MPC Monsters Appreciation Thread

[Hepcat]

Do the ships float in the bathtub or are they so top heavy that they fall over sideways?

[horrorhunter]

Do the ships float in the bathtub or are they so top heavy that they fall over sideways?

They float alright from memory. I haven't had one in the tub for a few decades. 

[Mord]

They float alright from memory. I haven't had one in the tub for a few decades. 

...and there's your next project.

[horrorhunter]

Haunted Graveyard Playset (Take 2):

Box:












The Veektum Sisters, Nora, Dora, and Flora, have snuck off to the Hillcrest Cemetery rock pond to do a little skinny dippin'. So, the zombies and giant rats are creeping out to get a snack. "Eek, look at all that algae", says Flora. But that isn't algae, it's an amorphous demon who just loves to ravage nubile hotties.







And below the cemetery, in the underground monster lair, a group of monster hunters called Paladin Force are invading the lair from a side tunnel, backed up by three squads of Army Rangers. When the invading force entered the lair they set off a mystic alarm and trap which summoned a group of undead knights called the Fist Of Satan. The skeletal guards and Vampire's wolves will team with the knights to destroy the invaders. Also, the Ghost Galleon gated into the area minutes ago and is even now gliding into the seaside grotto entrance. The Unholy Eight are home.









In 1969 the Haunted Graveyard Playset was produced by MPC using several Marx parts as well as their own. Some enterprising fool at Marx made the deal by going behind Louis Marx' back. When Louis found out about it he was irate, "How dare that idiot provide our parts and good name for those hacks over at Multiple to use! Satanic symbolism, virgin sacrifice, Dark God worship! Hell, they even defamed our own Magic Marxie and turned him into Black Magic Marxie! This ends NOW!!!" Marx lawyers killed the deal and had every set confiscated and burned at the Marx Dump in a huge bonfire... But a few sets slipped through before the crusade to destroy them. This is one.

"Hey Kids! Get your own huge Haunted Graveyard Playset! It's sanity blasting fun!...Haunted Hulk and Ghost Galleon sold separately."

Here's a link to the original thread but beware terrible pics. It's nearly impossible to get a decent pic with my cheap digital camera anyway but Image Shack mucked these up by blowing them up huge. http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=23441.msg380702#msg380702
I switched to Photobucket not long after that.

[Hepcat]

That is just unbelievably wild cool!

[Wicked Lester]

VERY cool playset. A lot of imagination went into that and the fact that you have backgound on the characters and history on the forbidden set is awesome.
Cool box art too. Especially like your added touch of an Eerie Publications decapitated head along with the EVIL Marxie in your logo.

[horrorhunter]

VERY cool playset. A lot of imagination went into that and the fact that you have backgound on the characters and history on the forbidden set is awesome.
Cool box art too. Especially like your added touch of an Eerie Publications decapitated head along with the EVIL Marxie in your logo.

Thank you, Wicked Lester.

Yeah, I'm an old Eerie Pubs fan, too. I wanted to make it look a little too much for the kiddies so I gored it up Eerie Pubs style. 

Apologies for the bad pics. This set looks MUCH better in person. One of these days I'll buy a decent camera so I can take a clear picture fer cryin' out loud.

I realize there aren't many people on UMA who are into playsets, but I'm glad a few of you like them. One reason I post the playsets on here is to have a record of the set that I can access quickly and show to anyone easily. I can just email a post link to someone, or even if they visit my home I can bring up the post much faster than trying to set the whole thing up. Even though the pictures aren't that great they still convey the idea of the set in question.

[Hepcat]

I realize there aren't many people on UMA who are into playsets....

Probably a few more than you think.

One reason I post the playsets on here is to have a record of the set that I can access quickly and show to anyone easily. I can just email a post link to someone, or even if they visit my home I can bring up the post much faster than trying to set the whole thing up.

Good thinking!

[horrorhunter]

Here's a pic I found on the 'net of the Marx Haunted Mansion Playset prototype which was in the planning stages back in the '60s but was never made. MPC Monsters were used for the prototype. I would love to see what the Marx monsters for it would have looked like if Marx had gotten that far with it. Smaller versions of their Universal Monsters, or new sculpts, or both? That playset would be a monster toy collectors grail if it had actually become a reality. A crushing missed opportunity. 



More pics.




Marx Haunted Mansion is covered in Playset Magazine #11. Also covered in that issue are the Haunted Hulk and Marx Universal Monsters.

[Haunted hearse]

Here's a pic I found on the 'net of the Marx Haunted Mansion Playset prototype which was in the planning stages back in the '60s but was never made. MPC Monsters were used for the prototype. I would love to see what the Marx monsters for it would have looked like if Marx had gotten that far with it. Smaller versions of their Universal Monsters, or new sculpts, or both? That playset would be a monster toy collectors grail if it had actually become a reality. A crushing missed opportunity. 

Considering that the Marx Monster set lacked a vampire, it would be interesting to see what a vampire would look like, if they included one.

[horrorhunter]

Considering that the Marx Monster set lacked a vampire, it would be interesting to see what a vampire would look like, if they included one.

It certainly would.

If Marx used the same Universal Monster sculpts in 1/32 (54 mm) scale they would have probably had to add a few more monsters since six wouldn't be enough for a large playset like the Marx Haunted Mansion was planned to be. We would have probably gotten a vampire or two (vampiress?) and who knows what else. Since they already had the Universal license there could have been more movie monsters. Those figures in that scale would be scarce today, and highly sought after. Of course, they could have gone with all new sculpts of various little 54mm fiends and various victims and members of the ever present torch wielding mob. Fun to think about.

[Mike Scott]

Considering that the Marx Monster set lacked a vampire, it would be interesting to see what a vampire would look like, if they included one.

Probably like this!

[Mord]

 I remember those. I really should have picked one of those up, while they were around.

[jimm]

HH, does your camera have a Macro setting? Great for closeups

[horrorhunter]

HH, does your camera have a Macro setting? Great for closeups

Yeah, and I'm familiar with it, but the camera is so cheap and crappy I just can't get a good shot with it. I finally broke down and bought a Nikon and a tripod so hopefully my pics will improve. The camera should be available to pick up on Thursday.