Plastic Figure Showcase Marx Plastic Figures as a change of pace we will look at Marx over foreiggn figures. Some of these figures I have showcased years ago. Others are new. Some of figures have interesting stories around how I acqured them. So let’s get started.
Plastic Figure Showcase Marx Plastic Figures Some Figures
To start off we have the cream Rip Masters from Rin Tin Tin and a translucent blue version. The cream figure was sold in the playset and as cereal giveaway. I got the one above as child in the cereal giveway. It came with Rusty and Rin Tin Tin with some 54mm pioneers and Indians. The figure was done in a light blue as well.
The one on the right I acquired in England. I had gone over for the Plastic Warrior Show. The Wednesday before the show Norman Joplin had a toy show at night! There I met my first German dealer Arno Tegli. Arno was from Bavaria and was snuff snifter. (Laurie freak out the first time she met him when he did it.) He was a very friendily person. I got many interesting pieces from him. Arno would not tell me where he got it. He did a lot dealing in South America. Sadly Arno pass away about ten years after I met him.
The photo is of Barry Goldwater and Mendes of France. There are two version of Barry Goldwater one with glasses and one without the glasses. The one shown is the non-glasses version. Pierre Mendes was the Prime Minister of France from 1954 to 1955. I feel this one of Louis Marx’s special figures. He would give these figures at dinners.
We have five of the sixteen of the 54mm skyscraper figures. These figures were only sold with the skyscraper. The skyscraper was the largest tin litho piece Marx made. There are claims that the set was to be a Superman playset, but nothing has been proven on this claim. The figures were never reused. The figures would be great with an Untouchables.
We will have more in the next installment.
All looks nice to me and very intersting.
Never see the french minister before!!!!.
But my curiousity is in translucent figure.
I had seen few Marx translucent figure s and own few.But never a character.
The poses I have is a knight, indian anf two cowboys not the Russian mold owned poses. However after close examinations I noticed are cloned copies w very minor difference. Even they are exact scale and base shape.
On Rusty.Those it have same old marks words bellow w yeat as originals?
All the translucent Marx figures I’ve seen have been listed as prototypes – hence the unusual plastic. I can’t say whether that’s true or not; I don’t get around to many shows and only can go by what I’ve seen on the net and eBay ( EVERYTHING’s Marx on eBay anyway…) – I’d be interested if this was a prototype or part of a special issue of figures of which I’m unaware. After all, the lime green pioneers of the Apache Pass set (I think I remember that right) were kind of translucent, too.
The blue is different from the prototype blue used. I will have one of those coming up in part two or three of the article.
Thanks – just wondering “out loud…”
The skyscraper figures are interesting. From left to right the first figure is he a Doctor? The second figure would make a good zombie. Is the guy with a towel around his shoulders cleaning windows? The last one is he a Milkman?
The man with a towel is refree or coach. The man with box is delivery man. Kent Sprecher has a list of them on his site.
First guy on left is a pharmacist preparing an elixir.
The “zombie” is a clerk who fits over the HP cigar counter with cash register accessory from Skyscraper set.
I have used these figures with The Untouchables set and they integrate PERFECTLY.
I though he was smoking and drinking coffee….
The seated woman is a dead ringer for Noel Neill the actress who played Lois Lane in the TV shows
While it is possible the seated woman is Noeil. Your listing of the paperboy being Jimmy Olsen is a stretch. As I mention at this time we have no evidence that the skyscraper playset was planned for Superman.
The translucent RIP appears to me to be a re-mould. Look at the base. It’s smaller than the original.
When a figure is remoulded the mold shrinks the size of the figure by 1.5 to 3 %.
Somebody took a Marx Rip and made a new mold. That’s why it’s smaller.
That plastic is very similar to the Sky King premiums. I wonder?
I wish I could see a better shot of that Rip. Some of my later issue 7 th cavalry Dulcop figures are in the same type of plastic.
I have several sets of Mexican recast Marx Ranch Kids molded in a wide variety of colors. Some are a VERY similar dark blue material as this Rip, as well as I can tell from the picture. Some are solid colors, some are more translucent as this appears, but not as opaque as Sky King cereal premiums. That makes me wonder if the Sky King figures were ever made in Mexico and if this Rip is from the same source? I honestly like the multicolored Ranch Kids more than the flat cream Marx figures either in vinyl or plastic. I sold my set of original Ranch Kids for $2000 in 4/2006,with help from the Playset Magazine article, and haven’t regretted that at all. I still buy new colors that I don’t have of the recasts whenever I find them.
OK,in my first comment I ask
If the figure has the same marks wording as original below base and base plastic mold entrance/exit location!?
As the one I have translucent are the 60 mm MARX figures figures/poses I describe above and I check long ago with original I think are copies made in my case in EUROPE.
East Europe -Balkan area Bulgaria ,Romania and former Yugoslavia had sold these figures .I have several of then that arrive in two separated lots.
However I never see a Character pose among then.
And they are not belong to MARX poses sets mold own by Russia and reissued today.
The plastic is soft and good quality but it is translucent in green ,orange,red and purple.
At simple view they are same high and same detail,once you look close you will noticed minor details are not same and high is off x 2mm approx,the base shape change a bit and bellow marks despair as if made in hand pressed mold .
My thoughts
I think that the Blue figure is from a totally different mould and is a remade version. The sculpting is much better on the figure if you compare the Hands ,revolver, boots and the rank on the shoulder.
The Marx figure is crude in comparison.
The problem is I do not know if the blue figure is from remould or the actual mold. This figure has been in my collection over 25 year plus. I will do more review on him tomorrow.