
Yes I have several of the teal ones with the dates on them.
Quote from: mrmike59 on July 19, 2013, 11:31:23 AMI have a full set of the orange ones and everyone of them have the MCMLXIII date stamp on them.
Interesting! Could you post pictures of these?
???
The black molded, flesh-tone Mexican Frank thrills me for some reason. I had to buy one, and got one still in the cellophane wrapper. It appears to be older- I don't know about how old, but it is a cool figure in its own way.
Black molded and flesh toned? What do you mean? How can that be?
???
Quote from: mrmike59 on July 19, 2013, 11:31:23 AM
I have a full set of the orange ones and everyone of them have the MCMLXIII date stamp on them.
This is, so far, unknown. The original orange Marx Monsters had a bar over the date. The orange Mexican repops are usually blank on the bottom. We would like to see pics regarding this.
This admittedly Mexican re-pop of the Creature just sold at an incredibly high price on Ebay. Misidentified as from the 70's. Looks like the same one I have from the 90's. Someone must have wanted this awfully bad.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
Vintage? Rare?!
:o
Yeah sure....
::)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on June 21, 2014, 09:05:20 AM
This admittedly Mexican re-pop of the Creature just sold at an incredibly high price on Ebay. Someone must have wanted this awfully bad.
Some people will pay big bucks for a green Creature. I've seen it time and again! Keep thinking I'll get one, but somebody else always wants it more.
I wish some company would do licensed, pro-painted Marx re-pops. These were the best sculpted figures of their time & deserve a proper tribute.
Quote from: Mord on June 21, 2014, 10:33:40 AM
I wish some company would do licensed, pro-painted Marx re-pops.
I kinda like 'em better one color. Looks more like a '60s toy.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on June 21, 2014, 09:05:20 AM
This admittedly Mexican re-pop of the Creature just sold at an incredibly high price on Ebay. Misidentified as from the 70's. Looks like the same one I have from the 90's. Someone must have wanted this awfully bad.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RARE-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-FIGURE-BY-MARX-/360959732781?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GBBEcIJWTvpTGSSrRkfx2tLN6Ig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
That's a lotta scratch for that figure. I have a full set of these in the green and based on what little info I've gotten from different sources these were made in Mexico by PlastiMarx in the '80s and possibly later. These are not original Marx issue because of the excess plastic on the seams. Louis Marx demanded better quality control than that.
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/marxmons2_zps9c277593.jpg)
38 bids....damn!
the same person who paid $89 for that creature also won another green one for $37 a few days before.
Quote from: Tommyregan on June 21, 2014, 05:13:23 PM
the same person who paid $89 for that creature also won another green one for $37 a few days before.
Hey grabby! Leave some for somebody else! (Especially the cheaper ones.)
Same person also won the light purple one for $37. I've been wanting that color for a few years but $30 is my top limit.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTU2WDQzOQ==/z/VZUAAOxyF0pTjOxD/$_12.JPG)
Quote from: horrorhunter on June 21, 2014, 01:25:35 PM
That's a lotta scratch for that figure. I have a full set of these in the green and based on what little info I've gotten from different sources these were made in Mexico by PlastiMarx in the '80s and possibly later. These are not original Marx issue because of the excess plastic on the seams. Louis Marx demanded better quality control than that.
There were large quantities of the green sets available from a woman in California who sold them on ebay in '98 - '99. I ended up buying five sets at a great wholesale price, and she was running out of some characters then. If I remember correctly, she bought them from a warehouse where they had seemingly sat for half a decade or more. At nearly a hundred buck, I need to go digging and see if I have any duplicates left! Quite a hefty price, but I'm sure the buyer must really want it.
Not being in the market, have other colors besides these two been selling at such expense?
Best,
sts
Quote from: Mike Scott on June 21, 2014, 01:00:39 PMI kinda like 'em better one color. Looks more like a '60s toy.
I agree.
cl:)
The green sets were from Mexico, they popped up just after the Uncle Milton glows came out...I bought sets from a local guy who dealt with the guys making them...the price was pretty cheap and the castings were pretty clean. I also bought several sets of the marvel guys in dark red.
Here's another one to watch:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREMELY-RARE-1960S-MARX-UNIVERSAL-STUDIOS-GREEN-CREATURE-BLACK-LAGOON-/231266549058?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d88f7d42 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREMELY-RARE-1960S-MARX-UNIVERSAL-STUDIOS-GREEN-CREATURE-BLACK-LAGOON-/231266549058?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d88f7d42)
(I'm sure the seller was watching that last auction.)
Quote from: iheart80stoysThis is a 1960's hard plastic Creature of the Black Lagoon officially licensed by Universal Studio and produced by Marx. It is extremely rare....
It might be marginally "rarer" than lying Ebay sellers but that's about it.
::)
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on June 24, 2014, 06:47:18 AM
Here's another one to watch:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREMELY-RARE-1960S-MARX-UNIVERSAL-STUDIOS-GREEN-CREATURE-BLACK-LAGOON-/231266549058?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d88f7d42 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREMELY-RARE-1960S-MARX-UNIVERSAL-STUDIOS-GREEN-CREATURE-BLACK-LAGOON-/231266549058?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d88f7d42)
(I'm sure the seller was watching that last auction.)
Anyone familiar with the sharp detail of the original issue Marx Universal Monsters figures from the '60s (teal and orange) can tell these green ones are repops. They are marked like the original orange ones with all of the info on the base bottom and the date barred out. They could never recapture the fine details of the originals. Claws, fingers, and excess plastic on the seams tell the tale. Probably a combination of cheaper plastic and not cleaning the molds often enough. I gotta say though, these green ones are the best looking of the repops...especially Creech. But my Marx Creature of choice will always be the first one with the best detail- the teal blue one from 1963.
I have an original vile green phantom. It Has the date still on the bottom, not barred out. The only one ive ever seen besides a creepy yellow mummy with the date. And I have a theory why we don't see the other colors, I will post some pictures of him later.
Quote from: frankenstein73 on June 24, 2014, 01:18:40 PM
I have an original green phantom. It Has the date still on the bottom, not barred out. The only one ive ever seen besides a vile yellow mummy with the date. And I have a theory why we don't see the other colors, I will post some pictures of him later.
(http://www.leadpipeposters.com/images/1557.jpg)
We look forward to seeing this info. I would love to see proof of the mythical colors of original '60s Marx UniMons- Yellow, Green, & Rose (with accompanying adjectives).
Quote from: horrorhunter on June 24, 2014, 01:29:07 PM
(http://www.leadpipeposters.com/images/1557.jpg)
We look forward to seeing this info. I would love to see proof of the mythical colors of original '60s Marx UniMons- Yellow, Green, & Rose (with accompanying adjectives).
I think it defames the Marx Monsters to suggest that any of them were craven. I refuse to believe that any were yellow! :P
Sorry for the delay I have been trying to find the pictures I had saved of a yellow mummy that sold on ebay a couple years ago. but I am afraid they were lost with all my others when my laptop crashed. I had posted the auction in this thread earlier but the pictures are gone from it as well. (if anyone else saved it -zombiehorror?- please post for us to see)
Anyway it also had the date on the bottom and it had swirled tan colors in it much like this green one of mine. The colors obviously weren't completely mixed.
My theory based just on these two examples, being the only two in the other "proposed" colors that I have seen - with the dates present- is this.
The yellow, green and rose colors simply wouldn't mix properly so the factory dropped them and went with the two colors that did mix easily, being orange and teal.
The reason we cant seem to find them, a few leaked out, possibly from employees taking factory rejects home, or some went out in the first few batches sent to stores.
here is my green Phantom of the Opera with dated bottom. the plastic seems like the old figures, has the same "old" plastic smell, and is a good molding.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/14544306871_83f3441630_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oaenHz)20140630_165004 (https://flic.kr/p/oaenHz) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5538/14361117018_7ff6a3847c_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nT3tKQ)20140630_165017 (https://flic.kr/p/nT3tKQ) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14567841953_b06fcfa819_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR)20140630_165839 (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3896/14547712385_3e92df4c1c_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oawQ4k)20140630_164942 (https://flic.kr/p/oawQ4k) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
I will post some pictures of it with one of my green Mexican repop marx later, im out of time.
Quote from: frankenstein73 on April 14, 2012, 02:14:25 AM
LOOK! its a yellow mummy! he has been painted over but you can see the yellow underneath and it has the DATE! I knew i had seen one before. this thing looks vintage to me. heres the link. (i saved the pics and will post them permantly later) i just wish id have seen it before the guy that used the buy it now. dang!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3a707faf43&item=250995519299&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=AODzDHAHWrLAh%252FcZbgf0%252BF%252BgcH0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3a707faf43&item=250995519299&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=AODzDHAHWrLAh%252FcZbgf0%252BF%252BgcH0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
here is the auction I posted back in 2012 that had the yellow and brown marbled plastic MUMMY with the date. I would swear there were permanent pictures posted and more comments about this auction. But don't see them anymore??
And evidently I had seen one before that I had forgotten, but it must have been one from the late 90s or 2000. I vaguely remember another yellow one tbat sold in ebays early days.
What an incredible Marx collection you have, F73. No wonder I can't find any of these out there, you've cornered the market.
i can easily see the marx company of the early 1960's taking two different color plastics and dumping them into the one mold. especially if they were attempting to create those sorts of wild weird-oh named colors i.e. the green, yellow, etc...that they were advertising. but if is true the run was certainly short lived making those colors very very rare.
From what I've been able to find out the mixed colors didn't pass Marx quality control. They buried thousands of Marx pieces in the famous "Marx dump" through the '50s and '60s for molding defects or inconsistent colors. Currently, and for the last few years, collectors have dug up some of those pieces (mostly Marx dinosaurs) and many have gone into collections or been offered on eBay. Many of those pieces were ravaged by the elements, but some survived undamaged. One of the reasons they switched to the shiny "Heretage" type plastic around 1964 was probably because it mixed better and always looked more uniform. But collectors want the older pieces because of the variations in the coloring- the very thing Marx quality control fought to make uniform. If these yellow, green, and rose colors were especially hard to mix then that's a good reason Marx wouldn't have continued with them. You see a few Marx dinos with the marbling effect in the grayish colors, but they are a bit scarce. They are highly prized by Marx Prehistorics collectors.
Brother Horror Hunter is right about the dump near the old marx west virginia plant.. that place has been excavated more than egypt!!
Quote from: Mord on July 01, 2014, 10:08:28 AM
What an incredible Marx collection you have, F73. No wonder I can't find any of these out there, you've cornered the market.
thanks Mord, I acquired most of them about 15-20 years ago. They were much cheaper then, They were some of the first uni monsters I started recollecting from the memories of my youth. I love their simplicity and beautiful sculpts, I have often thought about selling a set or two them, but change my mind every time. I will post pics soon of my collection, I about have it set up the way I want.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 01, 2014, 01:22:20 PM
From what I've been able to find out the mixed colors didn't pass Marx quality control. They buried thousands of Marx pieces in the famous "Marx dump" through the '50s and '60s for molding defects or inconsistent colors. Currently, and for the last few years, collectors have dug up some of those pieces (mostly Marx dinosaurs) and many have gone into collections or been offered on eBay. Many of those pieces were ravaged by the elements, but some survived undamaged. One of the reasons they switched to the shiny "Heretage" type plastic around 1964 was probably because it mixed better and always looked more uniform. But collectors want the older pieces because of the variations in the coloring- the very thing Marx quality control fought to make uniform. If these yellow, green, and rose colors were especially hard to mix then that's a good reason Marx wouldn't have continued with them. You see a few Marx dinos with the marbling effect in the grayish colors, but they are a bit scarce. They are highly prized by Marx Prehistorics collectors.
I have heard of the marx digs, could you Imagine how much fun that would be! I wondered about that with my phantom but I dont think his mask would have made it if he was buried.
I still lose sleep over missing that yellow mummy......if it hadn't been a buy it now I guarantee it would have been on my shelf today. There are collectors that have these, i know they are out there. I wish they would share their knowledge and pictures. One more hope for yellow mummy pics, I have an old desktop in storage. Im going to hook it up and see if the mummy pics are on it.
Thanks for the info, F73. I think your theory is probably correct about the yellow, green, and rose Marx UniMons- a few were made that surface occasionally, but they were never made in quantity because of mixing problems for those colors. Those things have become almost like mythological cryptids at this point. It's great to finally see a picture of one with the original date showing. Man, that's one freaky lookin' Phantom. I hope to stumble onto one of the weird colored originals one day.
And here he is with a common mex marx green for comparison.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/14549402841_948376f130_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oaFuz8)20140630_165204 (https://flic.kr/p/oaFuz8) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3867/14546811912_649061aba2_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oasdnW)20140630_165905 (https://flic.kr/p/oasdnW) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14567841953_b06fcfa819_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR)20140630_165839 (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
Quote from: freddie poe on July 01, 2014, 01:41:21 PMBrother Horror Hunter is right about the dump near the old marx west virginia plant.. that place has been excavated more than egypt!!
Bottle collectors are also heavily into digs.
cl:)
That is very very cool F73! Man I would LOVE to go excavating in the Marx dump!Can you imagine the treasures there??
Quote from: frankenstein73 on July 01, 2014, 02:31:03 PM
And here he is with a common mex marx green for comparison.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/14549402841_948376f130_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oaFuz8)20140630_165204 (https://flic.kr/p/oaFuz8) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14567841953_b06fcfa819_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR)20140630_165839 (https://flic.kr/p/ociZSR) by j-raysjunkyard (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
Dude, I am SO grabbing copies of these pics. This Phantom is really cool. 8)
Quote from: Hepcat on July 01, 2014, 04:38:22 PM
Bottle collectors are also heavily into digs.
cl:)
I'll trade any & all of my empty beer bottles for one Marx figure. Any takers?
Quote from: Mord on July 01, 2014, 06:17:18 PM
I'll trade any & all of my empty beer bottles for one Marx figure. Any takers?
How many trucks would it take to ship them?? :o
Quote from: frankenstein73 on July 01, 2014, 06:39:42 PM
How many trucks would it take to ship them?? :o
Well, it's my empties for the last two weeks...three trucks should do.
is it possible that your phantom was leftover green from casting the 6" green army guys and the mummy was from casting the 6" Japanese soldiers of the same era which were a tan color?
Quote from: frankenstein73 on July 01, 2014, 03:50:31 AM
here is my green Phantom of the Opera with dated bottom. the plastic seems like the old figures, has the same "old" plastic smell, and is a good molding.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/14544306871_83f3441630_h.jpg)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5538/14361117018_7ff6a3847c_h.jpg)
Well it certainly is a vile green.
:o
Quote from: Tommyregan on July 01, 2014, 07:51:21 PMis it possible that your phantom was leftover green from casting the 6" green army guys and the mummy was from casting the 6" Japanese soldiers of the same era which were a tan color?
Hmmmmm, interesting. From collecting plastic Hockey, Baseball, Space, etc. coins, I know for a fact that the quality control to ensure consistency of colour for plastics was not very stringent back in the sixties. Employees were often free to be "imaginative".
;)
Quote from: Hepcat on July 02, 2014, 09:55:57 AM
Hmmmmm, interesting. From collecting plastic Hockey, Baseball, Space, etc. coins, I know for a fact that the quality control to ensure consistency of colour for plastics was not very stringent back in the sixties. Employees were often free to be "imaginative".
;)
True, Hep. It was like "the wild west" with most toy companies. As long as the product got cranked out they weren't too picky. Marx probably had some of the best quality control but a few things still slipped through the cracks (as opposed to landing in the Marx dump).
Also, I don't think it likely that F73's Phantom had anything to do with the large Marx soldier figures, even though it is a darker green like the Marx American soldiers. Maybe they were just trying different mixes to arrive at a particular shade of green and nothing really worked so it was back to teal and, later, orange. This is all just speculation on my part. It would be wonderful if info from a Marx worker surfaced at some point.
If these speculations about being unable to mix certain colors are correct then it does make me wonder why they had so much trouble with it. Consider all of the varied colors Marx used for other figures- brown for Cavemen; orange, red, and turquoise for Weird-Ohs; dark green, red, and tan for soldiers; all manner of colors for Nutty Mads. They never had trouble with all of those. If they wanted yellow, green, and rose Monsters it looks like it would have been feasible just like all of the other colors they made. I'm probably overthinking this because it's more important to the collector than the manufacturer. It was probably something really simple like they changed their minds after advertising the weird colors because they thought the Monsters might be confused with multi colored Nutty Mads by unthinking store employees and not displayed properly which might hurt sales. Or maybe Universal demanded limiting the Monsters to certain colors after the weird colors were advertised. I'm pretty sure Uni wasn't so
lawyered up in the '60s, but maybe Louis Marx just did it to cooperate. We may never know for sure, but it's fun to speculate.
We do know a few of these weird colored original Marx Monsters escaped into the world (thanks again, F73), so that gives us something else cool to be on the hunt for. We enjoy our collections, but we live for the hunt.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 02, 2014, 12:46:40 PMIf these speculations about being unable to mix certain colors are correct then it does make me wonder why they had so much trouble with it. Consider all of the varied colors Marx used for other figures- brown for Cavemen; orange, red, and turquoise for Weird-Ohs; dark green, red, and tan for soldiers; all manner of colors for Nutty Mads. They never had trouble with all of those. If they wanted yellow, green, and rose Monsters it looks like it would have been feasible just like all of the other colors they made.
I agree. I don't see why mixing up any particular colour would have posed a challenge for Marx or any company working in plastics.
:-\
I always wondered if they didn't run a couple throw-aways through the machine between color runs - just to flush the works.
It might be faster and easier than cleaning the thing out after each run. Plastic is cheap - employee time is expensive.
Same thing with some swirly plastic gumball charms.
That, and if bubbles and missing extremities might not be caused from operating the machine before it was completely warmed up.
Man, it would really be great if some old-timer who worked at Marx (or MPC) would answer some of these toy questions. That dude could write one helluva book, and I couldn't get my money out fast enough for a copy.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on July 03, 2014, 12:32:18 PMI always wondered if they didn't run a couple throw-aways through the machine between color runs - just to flush the works.
It might be faster and easier than cleaning the thing out after each run. Plastic is cheap - employee time is expensive.
Yes, that could be.
While I think Frankenstein73's Phantom figure is indeed vintage Marx production from the sixties, I don't believe it's an example of a Marx Vile Green figure. I think it was a straight forward test of a mold, or just a case of an employee playing around or simply an error due to carelessness on a worker's part. After all, Marx had no problem casting the Nutty Mads in a plethora of wild colours.
I suspect that the reason the Bilious Rose, Vile Green and Creepy Yellow colours were advertised but not produced in any kind of numbers was because somebody in the marketing department dreamed up some advertising copy after Marx issued the Nutty Mads in various wild colours. But Marx' licence to produce the Universal figures may have expired, and Marx company executives didn't think it made sense to pay whatever fee to extend the licence upon the premise that they still had a huge quantity of the teal and the orange ones in inventory that they could use to fill market demand for another year or three.
cl:)
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 03, 2014, 08:04:39 PM
Man, it would really be great if some old-timer who worked at Marx (or MPC) would answer some of these toy questions. That dude could write one helluva book, and I couldn't get my money out fast enough for a copy.
Geez-you and me both brother!
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on July 03, 2014, 12:32:18 PM
I always wondered if they didn't run a couple throw-aways through the machine between color runs - just to flush the works.
It might be faster and easier than cleaning the thing out after each run. Plastic is cheap - employee time is expensive.
