Have you ever passed on a vintage Marx Figure (as seen above), Toy Soldier, or even a vintage built - but perhaps rarer - Model Kit because it had been badly painted? Many of these will bring good money if in decent shape and original configuration, but will bring very little if poorly painted. The good news is removing that paint might be much easier than you are aware of!
Here's a short guide on how we restored this early Marx "Blame-Its" figurine.
Most collectors have heard of the Marx "Nutty Mads" line of figures produced in the early to mid sixties. These were hard plastic figurines that were inspired by various Mad Magazine comic figures and also the "Rat Fink" figure made popular by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, who licensed his designs into model kits produced by Revell. The styles eventually evolved into another line of Model Kits by Hawk called "Weird-Ohs", which depicted many of the Marx Figures. The concepts met with great success, and Marx expanded the line into several offshoots, including the "Weird-Ohs" series, the "Blame-Its" series and the "Cartoon Soldiers" series (better known as the "Nutty Generals"). The latter two series are quite hard to find in good condition, and while most original Nutty Mad figures go for under $20, the Blame-Its figures will usually sell in the $35 to $55 range if in original condition. If you find any of these early Marx 6" figures, be sure to check the base. The original Marx figures are embossed with the Marx Logo. Marx was sold in 1972 and many of these figures were reproduced later in Mexico, however they do not have the Marx logo. The originals are what are sought after and hold the value.
So we were pleased last weekend to find this "I Didn't Paint It" Marx Blame-Its Figure at a local flea market for a couple bucks. It was very poorly painted, but otherwise in pretty good shape with an intact sign post (these are usually broken of chewed off).
Here's a short guide on how we restored this early Marx "Blame-Its" figurine.
Most collectors have heard of the Marx "Nutty Mads" line of figures produced in the early to mid sixties. These were hard plastic figurines that were inspired by various Mad Magazine comic figures and also the "Rat Fink" figure made popular by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, who licensed his designs into model kits produced by Revell. The styles eventually evolved into another line of Model Kits by Hawk called "Weird-Ohs", which depicted many of the Marx Figures. The concepts met with great success, and Marx expanded the line into several offshoots, including the "Weird-Ohs" series, the "Blame-Its" series and the "Cartoon Soldiers" series (better known as the "Nutty Generals"). The latter two series are quite hard to find in good condition, and while most original Nutty Mad figures go for under $20, the Blame-Its figures will usually sell in the $35 to $55 range if in original condition. If you find any of these early Marx 6" figures, be sure to check the base. The original Marx figures are embossed with the Marx Logo. Marx was sold in 1972 and many of these figures were reproduced later in Mexico, however they do not have the Marx logo. The originals are what are sought after and hold the value.
So we were pleased last weekend to find this "I Didn't Paint It" Marx Blame-Its Figure at a local flea market for a couple bucks. It was very poorly painted, but otherwise in pretty good shape with an intact sign post (these are usually broken of chewed off).
To remove the paint you will need a can of Easy Off Oven Cleaner, Heavy Rubber Gloves, Eye Protection, an old Tooth Brush, Wooden Toothpicks, and a suitable work area (either outdoors or using a plastic or fiberglass box). The oven cleaner is nasty stuff, so be sure to use heavy rubber gloves and eye protection, and use it in a properly ventilated area. We use the larger fiberglass top section of a commercial battery box as a work station so we can do it indoors. Outdoors you can use newspapers, an old piece of plywood, or just about anything you don't mind throwing away afterwards if it won't wash up.
To begin with, shake up the Oven Cleaner and generously spray all sides of the figure. (Note that the cleaner doesn't seem to affect hard plastics or metals, but will react with some rubbers, so if in doubt test a section of what you will be spraying ahead of time). Let the Oven Cleaner do all the work, not you, usually taking several hours. You will want to check it and respray it occasionally if it begins to dry out. After several hours you can test it with a toothpick and if the paint starts to flake off in most areas, use the toothbrush to carefully scrub the figure (make sure you have eye protection on here as the toothbrush will splatter it somewhat). You will not normally be able to remove all the paint in this first step, so don't try and scrub it all off at once.
Once the paint that can be loosened is loose, gently wash the figure clean with water. Repeat the steps above, and again allow several hours for the Oven Cleaner to work. At the end of this stage you can use the wooden toothpicks to dislodge softened paint from cracks and crevices that the brush misses. If paint remains, repeat for a third time but this is normally not required.
During the final rinse use the toothbrush to scrub the figure well, and you will also use the toothpicks to dislodge any remaining paint leftovers in cracks and crevices. Dry the figure off, and let it set for a couple hours (or longer) for any remaining small crevice areas that still have paint to dry. Once dry, again use toothpicks to pick out the edges (the paint should flake right off after all these processes). You now have a refinished figure ready for your store or collection!
Here's a quick link to a great informational guide on Marx Figurines, along with some price values for each figure. CLICK HERE
This same process works very well with painted model kits!
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