Marx Rockets

Marx sculpted several rockets that resembled their real life counterparts. Some were excellent representations, others leave you guessing. Here is, as best as I can figure out, what the rockets were supposed to be. This includes the red capsule and the Moon Ship.

Nike Hercules/Ajax

Cape Canaveral

1/32. This is a BIG powerful spring loaded ½ rocket. The all rubber yellow rocket attached to the blue launcher and had a fragile trigger on the side. This would send the rocket some distance, easily over 25 or 30 feet. It elevated above 45 degrees and had a metal spring stop in the base that held the platform in place when raised. It was a tough launcher, capable of taking a lot of abuse. There is a hole directly behind the control panel/boom that used to hold a compass. That’s why this thing was often referred to as the Compass Launcher. The one I got in the used playset I was given back in 1972 had no compass and the trigger was broken and glued back on. I figured the hole was to vent rocket exhaust.

In spite of its size, the fact that the entire rocket didn’t go was a turn off. It sort of made up for that with its range and the fact that it was in scale with your ground crews. Its got an elaborate control panel on the base and the squatting guy with the wrench looks good there. This sucker usually sat as the center piece of the layout, in front of the tin litho Red Top building. It’s a good prop with only one weak spot, and that was the trigger.

In the new Marx recast that I got the trigger was loose and the rubber rocket was nowhere to be found. The new Marx had the idea of putting a hole in the side of the finned lower stages on the other rockets and pushing them on this launcher and putting the trigger lock in the hole. That is, my friends “not cool”. And it looked stupid too.

Surviving rubber yellow rockets that are not crumbling from age are very hard to find anywhere.

Platform Launcher

Cape Canaveral/Cape Cheerios

1/72 or less. This was the first rocket system Marx had that came with a really neat slide back gantry. It is made of polystyrene and the rocket mount in the center can’t take much abuse. It’s a dedicated vertical launcher that first appeared in Cape Cheerios as a cereal premium. That version had a tilting launcher and probably no spring.

The numerous rockets are multi stage and you can mix and match payloads and stages. The rockets are made of breakable polystyrene plastic and after a few vertical launches and slamming into the floor from about 2 or 3 feet they will begin to split and break. The pieces can be lost easily too. As a display piece its downright wonderful. No other rockets are compatible with this gantry. Excellent prop, variety of rockets and playloads.

Atlas with Gantry

Cape Canaveral/Operation Moonbase

1/72 or smaller

Never owned this, have seen only one but did not know it was Marx, and it got away. Very fine Gantry and Rocket combo with lots of detail. Pipes and ladders and several floors make this ultra cool. The gantry slides back. The rocket is loaded off a trailer and tilted up. Its then spring shot vertically. Made from polystyrene, its not known how much damage the rocket could take. The rubber nose would have helped, but the fact that most of the toy launches resulted with the rocket slamming sideways on the floor meant that it would only be a while before the rocket would start to break up. Near as I can tell no other rockets are compatible with this gantry because they have to fit over the spring sleeve that goes inside the rocket when it is loaded. The rocket is loaded with the spring cocked, by the way. That can result in a pre-mature launch from time to time if not careful.

Very, very good prop, good mostly on Cape Canaveral, but has been seen in Moon Base outfits. The Gantry flat top and other surfaces are really great for placing other gadgets and crew.

Jupiter C

Cape Canaveral

1/72. Nice representation of the Jupiter C.

Sittin’ on a Redstone it was a successful satellite. This is a very fine prop. The fins are removable and a variety of fins from the playsets can be put on it. These blue fins originate from the Tom Corbett era and appeared in every playset that had the vertical launcher.

Face it, those Tom Corbett rockets were UGLY.

Anyway, this little fellow was tough because it was made of polyethylene and could take whatever the launchers could dish out. Beat up, scuffed up, and chewed on by Rover, it came back for more. Excellent prop. One of few rockets minted by Marx all the way to the end.

Mercury Capsule

Cape Canaveral

1/32. I have only seen one of these and didn’t know it was Marx, so it got away too. Excellent representation of a Mercury capsule in 6 pieces. The top D ring was made to go with the 1/72^nd scale, very ugly CH-37 Mojave helicopter that had a neat internal crane to pick it up and fly it around, representing a recovery.

Its an excellent above average Mercury model, complete with astronaut. Made of Polyethylene it could take a lot of wear and tear. Good prop for representing launching a man into space. For some reason it was included in the Operation Moonbase, but that’s not a bad thing. Good display piece too. Just the right size for ground crew.

Flying Saucer Launcher

Cape Canaveral

1/32. This neat little launcher was on the market until July of 2014. It launched a spinning saucer or satellite after winding it up and then pushing down on the trigger in the back. The thing would actually spin up, then lift off often going as high as the ceiling. Neat toy, but totally out done by cheaper “spinner launchers” that are more robust and less complicated. I own a couple, my original that I got ’72 is long gone. I gave it away to a cousin in San Antonio back in the day and I didn’t have any saucers for it anyway. It is probably destroyed by now. I got another in a New Marx Atomic Cape Canaveral set about 95. I recently ordered another Canaveral recast set, a smaller one, on E-bay and the launcher they sent in the set was missing the small round pin and spring assembly that held the saucer in place when wound up. I can wind it up and release it by hand, but that’s not what the launcher is supposed to do. Basically its an inert unit, but good for display.

I tried to order a recast one from a site and they informed me they were out of stock and the toy had been discontinued.

The polystyrene saucers themselves are fragile. The rims break easy and the fins can split when over wound. They are not as robust as the ones you can get for a dollar in the cheap stores.

The Launcher is just cool. Looking like a variety of science fiction creations, it became an air raft, a moon lander, and anything I could use it for at the time. Its remarkably tough for a polystyrene creation. The center spring goodie is removable in the recast, but I think it was glued in place in the original vintage. The figures look good on it and its at home on the moon, Canaveral, or Mars. If you find a recast available, I recommend getting it, if the cost isn’t eye bulgingly horrific. Just get the guarantee that the thing works and all the parts are there. ALL of the parts!

Aint finished! More to come in the future!