Same thing with some swirly plastic gumball charms.
That, and if bubbles and missing extremities might not be caused from operating the machine before it was completely warmed up.
I work for a candle manufacturing company and I know wax and plastci aren't the same, I would think there are similarities, and we do indeed run through some test shots to clear the lines of any remaining fragrance oil ( the wax is the same). I also would have to agree with your idea of bubbles and missing extremities cause by the machine and/or plastic not being warmed up enough. We can not pour the candles unless the wax is at a specific temperature or else it will not set right, I can see plastic being the same way.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 02, 2010, 10:06:42 AMAnd lastly a picture I posted earlier of my lime green Frankenstein that I thought was a reissue even though the Ebay seller listed it with an original Phantom saying both figures were from 1964. But now after seeing and discussing this with you as well as Playset magazine I now present as an original
1964 MARX FRANKENSTEIN IN VILE GREEN
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/MarxFrankensteins-1.jpg)
So does your "Vile Green" Frankenstein smell like the original Marx issued Teal and Orange figures?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on July 08, 2014, 03:07:14 PM
So does your "Vile Green" Frankenstein smell like the original Marx issued Teal and Orange figures?
???
That's actually one of the Mexican PlastiMarx reissues from the '80s/'90s that we have recently been posting about in this very thread. You can even see the excess plastic flashing in the pic as compared to the original Teal one from 1963 behind it.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 08, 2014, 06:05:00 PM
That's actually one of the Mexican PlastiMarx reissues from the '80s/'90s that we have recently been posting about in this very thread. You can even see the excess plastic flashing in the pic as compared to the original Teal one from 1963 behind it.
Any flashing on that Frankenstein is no worse than any other teal or orange Marx that I have and certainly not as excessive as the Mexican reissues I have. I bought that Frank, along with an orange Phantom, 7+ years ago from a guy in Pa. I questioned the falidity of him saying they were vintage/original and he said he had got them both as a child in the 60's. When I recieved them the Frankenstein had a small rectangular 19 cent sticker on his base that had "Meijers" on it (The Phantom did not, by the way.), not sure when the sticker fell off (Wished I'd have taken a pic.) but only the residue from it is left on the figures base. Could this guy have taken a Meijers sticker off an original Marx and place it on a Mexican repop? Or produced the sticker himself? Sure but there would have been little point as it did nothing to raise the value at the time. I have little doubt that this is not an original Marx monster.....unless you don't consider anything after Marx's initial run as original Marx. At the very least, I've little doubt that this was not produced by Marx.
As for the smell? I've never noticed that any of them had a certain scent....then again it never dawned on me to smell tham in the first place!?
Quote from: zombiehorror on July 08, 2014, 09:14:53 PM
As for the smell? I've never noticed that any of them had a certain scent....then again it never dawned on me to smell tham in the first place!?
What kind of lunatic doesn't take the time to smell his own toys? You're lucky enough to have them, now smell the damn things, for God's sake!
Quote from: zombiehorror on July 08, 2014, 09:14:53 PM
Any flashing on that Frankenstein is no worse than any other teal or orange Marx that I have and certainly not as excessive as the Mexican reissues I have. I bought that Frank, along with an orange Phantom, 7+ years ago from a guy in Pa. I questioned the falidity of him saying they were vintage/original and he said he had got them both as a child in the 60's. When I recieved them the Frankenstein had a small rectangular 19 cent sticker on his base that had "Meijers" on it (The Phantom did not, by the way.), not sure when the sticker fell off (Wished I'd have taken a pic.) but only the residue from it is left on the figures base. Could this guy have taken a Meijers sticker off an original Marx and place it on a Mexican repop? Or produced the sticker himself? Sure but there would have been little point as it did nothing to raise the value at the time. I have little doubt that this is not an original Marx monster.....unless you don't consider anything after Marx's initial run as original Marx. At the very least, I've little doubt that this was not produced by Marx.
As for the smell? I've never noticed that any of them had a certain scent....then again it never dawned on me to smell tham in the first place!?
The excess plastic is evident in your own photo, especially around the base. Here is the pic of my sets again. The Teal and Orange sets being original and the green set to the left being Mexican PlastiMarx re-issues from the '80s/'90s. My green Frankenstein is identical in shade to yours so it seems most likely yours is one of the repops. All of my green ones have far more excess plastic than my originals with the Wolfman being so bad as to have nearly an extra set of werewolf ears (kind of like the Wolfman Soaky :laugh:). I really like that shade of green for the Marx Monsters but they are obviously not original Marx product from the '60s. And yes there is a difference in smell. The original Teal ones have the heavy aroma of that flat-colored-lead-based-paint-mixed-in-plastic from before 1964. The green ones don't. The only color besides Teal and Orange I've ever seen that looks like a genuine Marx Monster from the 1960s is the dark green swirled Phantom posted by Frankenstein73 earlier in this thread because it is marked 1963 in Roman Numerals AND the plastic looks right without the excess flashing. We know there are odd colored originals out there but this green Frankenstein is a dead ringer for a Mexican PlastiMarx re-issue.
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/marxmons2_zps9c277593.jpg)
dont forget i have a rasberry blue wolfman & mummy with all the correct markings. which i believe are shown earlier in this thread....
Quote from: freddie poe on July 09, 2014, 02:14:34 PM
dont forget i have a rasberry blue wolfman & mummy with all the correct markings. which i believe are shown earlier in this thread....
Freddie, I reviewed the entire thread and your posts started at the bottom of page 23 (BTW, this is a cool frickin' thread). You posted several pics that don't show up now. Would it be possible for you to post those pics again, including pics of the base bottoms? It would be great to see these unusual color variations of the originals. Thanks.
i could shoot the pix again and send them to you HH to an email address... i still cant post pix!! just a stupid ole pug....
Quote from: freddie poe on July 09, 2014, 03:44:45 PM
i could shoot the pix again and send them to you HH to an email address... i still cant post pix!! just a stupid ole pug....
PM sent.
ill have my girl shoot those pix tonight....thanks HH
Quote from: freddie poe on July 09, 2014, 03:59:38 PM
ill have my girl shoot those pix tonight....thanks HH
No problem, pal. We all look forward to seeing them. Thank You.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 09, 2014, 01:45:34 PM
The excess plastic is evident in your own photo, especially around the base. Here is the pic of my sets again. The Teal and Orange sets being original and the green set to the left being Mexican PlastiMarx re-issues from the '80s/'90s. My green Frankenstein is identical in shade to yours so it seems most likely yours is one of the repops. All of my green ones have far more excess plastic than my originals with the Wolfman being so bad as to have nearly an extra set of werewolf ears (kind of like the Wolfman Soaky :laugh:). I really like that shade of green for the Marx Monsters but they are obviously not original Marx product from the '60s. And yes there is a difference in smell. The original Teal ones have the heavy aroma of that flat-colored-lead-based-paint-mixed-in-plastic from before 1964. The green ones don't. The only color besides Teal and Orange I've ever seen that looks like a genuine Marx Monster from the 1960s is the dark green swirled Phantom posted by Frankenstein73 earlier in this thread because it is marked 1963 in Roman Numerals AND the plastic looks right without the excess flashing. We know there are odd colored originals out there but this green Frankenstein is a dead ringer for a Mexican PlastiMarx re-issue.
All my orange have what I presume to be the smell mentioned here but none of my teals do from what I can tell. How is the detail on those green ones? All of my reissues (except for maybe the cream ones, hard to tell right now as my girls had painted them previously) seem to have little to no detail in the shirt and jacket lapels but my green one has a very deep ridged shirt as well as the very evident cross pattern on the coat lapels.
I still just don't get why the Frankenstein I bought had the 19 cent Meijers sticker stuck on the bottom of it if it is just a Mexican reissue.?
Quote from: zombiehorror on July 09, 2014, 10:15:53 PM
All my orange have what I presume to be the smell mentioned here but none of my teals do from what I can tell. How is the detail on those green ones? All of my reissues (except for maybe the cream ones, hard to tell right now as my girls had painted them previously) seem to have little to no detail in the shirt and jacket lapels but my green one has a very deep ridged shirt as well as the very evident cross pattern on the coat lapels.
I still just don't get why the Frankenstein I bought had the 19 cent Meijers sticker stuck on the bottom of it if it is just a Mexican reissue.?
The older plastic has that smell from the lead based paint that was mixed in with it (or at least that's what I've read/been told from different sources). The detail varies greatly on the green Mexican repops (some are pretty sharp and some look like they're covered in plastic webs), but they almost always have that extra plastic to varying degrees especially on the mold seams, and they are that same shade of lime green. Like I said, they look really cool- probably the best of the repops, but they just aren't as cleanly molded as the originals from the '60s. I really like my green ones and I'm glad I picked them up. I'm not slighting them, I just think they have to be re-issues from what I've learned.
The sticker thing is a mystery. Remember these things are over twenty years old even if they are repops. A lot can happen in twenty years. The sticker probably came off an original and could have been placed on the green one several years ago for any number of reasons. Maybe the guy you bought them from just got his memory of the colors mixed up and when that sticker fell off he (or someone else) just stuck it on the wrong one twenty years ago so you end up with residue. Unless a person is a monster fanatic like we are they might not pay attention to some of these details. Then again maybe he did the old truth stretching thing to make a sale.
The bottom line is that you like the figure and enjoy it. Whether it came out in 1964 or 1989 it still looks just as cool. Those green ones rock, which is why I went after them a few years ago. I paid $20-$30 each for them and I'm glad to have and display them. Oh, and thanks for starting such a cool thread. I've probably enjoyed this thread more than any other in UMA. :)
This has indeed been a great thread so far.
:)
Here are Freddie Poe's Marx Monsters pics for everyone. He can post explanations of them. Thanks, Freddie.
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxfrankor_zpscd2fa775.jpg)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxmummys_zpse3adc855.jpg)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxwolf_zps201d24e9.jpg)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxmummy_zps60195a43.png)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxorfrankl_zps8f52b27e.png)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/horrorhunter/mxwolfbase_zps06cf7606.png)
thanks Horror Hunter...shown is the orange frank with date... then my (i call them Popsicle blue) wolfman & mummy shown along side a teal mummy for color comparison. then shown are the dated bottoms with correct markings....the light colored Mummy was brought from someone in england and the wolfman i have had for over 35 years......the dated orange frankie i got from a uma fiend!
Quote from: freddie poe on July 11, 2014, 12:45:57 PM
thanks Horror Hunter...shown is the orange frank with date... then my (i call them Popsicle blue) wolfman & mummy shown along side a teal mummy for color comparison. then shown are the dated bottoms with correct markings....the light colored Mummy was brought from someone in england and the wolfman i have had for over 35 years......the dated orange frankie i got from a uma fiend!
You sold me. I have no doubt those are legit. Those Popsicle Blues are way freakin' cool. 8)
First orange marx Ive seen with a date.
thats strange they released some oranges with dates and some without?
I literally have tons of oranges, none of them have a date and I know for an absolute fact that several are vintage 60s as I got them directly from the original owners.
In my collection I have no oranges that are mexican re pops (the smell and age is there, and several have price stickers)to my knowledge I have not seen any repros in orange or teal.
I really wish we had more info on these, it has to be out there somewhere. There are huge marx collectors that have info on all the playsets etc.. someone has to know. Its just a matter of getting in touch with them.
I saw the blue wolfman when you posted him the last time freddy, glad you found a mummy that goes with him. Very cool color! Hope to find some to add to my collection someday.
I'm starting to see the pattern here. Freddie's Orange Frankenstein (some people refer to as Pumpkin Orange) is actually the flat Orange equivalent of the flat colored Teal Blues with the 1963 date. And Freddie's Popsicle Blue MarxMons are the equivalent of the far more common Orange MarxMons that we have with the date barred out (that could be called Popsicle Orange I guess). The colors changed from Teal to Orange sometime around 1964 which was the same time they switched plastic types to the "Heritage" plastic (which gives it that slightly translucent "Popsicle" look). Evidently they made a few of the flat Oranges with the 1963 date and a few of the Popsicle Blues with the 1963 date in between/during that switch. Series 3 of the Nutty Mads are Popsicle Green and are dated 1964. The Marx Prehistoric collectors have theorized for years why Marx switched plastic types. Some theories are that they wanted to get away from the lead paint added plastic because kids were chewing dino tails, or the new plastic was easier to mold, or it made it easier to clean the molds, or it was cheaper. It may have been any of these reasons or something different. We will probably never know for sure unless someone affiliated with Marx steps forward one day. The clock's ticking, too. Those folks ain't gonna be around forever. Like F73 said, that info is out there somewhere. You would think all of this would be common knowledge in the collector community.
Quote from: freddie poe on July 11, 2014, 12:45:57 PMthen my (i call them Popsicle blue) wolfman & mummy shown along side a teal mummy for color comparison. then shown are the dated bottoms with correct markings....the light colored Mummy was brought from someone in england and the wolfman i have had for over 35 years....
Admittedly I can't shed any further light on this subject. The only thing I "know" is that those Popsicle blue(electric blue) Marx monsters are the wildest and most awesome ones I've ever seen!
Quote from: frankenstein73 on July 11, 2014, 01:54:38 PMFirst orange marx Ive seen with a date.
thats strange they released some oranges with dates and some without?
Leave it to a long time dedicated collector like Freddie though to expand the boundaries of what we know about these figures!
8)
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 11, 2014, 04:05:00 PMSeries 3 of the Nutty Mads are Popsicle Green and are dated 1964.
I take it that the first two series of Nutty Mads were therefore molded in flat colours with lead based dye? Were the Series 3 Nutty Mads available in only the one colour then?
The Marx Weird-Ohs were effectively Series 4 of the Nutty Mads and should therefore have been molded in the brighter lead-free plastic. Is that correct?
???
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 11, 2014, 04:05:00 PMI'm starting to see the pattern here. Freddie's Orange Frankenstein (some people refer to as Pumpkin Orange) is actually the flat Orange equivalent of the flat colored Teal Blues with the 1963 date. And Freddie's Popsicle Blue MarxMons are the equivalent of the far more common Orange MarxMons that we have with the date barred out (that could be called Popsicle Orange I guess). The colors changed from Teal to Orange sometime around 1964 which was the same time they switched plastic types to the "Heritage" plastic (which gives it that slightly translucent "Popsicle" look). Evidently they made a few of the flat Oranges with the 1963 date and a few of the Popsicle Blues with the 1963 date in between/during that switch.
So then that would imply that the orange coloured Universal monsters started being made in 1963 while Marx was still using lead-based dye to colour the plastic. Still in 1963 Marx switched to lead free dyes for the plastic which resulted in some Popsicle blue Universal monsters being produced. Production of the blue monsters ceased before the end of 1963 but production of the orange ones continued into 1964 which resulted in the date being barred off most of the orange Universal monster production.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on July 14, 2014, 08:55:44 AM
I take it that the first two series of Nutty Mads were therefore molded in flat colours with lead based dye? Were the Series 3 Nutty Mads available in only the one colour then?
The Marx Weird-Ohs were effectively Series 4 of the Nutty Mads and should therefore have been molded in the brighter lead-free plastic. Is that correct?
???
I think the Weird-Ohs were a separate set from the Nutty Mads. The Weird-Ohs were molded in the older flat colored plastic and must have come out shortly before the last series of Nutty Mads (series 3) even though both are dated 1964. The series 3 Nutty Mads are usually in "Popsicle" Green but I do have a Gutterball Annie in flat tan color. The markings look legit on the base bottom but I'm still not sure if this tan one is original or a well molded repop.
I never saw any series 3 Nutty Mads when I was a kid. I picked them all up on eBay a few years ago. Some sellers have stated they were mostly available in Canada. I wonder if that's true.
Quote from: Hepcat on July 14, 2014, 10:55:37 AM
So then that would imply that the orange coloured Universal monsters started being made in 1963 while Marx was still using lead-based dye to colour the plastic. Still in 1963 Marx switched to lead free dyes for the plastic which resulted in some Popsicle blue Universal monsters being produced. Production of the blue monsters ceased before the end of 1963 but production of the orange ones continued into 1964 which resulted in the date being barred off most of the orange Universal monster production.
???
That would seem to be the case. Maybe someday we will get accurate facts on all of this from a reputable source that actually worked for Marx or at least in the toy industry back in the '60s. If and when that happens we won't have to rely on speculation so much.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 14, 2014, 12:49:02 PM
That would seem to be the case. Maybe someday we will get accurate facts on all of this from a reputable source that actually worked for Marx or at least in the toy industry back in the '60s. If and when that happens we won't have to rely on speculation so much.
Yeah, but there are fewer and fewer of those guys left every year.
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/001MARXCREATURESwithBAG_zps134adb56.jpg)
Wow! I don't think I've ever seen that bag, before! That is super cool!
Quote from: Mike Scott on July 18, 2014, 12:40:56 PM
Wow! I don't think I've ever seen that bag, before! That is super cool!
Here's a pic of the whole bag from Bob's collection.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/IMG_0040_zps246a5237-1_zps8558ee46.jpg)
Notice the illustrations on the bags were just teal and orange. This is more proof that the green, yellow, and rose ones never went into regular production. Aside from F73's marbled green Phantom we've actually seen no proof of any original MarxMons outside the blue and orange range. That Phantom could be a weird unique example where they were testing for colors or something, and just never got sent to the Marx dump (thankfully). The unusual versions that Freddie posted are still blue and orange, although the Popsicle and flat colors are reversed from the more common versions. Maybe one of these Vile Green, Creepy Yellow, or Bilious Rose versions will actually surface at some point, but I have my doubts that they were ever actually produced. So far, all the proof we have of their existence is that page from the 1964 Marx catalog.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P2260008.jpg)
The Nutty Mads also came in a similar bag of 6.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 18, 2014, 12:58:41 PM
Here's a pic of the whole bag from Bob's collection.
OK, so I probably seen it before. The nice thing about having a bad memory is the excitement of seeing things for the first time, again! ;D
You're gonna love Alzheimer's.
Quote from: freddie poe on July 18, 2014, 01:28:03 PM
The Nutty Mads also came in a similar bag of 6.
It would be great to see the Nutty Mads bag. Do you have a pic of one Freddie?
Photo from a recent auction.
(http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy178/rmaylor/NuttyMads_zps51d48b4a.jpg)
Quote from: freddie poe on July 18, 2014, 01:28:03 PM
The Nutty Mads also came in a similar bag of 6.
I Wish! someone on the bay was selling an unopened bag for something like 2k??? a tad steep for a commoner like myself...
there it is!
It sold for $999
Holy Crap! Thanks for posting that pic, RPM. $999!! I wonder how many of those unopened bags still exist.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 18, 2014, 07:37:22 PM
I wonder how many of those unopened bags still exist.
I'll bet a clumsy butcher can count them on one hand!
Here is another finished auction for one of the green Mexican PlastiMarx Creatures. This one went for a more reasonable $28.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Marx-Creature-From-The-Black-Lagoon-Bright-Green-/291192764770?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=fTI0k%252Fq1kOrFL%252B6K1JaY%252BTMS%252FrY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Marx-Creature-From-The-Black-Lagoon-Bright-Green-/291192764770?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=fTI0k%252Fq1kOrFL%252B6K1JaY%252BTMS%252FrY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)
And the seller listed it incorrectly as a vintage Marx Creature and one of the original colors- green. So much misinformation.
