Marx of the Gorilla

 I saw this image while searching for the old horror flick Equinox.

I'm uncertain if it's actually from the film.

What is for certain is that the gorilla in the scene is this Marx toy complete with flimsy chain and shackles! 

I'd have loved this King Kong as a kid.

Anyone have or got one?

Ausini: The Most Attractive Space Toys?

These Ausini toys are new to me, as seen on auction, a small boxed set of space exploration toys promoted as the most attractive. 

There's a tracked contraption of sorts

And a gizmo, which is so familiar to me, but where from?

There's a lot of detail here and puts echoes of Marx in my mind, especially the astronaut and Marx's small Major Matt Masonesque Hap Hazard carded set, courtesy of Joe K/ Alphadrome.

Even bigger Marx stuff like Johnny Apollo, especially that gold plastic hand-held gizmo.

The listing described the bigger tracked contraption as a rover but I'm unsure what it is. Do you?

Here's another Ausini boxed set. Do you like them? I can't find examples of the other two. 

We've Found A Noddy

 

I picked up this mysterious broken chappie a while back.

Terranova47 kindly ID'd him as a Noddy.

Using that and the tiny MARX brand on his back I had a gander as to which Noddy toy it was.

Turns out it's this cute fully-posable figure that came in a smart window box.

I was never a Noddy follower - nor much Enid Blyton at all really - but this is a nice toy. Mines missing all his clobber and that quaint watering can.

Are you a Noddy or Enid Blyton fan?

Marx Batman: the Wet Knight

 

(Image: AJ, Facebook)

I've been interested in Batman collectables my whole adult life and a few have always remained a mystery.

The Marx Batman carded figure is such a one, an unusual set.

First up, the bat mask looks more like a salad bowl than his classic cowl. I guess the shape is to fit the swimming goggles over his face.

But then, yes, there's the whole underwater theme, what with those air tanks, which look like something from another set. Batman wasn't well known for his swimming, so it's an odd theme for a toy contemporary with the Adam West TV series.

Did Marx rush to get this out?

Anyone got one?

The Man from Uncle See Through Walls Pen by Hidden Devices

 Years ago I got hold of a Propmasters catalogue offering for sale the personal Man from Uncle memorabilia collection of David Oliver, Propmasters founder.

Listed was a rare UK version of the Marx Man from Uncle Counterspy Set from 1966.

Unlike the US version, this one was listed with a Big Pen included.

I've never known what that Big Pen was. 

This week I found out about a Marx See Through Walls pen offered as a US mail in in the Sixties. It's chunky, maybe that means big?

See what you think. Could this be the mysterious Counterspy Set big pen? 

Brian's Kleeware Supersonic Jets Space Set

Hello Woodsy

This is the toy that got me hooked on collecting space plastic. 

The Supersonic Jets Set.

 It's another example of the English reuse of American moulds, in this case Marx and Pyro. I was addicted to tin robots at the time but a hoarder's instinct made me put this to one side.

The set comprises three Marx copies, the #1 Double Gun Plane, #4 A Wing, and a Car of the Future. The fourth spaceship is the odd-man-out, a Pyro copy Rocket Car that's a bit more solid than the others. For researchers the label is priceless, proving that all four belong together despite their different origins. The set comes in a plain cardboard box with a paper label.

The plastic is thin - they feel lighter than Tudor Rose spaceships, and they're very brittle. There's a translucence about them, unlike the more opaque originals. Out of the box I can't see them surviving for long. There's no maker's mark on the box though each vehicle is marked with a tiny Made in England in a circle. 

I'm fairly sure it's by Kleeware, though I'd welcome thoughts.

Regards

Brian H

UK

This Week's Mixed Catch

 This week's haul at the local boot sale is a mish mash of different stuff.

See what you think.

This little fella is by Marx and as yet is unidentified. I have his legs.

Rear LtoR:

1980's Transformers x 2, Kleeware red beAr rattle, Spanish Godzilla, Mecki x 2, Bahamas plastic police figure, C21 Monkees Annual, wedding couple dolls as yet unidentified, plastic ball and holder game, clackers,

Front LtoR:

Corgi Rockets Capri, Mego plastic Corvette, unidentified Marx figure, Barbie clone, tiny metal deity, Italian white

 plastic miniature figures by Depose.

I spent about a tenner on this lot. Great fun as always looking for old toys.

See anything you like? Can you ID the mysteries? 

Help! Randall Needs a Marx Apollo Hap Hazard Astronaut Helmet

OK Woodsy, 

you may have a lead on this ...

This figure was my first astronaut toy, probably 1964-5 or so. 

 I have kept it in good shape but he is missing his helmet. 

Any resources that you are aware of that might have a helmet? 

(Can anyone help? A spare helmet?)

The maker was MARX and the figure I have seen listed as Colonel Hazard (?). 

I have a pic attached of my guy and one from Etsy with his helmet. The Etsy sale is not available any longer.

I'm also attaching a few pics of me and my artwork which I think you will like.

Cheers,

Randall Ensley

PS- I'm happy to see you are still involved with your blog!

Ed's Rover: Marx on the Moon

Woodsy,

Here we have a Marx Miniature Moon Rover from the 1960s-'70s wandering around (looking for a McDonald's?). The rover is missing its clear plastic dome, but the astronaut is fully suited so why would it actually need a dome?

From Vegas Base

Ed

Did You Have a Flashy Flickers?

Did you have a flashy flickers readers, the Marx movie rifle?

I had one and loved pointing the projector onto a pale wall to see those flickering stories that came on little spools in separate boxes.

I can't recall what the stories were. Can you readers?

Ed's Antique Marx Tin-litho Jalopy

Woodsy,

Here's my Marx tin-litho Jalopy from ca.1927. 

Apparently, cars like this were not unusual back then and Marx made several variations. The car features an early version of a friction motor and does work!

From Vegas Used Autos

Ed