Dinosaur Playsets

[horrorhunter]

Fun collections! 

Thanks, Mike!

[horrorhunter]

Grabbed this lot of MPC dinos (and one Timmee) pretty cheap from an eBay seller.



It's rare that I buy these anymore because I have so many extras but I needed more Dire Wolves to bolster a pack of large wolves for a custom monster playset I made. I plan to use the two Glyptodonts as "Monstrous Armadillos" created by sorcery and alchemy. 

The listing didn't even list "MPC" in the title, which is probably part of why they went so cheap. The seller listed a bunch of unnecessary "facts" (not) that cluttered things up. One bit was "these are old and, if used, will break over time. These were once for children but no longer. They can break and shards of plastic can be dangerous..." or somesuch drivel. These things are soft plastic and it's incredibly difficult to break them. Many '60s kids literally cut their teeth on them which is why so many have chew marks these days. Some people... 

[horrorhunter]

This came in from an eBay seller today. It's a set of MPC dino crude knockoffs in the original packaging.



"Made in Hong Kong" is marked on the header card (in the weeds art). No date given but I would guess '70s since there is no barcode. I have a few of these knockoff dino sets in the original packaging, and I pick them up when they're cheap. This one was only $10 with cheap shipping. This is about the crudest example of dino bootlegs I've ever seen. The header card is just marked "Animals" and shows a safari-type scene instead of a prehistoric scene. Interesting oddity for someone into old toy dinos and their packaging.

[Mike Scott]

Cool set! At first, I thought half of them were missing. 

[horrorhunter]

Cool set! At first, I thought half of them were missing. 

The yellow ones blend in, especially since they're so poorly sculpted they look somewhat like indistinct blobs of plastic. Each one is actually stapled to the backing card.    Of course, the Pop-Tops bases were stapled to the base of the card and look how popular they are. The Pop-Top sculpts are actually very good though, as opposed to these little dino bootlegs.

[Mike Scott]

Each one is actually stapled to the backing card.

I didn't notice that.

[horrorhunter]

Something uncommonly seen: a high-grade original box for the Superior Mountain Playset. This is a current eBay listing featuring the large Superior recast Marx Mountain Playset from 1987. https://www.ebay.com/itm/226637184912







It's pricey at $1K OBO but I think the seller is on point with this pricing. Superior mountain sets are fairly scarce in the marketplace. I've never seen a box for it in this nice a condition. It looks like someone walked into store back in 1987 and bought this storing it away safely until now. I have over two dozen dinosaur playsets and my Superior Mountain Set is the only one that doesn't have the original box. Superior made Marx recasts in swirled colors, and they are uncommon and sell for much more than original common types of Marx dinos now. The cardboard boxes for the Superior sets is very thin which is problematic for the large mountain set. Very few of the mountain set boxes remain at all and the few still around are mostly in poor condition.

[Mike Scott]

Superior Mountain Playset.

Neat play set! (You might even say superior.) Cool box art!

[horrorhunter]

Strange Change, The Lost World #4581 (Mattel, 1967) is like a cross between a dinosaur/monster playset and a Thingmaker set. The Strange Change Machine is a heating unit disguised as a time machine. The creatures are plastic which can be compacted into little squares (w/Mattel logo) when heated, and they stay in square form until heated again when they expand back into the creature.

Awesome Box:




Instructions Side Of Playmat & Both Supplemental Creature Cards (without creature squares):


CONTENTS:

Strange Change Machine

Large Vacu-Form Mountain (Green Thin Hard Plastic, Brittle)

16 Time Capsules (Creature Squares) (in Red, Yellow, Green, and Purple)

Tongs (Blue Soft Plastic)

Landscape Map (Playmat)/Instruction Sheet

8 More Time Capsules Available On 2 Blister Cards

I still have the remnants of my original set that I received for Christmas in 1967. I purchased this complete set off eBay a couple of years ago. The heating unit still works, but I wouldn't use it on the creatures/Time Capsules because they get scorched and damaged if changed too much and they don't retain their shape as well. I had big fun with this as a young Monsterkid. My favorite creatures were always Membrane Man, Hooded Skullkaronamus, and Snaggle Fanged Oculus.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Change_Machine

http://www.collecttoys.net/1960s-Toys/strange-change-machine.php

http://toys.pop-cult.com/strange-change-machine.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4IVTXfESeY#ws

This vid is great. It even has the original commercial in it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHuyrP2YG-4#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=WL&v=aokEzQ7WrP0&feature=player_detailpage

[horrorhunter]

Something uncommonly seen: a high-grade original box for the Superior Mountain Playset. This is a current eBay listing featuring the large Superior recast Marx Mountain Playset from 1987. https://www.ebay.com/itm/226637184912







It's pricey at $1K OBO but I think the seller is on point with this pricing. Superior mountain sets are fairly scarce in the marketplace. I've never seen a box for it in this nice a condition. It looks like someone walked into store back in 1987 and bought this storing it away safely until now. I have over two dozen dinosaur playsets and my Superior Mountain Set is the only one that doesn't have the original box. Superior made Marx recasts in swirled colors, and they are uncommon and sell for much more than original common types of Marx dinos now. The cardboard boxes for the Superior sets is very thin which is problematic for the large mountain set. Very few of the mountain set boxes remain at all and the few still around are mostly in poor condition.

Sold for "Best Offer" below $400. This box is nearly impossible to find undamaged. Tough time to be selling expensive niche collectibles. I would have just waited to sell if at all possible.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226637184912

[horrorhunter]

A couple of the coveted Marx blister card sets of dinos sold on eBay for substantial sums.

This 1959 Marx Prehistoric Monsters First Series carded set sold at auction for $305 + $6 sh + tax (around $340 total) with 14 bids. https://www.ebay.com/itm/357924374274



Card has wear but is in much better condition than is normally seen offered.

This 1959 Marx Prehistoric Monsters Second Series carded set sold at auction for $219.31 + $6 sh + tax (around $247 total) with 10 bids. https://www.ebay.com/itm/336299686983



Card on this one is a little rougher than the First Series listed above, but still better than what is normally offered for sale. The difference in price is probably due to differences in blister card condition.

Years ago the Second Series cards were usually more expensive than the First Series. They've gradually become equally sought after over time. The Second Series loose figures are probably still more expensive on average.

[horrorhunter]

Finally bought a 1981 DFC Dinosaurs & Cavemen Playset from an eBay seller. I've been on the lookout for one of these for awhile, holding out for a nice box and a good price. Grabbed this one for $70 + $30 sh + tax after making an offer to the seller. The economy being as it is now there are some good deals to be had.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127367264914

[Hepcat]

A couple of the coveted Marx blister card sets of dinos sold on eBay for substantial sums.


Years ago the Second Series cards were usually more expensive than the First Series. They've gradually become equally sought after over time.

Those Marx carded sets are mega cool! Pity about the substantial sums they command though.

 

[BigShadow]

Those are some really neat dinosaur playsets! I've been on the lookout for a couple over the last few years, but haven't pulled the trigger on any as of yet. Maybe this is my motivation to do so, haha.