Did you tell the schmuck he didn't know, and more probably didn't care, what he was talking about?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on July 24, 2014, 12:05:51 PM
Did you tell the schmuck he didn't know, and more probably didn't care, what he was talking about?
???
Nah, I'm minding my own business. There are so many evilBay errors/lies that one person could spend nearly all of their time trying to correct them and not make a dent. If a given falsehood is an honest mistake then let 'em do their own research, and if it's spin to try to sell something they will just ignore the truth anyway.
I'm glad someone got it at a realistic price. It's a nice piece.
Gentlemen, I just wanted to say that I've had a lovely 3 days of reading this thread. I took some of your info and posted it over on Vintage Monster Toys' Facebook Page, and I think you'll be pleased to see that I sited everyone whose information or providing-info pics, I used.
It's a great thread. I'm only sorry that I wasn't signed in until just now, so that I could "like" all the kind and generous comments I saw.
*Really* a lovely community, you have here. I hope to add something to the discourse, some day.
My very best.
WELCOME NEW MEMBER!
The UMA is a great place to hang out - or even lurk.
Ah, fresh blood.
if you check that auction for the vile green mexi creature??? you will notice that he does not show you both circles.... only the Marx logo which was still sometimes used on the mexi marx figures....
Welcome to the UMA, Stackhouse !
Quote from: Stackhouse on August 12, 2014, 03:03:44 PM*Really* a lovely community, you have here. I hope to add something to the discourse, some day.
My very best.
Welcome Stackhouse! We'd certainly like to see more input from you!
Quote from: Stackhouse on August 12, 2014, 03:03:44 PMGentlemen, I just wanted to say that I've had a lovely 3 days of reading this thread.
You might want to check out this thread on Marx figures too:
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=17452.msg277304#msg277304 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=17452.msg277304#msg277304)
:)
Are you also interested in MPC Pop-Tops and Palmer figures? There are several good threads dealing with each on this forum as well.
???
Welcome to the MadHouse Stackhouse!! freddie
I got a batch of broken Marx Warriors of the World figures (the 5" ones that are hard plastic, and painted), and down in among them was what initially assumed was a Napoleon Solo figure, but which upon closer inspection proved to be a battered blue-gray Frankenstein. http://instagram.com/p/sYViH8lbAx/ (http://instagram.com/p/sYViH8lbAx/)
The plot thickens!
:o
What does the bottom side of the base look like?
According to that pic some of the base is missing. There may be enough base left to get some info. :-\
Ive said it once and ill say it again....i would assume Marx DID NOT care what color plastic they used on any given day. while they probably tried to stay uniformed other substitute colors made their way into the mix. Scenario: Marx Factory early 1960's: "okay we are out of the teal blue plastic for the monsters...okay well.... use some other color until we get the teal back in ...." I'm sure they did not say "halt production for the day..everyone take the rest of the day off...we are out of teal pellets..." i bet there are many different colored Marx monsters out there (aside from the mexi-marx stuff) that are legit and from the original production run during the teal/orange era.
I had the orange ones when I was a kid (60's monster kid here). Just picked up a brand new complete set on eBay of the cream re-pops for a very reasonable price of forty bucks plus shipping. The seller had 3 sets and they were all gone within a few hours. I think the seller thought these were originals because of the date on the bottom and he had the year as 1963 in the listing details but the price was good even for re-pops. One thing I like about the cream ones is the sculpt detail is really visible even without paint. I really loved these things as kid.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Studios-Monsters-Figure-Marx-Set-Lot-of-6-Model-vtg-Toy-Frankenstein-/391071987317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0db4f675 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Studios-Monsters-Figure-Marx-Set-Lot-of-6-Model-vtg-Toy-Frankenstein-/391071987317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0db4f675)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODA1WDEwMDA=/z/q2EAAOSwdsFUN06O/$_57.JPG)(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjY3WDEwMDA=/z/-8QAAOSwcu5UN06T/$_57.JPG)
Quote from: freddie poe on September 01, 2014, 03:10:20 PMIve said it once and ill say it again....i would assume Marx DID NOT care what color plastic they used on any given day. while they probably tried to stay uniformed other substitute colors made their way into the mix. Scenario: Marx Factory early 1960's: "okay we are out of the teal blue plastic for the monsters...okay well.... use some other color until we get the teal back in ...." I'm sure they did not say "halt production for the day..everyone take the rest of the day off...we are out of teal pellets..."
That would have been completely consistent with the attitude toy manufacturers had in those days to the "junk" they were producing for kids.
:)
More complete reissue sets of these have come up for grabs from the same seller if anybody's interested.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Studios-Monsters-Figure-Marx-Set-Lot-of-6-Model-vtg-Toy-Frankenstein-/391075548138?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0deb4bea (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Studios-Monsters-Figure-Marx-Set-Lot-of-6-Model-vtg-Toy-Frankenstein-/391075548138?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0deb4bea)
After DECADES of admiring these figures from afar, I finally bought my first Marx monster (repro or otherwise) yesterday at the Columbus, OH toy show. I picked up a minty orange Phantom for $12. Mask intact and everything. I'm hooked!
Chris
I bought my first Marx monster when they first hit the toy stores and 5 & 10 stores of long ago (now they call them $1.00 stores).......... and 50 years later ...I'm STILL buyin' em! Yup! they are THAT good!! LOL
But, but, but,...I've NEVER bought a Mexi-Marx repro.....!! they dont mean a thing to me... it has to be the real deal or a rarity of the real deal.... the freaky mexi colors do not lure me in.....even though i like psychedelic colors! a purist at heart.
Quote from: freddie poe on March 23, 2015, 01:37:53 PM
But, but, but,...I've NEVER bought a Mexi-Marx repro.....!! they dont mean a thing to me... it has to be the real deal or a rarity of the real deal.... the freaky mexi colors do not lure me in.....even though i like psychedelic colors! a purist at heart.
I look at them as cheap paint fodder. A little cutting, sanding, and paint makes them come to life. I would never have an original painted up.
Quote from: freddie poe on March 23, 2015, 01:32:20 PMI bought my first Marx monster when they first hit the toy stores and 5 & 10 stores of long ago (now they call them $1.00 stores)...and 50 years later...I'm STILL buyin' em!
Quote from: freddie poe on March 23, 2015, 01:37:53 PM...I've NEVER bought a Mexi-Marx repro.....!! they dont mean a thing to me.... it has to be the real deal or a rarity of the real deal...even though i like psychedelic colors! a purist at heart.
Good man!
8)
Quote from: John Pertwee on March 23, 2015, 03:00:15 PMI look at them as cheap paint fodder. A little cutting, sanding, and paint makes them come to life. I would never have an original painted up.
Smart! If you're going to sand and paint them anyway, you actually don't want a vintage original! You want as cheap a repro as you can get.
:)
But do the Mexican repops paint up as easily and nicely as the tan Uncle Miltons which were designed for painting?
???
I used to have the original teal & orange ones as a kid. Then I found a set in the '80s but sold them when I got divorced (as well as my original Auroras). I wish I still had them, but am more than satisfied with the Uncle Miltons (& Polar Lights) repros. I love the toys themselves, not the status of having a rarity. Hey, anything that saves me a few grand is ok with me.
Quote from: Hepcat on March 23, 2015, 08:19:13 PM
But do the Mexican repops paint up as easily and nicely as the tan Uncle Miltons which were designed for painting?
???
The Uncle Milton repops take paint better than the original ones or Mexi repops from what I've read. I have the Uncle Milton Monster Studio and I never painted any of them myself, however, those Uncle Milton repops that came with the Monster Studio paint set are made from plastic which is a little harder (and more brittle) than the originals and I can see where they would be better to paint.
I picked up a set of the Mexi repops in weird colors a few years ago off eBay to complement my originals. I got 'em cheap...like 30 bucks for all six. I sure wouldn't pay much for repops, and I certainly bought all of the originals first. The originals in teal blue and orange are the real deal and those Mexican repops pale before them. I also bought all six in green which I believe to be by PlastiMarx (Mexican) from the '80s or '90s. I bought all six Uncle Milton Glows MIP new at TRU back in the early '90s when they first came out, and I picked up the Monster Studio off eBay a few years ago pretty cheap. I even bought several sets of the cream Uncle Milton repops out of Toy Shop from M & J Variety back in the late '90s. I guess you could say I'm a Marx UniMon
freak.
Here's one for ya...all of my Phantoms have an intact mask except...the Uncle Milty Glow
still in the package. The mask is still in there just bouncing around loose. :laugh:
Quote from: horrorhunter on March 23, 2015, 10:24:21 PMI bought all six Uncle Milton Glows MIP new at TRU back in the early '90s when they first came out....
Here's one for ya...all of my Phantoms have an intact mask except...the Uncle Milty Glow still in the package. The mask is still in there just bouncing around loose. :laugh:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that was the only way the Uncle Milton Glow figures were available. I don't think that they were ever sold loose in bins.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on March 24, 2015, 10:26:11 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that was the only way the Uncle Milton Glow figures were available. I don't think that they were ever sold loose in bins.
There's a lot of loose ones on ebay, but they were all originally carded.
Quote from: Hepcat on March 24, 2015, 10:26:11 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that was the only way the Uncle Milton Glow figures were available. I don't think that they were ever sold loose in bins.
Carded was the only way I ever saw them new. They may have been sold at other stores but TRU was the only place I saw them. Here's a pic I found on the 'net of them doing their thing.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DMAIS-CRTtc/TLY4hwGtnGI/AAAAAAAAAWo/83JZ2DqzECI/s1600/marx_universal_monsters.JPG)
Years ago I had mine on the wall in my toy/comic room and it was cool to turn the lights out and see them hovering like glowing ghosts. Mine have been boxed up for years since my toy/comic room became my
mostly monster house. Wall space became dear so I boxed up lotsa stuff.
They were sold at T'R'U and various other toy stores (always carded).
Quote from: Mord on March 24, 2015, 04:45:58 PM
They were sold at T'R'U and various other toy stores (always carded).
Why? They look drinking age to me. :o (Bad pun alert). They're quite frightening all lit up like that. They sure got a lot of mileage out of those molds, didn't they.
Quote from: Gory Glenn on March 24, 2015, 05:07:40 PM
Why? They look drinking age to me. :o (Bad pun alert). They're quite frightening all lit up like that. They sure got a lot of mileage out of those molds, didn't they.
You're right. They are about 25 years old by now.
Quote from: horrorhunter on March 24, 2015, 03:01:10 PM
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DMAIS-CRTtc/TLY4hwGtnGI/AAAAAAAAAWo/83JZ2DqzECI/s1600/marx_universal_monsters.JPG)
Years ago I had mine on the wall in my toy/comic room and it was cool to turn the lights out and see them hovering like glowing ghosts.
I have my glow set sitting on a shelf near the door of my studio. When I close up shop for the night I turn off the lights and just stand and admire them for a bit before I head down the stairs.
Two "new" photos that recently popped up on FB, courtesy of Kent Owen Sprecher~
(https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/s720x720/11082357_10206719409006806_8063823866527674522_o.jpg) (https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/20717_10206719517569520_2011949876064188687_n.jpg?oh=b9aff9255e4f776751f784739f85b9cf&oe=55BDB3D1)
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 28, 2015, 10:42:49 PM
Two "new" photos that recently popped up on FB, courtesy of Kent Owen Sprecher~
Right clicked...thanks!
I'd like to find one of the 10" x 24" color streamers.
That would let us know what colors were indeed original.
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 28, 2015, 10:42:49 PMTwo "new" photos that recently popped up on FB, courtesy of Kent Owen Sprecher~
Wow, fabulous!
8)
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on March 28, 2015, 11:03:22 PM
I'd like to find one of the 10" x 24" color streamers.
That would let us know what colors were indeed original.
But we already know of Marx's intention to produce bilious rose, vile green and creepy yellow monsters from other printed catalogues. We're just not sure if Marx went through with those plans.
???
This appears to be an original 1960s "pumpkin orange" Creature, missing a hand. But still an original.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-Vintage-MARX-ORANGE-Plastic-monster-1960s-/221734013460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a0608a14 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-Vintage-MARX-ORANGE-Plastic-monster-1960s-/221734013460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a0608a14)
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 07, 2015, 04:35:42 AM
This appears to be an original 1960s "pumpkin orange" Creature, missing a hand. But still an original.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-Vintage-MARX-ORANGE-Plastic-monster-1960s-/221734013460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a0608a14 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-Vintage-MARX-ORANGE-Plastic-monster-1960s-/221734013460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a0608a14)
Who let the dogs out! (as in chewed off hand) :(
Not necessarily a dog. If my memory serves me well, those old Marx figures tasted great when I was eight.
Quote from: Mord on April 07, 2015, 12:02:17 PM
Not necessarily a dog. If my memory serves me well, those old Marx figures tasted great when I was eight.
If a kid did that they have one hell of a canine tooth! Mouse over the pic and look at the wrist. :)
Quote from: Gory Glenn on April 07, 2015, 12:53:47 PM
If a kid did that they have one hell of a canine tooth! Mouse over the pic and look at the wrist. :)
You're right. If it was a kid, it must have been Eddie Munster.
Quote from: Mord on April 07, 2015, 12:58:04 PM
You're right. If it was a kid, it must have been Eddie Munster.
Perfect! ;D
Quote from: horrorhunter on March 28, 2015, 10:57:13 PM
Right clicked...thanks!
well there you have stated on the package of the marx cinema monsters in fluorescent orange & blue! which may account for my Popsicle blue mummy & wolfman.....
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 28, 2015, 10:42:49 PM
Two "new" photos that recently popped up on FB, courtesy of Kent Owen Sprecher~
(https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/s720x720/11082357_10206719409006806_8063823866527674522_o.jpg) (https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/20717_10206719517569520_2011949876064188687_n.jpg?oh=b9aff9255e4f776751f784739f85b9cf&oe=55BDB3D1)
sorry,,,, day~glo not fluorescent .....
I just picked up an orange Creature and blue Wolfman at lunch today at a local antique store. I also grabbed the carded glow Phantom and Wolfman.
They had a few of the white reissue ones and now I may go back to get those later. At about $6-$8 each, it's not a bad deal.
Now I need to track down a full set of the blue and orange! I'm hooked.
Quote from: fanboy on September 01, 2015, 03:00:27 PM
At about $6-$8 each, it's not a bad deal.
You got original orange and blue Marx monsters for $4-6? Do they have another orange Creature? ;D
Here's a link to a eBay auction for one of the lime green Creatures that there was some debate about earlier in this thread. Some people thought they were from the '60s or '70s, and some thought they might be part of the current batch of Mexican repops. The seller in this listing claims it's from the 1980's. These lime green ones are marked on the base bottoms like the original Marx orange ones from the '60s; that is, they have the information but the date is barred through. From the tidbits of info I've accumulated over the years it seems there was a Mexican company called PlastiMarx that was making these lime green ones after the Marx molds went south in the '80s. Many of the lime green ones are poorly molded compared to original Marx pieces because Louis Marx had much better quality control. The Uncle Milton company would have used the molds after this in the late '80s- early '90s. Or, it could have been that these PlastiMarx lime green ones were actually made in the '90s after the Uncle Milton usage. The Mexican repops from the past several years are unmarked, and for all the weird colors they turn up in I have yet to see exact copies of original Marx colors (teal & orange) or exact copies of this lime green color. Also, the quality control is nearly non existent on recent Mexican repops which results in molding errors and a lot of excess plastic at the seams (flash). Evidently they don't clean the molds very often these days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-VINTAGE-LAGOON-CREATURE-MEXICAN-FROM-80s-/121795901830? (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-VINTAGE-LAGOON-CREATURE-MEXICAN-FROM-80s-/121795901830?)
i agree with horrorhunter i recall the lime green plastimarx from Mehico with the correct 60's logo ala the orange monsters with the bar block
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/774/22606897028_4b594b4a38_z.jpg)
That paint up proves that those were the best monster figures of that era. Jaw droppingly good.
Quote from: Mord on November 15, 2015, 12:54:29 AM
That paint up proves that those were the best monster figures of that era.
The sculpts were as good, or better that the Aurora's. The Creature was a more accurate version of the REVENGE suit that the Aurora was of the first movie suit.
Quote from: Mike Scott on November 15, 2015, 02:17:44 AM
The sculpts were as good, or better that the Aurora's. The Creature was a more accurate version of the REVENGE suit that the Aurora was of the first movie suit.
ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 28, 2015, 10:42:49 PM
Two "new" photos that recently popped up on FB, courtesy of Kent Owen Sprecher~
(https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/s720x720/11082357_10206719409006806_8063823866527674522_o.jpg) (https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/20717_10206719517569520_2011949876064188687_n.jpg?oh=b9aff9255e4f776751f784739f85b9cf&oe=55BDB3D1)
I guess the Phantom was technically on TV. But not the one their showing. But I guess it's actually the James Cagney one, so it's technically there.
Quote from: Mord on November 15, 2015, 12:54:29 AMThat paint up proves that those were the best monster figures of that era. Jaw droppingly good.
I can't even envisage the painting of these at all let alone painting them as exceedingly well as this one!
8)
Quote from: Hepcat on November 15, 2015, 10:16:14 AM
I can't even envisage the painting of these at all let alone painting them as exceedingly well as this one!
8)
I think we've all attempted to paint those at one point or another. I used my Aurora paints on mine. Needless to say, they looked nothing like this.
Quote from: Mord on November 15, 2015, 01:13:22 PM
I think we've all attempted to paint those at one point or another. I used my Aurora paints on mine. Needless to say, they looked nothing like this.
I build and paint my Aurora models (reissues) and they look like... well, like I painted them. There's no way I could even try to paint these.
Very glad to have this Creech... alas, wasn't I who slung paint on it.
As we know, the cream colored Marx repops by Uncle Milton were marketed to be painted.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudio.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODA1WDEwMDA=/z/q2EAAOSwdsFUN06O/$_57.JPG)
They are made of harder plastic than the original Marx UniMons and paint up well.
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 15, 2015, 06:04:38 PM
As we know, the cream colored Marx repops by Uncle Milton were marketed to be painted.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudio.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODA1WDEwMDA=/z/q2EAAOSwdsFUN06O/$_57.JPG)
They are made of harder plastic than the original Marx UniMons and paint up well.
I have a set of these and I like the detail on them better than the colored ones even in unpainted form.
They look pretty crisp all right! Neat set
Quote from: Gory Glenn on November 16, 2015, 11:38:05 AM
I have a set of these and I like the detail on them better than the colored ones even in unpainted form.
The detail is good on them but they suffer from excess plastic
flashing, and they are much more easily broken than the originals since the plastic mix is harder and more brittle. Uncle Milton didn't have the excellent quality control Marx did so some of these and the glows are mismolded and have the excess plastic at the seams that I mentioned. I have several Marx-mold Phantoms and the only one with a broken mask is the Uncle Milton glow still in the package. The mask is in there bouncing around. The Uncle Miltons are still way better quality than the Mexican repops, though.
These Uncle Milton cream colored are the ones to use if you plan on painting them, but to me nothing even comes close to the original Teal and Orange ones. The Teal Creature is one of the most iconic monster toys IMO, ranking up there with any of the expensive ones. We are fortunate that Marx was so prolific that we can still get a nice Teal Creature for less than $100.. if you can find one that is. Almost every Teal Creature I've seen has condition issues. All that said I still have all of the Uncle Miltons along with the Monster Studio because I love the Marx Universal Monsters so much they are one group of monster toys that I'm a completest for.
