Marx Monsters

[The Red Death 30]

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

[YoungestMonsterKid]

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)

[horrorhunter]

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.

[Monsters For Sale]

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.





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/

[YoungestMonsterKid]

I don't understand why no one's been able to copy the exact same color.

[darkmonkeygod]

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.

[Mike Scott]

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.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

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.

[Monsters For Sale]

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.

[horrorhunter]

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.

[Monsters For Sale]

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.

[horrorhunter]

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. 

[Hepcat]

I 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.

[Hepcat]

The 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.

[horrorhunter]

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