Marx Ambulance Wagon

Yeah, it's safe to say I've been in a lull. Haven't done blog stuff, haven't worked on my train layouts much, haven't photgraphed but a few toys. 

One of the toys I did get around to photographing was this beautiful vintage Marx ambulance wagon. These were awesome additions to Marx playsets but command more than awesome amounts of money to acquire now. One of these days I'll have to get around to buying Classic Toy Soldiers re-pop of this venerable piece. I don't have an original driver to go with this but I did pick up some repos that go well enough with it. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

with repo driver

Three original Marx wagons. 

I don't yet have an original Marx covered wagon and I may never get one - my wallet can't take it anymore! However, I do have the CTS re-pop which is actually superior to the original, and I'll be covering that in another installment.

Marx Wells Fargo Stagecoach

Hmmm, now where was I before I so rudely interrupted myself?? Oh yeah, Western toys. Okay, today's photo essay is one of the nicest vintage Western playset pieces ever offered: the Marx Wells Fargo Stagecoach for their Western playsets. I don't have an original driver to go with this but I did order some repops after I took the photos. Made of hard plastic with soft plastic horses and hitch, it doesn't have opening doors but the classic lines hit all the nostalgia buttons for those of us who grew up in the '50s and watched shows like old Roy Rogers and Gene Autry serials, or TV shows like "The Tales of Wells Fargo", "Bonanza", "Gunsmoke", and the host of other Westerns that flooded the airwaves back then. It would be great if someone like Classic Toy Soldiers (CTS) could do a re-make of this with a 4-horse hitch. They've already done covered wagons, and ACW cannons with limbers and caissons, so this would make an excellent addition to their line-up. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Comparison shots of the Marx buckboard and stagecoach

May the 6th Be With You - No Wait, I Mean The 4th! Oh heck, Here's Some Star Wars Toys - Ferrero Kinder Egg Happy Hippo Star Wars Series

Yeah, I know, I'm late! I totally forgot about posting these delightful little figures from Ferrero's Kinder Egg line in Germany. As much of a fan I was of the movies, I never got into the toys. This small batch of toys is nearly the only things I have that are Star Wars related. During the '80s, Ferrero - maker of those great Kinder Egg toys - released a series of Happy Hippo figures that was quite popular. Then they released this series of Happy Hippo caricature's of all our favorite Star Wars characters. The smaller figures were in the normal sized eggs while the land speeder was a special release in their large eggs. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to doing my usual 12-pic photo essay of each character. Hopefully I can get that done by the next May the 4th! :-)  Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Well Darn, What's Next? Howz About Some Western Toys. Marx 54mm Buckboard

Yeah, I'm at a loss lately. I had planned on continuing the vintage dinosaur theme with MPC's line of toys but I'm just not ready to get into that at the moment, but lately I've been taking photos of Western/Old West/Old School Cowboy-&-Indian toys so why not post them? Let's start with the venerable Marx Buckboard. 

I've only got a couple of Old West themed Marx playsets, neither of which had wagons in them.  Generally speaking, I'm not a Marx wagon collector because they're just too pricey to try and track down all their variations so I'm by no means an expert in this area but I believe the buckboard came in a couple of colors. It's a nicely done piece in hard plastic with metal axles and a soft plastic horse and driver. My driver shown here may be a repo which is fine by me. The overall length with horse is 8" (20.32cm) and it's 2 1/4" (5.71cm) H (w/o driver).

Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Hasbro Twin Navy Blinker Code Lite No. 5180x300

Here's an interesting set I picked up quite a while ago but haven't yet featured on the blog: Hasbro's  Twin Navy Blinker Code Lite No. 5180 x 300. The set doesn't appear to have been used - or at least used very much. The leather straps hanging from the grips are still intact as are the tiny compasses. The lights - which are 7.5" (19.05cm) tall - require a single 'D' cell battery and they both still work! Judging by the artwork I'm guessing this may be from the '50s but could also be an early '60 toy.  Enjoy! Opa Fritz