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 16, 2015, 05:38:54 PM
The detail is good on them but they suffer from excess plastic flashing, and they are much more easily broken than the originals since the plastic mix is harder and more brittle. Uncle Milton didn't have the excellent quality control Marx did so some of these and the glows are mismolded and have the excess plastic at the seams that I mentioned. I have several Marx-mold Phantoms and the only one with a broken mask is the Uncle Milton glow still in the package. The mask is in there bouncing around. The Uncle Miltons are still way better quality than the Mexican repops, though.
These Uncle Milton cream colored are the ones to use if you plan on painting them, but to me nothing even comes close to the original Teal and Orange ones. The Teal Creature is one of the most iconic monster toys IMO, ranking up there with any of the expensive ones. We are fortunate that Marx was so prolific that we can still get a nice Teal Creature for less than $100.. if you can find one that is. Almost every Teal Creature I've seen has condition issues. All that said I still have all of the Uncle Miltons along with the Monster Studio because I love the Marx Universal Monsters so much they are one group of monster toys that I'm a completest for.
Since I'm an adult and mine are displayed on a shelf and not played with breakage is not really an issue for me. The only flash issue on mine are the Creature's claws. You can see that clearly in the photo posted here. Also I picked up the whole set brand new for $40 and I know Mike sold a set here for $20. So the cream ones can be a great value for those of us that aren't willing to spend the kind of money that people want for originals. However, there are people on eBay asking exorbitant prices for the cream ones as well thinking they are originals because they have the original stamp on the bottom.
Quote from: Gory Glenn on November 16, 2015, 05:52:11 PM
Since I'm an adult and mine are displayed on a shelf and not played with breakage is not really an issue for me. The only flash issue on mine are the Creature's claws.
I believe all of us are past slamming them together going "Wham.. Pow!". :laugh: I just meant the plastic being slightly brittle makes fingers, masks, and the like snap off fairly easily if one falls off the shelf or is dropped while painting it or dusting under it, for example. The ones in that pic are pretty clean, but not all of them are like that. I bought several sets of the cream ones really cheaply from M & J Variety back in the '90s from a Toy Shop ad. I kept one of the best sets for my collection, but even they have minor flash issues on the Creature's claws, Wolfman's hands, Mummy's base, and Frankenstein's base. A couple of the figures I gave away even arrived with broken fingers. The Marx originals are very difficult to break (except for Phantom masks), with scuffing and excessive wear being the common defects from being played with so much. You got a great deal on those Uncle Milton repops. I was just giving a comparison between them and the originals, from my experience with them going back to the first ones my parents bought me in '63 and '64. No disrespect towards the cream repops.
Quote from: Gory Glenn on November 16, 2015, 05:52:11 PM
So the cream ones can be a great value for those of us that aren't willing to spend the kind of money that people want for originals. However, there are people on eBay asking exorbitant prices for the cream ones as well thinking they are originals because they have the original stamp on the bottom.
I agree. I would probably go that route had I not grown up with the originals and have such a fondness for them.
Yes, some sellers do advertise them as being originals from the '60s. Buyers need to become knowledgeable on what they collect by visiting sites like UMA and reading conversations like this very one. ;)
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 16, 2015, 07:08:56 PM
I believe all of us are past slamming them together going "Wham.. Pow!". :laugh:
;D
It's masks like the one The Phantom is holding here that confused me so much when I was little. No one ever cared about Lon Chaney's mask so they never showed it in pictures and since then people just used totally different masks in drawings. It was specifically the Aurora mask that confused me but this one would've confused me even more. How does he hide his face with such a tiny mask.
I know what you mean. It looks like he was planning to go as the Lone Ranger the masked ball.
Anybody know what the deal is with this?
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0BAAAOSwNSxVXR-2/s-l1600.jpg)
Ebay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARX-HUNCHBACK-FIGURE-MINT-SEALED-IN-TOY-SHOP-HEADER-BAG-SIX-INCH/261895675171?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003150253%26meid%3D93e9736ac4e4420c9d8d25f081a2f1d1%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D7%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D221952902862 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARX-HUNCHBACK-FIGURE-MINT-SEALED-IN-TOY-SHOP-HEADER-BAG-SIX-INCH/261895675171?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003150253%26meid%3D93e9736ac4e4420c9d8d25f081a2f1d1%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D7%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D221952902862)
Looks like a store in the 60's had their own label and bagging system for toys that arrived naked to me.
Was 29 cents a good price for these back in the day?
Quote from: Haunted hearse on November 28, 2015, 10:47:13 AM
Was 29 cents a good price for these back in the day?
I've seen the originals with a price stamped in purple ink. It was a circle with "19" inside.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on November 28, 2015, 10:50:13 AM
I've seen the originals with a price stamped in purple ink. It was a circle with "19" inside.
Yep, my lime green Frankenstein had a little rectangular 19 cent/Mejers sticker on it (don't recall the 19 being circled though?); at some point the sticker unfortunately fell off, I'm hoping to find it amongst my monster stuff one day.
Quote from: zombiehorror on November 28, 2015, 11:11:16 AM
Yep, my lime green Frankenstein had a little rectangular 19 cent/Mejers sticker on it (don't recall the 19 being circled though?); at some point the sticker unfortunately fell off, I'm hoping to find it amongst my monster stuff one day.
The circle was stamped directly on the bottom of the toy - no tag.
A little vigorous rubbing would take it off.
My orange Phantom has a price sticker on the base bottom reading "F.W. Woolworth", and below that written in pen is the price ".10". Prices probably varied, starting at 10 cents and rising slightly through the '60s and into the early '70s when the original MarxMons were retailed. I've seen them marked "19 cents" someplace before fairly recently.. probably in eBay listings. I seem to remember them ranging from a dime to a quarter in hazy kidhood recollection.
Quote from: Anton Phibes on November 28, 2015, 10:20:59 AM
Looks like a store in the 60's had their own label and bagging system for toys that arrived naked to me.
Yeah, that's what it looks like to me also. Maybe from the '70s. It's probably not some crook's doing trying to fake original packaging because they would have gone for the '60s style graphics on the header card to really cash in. I can't really see this generic type packaging adding much, if any, value to the piece. I would rather have the figure loose to display on the shelf rather than display in such boring, non-monstery, packaging.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0BAAAOSwNSxVXR-2/s-l1600.jpg)
Quote from: Anton Phibes on November 28, 2015, 10:20:59 AMLooks like a store in the 60's had their own label and bagging system for toys that arrived naked to me.
It looks to me like a distributor's packaging. Note that if you saved a sufficient number of header cards you could redeem the cards for valuable prizes!
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%203/General%20Album%203001/Marx2_zps6jmswu3m.jpg)
8)
Can anyone explain to me how this Phantom in overall nice condition has a different head position? Never seen one like this before.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A9oAAOSwHPlWgsn8/s-l500.jpg)
That's strange. If someone dropped it right after it was molded, why didn't the mask break or fold over? Could have been left in direct sunlight? We may never know.
Quote from: John Pertwee on January 25, 2016, 09:57:24 AMCould have been left in direct sunlight?
That may be the answer you know.
:-\
Perhaps, but I would think there would be damage to the fingers before the neck, but the weight of the head could be the reason only that part moved.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on November 28, 2015, 11:20:57 AM
The circle was stamped directly on the bottom of the toy - no tag.
A little vigorous rubbing would take it off.
I think many collectors are too young to remember those ink stamping tools, where the numbers could be dialed to whatever price was desired. I've seen the Marx monsters with both sticky labels and price stamps. Original prices vary, but 50 years ago, 19 cents was a lot of bread... ;)
I can also remember that sound of workers pricing new merchandise... clickaclickaclicka...
The Marx monsters did come in an illustrated bag showing three orange and three blue monsters. I think retailers opened the bag of six and priced them individually.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 24, 2016, 12:20:28 PM
Can anyone explain to me how this Phantom in overall nice condition has a different head position? Never seen one like this before.
Heat. Boiling it for a bit would allow for the head to be repositioned.
Quote from: John Pertwee on January 25, 2016, 09:57:24 AM
That's strange. If someone dropped it right after it was molded, why didn't the mask break or fold over? Could have been left in direct sunlight? We may never know.
I doubt direct sunlight would be strong enough even over years to have bent the head. Unless possibly left on a dashboard in the summer sun. Then again the fingers would have melted.
Quote from: darkmonkeygod on January 25, 2016, 12:47:45 PM
Heat. Boiling it for a bit would allow for the head to be re-positioned.
I couldnt get just the head and neck in water without the hand and arm going before it. At any rate I bought this one just because I found it intriguing. Not a fan of the Phantom but I do like the color and it is complete so for the $27 delivered I figured WTF, Buy it.
I would keep it the way it is just for the oddity of it. I've never seen one with the head to one side like that.
By the pic it looks like one of those Plastimarx greenies from the '80s/'90s from Mexico. Those are marked like the original orange ones with the date barred through. 27 bucks is a fair price, especially with an intact mask.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on January 25, 2016, 12:31:21 PM
I think many collectors are too young to remember those ink stamping tools, where the numbers could be dialed to whatever price was desired. I've seen the Marx monsters with both sticky labels and price stamps. Original prices vary, but 50 years ago, 19 cents was a lot of bread... ;)
I can also remember that sound of workers pricing new merchandise... clickaclickaclicka...
Yes! All the ones I had as a kid, were stamped "10 cents" and sold individually. They were all in a big box at the end of an aisle. I remember them being lot stronger than the reissues, since they all had their fingers/claws/masks etc.
Quote from: Allhallowsday on January 25, 2016, 12:31:21 PM
Original prices vary, but 50 years ago, 19 cents was a lot of bread... ;)
Speaking of which, do any of you fellows remember bread priced at nineteen cents a loaf or lower?
???
I remember Lewis and Toastmaster (which were like Wonder Bread) priced in the twenty to thirty cent range but no lower.
:)
Quote from: Hepcat on January 26, 2016, 05:15:06 PM
Speaking of which, do any of you fellows remember bread priced at nineteen cents a loaf or lower?
???
I remember Lewis and Toastmaster (which were like Wonder Bread) priced in the twenty to thirty cent range but no lower.
:)
In 1971 I worked in a large hospital kitchen and we bought bread on contract for 18½ cents a loaf.
It was 25 cents a loaf in the store.
We had a drive in Burger joint... Big 19 cent electric sign on top of place... Went from 19 cent burgers to 19 cent fries to 19 cent coffee before closing up
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 24, 2016, 12:20:28 PM
Can anyone explain to me how this Phantom in overall nice condition has a different head position? Never seen one like this before.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A9oAAOSwHPlWgsn8/s-l500.jpg)
My Phantom arrived today and it did NOT have the twisted head as pictured. Really the main reason I bought this. Nice color and mask intact but exactly like all the other ones out there. Waiting to hear from seller what happened. >:(
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 29, 2016, 07:24:18 PM
My Phantom arrived today and it did NOT have the twisted head as pictured. Really the main reason I bought this. Nice color and mask intact but exactly like all the other ones out there. Waiting to hear from seller what happened. >:(
Aw. I rather like the head position of the one in the picture.
He looks like he is being repulsed by something - as if he were seeing his own image in a mirror for the first time after the fire and the bandages came off.
I would be upset as well.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 29, 2016, 07:24:18 PM
My Phantom arrived today and it did NOT have the twisted head as pictured. Really the main reason I bought this. Nice color and mask intact but exactly like all the other ones out there. Waiting to hear from seller what happened. >:(
Bummer!
Hey Guys
Here is the response I got. VEEERY cool and upfront.
I was actually horrified when I saw it was defected when I pulled it for shipping because I did not make note of the defect in the item description. So I sent the better condition one instead. I do still have the defected one. I'll just send it out to you after the weekend, no need to send the other one back. I was going to email to check before sending it out, but that would have delayed the shipping another 2 days so just I just sent the better condition one out. I will let you know the tracking number once shipped. Thanks!
Dorothy
YAAAY! I get two Phantoms for $27 delivered. I actually love the Mex Repros in nice condition and various colors better than originals. 8)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 29, 2016, 08:53:23 PM
... I do still have the defected one. I'll just send it out to you after the weekend, no need to send the other one back. ...
Good seller!
Great seller. Above and beyond what most would do.
Quote from: John Pertwee on January 29, 2016, 09:15:50 PM
Great seller. Above and beyond what most would do.
That is not very common on E-Bay. Congrats on finding an honorable vendor.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 24, 2016, 12:20:28 PM
Can anyone explain to me how this Phantom in overall nice condition has a different head position? Never seen one like this before.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A9oAAOSwHPlWgsn8/s-l500.jpg)
He's sniffing to see if he needs to shower due to deodorant failure, Les, lol. Glad you're getting a 2 for 1 deal. 8)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 29, 2016, 08:53:23 PM
Hey Guys
Here is the response I got. VEEERY cool and upfront.
I was actually horrified when I saw it was defected when I pulled it for shipping because I did not make note of the defect in the item description. So I sent the better condition one instead. I do still have the defected one. I'll just send it out to you after the weekend, no need to send the other one back. I was going to email to check before sending it out, but that would have delayed the shipping another 2 days so just I just sent the better condition one out. I will let you know the tracking number once shipped. Thanks!
Dorothy
YAAAY! I get two Phantoms for $27 delivered. I actually love the Mex Repros in nice condition and various colors better than originals. 8)
Hey man, when you get that deformed Phantom post some pics and let's try to figure out how the head got like that. Verrry curious. ???
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 29, 2016, 10:23:35 PM
Hey man, when you get that deformed Phantom post some pics and let's try to figure out how the head got like that. Verrry curious. ???
Post pictures of them side-by-side, from different angles.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on January 29, 2016, 08:53:23 PM
Hey Guys
Here is the response I got. VEEERY cool and upfront.
I was actually horrified when I saw it was defected when I pulled it for shipping because I did not make note of the defect in the item description. So I sent the better condition one instead. I do still have the defected one. I'll just send it out to you after the weekend, no need to send the other one back. I was going to email to check before sending it out, but that would have delayed the shipping another 2 days so just I just sent the better condition one out. I will let you know the tracking number once shipped. Thanks!
Dorothy
She's great people. I got my green sets from her 16 or 17 years ago!
I got my deformed Phantom today. Slightly different color. Totally NM and this one is a very crisp mold release with more detail all around. I will try to show pictures this weekend.
Wow! Nearly eight years and 41 pages! This is a thread that just keeps on giving.
8)
Quote from: Hepcat on February 04, 2016, 12:10:25 PM
Wow! Nearly eight years and 41 pages! This is a thread that just keeps on giving.
8)
It's only fitting for the toys that keep on giving.
Quote from: Mike Scott on October 01, 2012, 11:55:43 PM
(http://imageshack.us/a/img10/9493/marxmonsters.jpg)
Well that image of Draco is actually from Mark of the Vampire so I think he should be called "Moro".
Good eye!
8)
Super nice Marx Creature paint up on eBay. BIN $75.00 or make offer.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARX-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-custom-paint-by-RAK/172193038595?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36689%26meid%3Da963ceb75f594347b2567b0383f1448e%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D201565888617 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARX-UNIVERSAL-MONSTER-CREATURE-FROM-THE-BLACK-LAGOON-custom-paint-by-RAK/172193038595?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36689%26meid%3Da963ceb75f594347b2567b0383f1448e%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D201565888617)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JnEAAOSwB4NWxIlQ/s-l1600.jpg)
Beautiful paint job!
8)
This was done be an artist named RAK. I see his little sketches at cons all the time then he started selling these Marx repaints on ebay. Recently I've seen him start doing other stuff like Palmers and Telco motionettes
Interesting listing for a set of silver Marx Monsters recasts. BIN $17.00 + $9.00 shipping from Mexico. The mold quality doesn't look so great though.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-MONSTERS-RECAST-MARX-COMPLET-SET-OF-SIX-FIGURES-WOLF-MAN-CREATURE-ETC-/231958828173?hash=item3601d2d48d:g:DNcAAOSwiLdV~4-o (http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-MONSTERS-RECAST-MARX-COMPLET-SET-OF-SIX-FIGURES-WOLF-MAN-CREATURE-ETC-/231958828173?hash=item3601d2d48d:g:DNcAAOSwiLdV~4-o)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DNcAAOSwiLdV~4-o/s-l1600.jpg)
Quote from: Gory Glenn on May 31, 2016, 12:56:25 PM
Interesting listing for a set of silver Marx Monsters recasts. BIN $17.00 + $9.00 shipping from Mexico. The mold quality doesn't look so great though.
The molds are old and beat up to start with, and they don't like to clean them south of the border (cuts into siesta time ;D).
(http://slumberwise.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/siesta.jpg)
They also have this cool Gorilla blow mold bank cheap.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GORILLA-BANK-LIKE-KONGTOBER-A-J-RENZIE-STYLE-16-FIGURE-BLACK-BIG-/231958865366?hash=item3601d365d6:g:nzMAAOSwUfNXSRgJ (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GORILLA-BANK-LIKE-KONGTOBER-A-J-RENZIE-STYLE-16-FIGURE-BLACK-BIG-/231958865366?hash=item3601d365d6:g:nzMAAOSwUfNXSRgJ)
I bought these 4 inch Marx repro space guys for $9 delivered and they are GREAT. How can you go wrong? 8)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPACE-FIGURES-RECAST-MARX-COMPLETE-SET-EIGTH-FIGURES-ASTRONAUTS-ALIEN-HELMETS-/231941260655?hash=item3600c6c56f:g:nYwAAOSwx~JWFKSW (http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPACE-FIGURES-RECAST-MARX-COMPLETE-SET-EIGTH-FIGURES-ASTRONAUTS-ALIEN-HELMETS-/231941260655?hash=item3600c6c56f:g:nYwAAOSwx~JWFKSW)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on June 03, 2016, 06:59:48 PM
They also have this cool Gorilla blow mold bank cheap.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GORILLA-BANK-LIKE-KONGTOBER-A-J-RENZIE-STYLE-16-FIGURE-BLACK-BIG-/231958865366?hash=item3601d365d6:g:nzMAAOSwUfNXSRgJ (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GORILLA-BANK-LIKE-KONGTOBER-A-J-RENZIE-STYLE-16-FIGURE-BLACK-BIG-/231958865366?hash=item3601d365d6:g:nzMAAOSwUfNXSRgJ)
Amazon has those 17" Renzi repop gorilla banks pretty cheap too: http://www.amazon.com/Large-Gorilla-Money-Bank-Blow-Mold/dp/B00EUBN4PS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464999574&sr=8-2&keywords=blow+mold+gorilla+bank (http://www.amazon.com/Large-Gorilla-Money-Bank-Blow-Mold/dp/B00EUBN4PS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464999574&sr=8-2&keywords=blow+mold+gorilla+bank)
With free shipping w/$49 order it may be a good deal for you if you're going to buy a bunch of stuff from Amazon anyway.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71o%2B71W3Y%2BL._SL600_.jpg)
Two very different apes. One is happy grin with colored eyes. The other has fangs and zero paint.
The original Renzis looked like the one Amazon is selling, except the mouth and eyes were painted red, and the teeth white.
