January 2026 Odds Ends Figures Galore, Happy New Year to everyone. I have a number of items to cover. First, I have a photo from my friend, Detlef Heerbrand, of an interesting Marx piece. Next, we have some future Russian sets. I now have photos from Yuri on his comments on Marx pirates in Canada.
January 2026 Odds Ends Marx Spacemen
My friend Detlef Heerbrand posted this photo of a Marx display. It features the Marx 60mm Space figures. These figures were sold as bin toys. I can not find any information on the Rex Mars comic strip.
Future Russian Sets
Engineer Basevitch is previewing the new set #48 and #49: “The Northern War 1700-1721”. The war between Russia and Sweden. Peter the Great and Charles XII. They will be available in green, gray, and red. They will be offered in the spring.
Plastic Platoon will be releasing Soviet Airborne Troops. The six figures cover the Afghanistan Incursion. As always, we are sharing these figures as information, as some countries have restrictions on buying from Russia.
Marx 60mm Pirates
If you have been reading the comments, Erwin and I have been discussing with Yuri about the Canadian versions of Marx 60mm pirates. Yuri sent some photos to show comparisons. Here we have a comparison of the pirate with a sword and a chest.
Yuri has also shown the underside bases to show the pins.
One final comparison of the Marx pirate with a shovel.
From Kent Sprecher’s site, we have the different colors that have been uncovered. We will be looking into this interesting aspect.
Charbens Sailor
If you acquired a bag of the Charbens pirates, very likely you could get nine different figures. The thing is the pirate set has only eight poses.
Here we have the eight pirate poses with the sea man pose. I will have more in another post. All figures have been collector-painted.
I loved the Marx 70 space series. The Robot is my favorite Marx figure. I always wonder where the idea came from, as no movie image comes to mind. I have a personal obsession with such a figure.
I do have a pre-1960 figure made in translucent green pose, and no matter what others say, it is not post-1960, as it was from my father, and Marx or US figures were never sold after 1959 in Cuba, where I was born. It’s a fact.
All US-made and imported toys were immediately stopped by the Communist regime in early 1960. All stores carrying American products were closed. He acquired this figure before 1959, along with a few grey and orange robots and some metallic green spacemen.
I have plenty of photos and some left.
An internet search for ‘Rex Mars Comic Strip’ turned up zip.
What was the Marx playset based on?
I believe Marx made the Rex Mars name up so they didn’t have to pay royalties to use the name like they did with the Space Patrol & Tom Corbett play sets.
Rex Mars is an anagram for “Marxers”… folks who collect Marx toys?
Hello T D . do you still sell those Great spiked barricades , I bought 50 of them from you some years ago. I would love to purchase more if you still make them , Thank you , Pat Mungavin
Pat-
Yep, still make the spiked barricades aka cheval de fries. Soft plastic only, variety of colors, 13 spikes.
Please ask Stad for my email.
Did Marx ever contemplate a Rex Mars comic strip or was it slightly shady advertising? It seems like an internal plant concept that escaped on the advertising display. I agree that it was to avoid royalties, but also to introduce different figures and equipment nt on those shows.
I find it interesting that there are videos of old TV shows with scripted Marx Toys product placement, including kids and adults playing with the toys. It’s fun to see those videos with the brand new playsets to get the kids who were watching excited. Parents may not have been so excited.
The Simpsons used the name in an episode: “Rex Mars Atomic Discombobulator” which was a $50 toy ray gun Bart wanted.
P.S. I was checking Kent’s website, toysoldierhq, and angelfire has been down most of the day, and slow when it was up. I pray you have access to your treasure trove of info and photosKent.
Paul, there were only ever eight Charbens pirates originally; the ninth pose came from their Royal Navy series and went with the Nelson figure. When Plastics From The Past used the moulds they put that sailor in with the pirates.
Paul,
I am aware that there are only eight pirate poses. I got set of the Charbens pirates as a child on a trip. When I started active collecting, one of the items I acquired is a box set of the pirates. I also have the other set with the seaman.
I have some of the ‘90s production of the Rex Mars figures , made in Mexico. Bought at a novelty store in San Jose, CA. They had all sorts of the Marx repros at that time in all sorts of colors.
TD
When the Marx figures were reissued from Mexico, they were done in the various colors. It was only later when people such as Bill Murphy, who got them done in the correct colors.