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Marx Prototype Rocket Ship Circa 1930’s
Measuring 11” wide X 4” wide X 5” high
This one of a kind, hand painted prototype is an early example of a “Stage one” model from the Marx Research & Development Department (R&D). According to the Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Vol. #1 the R&D department would work on ideas and create rough examples of toy models. During this time the model would be put together and painted by hand. Many times the toys would be crudely assembled and tested for functionality only before moving to the next stage of production. During this time the models would not be cataloged.
This Rocket Ship prototype is not cataloged and did not come with any serial numbers or dates of creation as many of the R&D prototypes did, which helps narrow down where this model was in the R&D production stages.
This particular model is a wind up, that is supposed to move forward. One of the wheels has an off center axel, when moving along a flat surface the model would rock back and fourth. Unfortunately this example does not function, the wind up mechanism remains in tact and functional but the wheels do not clear the housing which keeps the mechanism from unwinding. The “hatch” on the front of the model is meant to open up and there is an arm on the inside that would push something out. This is a similar mechanism that is found on the Marx tank series made from the early 1930’s to the mid 1950’s. This model may have had a space man or a ray gun that would pop in and out as it went along the floor. I speculate that it may have been removed possibly because the engineer thought it might have been binding the mechanism up (?).
This model is made of heavy pressed steel or galvanized metal, as evidenced by the weight and interior patina, the toy weighs 1½ LBs . The nosepiece on the spacecraft is made of wood and resembles a chess piece, it appears to be glued into place. The rear of the model has an opening the size of a dime where the model would shoot out sparks (see pictures). On one side of the model towards the rear there is a horizontal on/off switch.
I believe this model was crudely based of off the Buck Rogers Rocket Ship in the cartoons. In doing research on this model I found several examples of this shape and “type” of Rocket Ship used in the Buck Rogers Comic strip, a well as on the Buck Rogers promotional materials that were given out to children in the mid to late 1930’s. There are several examples listed here, the earliest is from 1930 and shows a football shaped yellow Rocket Ship with round porthole type windows and a tail fin on the rear. The tail fin has roughly the same dimensions as the Buck Rogers 25th Century Rocket Ship as well as the same color.
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