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/54/cf/4e/54cf4e6013108e750a51cdb9ec364b3c.jpg)
Here is proof that the lime green repops were indeed made by PlastiMarx (Mexico) in the '70s. This is a link to an eBay listing for a factory case of them with the PlastiMarx name on the box.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272338700599?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.com/itm/272338700599?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5UsAAOSwawpXrVfL/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DsYAAOSwU-pXrVkT/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2xcAAOSwaB5XrVlA/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2JMAAOSw65FXrVks/s-l1600.jpg)
Earlier in this thread some folks seemed to think the lime green ones were original Marx. This eBay listing proves they were made in Mexico by PlastiMarx. Too many of these have shown up on eBay over the years for them to be one of those wild scarce Marx colors that were advertised in the '60s (and maybe never made). Also, the lime green ones have excess plastic at the seams since the Mexican subsidiary (PlastiMarx) didn't have the quality control that Marx did.
Wow, horrorhunter! Now THAT is an Universal Monster Army
Man, that box looks like it was found in some ancient ruins!
Quote from: Gory Glenn on August 12, 2016, 12:08:47 PM
Man, that box looks like it was found in some ancient ruins!
I know, right?! How awesome. The box with little plastic Monster goodness.
Quote from: marsattacks666 on August 12, 2016, 12:10:49 PM
I know, right?! How awesome. The box with little plastic Monster goodness.
This is the home of Fluffy's Mexican relative, Mullido. Careful removing that metal band! You don't want to make the coroner have to measure the bite marks! :o
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DsYAAOSwU-pXrVkT/s-l1600.jpg)(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/EDE2q48b9Ak/maxresdefault.jpg)
Quote from: Gory Glenn on August 12, 2016, 12:26:02 PM
This is the home of Fluffy's Mexican relative, Mullido. Careful removing that metal band! You don't want to make the coroner have to measure the bite marks! :o
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DsYAAOSwU-pXrVkT/s-l1600.jpg)(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/EDE2q48b9Ak/maxresdefault.jpg)
Yikes, Fluffy!! Poor Billy, she got eaten.
Quote from: horrorhunter on August 12, 2016, 11:55:34 AMHere is proof that the lime green repops were indeed made by PlastiMarx (Mexico) in the '70s. This is a link to an eBay listing for a factory case of them with the PlastiMarx name on the box.
Earlier in this thread some folks seemed to think the lime green ones were original Marx. This eBay listing proves they were made in Mexico by PlastiMarx. Too many of these have shown up on eBay over the years for them to be one of those wild scarce Marx colors that were advertised in the '60s (and maybe never made). Also, the lime green ones have excess plastic at the seams since the Mexican subsidiary (PlastiMarx) didn't have the quality control that Marx did.
Great input!
8)
For Creature fans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQa8Qrv6TLo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQa8Qrv6TLo)
8)
Anybody seen HorrorHunter around here lately??
It seems he logged in to make post #615 at the top of the page but that's the last time he logged onto the forum.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on November 02, 2016, 04:26:05 PM
It seems he logged in to make post #615 at the top of the page but that's the last time he logged onto the forum.
One more. #616, on August 12.
Is there any way to find out, Mike? I mean, as a mod? If he just grew tired of posting thta's one thing....but I sure hope nothing has happened.
Quote from: Anton Phibes on November 02, 2016, 10:25:40 PM
Is there any way to find out, Mike? I mean, as a mod?
Nothing I can do that you can't. You can send him an email.
It seems Horrorhunter logged in very deliberately to make just that one post on August 12th but he'd stopped participating in his customary manner after July 28th. There wasn't anything board related (e.g. an argument) that might have prompted him to stop posting.
:-\
I talked to him. He's ok. He just doesn't post much anymore. :angel:
Quote from: Anton Phibes on November 03, 2016, 10:47:11 AM
I talked to him. He's ok. He just doesn't post much anymore. :angel:
Always glad to hear inactive members are well.
Well hopefully he's continuing to score component parts/pieces for his magnificent collection of Marx and other dinosaur playsets!
:)
(http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p623/RedDeath30/Mobile%20Uploads/s-l1600_zpsdy6pniok.jpg) (http://s1159.photobucket.com/user/RedDeath30/media/Mobile%20Uploads/s-l1600_zpsdy6pniok.jpg.html)
I need some expertise on this one please. The stamps are right but I've not seen an original vintage before with the post holes from the mold. Real or Repro?
I am interested in re-acquiring an original set of the Marx Monsters (had them as a kid in the 70's). Is around $20-30 each or $120-180 for a set about right as far as what to expect to pay for good condition figures?
I'd say "Yes".
:)
Cool ... I just bought a set:
Teal Creature, Frank, and Hunchback, all with the MXMLXIII date stamp.
Orange Wolfman, Mummy, and Phantom (with mask intact -- hope it stays that way in shipping!), all with a bar where the date would be.
$185.95 including shipping.
James Wozniak is offering up repro blue and teal green Marx monsters; he laid down the cash to have 500 sets produced. And is offering them up for $25+shipping a set through FB or if they make it to Ebay $35+shipping a set.
He only has a photo of the blue and production is currently 30 days from completion.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s480x480/15578764_1592276754132395_6547864026797176611_n.jpg?oh=6321c7aaa0b7696c969b268a21fc10cb&oe=58ED8018)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1592276754132395&set=gm.1219480294809863&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1592276754132395&set=gm.1219480294809863&type=3&theater)
Quote from: zombiehorror on December 19, 2016, 09:01:28 PM
James Wozniak is offering up repro blue and teal green Marx monsters
Oh great! Now how are people supposed to know if they are buying a real one or a fake one? You can buy a real one for not much more than that!
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 20, 2016, 01:04:31 AM
Oh great! Now how are people supposed to know if they are buying a real one or a fake one? You can buy a real one for not much more than that!
That blue doesn't look the same - and $25.00 for the whole set?
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on December 20, 2016, 01:07:49 AM
That blue doesn't look the same - and $25.00 for the whole set?
Oh, a set of 6! My mistake.
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 20, 2016, 01:04:31 AM
Oh great! Now how are people supposed to know if they are buying a real one or a fake one? You can buy a real one for not much more than that!
That was the first thing that crossed my mind as well.....
I looked up "Teal" to get a definitive color since "Teal Blue" and "Teal Green" are bandied about frequently regarding the 1st issue Marx UniMon figures which are marked 1963 (in Roman Numerals) on the base bottoms. It turns out there are several versions of Teal related colors but regular Teal is a deep Blue-green and really does match the original Marx UniMons. I went and grabbed one of mine off the shelf upstairs and compared it to the color sample in the description and it does match regular "Teal", at least to my perception. Here's a link to the def of "Teal": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teal
Just my opinion, but I don't think the reissues mentioned above will ever be mistaken for originals by us Marx UniMon fanatics- the shade of blue is different according to the pic posted above, there is a lot of excess plastic on the reissues (flashing), and I would wager the new plastic is more rigid and brittle but I can't say for sure since I don't (and probably won't) own them. Also, the original Marx UniMons have spots of a darker color usually on the base bottoms and have the added lead-based paint fragrance that new plastic won't have. Now, the problem might very well arise for new collectors who may not know the difference (because they haven't haunted UMA) and may get taken by a misleading seller at some point down-the-road who may peddle the reissues as originals.
At $25 a set I think they're a great deal for a collector who doesn't want to drop $200 or more on a nice original set. You can find damaged originals on evilBay for $20-$40 each if you don't mind lesser condition examples, but it's difficult to find the 1963 original Marx UniMons in NM "Like New" condition for any price, let alone for cheap. The originals which commonly turn up on eBay have breaks, paint, fingers/mask missing, and/or at the least prominent scuffing. The Phantom is oftentimes missing his mask, and the Creature is problematic with dulled/missing claws and broken/missing chain links. All six often have broken fingers and heavy to moderate scuffing.
They could be desirable for collectors who want a cheap set to paint.
Cool shots of the molds;
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15741064_1600164536676950_7052297497261285027_n.jpg?oh=f482042681c0b3254a72c63ebab94dce&oe=58F93956)
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15740873_1600164533343617_7107360273393675815_n.jpg?oh=d9e3dc1bd88fb0d4a33691fa3cf9f8b5&oe=58D83CBC)
Lots of folks asking to get sets still on the sprue; the seller isn't sure if it is possible though......
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15781048_1600163506677053_6422810496636562002_n.jpg?oh=782e6fd475d0619fd07273582a305e48&oe=58D6DD19)
....it appears they remove them immediately from the sprue and put them in water for a cool down.
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15697963_1600163510010386_762672510713643885_n.jpg?oh=9204fb43b23efe9178dd3f9e2357a8eb&oe=58F1B607)
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/MARXUniversalMonsterssixORANGE1sz_zps4ed457bc.jpg) (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/allhallowsday/media/MARXUniversalMonsterssixORANGE1sz_zps4ed457bc.jpg.html)
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/AmarxGROUPsz.jpg) (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/allhallowsday/media/AmarxGROUPsz.jpg.html)
Having missed the originals back in the day, I might track down these reissues. The price is nice.
Quote from: Doh! on January 08, 2017, 05:19:00 AM
Having missed the originals back in the day, I might track down these reissues. The price is nice.
honestly though, I feel the price for reissues is too nice
takes away a bit of the hunt
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on February 12, 2017, 09:21:50 PM
honestly though, I feel the price for reissues is too nice
takes away a bit of the hunt
Maybe the manufacturer could be talked in to charging a much higher price - just for you.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on February 12, 2017, 10:41:41 PM
Maybe the manufacturer could be talked in to charging a much higher price - just for you.
fair enough
Quote from: zombiehorror on December 27, 2016, 07:17:56 PM
Cool shots of the molds;
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15741064_1600164536676950_7052297497261285027_n.jpg?oh=f482042681c0b3254a72c63ebab94dce&oe=58F93956)
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15740873_1600164533343617_7107360273393675815_n.jpg?oh=d9e3dc1bd88fb0d4a33691fa3cf9f8b5&oe=58D83CBC)
Lots of folks asking to get sets still on the sprue; the seller isn't sure if it is possible though......
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15781048_1600163506677053_6422810496636562002_n.jpg?oh=782e6fd475d0619fd07273582a305e48&oe=58D6DD19)
....it appears they remove them immediately from the sprue and put them in water for a cool down.
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15697963_1600163510010386_762672510713643885_n.jpg?oh=9204fb43b23efe9178dd3f9e2357a8eb&oe=58F1B607)
Hey! What happened to the pictures?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on February 13, 2017, 10:05:55 AM
Hey! What happened to the pictures?
???
Man, I friggin' hate that! UMA is full of little Xs like that instead of the entertaining and informative pics that used to be there. Ugh.
Quote from: horrorhunter on February 13, 2017, 02:32:50 PM
UMA is full of little Xs like that instead of the entertaining and informative pics that used to be there. Ugh.
It's not UMA, though. It's the photo's host.
Quote from: Mike Scott on February 13, 2017, 05:06:22 PM
It's not UMA, though. It's the photo's host.
Everyone knows it's a hosting issue. I was just commenting on how disappointing it is to see all these missing photos. UMA's full of 'em.
Quote from: Mike Scott on February 13, 2017, 05:06:22 PM
It's not UMA, though. It's the photo's host.
Any photo I post here is also added to a separate "Album" in my Flickr account.
That way I never accidently move or delete it so it can't be displayed in the future.
Quote from: zombiehorror on December 27, 2016, 07:17:56 PM
Cool shots of the molds;
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15741064_1600164536676950_7052297497261285027_n.jpg?oh=f482042681c0b3254a72c63ebab94dce&oe=58F93956)
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15740873_1600164533343617_7107360273393675815_n.jpg?oh=d9e3dc1bd88fb0d4a33691fa3cf9f8b5&oe=58D83CBC)
Lots of folks asking to get sets still on the sprue; the seller isn't sure if it is possible though......
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15781048_1600163506677053_6422810496636562002_n.jpg?oh=782e6fd475d0619fd07273582a305e48&oe=58D6DD19)
....it appears they remove them immediately from the sprue and put them in water for a cool down.
(https://scontent-mia1-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15697963_1600163510010386_762672510713643885_n.jpg?oh=9204fb43b23efe9178dd3f9e2357a8eb&oe=58F1B607)
Did anyone save these pictures?
I would like to find them and save them to my files - especially the pictures of the molds.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on February 23, 2017, 04:10:53 AM
Did anyone save these pictures?
I would like to find them and save them to my files - especially the pictures of the molds.
Adam, do you have a facebook account?
Why not email them to him?
There are some sets up on eBay right now, so I just ordered one -- $45, shipped. Due to arrive a week from now.
If you are nice boys and ghouls, I'll post photos when they arrive...
Quote from: Doh! on February 24, 2017, 01:00:02 AM
If you are nice boys and ghouls, I'll post photos when they arrive...
I draining someone's blood considered
not nice?
I don't like that they did blue that people will try to overcharge for on ebay in a year by passing off as originals. I'm probably just being grumpy but repro all you want but don't steal the original colors
Quote from: The Red Death 30 on February 24, 2017, 11:01:57 PM
I don't like that they did blue that people will try to overcharge for on ebay in a year by passing off as originals. I'm probably just being grumpy but repro all you want but don't steal the original colors
that's how a wound up with a repro hunchback (which by the way is totally modeled after Charles Laughton)
Quote from: The Red Death 30 on February 24, 2017, 11:01:57 PM
I don't like that they did blue that people will try to overcharge for on ebay in a year by passing off as originals. I'm probably just being grumpy but repro all you want but don't steal the original colors
Anyone familiar with the original Teal Marx UniMons won't be fooled. Repoppers can never exactly duplicate that color and certainly not that type of lead-based plastic mix with the small blackish bits and distinctive smell. But, people who might be fooled won't be familiar with the originals so your point is well taken.
One important rule to always follow is DON'T TRUST THE SELLER unless you know them well through previous dealings. evilBay and the rest of the retailing world is full of sellers who are ignorant, dishonest, or both. Most sellers try their best to be truthful but many times just don't know much about what they're selling. Some people are just outright crooks and will p*ss on your head and tell you it's raining if there's a buck in it. The only real solution is for collectors to educate themselves and UMA is a great place for that regarding monster toys.
Quote from: The Red Death 30 on February 24, 2017, 11:01:57 PM
I don't like that they did blue that people will try to overcharge for on ebay in a year by passing off as originals. I'm probably just being grumpy but repro all you want but don't steal the original colors
I always welcome recasts of the Marx Monsters. I have yet to see a recast color that looks anything all that close to the originals.
I bought 1 each of the new Classic Recasts Frankenstein Marxies and was going to post pictures of them. But the auction photos are accurate representations of both color and detail - so I will just post those here.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3759/32984776761_e2fe2b3c32_h.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/691/32266408884_685adb1602_h.jpg)
You can click on those pictures for full-sized images and check out the detail for yourself. The singles were $6.00 each.
The colors don't look anything like the originals and the Marx copyright info is missing from the bottoms. If a buyer is confused by these - he isn't doing his due diligence when shopping.
By-the-way, not both colors were listed singly on eBay. I sent the seller a message, and he listed the 2nd one for me in a couple hours. They also have their own site, where you can see all the recasts they make.
www.classicrecasts.com/
I don't understand why no one's been able to copy the exact same color.
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on February 25, 2017, 02:17:34 PM
I don't understand why no one's been able to copy the exact same color.
For these, the seller didn't want to, and I applaud him for it.
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on February 25, 2017, 02:17:34 PM
I don't understand why no one's been able to copy the exact same color.
If the originals were selling for $500ea., then I wouldn't mind recasts in the original colors (leave off the Marx mark, if you want), but they're cheap enough.
Quote from: Mike Scott on February 25, 2017, 05:12:11 PM
If the originals were selling for $500ea., then I wouldn't mind recasts in the original colors (leave of the Marx mark, if you want), but they're cheap enough.
I know. That's why I look out for originals. I was just wondering why.
Quote from: Mike Scott on February 25, 2017, 05:12:11 PM
If the originals were selling for $500ea., then I wouldn't mind recasts in the original colors (leave off the Marx mark, if you want), but they're cheap enough.
It has been quite a few years since any were made with the full Marx copyright info on the bottoms. I think either the Mexican firm that owns the molds refuses to issue them that way, or are no longer able to.
If the part of the mold that impresses the lettering has been filled in or otherwise lost, they can make them in any color they want - even duplicating the 1st issue colors.
Buyers who want originals need only insist that the figures they purchase posses the proper markings.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on February 26, 2017, 07:29:30 AM
It has been quite a few years since any were made with the full Marx copyright info on the bottoms. I think either the Mexican firm that owns the molds refuses to issue them that way, or are no longer able to.
If the part of the mold that impresses the lettering has been filled in or otherwise lost, they can make them in any color they want - even duplicating the 1st issue colors.
Buyers who want originals need only insist that the figures they purchase posses the proper markings.
The last ones to be marked as originals were the Uncle Milton repops sold around 1990 in beige in the Monster Studio paint sets. I believe the glow-in-the-dark Uncle Milton repops are also marked as the 1963 originals. The green PlastiMarx 1970s reissues are marked as the original orange Marx issues from 1964+ with the date being barred out. The markings on the bottom don't tell the whole story. You have to know what you're looking at.
Quote from: horrorhunter on February 26, 2017, 02:30:34 PM
The last ones to be marked as originals were the Uncle Milton repops sold around 1990 in beige in the Monster Studio paint sets. I believe the glow-in-the-dark Uncle Milton repops are also marked as the 1963 originals. The green PlastiMarx 1970s reissues are marked as the original orange Marx issues from 1964+ with the date being barred out. The markings on the bottom don't tell the whole story. You have to know what you're looking at.
Good info! I was confident some more astute person than I would be up on these. Thanks.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on February 26, 2017, 02:35:39 PM
Good info! I was confident some more astute person than I would be up on these. Thanks.
Thanks, MFS.
I've learned a ton since joining UMA. Just trying to pay it forward where possible. :)
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on February 25, 2017, 02:17:34 PMI don't understand why no one's been able to copy the exact same color.
It's because the lead based plastic out of which the first series of Marx Universal monster figures was molded is no longer produced. The original teal colour can't be exactly duplicated using a different kind of plastic.
cl:)
Quote from: horrorhunter on February 26, 2017, 02:30:34 PMThe green PlastiMarx 1970s reissues are marked as the original orange Marx issues from 1964+ with the date being barred out.
Did PlastiMarx only do repops of these Universal figures in green then?
PlastiMarx was I understand the Mexican company that legally purchased the Marx molds in the 1970's. What happened to PlastiMarx though. I believe that they're not the company responsible for the plethora of Marx repops that have come out of Mexico in the last thirty years.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on February 27, 2017, 11:29:40 AM
Did PlastiMarx only do repops of these Universal figures in green then?
PlastiMarx was I understand the Mexican company that legally purchased the Marx molds in the 1970's. What happened to PlastiMarx though. I believe that they're not the company responsible for the plethora of Marx repops that have come out of Mexico in the last thirty years.
???
I only know of PlastiMarx UniMon repops in the lime green. They also did flesh colored repops of the Series 3 Nutty Mads.
I'm not certain of the relationship between Marx and PlastiMarx since Marx was still in business in the '70s. It could be that after Marx was bought by Quaker Oats in the early '70s a portion of the business was sold to PlastiMarx which may have been the Mexican subsidiary of Marx or a separate company under the name PlastiMarx.
I don't know exactly what happened to PlastiMarx but the assumption is that they went out of business some time after the '70s and the molds ended up in the hands of other Mexican companies (or just one company). The PlastiMarx product wasn't as high quality as original Marx but it was much better than the Mexican repops that came later and are still being cranked out. Also, the PlastiMarx figures had Marx markings on the base bottoms whereas the later (and current) Mexican repops are unmarked. For example, the green PlastiMarx UniMons were marked like the original orange Marx UniMons from 1964+ with the date barred out.
