My Wards Marx Training Center Playset #4144 (1952) - Putting It All Together

This whole Marx Little Green Army Man series started back in May when it became apparent that all this stuff laying about out in The Cave just had to be photographed as many of these toys had been sitting out there since the mid '90s-early 2000's! Yeah, I'd say it was about time. Particularly, this #4144 Marx Training Center playset was out there that I bought many years ago and I needed to know how complete it was - or wasn't. Not being much of a playset collector (like, I never bothered to buy any more Training Center sets), I thought it would be fun to dive deep into the only one I have.

Research involved going through the Sears Wishbook catalog extracts, Playset Magazine Issue No. 128 (Mar Apr May 2024), and the Toy Soldier HQ website. Along the way I was able to purchase a bunch of the smaller bits-&-pieces to help flesh out both the #4144 playset and my own collection.

Ed

Set Contents (additional notes below):

-Marx #T3-21 tin-litho Headquarters U.S. Army Training Center with base

-Halftrack w/gray wheels - HP

-Scout Car w/gray wheels - HP

-44 45mm Series 1 GI's (22 figures in 16 poses per mold shot)

-10 45mm Seated GI's (5 figures per mold shot)

-44 45mm Series 2 GI's (21 figures in 14 poses plus 1 stretcher per mold shot)

-Marx Army Training Center Office Equipment (10 different pieces. Mold shot has one extra chair equaling 11 piece count)

-Marx Field Equipment PL348 Mold Shot (7 different pieces. Mold shot includes two extra pup tents plus one additional rifle stack equaling 10 piece count)

-Fences, Flag, Trees, Rocks

    --12 Interlocking log fence pieces - white HP

    --1 Flagpole and Base (HP) with tin-litho 48 star flag

    --1 Tree (HP: either 'A', Oak, or Scraggily)

    --1 Dead tree - HP

    --2 Different rock piles - HP 

    1952 Sears Wishbook Catalog Extract

After reading the article in Playset Magazine, I concluded that my set was mostly likely the earliest #4144 offered by Wards. According to Playset, the firing howitzer and firing 50cal MG were exclusive to Sears and are even shown here in the 1952 Sears extract. 

Unfortunately, I have no copies of the 1952 Wards catalog so we'll just have to use this.

No firing howitzer and no firing 50cal MG is shown on the box art - that's a clue Scooby Doo!

The dividers were missing in my set

#T3-21 Headquarters U.S. Army Training Center

My set was missing the building, which was okay since I already had it in the collection

Vehicles

Halftrack

My set didn't have the flag in it. That's not unusual because these paper and wood pieces were often tore up or lost

Scout Car

Figures

Playset Magazines states that there were 44 Series 1 GI figures, 10 seated GI's, and 44 Series 2 GI figures for a total of 98 figures. The Sears catalog write-up does say about 98 figures, however, looking at the photo I count 104 figures!

45mm Series 1 GI's

Courtesy Toy Soldier HQ

My set was incomplete and I had to flesh out the piece count to 44 pieces as best as possible. The original set figures were the very earliest 45mm GI's that Marx offered, and as such they would not have had bases (looking at the Sears extract above verifies that). To that end, I've been trying to find examples without bases, but some of those pictured here ended up being later issues.

45mm Seated Figures

Courtesy Toy Soldier HQ

Over the years my seated figures ended up in a variety of mis-matched colors.

45mm Series 2 GI's

Courtesy Toy Soldier HQ

I'm missing a few figures. I have 41 but need 44 per Playset Magazine

Marx Army Training Center Office Equipment

Courtesy Toy Soldier HQ

The bench with back is the latest addition to the collection and correct for the military playsets.

Unfortunately, my straight back chair has a leg broken off (which isn't apparent in the photo)

 Marx Field Equipment PL348 

Courtesy Toy Soldier HQ

Hard plastic tents. 

They all have the Marx hallmark underneath

The three tripod mounted weapons in SP

Marx made two 50cal water-cooled MG's. One was a firing version in HP which did not come in the early Wards set but was exclusive to Sears (as shown in the extract above). The second was this SP non-firing version.

Bazooka (SP), Rifle Stacks (HP), Garbage Cans (HP)

The Marx hallmark is underneath the stand

Marx Army Training Center Fences, Flag, Trees, Rocks

Looking at the Sears catalog extract one can deduce that there were 16 fence pieces included. My set also had sixteen pieces. I photographed twelve of them to align with the write-up in Playset Magazine.