Original Marx Tom Corbett Figure Sculpts

[dratomic]

Today, I am an extremely happy collector!

I recently managed to pick up the 24 original figure sculpts for the Marx Tom Corbett playset (1952). These were made by the Newark Die Co. for Marx, and served as the masters for the creation of the steel production molds. Each figure was carved by hand from a material called plasticine, and range in size from maybe an inch to two inches tall. (They're the same size as the production figures.) Obviously, they're all one of a kind.

All figures include a tag with the job number and other information; notations on the bottom of their feet indicate the sculpture's weight in grams (generally 3.5g-4.5g). There are also sculptor's guide marks on many of them.

The amount of detail crammed into such tiny figures is amazing, from the buckles on Tom Corbett's belt to the expression on the larger alien's face to the suit joints on the astronauts. The production figures lose a lot in the molding process; on the sculpts, every detail is razor sharp! Looking at them is like seeing an entirely different toy line.

I've been told that the sculpts for the Space Patrol and Rex Mars sets also exist, and many of the more generic figures were mixed and matched between the sets (which is why the Tom Corbett set was sold with more than just 24 figures).

Some of you probably saw these floating around eBay for a while. The seller tried moving them as a group but no one bit. He listed a few of them individually, which I snatched up. The seller and I struck up a conversation and I let him know I was definitely interested in the remaining figures. Some time passed and one day I got an email from him asking if I'd like to buy the remaining sculpts (for a drastically reduced price). I jumped at the chance, and a short while later they arrived in my mailbox. Along the way, I consulted with Toy Memories... When purchasing prototypes, it really pays to do your research!

I'm really, REALLY excited to own these. Pre-production material for these old space toys is so few and far between, owning any of it feels really special. But to have the sculpts -- the SCULPTS! GROUND ZERO! -- for something as high profile as the Tom Corbett set... that just blows my mind! They're beautiful works of art and vital pieces of toy history.

Anyway, here are a few of the pieces... I plan on photographing each of them in detail and will eventually add more pics to this thread. For now, enjoy these teasers. :)

[Phil R]

Very cool Brian! That's what I like about you. You don't just buy an item, you buy history.

[Fineas J. Whoopie]

WOW!! These are incredible artifacts and over the top cool. The alien and the robot are mind blowing. It really is amazing that the set survived together and we can appreciate them 60 years later. Congratulations and thank you for sharing. This is more than an addition to a collection doc - this IS a collection. Amazing! More pics!!!!

[Dirk]

What a fantastic purchase - BRIAN! Congrats - would love to see the others...

+ Looks like the right stuff, that should make a reporters heart bumping faster to find out more about the story behind it? :biggrin:

[Andyman]

Very cool, Doc! Why do some appear to have seams on them? Is that from making molds out of them?

[kennetzel]

Wow...they are in fantastic shape. Very nice.

[JohnA]

Very cool, Doc! Why do some appear to have seams on them? Is that from making molds out of them?

Those are parting lines. You can see a sculpt here with parting lines:

http://theswca.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=78919

And silcone mold like this is usually made:

http://theswca.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=47430

Very cool, Brian. I know you were excited to land this deal. Now you need some production ones for a side by side. Looking forward to seeing these at NYCC. :)

John

[Joe K.]

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Great get, Doc!

It's nice to know they'll be well cared for in the years to come.

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[Tinman]

Doc, I’m totally jealous of your acquisition but glad to see they went to a good home and will remaine together! As you mentioned, I’ve been watching them on ebay for the past few months but couldn’t afford the $8000.00 asking price when they were auctioned as a group. When they started to appear individually I was ready to pounce on some of the more popular figures, Tom Corbett himself for example, but they never came up for auction. I wish I would have taken the steps to contact the seller, good call on your part! What can I say, they’re fantastic and a collection in of themselves, well done!

The toys they were used to produce are actually quite detailed. All were made from a rubber-like material with the gray figures being more pliable than the blue, orange-brown, and off-white/yellowish figures. If anyone wants to purchase some of the toys be sure to look for figures that have a sheen, ones that were stored in a hot attic for example became dried out and dull in appearance, they can even be a little brittle with broken parts.

Wow, outstanding score Doc! Maybe we’ll get to see them at Botstock someday?

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Damn!

[steve]

Amazing - yes more pics!!!

[nasa]

Magnificent Brian......congratulations....:woohoo:

[bigbang]

A truly wonderful find! So much nicer than the manufactured figures. Artfully made with great detail and expression. Great patina reflecting their purpose. History in motion. They are in the right hands. Seems "meant to be". Congrats!

[dratomic]

Thanks, guys. Glad you've enjoyed them. I'll definitely take more photos... I'll probably just set up a web page or something with a link. That might be easiest... And I'm currently working on different display options. Some of the pieces aren't designed to stand up on their own and I've been experimenting with different, very small, yoke systems. (Similar to what you'd see holding up 12-inch figures.) So far so good, and I think I've come up with something that not only provides a lot of security, but also looks kind of classy. Once they're all made and in place, I'll take some groups shots, too.

Sorry for the delay... But seriously, taking nice photos of 24 tiny, white figures is really, really a pain in the ass! :)

ANDY: As John_A said, those marks are parting lines, and were drawn prior to molding (right John?) to help determine where the molds would separate. The other marks on the figures are sculpting guides, drawn by the sculptor, to help create the figure. It's a nice peak inside the process used to make this part of the process! The notations on the bottom of the feet were added after the figure was finished. All the marks are in pen.

Oh, a quick note about plasticine: As I mentioned, it's a fairly hard plastic material. Unlike clay or wax, it's subtractive, not additive. You can carve it away, but you can't add any back if you screw up. However, as Toy Memories pointed out to me, the sculptors would use clay to fix their mistakes, and also to fill in undercuts that couldn't be molded. It would harden enough in the air to work as a replacement material. And in fact, I noticed some clay on one of the figure's bases. I'll be sure to include some shots to illustrate this part of the process.

BILL: I hear you, man. The original listing was way too pricey for my wallet and I had to let them go. Even when they were relisted at a discount, I just couldn't do it. Then the individual auctions began and I emailed to see when some of the cooler figures would come up for grabs. The seller told me, though, that he wanted to try selling the plainer ones first. So I decided to get the first group -- as well as one he agreed to sell me when we talked -- with the idea that even if I couldn't afford any of the others, at least I had *something*. Heck, even one original sculpt is pretty incredible. Then I waited to see which would be listed next. The seller and I kept in touch -- he's a real nice guy -- and eventually, after that second batch failed to sell (I didn't have any money at the time), we were able to work out a deal. He told me that he really wanted them to stay together if possible (something I wholeheartedly agreed with) and the price was just so fair I couldn't even bring myself to haggle. I agreed, and then looked for robots to sell! :)

I've got to say, I really couldn't have made the deal without the help of Toy Memories. He fielded all my questions about the set's history and provenance, the rough value (since it's hard to put a price on something like this), and its role in the production process (some of which I already knew from studying SW prototypes). I really owe him!

BTW, the seller also included some copies of articles about the original warehouse auction. As soon as I've finished reading them, I'll follow up with some more information.

[Brian..]

A great catch. You can begin to see the one of the reasons why these pieces get separated. Real space toy history.

[phase pistol]

Congrats! Some awesome detail on those.