Here's a link to some info on the history of Marx Toys with a mention of PlastiMarx down the page a bit: http://americanplasticequipmentinc.com/history_marx.html (http://americanplasticequipmentinc.com/history_marx.html)
I'm perfectly happy with my Uncle Miltie Marx Monsters, and don't want to deal with all the color variants myself. It might be interesting to see a side by side photo of the original Teal Blue, and the r new blue Monsters, as well as the base of each.
My set showed up today! These things are friggin' awesome!!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/744/33006279952_bb5c53fa16_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ShDP7h)
There's quite a bit of flash on the Wolf Man so I might try trimming him at some point. Otherwise, the detail on these is mighty impressive.
So here are pictures of the Marx originals:
(http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8167/S2GO2q.jpg)
(http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4876/IgtJ8x.jpg)
And here are pictures of the Glow-in-the-Dark Uncle Milton 1991 reissues of the Marx Universal Monster figures:
(http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/images/05wmx01_GlowWolfmanMarx_02.jpg)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_5553_zps80e6be8b.jpg)
These have often been accused of lacking the detail of the Marx originals. There are three possible explanations:
1. Detail was lost in the molds themselves over time and with use. This theory is easy to test by looking at the cream coloured Uncle Milton figures in these sets:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/MonsterStudio.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2344221150_41145b4ef1_o.jpg)
Do the cream coloured Uncle Milton figures exhibit all the detail of the originals? If the cream coloured figures still have all the detail, two other explanations for the Glow-in-the-Dark figures seeming lack of detail are possible:
2. The glossy Glow-in-the-Dark plastic used just can't be molded with the detail with which the originally used lead-based plastic or the cream coloured clay/plastic could be molded.
3. The detail is all still there. It's just tougher for the eye to discern when the plastic is shinier, i.e. more reflective.
Thoughts?
???
I think all of those explanations are true in varying degrees. Such are all things- we try to make them black and white to understand them better, but the reality is infinite shades of gray which is confusing and off-p*ssing. ;)
One thing to note is that the Uncle Milton cream colored repops were made with a more rigid plastic which shows detail (and paints up) better than the original Marx figures. So, even though some detail was lost due to mold wear the detail present shows up better due to plastic type and the cream color. The more rigid plastic is also much more brittle so it's common to see the cream repops with broken fingers, broken Phantom mask, etc.
Quote from: Hepcat on April 07, 2017, 11:03:05 AM
And here are pictures of the Glow-in-the-Dark Uncle Milton 1991 reissues of the Marx Universal Monster figures:
(http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/images/05wmx01_GlowWolfmanMarx_02.jpg)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_5553_zps80e6be8b.jpg)
Here's a net pic of the Uncle Milton cream colored repop Phantom:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFg5MDA=/z/ZyIAAOSwPCVX4c0i/$_10.JPG?set_id=880000500F)
The detail is much clearer here than on the glow-in-the-dark repops mainly because of the type of plastic and color. Uncle Milton made both types around the same time so the molds were at the same level of degradation. The plastic used is the difference.
I miss this old thread so I'm using this as an excuse to resurrect it. cl:)
This isn't a proper Marx Monster, or even a repop of one, but it is very similar to them in size, plastic-type, subject, and circumstance. It's a Mexican knock-off Penn Plax Creature body with a seahorse-type head :laugh:. Here's the eBay pic:
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yuMAAOSwm9lbjZ~g/s-l1600.jpg)
I bought this from an eBay seller recently. The seller had it listed as an auction with the minimum bid at $19.99 and around $5 shipping. I had seen these before only a couple of times over the last few years and figured if I passed on it I may not see one again for awhile. I'm a big Marx Monster fan, and especially CFTBL fan, so I bid and won it for minimum. It really looks pretty cool on my Marx Monster shelf. A real grotesquery, that one. Kind of Lovecraftian in a way, like something from the realm of Dagon or a bastardized weirdo from Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Now I'd like to get one of those early Mexican knock-off Marx Frankensteins with the super-sloppy molding job and totally mucked up blackish paint apps. I believe he's akin to this Penn Plax/Creature/Seahorse freak regarding when he was created and perhaps where in Mexico. I do remember associating the two figures somehow...maybe. :-\
Quote from: horrorhunter on September 19, 2018, 03:35:52 PM
I miss this old thread so I'm using this as an excuse to resurrect it. cl:)
This isn't a proper Marx Monster, or even a repop of one, but it is very similar to them in size, plastic-type, subject, and circumstance. It's a Mexican knock-off Penn Plax Creature body with a seahorse-type head :laugh:. Here's the eBay pic:
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yuMAAOSwm9lbjZ~g/s-l1600.jpg)
I bought this from an eBay seller recently. The seller had it listed as an auction with the minimum bid at $19.99 and around $5 shipping. I had seen these before only a couple of times over the last few years and figured if I passed on it I may not see one again for awhile. I'm a big Marx Monster fan, and especially CFTBL fan, so I bid and won it for minimum. It really looks pretty cool on my Marx Monster shelf. A real grotesquery, that one. Kind of Lovecraftian in a way, like something from the realm of Dagon or a bastardized weirdo from Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Now I'd like to get one of those early Mexican knock-off Marx Frankensteins with the super-sloppy molding job and totally mucked up blackish paint apps. I believe he's akin to this Penn Plax/Creature/Seahorse freak regarding when he was created and perhaps where in Mexico. I do remember associating the two figures somehow...maybe. :-\
A crudely creative bootleg; I love it! If you look closely, you'll notice that the head sculpt is actually taken from none other than the (legendary) Russ Berrie/Gigantor 'finger monster' line!
Fun!
(https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images2/1/0715/08/vintage-1960s-1970s-lot-jiggler_1_f046da49f0fa8662a7417a61fafe6d37.jpg)
This guy, specifically:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQ805pBUUqpuljacWSQ909Gt_XcSU0c-R_j0QHZv9If4X73MHAog)
:D
Quote from: Ugly_Thing on September 20, 2018, 08:46:39 AM
A crudely creative bootleg; I love it! If you look closely, you'll notice that the head sculpt is actually taken from none other than the (legendary) Russ Berrie/Gigantor 'finger monster' line!
Fun!
(https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images2/1/0715/08/vintage-1960s-1970s-lot-jiggler_1_f046da49f0fa8662a7417a61fafe6d37.jpg)
This guy, specifically:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQ805pBUUqpuljacWSQ909Gt_XcSU0c-R_j0QHZv9If4X73MHAog)
:D
Cool! That's some great
jiggler detective work, UT! :laugh:
Quote from: horrorhunter on September 20, 2018, 12:06:40 PM
Cool! That's some great jiggler detective work, UT! :laugh:
"I don't know MUCH, but I know my UGLIESSSS, and that may be all I neeeeed to knowwww!" :laugh:
(https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/51918125?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg)
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 24, 2012, 10:50:32 AM
No; Although there have been two fan made Dracula's, this one from Chris Ecker (1990's);
And this one conjured up right here by some of the fine folks at the UMA;
(http://www.terrybeatty.com/drac.jpg)
I would still do just about anything to get one of these Dracula's...
Id love to see Suoer 7 have a crack at a series 2.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on April 07, 2022, 02:44:24 PM
Id love to see Suoer 7 have a crack at a series 2.
Cool idea, but they probably wouldn't do it because all the "good" monsters have already been done.
Drac
Invisible Man
Bride
Ygor
Mutant
Mole
Quote from: Dr.Terror on April 07, 2022, 06:44:08 PM
Drac
Invisible Man
Bride
Ygor
Mutant
Mole
All good ones.
Everybody would want Dracula and completists would want them all.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on April 07, 2022, 08:19:05 PM
Everybody would want Dracula and completists would want them all.
There's already a Dracula. Didn't you see the photo? ;D
Quote from: Mike Scott on April 07, 2022, 09:19:51 PM
There's already a Dracula. Didn't you see the photo? ;D
Thats an unlicensed custom so it does not count.
Also probably unavailable for purchase?
Quote from: horrorhunter on February 27, 2017, 11:46:18 AMI only know of PlastiMarx UniMon repops in the lime green. They also did flesh colored repops of the Series 3 Nutty Mads.
I'm not certain of the relationship between Marx and PlastiMarx since Marx was still in business in the '70s. It could be that after Marx was bought by Quaker Oats in the early '70s a portion of the business was sold to PlastiMarx which may have been the Mexican subsidiary of Marx or a separate company under the name PlastiMarx.
I don't know exactly what happened to PlastiMarx but the assumption is that they went out of business some time after the '70s and the molds ended up in the hands of other Mexican companies (or just one company). The PlastiMarx product wasn't as high quality as original Marx but it was much better than the Mexican repops that came later and are still being cranked out. Also, the PlastiMarx figures had Marx markings on the base bottoms whereas the later (and current) Mexican repops are unmarked. For example, the green PlastiMarx UniMons were marked like the original orange Marx UniMons from 1964+ with the date barred out.
Here's a link to some info on the history of Marx Toys with a mention of PlastiMarx down the page a bit:
http://americanplasticequipmentinc.com/history_marx.html (http://americanplasticequipmentinc.com/history_marx.html)
Interesting that Marx's Mexican Plastimarx subsidiary produced only lime green Universal monsters.
Quote from: American Plastic Equipment, Inc.About the time of Hong Kong, Marx also established Plastimarx to manufacture and distribute Marx Toys in Mexico, by shipping the tooling to the downtown plant on Aviacion Street, in the Industrial section of Mexico City. Marx was established with the Diez-Barreiro family. By this time in the 1950s, Louis Marx and Company was operating 3 huge manufacturing plants in the U S A. The Erie, Girard, and Glendale plants employed over 8000 full time domestic workers. Marx also was producing from plants in England, Japan, Hong Kong, and other countries. The sheer volume of products manufactured and the international presence of Louis Marx & Co. heralded its emergence as indisputably the world's largest toy company.
Louis Marx, (as did Mr. Hershey) prided himself with high growth and profitability (he never failed to take a discount), without spending frivolously (he said that he had an advertising budget of $300) on advertising. This was the 1950s.
During the 1960s, Marx, picking up on the successful marketing by Mattel, Remco, and Ideal began to accept TV advertising as a legitimate marketing tool. He came in with a bang with one of the all-time great toy products "Rock-Em, Sock-Em Robots", and a TV Commercial featuring the Heavyweight World Champion, Rocky Graziano (see TV Commercials). Marx finished the decade in 1969 by releasing the all-time greatest ride-on toy: THE BIG WHEEL. "By Marx" hit again!
When Mr. Marx reached his 70s and his second generation had not taken over the company, it was time to consider an exit strategy. He said, "Toys is a young man's business". At that time, Mattel was quickly catching up with Marx in sales. After flirting with RJR on the private sale of the company, they quickly consummated a deal with Quaker Oats to sell the U. S., Hong Kong and Mexican divisions for the sum of 52.8 million dollars! Marx disposed of the other branches privately. Following compliance with the terms of the agreement, Mr. Marx remained available for consulting for 6 months and then was honorably discharged.
At about the same time, Quaker Oats purchased the smaller pre-school toy company known as Fisher-Price and consolidated operations. What worked for one, did not necessarily work for the other. It was the time of President Nixon, Watergate and Viet Nam; Quaker did not feel that the Marx Military product line fit in with the overall wholesome Quaker Oats image. By immediately discontinuing the line, it cut Marx's revenue without replacement. Furthermore, the Quaker management raised the Marx overhead considerably. After 52 years of consistent profit, Marx Toys under Quaker took a loss. Quaker never got the feel to manage Marx Toys, and after 3 years of mismanagement put the company up for sale.
Interesting how quickly Quaker Oats managed to run Louis Marx's excellent company into the ground. Quaker in fact ran Marx into the ground even faster than Nabisco ran Aurora Plastics into the ground after purchasing Aurora in 1969.
:(
That is very interesting information.
"Toys is a young man's business", what a brilliant quote!!
Thanks for digging that up Hepcat.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on April 08, 2022, 08:28:28 AM
Thats an unlicensed custom so it does not count.
It's better looking than a Dracula who looks like nobody. Which is what you would get from Universal's licensing. Unless they went whole hog and got Lugosi too. Imma stick with my UMA Marx. It was made with tlc. And resin. :angel:
So consider. Marx established Plastimarx in Mexico circa 1950 to produce its toys for the Mexican and probably broader Latin American market. But Plastimarx like any other company would dump stock not sold through regular channels to wholesalers/jobbers who would then flip out the stock wherever they could - including to merchandisers in export markets, e.g. the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, etc. So if Plastimarx (a Marx subsidiary) produced some Marx Universal monsters in Mexico in a few unconventional colours such as lime green and Popsicle blue in the 1960's and these figures then ended up being bought and sold at retail by five-and-dime and other discount outlets in the States such as Meijers, should these Marx Universal monster figures not still be classified as legitimate vintage figures?
:-\
I absolutely agree with that Hepcat. Also, who knows what might have been produced in the Hong Kong factory?
The Americans may have told them to produce monster figures in teal and they made popsicle blue because they
had no idea what "teal" even meant. It's all just speculation of course.
Here's a shot of the Orange Marx set that i just got.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52466107451_d5d5180917_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nWfvRv)Marx - Universal Monsters Figure Set(Popsicle Orange) (1964) (https://flic.kr/p/2nWfvRv) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on October 30, 2022, 08:02:11 PM
Here's a shot of the Orange Marx set that i just got.
Nice! :)
Sweet! My Marx monsters are also orange. I still need Frank, Creech and Hunchback for my set.
There tends to be a bit of size difference between those with dates and those with dates blocked out.
Blocked out on right. Both have air bubbles.
(From the Dr. Terror collection😉)
(https://i.postimg.cc/5y8dL8BK/Screenshot-20221031-104002.jpg)
What?! So then are the Popsicle orange figures slightly smaller than the teal blue figures? And does your larger Mummy actually lack as much detail as your smaller one has or is that a trick of the lighting?
???
No lack of detail. Just the picture.
That's interesting!!
I just measured all of my Mummies and the Orange is slightly smaller. The Teal and both Popsicle Blue
are the exact same size. More mysteries!!
I dont even know how theyd do that. Its like the larger was panagraphed and produced slightly smaller mold. Perhaps for another factory? Which shoots a hole in my theory that airbubbled Teal and Orange were the very first run.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 01, 2022, 01:02:06 PM
I dont even know how theyd do that. Its like the larger was panagraphed and produced slightly smaller mold. Perhaps for another factory? Which shoots a hole in my theory that airbubbled Teal and Orange were the very first run.
Yeah, that could be the case. Do you have any of the Pumpkin/Butterscotch/Flat Orange figures? Just curious if they
have the bubbles. And also what markings do they have? I wonder if the bubbles could be caused by the temperature
of the plastic when it goes in the mold? Maybe hotter or cooler produces different results.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 01, 2022, 01:02:06 PMI dont even know how theyd do that. Its like the larger was panagraphed and produced slightly smaller mold.
Ahhhh,
pantographed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph)! I didn't even know the word.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 01, 2022, 01:02:06 PMWhich shoots a hole in my theory that airbubbled Teal and Orange were the very first run.
I think it's quite clear that the blue were produced first. At the time in 1963 Marx thought that would be the one and only run. But then they sold so well Marx decided to keep producing them through 1963 and at least into 1964 which is why the date was barred across. But for how many years they were produced and in how many Marx factories is a mystery.
Why they went to the trouble of reducing the size though is another mystery. Perhaps to save a few cents on plastic use and shipping costs? And why the size reduction was never noted previously on this board is yet another mystery.
???
I have three pumpkin orange monsters. All bubble free and all have the bar instead of the Roman numeral date. My Wolfman has a red 25 price ink stamp. I'm trying to attach a photo of the bottom of my Wolfman, but haven't used my photo hosting site in a couple of years and having trouble reactivating it.
Quote from: RPM on November 01, 2022, 09:15:06 PM
I have three pumpkin orange monsters. All bubble free and all have the bar instead of the Roman numeral date. My Wolfman has a red 25 price ink stamp. I'm trying to attach a photo of the bottom of my Wolfman, but haven't used my photo hosting site in a couple of years and having trouble reactivating it.
Thanks for the info RPM. I'm sure everyone would love to check out pics of your figures. Those hosting sites
can be tricky!!
I can't reactivate the photo hosting site I've used in the past and tried three other sites and still can't post new photos.
Quote from: RPM on November 02, 2022, 09:28:35 PM
I can't reactivate the photo hosting site I've used in the past and tried three other sites and still can't post new photos.
https://tinypic.host/ Just dag and drop and scroll down and copy the BBCode link.
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/03/1984-Editorial-Maga-Super-Exito-Stickers-66-3in..jpg)
After attempted uploading of the photo on TinyPic, I keep getting an error message. I successfully uploaded an unrelated photo. Also tried taking new photos of this subject and again after numerous attempts, still get an error message.
Quote from: RPM on November 03, 2022, 08:23:32 AM
I keep getting an error message.
What did the error message say?
No image have been uploaded.
Some errors have occurred and the system couldn't process your request.
In the error report it says server error ( internal server error)
Did you click "start uploading" then drag and drop (or click on your image and "open") your image, then click "upload", then get your link?
I used my cell phone to take a photo rather than my camera that I usually use. This new image has successfully downloaded to TinyPics, copied the BB code, inserted the code between the brackets in the Mona Lisa icon, but when I preview it, it still shows the code rather than the photo. I've tried it many times.
Quote from: RPM on November 03, 2022, 03:34:50 PM
, copied the BB code, inserted the code between the brackets .
The BBCode already has the img code in it. Did you add an extra img code?
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/03/A6971928-0F69-4072-8783-5B493100D3D7.jpg)
Thanks Mike,
it was copying an extra set of IMG at both ends,
Rich
That 25 cent stamp is really cool!! It's really interesting that the date is blocked out, i always assumed that
this color was produced in 1963. I NEED to get a set for my collection. Thanks for the pic and sorry for all the
hassle you had to go through!! :)
The 25 cent stamp indicates that it was probably sold in the early 1970's. If earlier than perhaps in Australia or Canada where prices were higher.
:-\
Not sure if this'll work but here are the three Marx Frankensteins I have. On the bottom of the green one you can see where the "Meijers .19" sticker was, it unfortunately fell off at some point and I failed to realize it until later. As I recall the sticker wasn't even mentioned in the Ebay auction, no description or photo was included; the info only stated that the seller had them both from the 60's when he was a child. I believe he was from PA.
https://www.facebook.com/100045476169679/posts/649661289893071/?flite=scwspnss (https://www.facebook.com/100045476169679/posts/649661289893071/?flite=scwspnss)
The link only works for those logged into Facebook. You need to use your dedicated photo hosting service.
cl:)
Here though are a couple earlier pictures that you posted of your vile green Frankenstein:
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/MarxFrankensteins.webp)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/MarxFrankensteins-1.webp)
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on November 11, 2022, 12:13:17 PM
The link only works for those logged into Facebook. You need to use your dedicated photo hosting service.
cl:)
Here though are a couple earlier pictures that you posted of your vile green Frankenstein:
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/MarxFrankensteins.webp)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/MarxFrankensteins-1.webp)
:-\
Wonderful colors
Quote from: zombiehorror on November 11, 2022, 10:51:10 AM
Not sure if this'll work but here are the three Marx Frankensteins I have. On the bottom of the green one you can see where the "Meijers .19" sticker was, it unfortunately fell off at some point and I failed to realize it until later. As I recall the sticker wasn't even mentioned in the Ebay auction, no description or photo was included; the info only stated that the seller had them both from the 60's when he was a child. I believe he was from PA.
https://www.facebook.com/100045476169679/posts/649661289893071/?flite=scwspnss (https://www.facebook.com/100045476169679/posts/649661289893071/?flite=scwspnss)
Hey ZombieHorror, i got your pics off facebook and uploaded them for you. Thanks for showing us. I am super
envious of the green Frankenstein!!!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52493300986_763cb64035_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nYDTxy)ZombieHorror 1 (https://flic.kr/p/2nYDTxy) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52493301001_9879628d4f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nYDTxP)ZombieHorror 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2nYDTxP) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 11, 2022, 06:19:47 PM
Hey ZombieHorror, i got your pics off facebook and uploaded them for you. Thanks for showing us. I am super
envious of the green Frankenstein!!!lickr
Cool. Thank you. I used to use photobucket but haven't used it or any other hosting site for years; you used to be able to share uploads right from Facebook but apparently not anymore.
Quote from: zombiehorror on November 11, 2022, 08:39:50 PM...you used to be able to share uploads right from Facebook but apparently not anymore.
Not surprising. Sharing pics costs Facebook bandwidth.
:(
But can you not take a more detailed close-up shot of the base of the green Frankenstein like you did nearly ten years ago?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on November 11, 2022, 08:56:34 PM
But can you not take a more detailed close-up shot of the base of the green Frankenstein like you did nearly ten years ago?
Sure I could, just have to dig it back out of the tote its in but I'm not sure what the point would be? It looks no different than the base of any other Marx Frankenstein out there.
I just got a Phantom and Hunchback figure in Vile/Lime Green from a toy dealer in Mexico.
They are supposed to be Plastimarx from the 1970's.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503110560_d249e3488e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwaA9)Plastimarx - Phantom (1970's) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwaA9) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503189693_381d86fb67_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz7v)Plastimarx - Hunchback (1970's) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz7v) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503189648_855eb0bc64_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J)Phantom - Hunchback Bottom (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 15, 2022, 07:06:03 PMI just got a Phantom and Hunchback figure in Vile/Lime Green from a toy dealer in Mexico.
They are supposed to be Plastimarx from the 1970's.
That's where the vile green/limegreen ones typically originate.
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 15, 2022, 07:06:03 PM
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503189648_855eb0bc64_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J)Phantom - Hunchback Bottom (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
But they have different bases! :o Why? Yet another mystery! They might therefore not have been produced at the same time.
:-\
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 15, 2022, 07:06:03 PM
I just got a Phantom and Hunchback figure in Vile/Lime Green from a toy dealer in Mexico.
They are supposed to be Plastimarx from the 1970's.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503110560_d249e3488e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwaA9)Plastimarx - Phantom (1970's) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwaA9) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503189693_381d86fb67_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz7v)Plastimarx - Hunchback (1970's) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz7v) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52503189648_855eb0bc64_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J)Phantom - Hunchback Bottom (https://flic.kr/p/2nZwz6J) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
They look so cool in green
The sticker residue on that green one is for a rectangle price gun. Ive never seen any vintage with stckers like that. Usually its an odd, oval/square die cut sticker of some sorts or ink stamped 19 cents..
The point Im trying to make is Teal and Orange are the only verified 60s colors and the only ones people should be paying a $$ premium for.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkgRvyRK/1668592665850478858988.jpg)
The two dark rectangular areas in the price tag is from the adhesive, though the rectangular glue shapes differs from the green figure adhesive residue. This photo was copied from a previous post from this forum.
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/16/76E1581D-F325-4B69-BB60-0B33A3D6A594.jpg)
Now that is a vintage sticker. Don't think Ive seen many, if any 60s items with those standard rectagular tags unless from an aftermarket or poss8bly close out store.. Its usually a uniqie tag like the one above. At least for the bigger stores. That must have come from a larger store. It had a whole penny discount.😁
Quote from: Hepcat on November 15, 2022, 07:35:57 PM
That's where the vile green/limegreen ones typically originate.
But they have different bases! :o Why? Yet another mystery! They might therefore not have been produced at the same time.
:-\
Huh? How are the bases different Hepcat?
This is a wonderful article about Marx Monsters that i would encourage everyone to check out:
http://www.60smemories.com/plastic-figures-from-the-1960s.html (http://www.60smemories.com/plastic-figures-from-the-1960s.html)
I think this is the guy that Hepcat was referring to that had the green Hunchback when he was a kid in the 60's.
I've been having a conversation with him about it, and he told me it was a flat/cool green like the image in his
article. This was his absolute prized possession, so he is certain about what it looked like. He also remembers the
figures in other colors, including popsicle blue, dark blue, and flat royal blue as well as teal and orange.
I also found a post on the Classic Horror Film Board where a guy called "Federal Operator 99" talks about buying
these figure at Woolworth's for .19 when he was a kid and states that he had a dark blue Wolfman, as well as
Frankenstein in orange and Creech and Mummy in a different shade of orange (i assume "pumpkin").
This seems to be pretty strong evidence that these figures were produced in more colors than just teal and orange
in the early 60's. These guys have no reason to lie about it and i see no reason to doubt their stories.
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 16, 2022, 07:04:15 PMHuh? How are the bases different Hepcat?
Well the base to our right has one completely empty circle. The other Marx figure has a bunch of writing within that circle.
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on November 16, 2022, 08:25:25 PM
Well the base to our right has one completely empty circle. The other Marx figure has a bunch of writing within that circle.
:-\
Hunchbacks have blank circles where the Uni copywright would be because he was not licensed.
Not mine. Never seen other colors bagged.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kGbmtqhC/Screenshot-20221118-105902.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRqvR7pG/Screenshot-20221118-105933.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/j5CKtzHL/Screenshot-20221118-105950.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/NLvw6SWH/Screenshot-20221118-110004.jpg)
Wow! Cool! Looks like some jobber repackaged unsold warehouse stock of the Marx Universal figures in the 1970's.
:o
Do you have a date?
???
On the header card there appears to be a two digit number following the city which indicates pre-ZIP Postal Codes. Since ZIP codes were enacted in 1963 which is the same year as the figures are stamped, I would date it as 1963 and probably distributed into the following year or so until the stock was used up.
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/18/2D9D8707-00B8-4321-A8F1-AD6676F2B4BC.jpg)
Those bagged figures are so cool!!!
I stumbled upon this pic that a dude posted on Pinterest. There was no info about it though.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52509317823_73a4912f5f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o14YMV)Marx Cinema Creatures Bagged (https://flic.kr/p/2o14YMV) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Interesting that the figures shown on the bag are either blue or orange. That would indicate that at the time the bagged figures were issued Marx was (intentionally) making the figures available in the States in precisely those two colours.
:-\
There is an example with both orange and teal out there I believe.
Toys sold in Mexico had to be produced in Mexico back then. Once they got molds in Mexico they started popping out other colors.
These figures are out of the bag. These bagged sets were advertised in the 1964 Marx catalog.
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/19/6881FD50-0DE2-4258-9649-0893E425C2F1_1_105_c.jpg)
Quote from: RPM on November 19, 2022, 06:14:19 AM
These figures are out of the bag. These bagged sets were advertised in the 1964 Marx catalog.
(https://tinypic.host/images/2022/11/19/6881FD50-0DE2-4258-9649-0893E425C2F1_1_105_c.jpg)
Wow! Now that is thing if beauty.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1838/dLidpP.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2393/m7hTl3.jpg)
Hmmmm, I would assume there must have been bags of all Orange figures. I wonder if there were mixed bags as well?
We need a warehouse find of these to show up, i would pay a ridiculous amount of money for a set. :P
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 21, 2022, 06:38:24 PM
I wonder if there were mixed bags as well?
The ones in the pic that RPM showed appears to have been a mix bag.
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 21, 2022, 06:38:24 PM
We need a warehouse find of these to show up.
I won't hold my breath.
Check out the third post down in this link by Zombiehorror from 2011 regarding the 1964 Marx catalog details about these bagged sets. I can't copy the photo of the ad since it has a Photobucket watermark.
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241479#msg241479 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=15098.msg241479#msg241479)
Quote from: RPM on November 21, 2022, 08:22:41 PMI can't copy the photo of the ad since it has a Photobucket watermark.
I can, I can!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/Marx_Cinema_Creatures.webp)
It's child's play for an old master like me.
;)
Looking at this catalog description for the fluorescent figures, it appears they were not bagged but loose.
Note that it specifies that the banner is fluorescent, but makes no such claim for the figures.
Quote from: Devlin on November 23, 2022, 04:55:16 PM
Note that it specifies that the banner is fluorescent, but makes no such claim for the figures.
It says "molded-on bases and come is assorted fluorescent colors such as......" also.
I picked up a Red set. These have no markings on the base and were probably made in the last 10 years.
It's interesting to see the difference in quality and types of plastic used throughout the evolution of these guys.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52520153500_6d60268536_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o22vRW)Marx - Red Figure Set (https://flic.kr/p/2o22vRW) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 23, 2022, 05:49:10 PM
It says "molded-on bases and come is assorted fluorescent colors such as......" also.
Whoops! You're right. I stand corrected. Of the colors cited, green shows up in the later Nutty Mad series, but I'm unaware of anything I'd call "rose' until the '70s Disneys, and i don't recall any Day-Glo yellow ever, though I have MPC Daffy Daddy-Ohs in that shade.
I have a recent Mexican set in fluorescent yellow, but I've not seen the monsters in actual fluorescent pink (or the red used on Nutty Mads and '70s Marvel Super-Heroes) as yet. I ordered a pink set from Mexico at the same time as the yellow set, but it wasn't actually fluorescent (but still brighter than '60s Weird-Ohs' dull pink).
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 23, 2022, 05:49:10 PMIt says "molded-on bases and come is assorted fluorescent colors such as......" also.
Hmmmmm. So the question is whether Marx was using the word "fluorescent" as simply a synonym for "bright" or whether they did indeed attempt to make the figures in fluorescent bilious rose, vile green and creepy yellow but it didn't work very well for them so they gave up on trying to produce those colours.
???
Generally, a manufacturer won't specify "fluorescent" (or "Day-Glo," which is trademarked) unless they mean that specifically. In recent decades, "neon" has been used fairly promiscuously to mean bright OR fluorescent colors, but that wouldn't be until the eighties and beyond, in my recollection. So it seems clear that they intended to do fluorescent, which was still a pretty new thing in plastics at the time. But it doesn't look like it happened, for whatever reason.
Here's a little history of Day-Glo, though focused more on inks and paints than plastic pigments: https://www.dayglo.com/company/history/ (https://www.dayglo.com/company/history/)
I just got these Dark Blue figures in the mail. I'm pretty sure they were made by Plastimarx in the 70's or 80's.
The Phantom and Hunchback have Hecho En Mexico stickers on the bottoms.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52532868625_89a5bd1bae_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o39FCe)Plastimarx - Phantom - Wolfman - Hunchback (Dark Blue) (https://flic.kr/p/2o39FCe) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52532397921_c9589ff545_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o37gGD)Bases (https://flic.kr/p/2o37gGD) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Those are fairly modern. Wolfman repops didnt start getting the flashing "Horns" until well into the 2000s. Mexico stil uses those stickers. I got some modern Lucha figures and a few had those stickers on them.
Quote from: Devlin on November 29, 2022, 04:05:39 PMHere's a little history of Day-Glo, though focused more on inks and paints than plastic pigments:
https://www.dayglo.com/company/history/ (https://www.dayglo.com/company/history/)
The problem though is that Marx's usage of the word "fluorescent" in 1964 was just too early to mean "day glow" when it came to toys. I don't remember glow balls appearing before I was in high school in 1966 or 1967. Kenner's release of Lightning Bug "Glo-Juice" wasn't until 1967:
(https://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/Kenner%20Lightning%20Bug_zpsqtaxhe8r.jpg)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%203/GlowJuice_zpsca6eb1ce.jpg)
And Aurora's Frightening Lightning model kits didn't hit store shelves until 1969.
:-\
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 30, 2022, 03:59:46 AM
Those are fairly modern. Wolfman repops didnt start getting the flashing "Horns" until well into the 2000s. Mexico stil uses those stickers. I got some modern Lucha figures and a few had those stickers on them.
That's good to know!! I think those little stickers are pretty cool, that's the main reason i picked them up.
Hepcat: The Glow Juice and Frightening Lightning kits are really more accurately phosphorescent than fluorescent (even though either would fluoresce under UV light). In terms of gum machine prizes, I don't immediately have a source for when fluorescent hi-bounce balls become common (the original one didn't hit the market until 1965), but here are rubber bugs in September 1962. https://flic.kr/p/2o3kge8 (https://flic.kr/p/2o3kge8)
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on November 30, 2022, 06:08:12 PM
That's good to know!! I think those little stickers are pretty cool, that's the main reason i picked them up.
They were probably sold and made in Mexico originally before the molds got like they are now. Think all stuff sold there officalky needs to be made and labeled as "mim". Unlike the recent stuff I think someone in the states places custom orders for. Ive never seen those with stickers. These seem to be actual for Mexico products.
Quote from: Devlin on December 01, 2022, 01:27:08 AMhere are rubber bugs in September 1962. [url=https://flic.kr/p/2o3kge8]https://flic.kr/p/2o3kge8 (https://flic.kr/p/2o3kge8)[/url]
Wow, $42 per 1000! I imagine they would have been sold in dime vending machines. With a U.S. dime in 1962 having a silver content of 0.0723 of a troy ounce and the current price of silver being U.S.$22.80 per troy ounce, a dime then is equivalent to U.S.$1.65 today.
Quote from: Devlin on December 01, 2022, 01:27:08 AMIn terms of gum machine prizes, I don't immediately have a source for when fluorescent hi-bounce balls become common (the original one didn't hit the market until 1965)
Yes, I vaguely remember seeing the fluorescent hi-bounce balls in vending machines before I saw them packaged as rack toys. This would not have been before May 1966 though when I returned to London, Ontario from a boarding school in Kennebunkport, Maine. Who knows, they may have appeared earlier in the vending machines of a K-Mart, Woolco, Zellers, Towers or Fredericks discount department store in some far flung suburban mall but we lived quite close to the downtown core where banks of vending machines weren't common.
The real question though is why Marx didn't roll the Cinema Creature and Nutty Mad figures in glow-in-the-dark plastic during the 1960's. To me it seems that it should have been a natural. But this wasn't done until 1991 with the Uncle Milton reissues of the Movie Monster figures:
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_5553_zps80e6be8b.jpg)
(http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/images/05wmx01_GlowWolfmanMarx_02.jpg)
:-\
Quote from: Dr.Terror on December 01, 2022, 09:53:50 AM
They were probably sold and made in Mexico originally before the molds got like they are now. Think all stuff sold there officalky needs to be made and labeled as "mim". Unlike the recent stuff I think someone in the states places custom orders for. Ive never seen those with stickers. These seem to be actual for Mexico products.
It would be interesting to know how many sets of molds are out there. I just got a set of Light Blue figures from a
guy that said he cast them 5 or 6 years ago and he is in California. I think you're right that most sellers are probably
getting them from Mexico. It would be really cool to own a set of the molds to display with the figures, but the
cost would probably be pretty steep if someone could be persuaded to sell them. Life goals!! LOL
Interesting! I'm wondering whether all the molds originated with Marx or whether even duplicate molds have been made since Marx disappeared?
???
Do any of you guys have a preferred vendor for a new set of these? I snagged a set off of eBay in 2017 for $45 shipped. Now they're... more. I was telling a buddy of mine about them and he had no idea they existed! His birthday is in a couple of months so I think this would be a fun gift idea.
Thanks!
Quote from: Doh! on December 02, 2022, 01:07:51 AM
Do any of you guys have a preferred vendor for a new set of these? I snagged a set off of eBay in 2017 for $45 shipped. Now they're... more. I was telling a buddy of mine about them and he had no idea they existed! His birthday is in a couple of months so I think this would be a fun gift idea.
Thanks!
Cosmic Dracula
https://cosmicdracula.bigcartel.com/product/marx-monsters
Quote from: Hepcat on December 01, 2022, 01:45:20 PM
Wow, $42 per 1000! I imagine they would have been sold in dime vending machines. With a U.S. dime in 1962 having a silver content of 0.0723 of a troy ounce and the current price of silver being U.S.$22.80 per troy ounce, a dime then is equivalent to U.S.$1.65 today.
Yes, I vaguely remember seeing the fluorescent hi-bounce balls in vending machines before I saw them packaged as rack toys. This would not have been before May 1966 though when I returned to London, Ontario from a boarding school in Kennebunkport, Maine. Who knows, they may have appeared earlier in the vending machines of a K-Mart, Woolco, Zellers, Towers or Fredericks discount department store in some far flung suburban mall but we lived quite close to the downtown core where banks of vending machines weren't common.
The real question though is why Marx didn't roll the Cinema Creature and Nutty Mad figures in glow-in-the-dark plastic during the 1960's. To me it seems that it should have been a natural. But this wasn't done until 1991 with the Uncle Milton reissues of the Movie Monster figures:
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/bigbud3/IMG_5553_zps80e6be8b.jpg)
(http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/images/05wmx01_GlowWolfmanMarx_02.jpg)
:-\
I'd say the reason they weren't produced in glow in the dark plastic way back when was the cost. When Aurora re-released their monster models with glow in the dark plastic, they only had some parts in glow plastic, due to the high cost of it.
Thanks for the tip, Dr. Terror! Higher than I was expecting, however. I guess I got off cheap when I bought mine.
This guy has them for about $20 a set.
Marx Toy Recasts. On facebook
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077767870534&eav=AfZS_mZpzFxNsoBIPRJ-RUCFQjWstRLdzvLkUh0-7iYvcV0v3cKakq3OIjnxK89dmaw&fref=nf&paipv=0
Quote from: Dr.Terror on December 02, 2022, 11:52:58 AM
This guy has them for about $20 a set.
Marx Toy Recasts. On facebook
This is where Cosmic Dracula got the examples he's selling.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on December 02, 2022, 11:52:58 AM
This guy has them for about $20 a set.
Marx Toy Recasts. On facebook
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077767870534&eav=AfZS_mZpzFxNsoBIPRJ-RUCFQjWstRLdzvLkUh0-7iYvcV0v3cKakq3OIjnxK89dmaw&fref=nf&paipv=0 (https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077767870534&eav=AfZS_mZpzFxNsoBIPRJ-RUCFQjWstRLdzvLkUh0-7iYvcV0v3cKakq3OIjnxK89dmaw&fref=nf&paipv=0)
Is he also Toy Soldier Co?
Toy Soldier Co. (https://www.toysoldierco.com/Plastic-Toy-Soldiers/Makers/Marx_Recast_Toy_Soldiers/Brand.aspx?BrandID=2&AssocDeptID=2)
???
Quote from: Doh! on December 02, 2022, 01:07:51 AM
Do any of you guys have a preferred vendor for a new set of these? I snagged a set off of eBay in 2017 for $45 shipped. Now they're... more. I was telling a buddy of mine about them and he had no idea they existed! His birthday is in a couple of months so I think this would be a fun gift idea.
Thanks!
I've bought some stuff from this guy on ebay. He has quite a few different colors and offers free shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=nemo1635&store_name=classicrecasts&_oac=1&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562 (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=nemo1635&store_name=classicrecasts&_oac=1&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562)
Quote from: Hepcat on December 01, 2022, 10:18:08 PM
Interesting! I'm wondering whether all the molds originated with Marx or whether even duplicate molds have been made since Marx disappeared?
???
I never considered duplicate molds, but that sounds probable. The mysteries never end Hepcat!!
It would be nice if one of these producers would join the UMA and chime in with some insights.
Thanks for the shopping tips, fellers! I'm going to look around after Christmas and see if there are any deals out there. My friend's birthday isn't for a couple of months so not a huge rush.
I got a Light Blue set that was made about five years ago. No markings on the bottom, just empty circles.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52547168142_b2e3f1efba_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o4pYnC)Marx - Universal Monsters Set (Light Blue) (https://flic.kr/p/2o4pYnC) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
I got this Tan Creature from a seller in Italy. It has a cool "Made in Mexico" sticker on the bottom.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52560431875_1094ba0ca8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5zXdF)Plastimarx - Creature (Tan) (1980's) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5zXdF) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52559957001_eef07accd4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o5xw4c)Plastimarx - Creature (Tan) (1980's) Base (https://flic.kr/p/2o5xw4c) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Pumpkin Spice. ;)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52582719065_b6da94728e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o7ybqz)Marx - Phantom (Pumkin Orange) (1963) (https://flic.kr/p/2o7ybqz) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52582794988_8cffa8c195_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o7yyZA)Marx - Phantom (Pumkin Orange) (1963) Base (https://flic.kr/p/2o7yyZA) by John Baxter (https://www.flickr.com/photos/193099000(*at*)N05/), on Flickr
Interesting! Where/how did you score that one?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on December 23, 2022, 10:20:08 PM
Interesting! Where/how did you score that one?
???
I got it on eBay. The seller had it listed as "Orange", but i could tell by looking that it
was the Pumpkin/Butterscotch/Flat Orange color. Now i am on the hunt for more in this color.
Being the obsessive collector that i am, i NEED a complete set!!! LOL
Quote from: Plastic Nebula on December 24, 2022, 06:29:34 PMBeing the obsessive collector that i am, i NEED a complete set!!! LOL
When it comes to collecting the word "obsessive" garners my full approval! And the full details of the Marx sculpts really pop out in pumpkin orange.
:)
I ended up getting a second set from the same eBay vendor who hooked me up the last time. Very tight castings in both cases. Not a fan of the price increase, but what the heck, it's for a gift.
https://www.ebay.com/str/classicrecasts (https://www.ebay.com/str/classicrecasts)
Dumb question, what did kids in the 60s do with these more, paint them or just use them like Army Men? (I've always kinda wondered).
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on December 30, 2023, 09:26:35 PM
Dumb question, what did kids in the 60s do with these more, paint them or just use them like Army Men?
Or, just set them on a shelf and look at them.
Very, very few of these would have been painted. For one thing, they were too small and in one piece with lots of intricate detail. Secondly they could not be painted with the Testors, Pactra and Humbrol enamel paints that were sold in every corner store at the time. The enamel paint just wouldn't dry on the type of plastic from which these figures were molded.
cl:)
So, for a college project, I'm doing archaeology on a relatively modern artifact. I have chosen an original Marx Mummy from my collection. (Some kid painted it white, back who knows how long ago). Anyways, this will involve me going into great details about the production and history of the object.
Just felt like sharing, and to see if I can learn anything about them I didn't already know.
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on April 13, 2024, 10:19:29 AMSo, for a college project, I'm doing archaeology on a relatively modern artifact. I have chosen an original Marx Mummy from my collection. (Some kid painted it white, back who knows how long ago). Anyways, this will involve me going into great details about the production and history of the object.
Just felt like sharing, and to see if I can learn anything about them I didn't already know.
Do share what you learn!
Here's a You Tube video I did featuring my Marx Universal Monsters (Cinema Creatures).
https://youtu.be/CkOxWNMEDRE
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 16, 2024, 10:35:13 PMHere's a You Tube video I did featuring my Marx Universal Monsters (Cinema Creatures).
Great video! I would love to have one of those carded glow Creatures. Tough to find them with a NM card.
Quote from: Mike Scott on April 17, 2024, 12:57:11 AMGreat video! I would love to have one of those carded glow Creatures. Tough to find them with a NM card.
Thanks, Mike. I bought those new at TRU. I guess most of the cards did take a beating over the years.
Does anyone remember how much one of these would've sold for back in the 60s, when they were new? (This is for my essay).
Quote from: YoungestMonsterKid on April 22, 2024, 04:21:03 PMDoes anyone remember how much one of these would've sold for back in the 60s, when they were new? (This is for my essay).
.19 then .29 cents each
Many posters have reported buying them for fifteen cents before the price was raised to nineteen cents. Look through this thread.
:)
I just noticed I have a Phantom with a .12 ink stamp as well.
The prices probably varied by store when these first came out in '63, and then when the orange ones came out in '64. I vaguely remember my parents buying some for me around '64 when I was 5. It seems like they were only .10 each at first (through the memory of a 5 year old), but that could easily be wrong. They gradually went up in the '60s. I have an orange one with a .19 sticker on the base bottom. These cheap toys were sold through local dime stores back then and were priced differently by region and town/city size, or just by the whims of the local store owners.
Quote from: Hepcat on April 23, 2024, 01:01:22 PMMany posters have reported buying them for fifteen cents before the price was raised to nineteen cents. Look through this thread.
:)
Interesting because three of the ones I have (that I bought in a lot off ebay) have tape with "15" written on the bottom of them. I wonder if that tape goes all the way back to the 60s?
Here's a video I did on Marx Universal Monsters.
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 10, 2025, 02:13:20 PMHere's a video I did on Marx Universal Monsters.
Good video! Seen it before. I need a carded glow Creature, but only if the card is nearly perfect. Don't want no bent corners. ;D
Quote from: Mike Scott on January 10, 2025, 02:42:42 PMGood video! Seen it before. I need a carded glow Creature, but only if the card is nearly perfect. Don't want no bent corners. ;D
I bought those Uncle Milton carded figures new at TRU around 1991, so I managed to score some nice cards. The carded ones are still not very expensive, but it's a challenge to find a nice backer-card. The bubbles yellowing is another fairly common issue.
It's also tough to find a Phantom inside the sealed blister-card that doesn't have a broken mask. I own several Marx Phantoms and the only one I have with a broken mask is the carded Uncle Milton...the mask is in there just bouncin' around. :laugh:
Quote from: horrorhunter on January 10, 2025, 05:55:01 PMI own several Marx Phantoms and the only one I have with a broken mask is the carded Uncle Milton...the mask is in there just bouncin' around. :laugh:
That's weird! How could that even happen, unless somebody stomped on it.
Quote from: Mike Scott on January 10, 2025, 07:25:35 PMThat's weird! How could that even happen, unless somebody stomped on it.
The mask is thin-molded on those glow Phantoms and the figure bounces around inside the bubble which breaks off the mask. The Uncle Milton or TRU workers were probably throwing the shipping cases around, or they got bounced around inside the shipping trucks. Marx proper had great quality control, Uncle Milton...not so much.
Finally scored some Pumpkin Orange Marx Universal Monsters figures. $100 for the lot of 4.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/f3IAAeSwxD9obULd/s-l1600.webp)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mfgAAeSwP11obULn/s-l1600.webp)
After all these years collecting these things I still didn't have a "Pumpkin" Orange. I saw this lot of 4 eBay listing and carefully checked out the pics since they can be misleading regarding color shades. The seller sent me an offer that I accepted. I don't think he was aware of the scarcity of the Pumpkin Orange versions. These probably came out just before the common orange ones in 1964. The flat/matte finish teal blue ones came out in 1963, and Marx changed the plastic for most of the orange ones that came out in 1964. The newer orange ones are in the slightly translucent shiny looking plastic commonly called "neon" or "Heritage" plastic.
These matte finish ones show their details much better than the later neon orange or the teal blue ones. These are legit '60s with the barred out Roman Numeral 1963 date and the Universal Pictures copyright info in the other base circle. The plastic looks right and smells right. You can faintly smell the lead paint they used in the plastic mix before it was changed later. Now I just need some "Popsicle" blue ones. Popsicle blue is the neon equivalent of the common neon orange ones though they are much scarcer than the original teal blue ones, whereas the matte finish (pumpkin) orange ones are much scarcer than the neon orange.
Glad to finally add some of these to my collection.
They arent 60s original. They are repops made of that softer plastic the gets scratches and dings easily.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on October 05, 2025, 04:24:40 AMThey arent 60s original. They are repops made of that softer plastic the gets scratches and dings easily.
What do you base your claim on. Do you have any proof?
https://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?msg=631701
I checked these out again with fresh eyes (and a magnifying glass) and compared them to my originals and some repops I have. The plastic on these pumpkin orange ones is the same density as the '60s originals. It just looks "softer" because the lighter shade of orange shows detail much better. I went over the minor flashing on the originals, and it matches the pumpkin orange ones as does the little details on the figures. The Plastimarx, Uncle Milton, and various newer Mexican recasts, are all quite different with either excess flashing or more rigid/brittle plastic. The susceptibility of damage from dings and scratches seems consistent with the originals and the pumpkin orange ones since the plastic is the same.
I'm no expert but from what I can tell these new pumpkin orange ones look like original '60s production. It's certainly possible because we know pumpkin orange and popsicle blue exist from some of the posts in this thread. They're just much scarcer.
Marx Phantom original teal blue 1963 sells for big bucks at eBay auction- around $178.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0EYAAeSwWwFo2Xk4/s-l1600.webp)
Undamaged with mask which is often broken off.
I bought my original teal blue set of six in excellent condition for around this same price ($175) from a Toy Shop ad back in the early 2000s from Steve and Cathy Sawchuck. I got tired of chasing the individual ones with varying degrees of damage, especially the Phantom with the problematic mask, so I paid up. Paying up these days is expensive it would appear.
Oh boy! More garbage. ::)
This eBay listing is for the 1991 Marx repop Uncle Milton Creature (Cream) from the paint set. The seller claims it's from the '60s and "Super Rare!".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227025806349
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rrUAAeSwMSRo7yFm/s-l1600.webp)
Seller claims it, and the other 5 he has listed, were "all acquired from one person who had them as a child". Claims they're from 1963 and they're 8 inch figures?! This bozo can't even measure them. They're around 6" tall and regardless of the 1963 date on the base bottom they were made in 1991 to sell in the Uncle Milton Monster Studio paint set.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iP4AAOSwgDlnheVX/s-l1600.webp)
The seller is either ignorant or crooked. Ugh.
The cream color with dates arent Uncle Milton. Just 90s repops,but nice ones. The Milton creams and glows only have a Uni copywright stamp. The Milton creams are very brittle also.
I bought an Uncle Milton Monster Studio with the monsters still in a sealed plastic bag and they have the dates stamped on the base bottoms. I also bought several sealed bags of Uncle Milton repops from a Toy Shop ad in the '90s and they had the dates just like it shows in the photo of the eBay listing I posted about above.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KZoAAeSwIxVo7yFn/s-l1600.webp)
Then someone switched your bag because Ive never seen a Milton set with dates and certainly not Marx info. That would nake no sense. The cream repops came in sealed bags. The Miltons weren't in a sealed bag.
Milton do not have marx info or dates. They are also different plastic than the cream marx repops. I have both bags right in front of me.
I won't waste time arguing. I can only report my own experience with the figures.
Stressing over something trivial like toys is stupid and could lead to health issues.
Quote from: horrorhunter on October 18, 2025, 11:09:42 AMOh boy! More garbage. ::)
This eBay listing is for the 1991 Marx repop Uncle Milton Creature (Cream) from the paint set. The seller claims it's from the '60s and "Super Rare!".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227025806349
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rrUAAeSwMSRo7yFm/s-l1600.webp)
Seller claims it, and the other 5 he has listed, were "all acquired from one person who had them as a child". Claims they're from 1963 and they're 8 inch figures?! This bozo can't even measure them. They're around 6" tall and regardless of the 1963 date on the base bottom they were made in 1991 to sell in the Uncle Milton Monster Studio paint set.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iP4AAOSwgDlnheVX/s-l1600.webp)
The seller is either ignorant or crooked. Ugh.
The auctions ended for these figures. I was watching two of them.
The Creature sold for $49 with 12 bids. That's around $62 total.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227025806349
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rrUAAeSwMSRo7yFm/s-l1600.webp)
The Frankenstein sold for $41 with 14 bids. Around $54 total.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227025806281
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mFUAAeSwkV5o7yFg/s-l1600.webp)
These prices were paid for '90s repops, which are still probably worth around $10 each, due to the misinformation in the listings.
Quote from: horrorhunter on October 19, 2025, 12:36:13 AMI won't waste time arguing. I can only report my own experience with the figures.
Stressing over something trivial like toys is stupid and could lead to health issues.
Nobody's stressing. I just dont like misinformation getting spread. I can 100% guarantee you the Miltons dont have marx info or dates.
Quote from: horrorhunter on October 18, 2025, 11:09:42 AMThis eBay listing is for the 1991 Marx repop Uncle Milton Creature (Cream) from the paint set. The seller claims it's from the '60s and "Super Rare!".
What a jerk!
Quote from: horrorhunter on October 18, 2025, 11:09:42 AMThe seller is either ignorant or crooked.
With an effort like that he deserves credit for both.
::)
Quote from: horrorhunter on October 18, 2025, 11:06:23 PMI bought an Uncle Milton Monster Studio with the monsters still in a sealed plastic bag and they have the dates stamped on the base bottoms. I also bought several sealed bags of Uncle Milton repops from a Toy Shop ad in the '90s and they had the dates just like it shows in the photo of the eBay listing I posted about above.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KZoAAeSwIxVo7yFn/s-l1600.webp)
Did the bags come with an Uncle Milton header card?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on November 05, 2025, 10:48:37 AMDid the bags come with an Uncle Milton header card?
???
No, just sealed clear plastic bags with all six figures.
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 05, 2025, 11:30:52 AMNo, just sealed clear plastic bags with all six figures.
The Milton bags were not sealed. They were taped closed.
There were test samples of the glows , which are from the same molds, that popped up awhile back and they only contained Uni copywright info. No dates, and no Marx. (https://i.postimg.cc/Fzsv6Gs3/Messenger-creation-0DB50089-1C55-4EF0-AFE0-66F78D126ABC.jpg)
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 06, 2025, 09:19:17 AMThe Milton bags were not sealed. They were taped closed.
Taped close is sealed.
Quote from: Mike Scott on November 06, 2025, 05:34:25 PMTaped close is sealed.
Not in this context its not The cream repops with Marx info and dates came in heat sealed bags.
The Miltons are taped closed. When differentiating between the two it makes a big difference and creates confusion calling a taped bag "sealed".
Quote from: Dr.Terror on November 06, 2025, 06:56:51 PMThe cream repops with Marx info and dates came in heat sealed bags.
That's another kind of sealed. There's also stapled shut.
So anyway.....the Milton bags are taped closed and the cream repops are in heat sealed bags.
I dug out my Uncle Milton repop glow-in-the-dark figures still sealed on the blister cards and checked the base bottoms. They just have the Uni info, no dates and no Marx. I bought the carded glows new at TRU but I never saw the Uncle Milton Monster Studio until years later when I bought mine from an eBay seller. Evidently the seller had put a bag of the other cream repops in the Monster Studio box and all this time I thought the repops with the dates were by Uncle Milton. That explains my confusion about these. I was wrong in my assumption, but I was just going on what I had experienced. I had never thought to check the base bottoms of the sealed carded figures closely mainly because that plastic is hard to make out details on especially inside the plastic bubbles.
I find it strange that all of these other cream-colored Marx repops with the dates and Marx info came out around the time of the Uncle Miltons (early '90s). Weird coincidence that could have caused a lot of confusion as to who made them.
Didn't the paint set Marxies have the option of ordering more figures through the mail?
Maybe the replacement set you ordered carried different information on the bases?
((Or I am "remembering" something that never was.)
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on November 07, 2025, 01:49:21 PMDidn't the paint set Marxies have the option of ordering more figures through the mail?
Maybe the replacement set you ordered carried different information on the bases?
((Or I am "remembering" something that never was.)
I never ordered a replacement set.
The Monster Studio I bought from the eBay seller had the cream repops with the dates and Marx info. I guess the seller must have included the wrong Marx repops instead of the ones made by Uncle Milton. It's just weird that those repops came out around when the Uncle Milton ones did ('90s). I wonder who even made the cream Marx repops with the Marx info and dates.
Evidently Uncle Milton blocked off the little mold circle with the Marx info and dates when they recast the figures. Whoever repopped the other cream ones didn't do that which lead to confusion in general about when the cream ones came out. It's also lead to those figures being misrepresented as being from the '60s and some collectors overpaying for recasts from much later.
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 07, 2025, 03:37:55 PMThe Monster Studio I bought from the eBay seller had the cream repops with the dates and Marx info.
So, you bought it used/opened?
Quote from: Mike Scott on November 07, 2025, 04:50:49 PMSo, you bought it used/opened?
I bought it from an eBay seller. I don't remember the details since it was several years ago, but it arrived complete in a nice box with instructions, paints and brush in the plastic container that snaps shut, and all six monster figures in a sealed bag. The seller must have included a bag of the cream repops with the Marx info and dates instead of the bag with the Milton repops. All this time I thought they were the Miltons. It never came up that there were two different sets of '90s cream Marx repops so I just thought there were only Miltons until this discussion came up.
The fact that there are two different sets of '90s cream Marx Monster repops is kind of crazy when you think about it. I knew about the Plastimarx green and tan ones, and the plethora of Mexican repops in every color imaginable with the blank mold circles, but I always thought the cream ones were made by Uncle Milton. Always learning, I guess.
So, where does this guy fit into this conversation? He was given to me by a friend in the UK many years ago, he has the Marx and Universal marks on the base. Is he cream or tan? I'm confused.
(https://i.postimg.cc/V04z77pm/IMG_0088.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/V04z77pm)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Ppjvp5Dv/IMG_0086.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Ppjvp5Dv)
Quote from: Jim Bertges on November 08, 2025, 02:47:35 PMSo, where does this guy fit into this conversation? He was given to me by a friend in the UK many years ago, he has the Marx and Universal marks on the base. Is he cream or tan? I'm confused.
(https://i.postimg.cc/V04z77pm/IMG_0088.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/V04z77pm)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Ppjvp5Dv/IMG_0086.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Ppjvp5Dv)
Looks like a Plastimarx tan one from the '70s or '80s. I have the Plastimarx green ones but not the tan ones, but I do have a 3rd series tan Nutty Mad which I think is by Plastimarx. Plastimarx was a Mexican Marx affiliate which became their own company in the '70s. The Plastimarx base bottoms are marked just like Marx originals in orange which came out in 1964 with the date barred out. This is just based on what I've been able to learn so I could be mistaken.
Here's the dope on Plastimarx: https://dfarq.homeip.net/plastimarx-marxs-mexican-subsidiary/
Someone bought this full set of 6 Mexican Bootleg Marx Monsters MIP for around $122 total.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/187754822434
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0igAAeSwwmFpGzTn/s-l1600.webp)
Not sure when these came out. They may be Plastimarx but they're probably more recent. The shade of green is darker than the lime-green ones which I think were made by Plastimarx in the '70s/'80s. Cool set for collectors of Mexican Bootlegs and Marx Monsters. I like the kid graphics on the header card.