Table of Contents (click on name to move to section)

The Ben Hur Play Set

Character Figures

Romans and Gladiators

Structures

Small Accessories

Tent Accessories

Chariots

Animals

Catapult

Other Roman Empire Figures

Warriors of the World (WOW)

6-Inch Roman Warriors

GoldMarx Roman Warriors

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Several photos on this page come from long-time Marx expert Rick Koch.  For those who are not familiar with Rick, he wrote the invaluable column Rick's Picks in the former magazine Plastic Figure and Playset Collector (PFPC), provides much information for the current Playset Magazine, and sells quality old toys (lots of Marx) on Ebay under Ebay ID toy-hood.  He has allowed me to use his photos from Ben Hur playsets that he recently auctioned off.  He has also provided photos on many other pages, and I thank him greatly for his generosity.

A few of the photos come from other fellow collectors, and they are credited with their photos below.  In addition, Marx made a small number of playset-related figures from the historic Roman Empire, and these are shown at the bottom of this web site.  These are Roman soldiers, which are part of the company's Warriors of the World (WOW) and 6-inch figure groups.  

The Ben Hur Play Set

The Marx Ben Hur Playset was first sold in late 1959, in plenty of time to be under the Christmas tree that year.  For once Marx did its marketing right; the playset came out just about the same time that the movie Ben Hur opened, starring Charlton Heston.  Several similar movies based on Roman spectaculars (i.e., chariot races) had hit the movies theaters not long before.

According to Playset Magazine Issue 30, two Ben Hur sets were released in 1959:  1) the large #4701 which had six sets of figures and eight chariots and 2) the smaller #4702 which had a still impressive four sets of figures and four chariots. A smaller set (#4696) was released in 1960 with only two sets of figures and without many of the accessories in the other two sets.  According to PFPC, the large set sold for $12.98.  Today, it is not unusual to see one or two figures in the set sell for that price.  

The set was a huge hit with the kids of the 1960's, though it never quite made it to the level of perennial sets such as the Wild West, gas stations, and farms.  Its popularity continues among collectors today.  According to Playset Magazine, the sets' last appearance on store shelves was in 1963.

PFPC Issue 14 has high praise for the Ben Hur playsets.  "When all the pieces are assembled and on display," the magazine's feature article states, "there isn't another playset that can compare to the color and grandeur of Ben Hur.  Without a doubt, it is one of Marx's premier achievements in his history of playset production."

The #4701 is certainly one of the largest sets the company made, having not only 96 figures plus the three character figures (in purple), but 32 horses, two lions, two tigers, three tents with accessories, a market place, a variety of "city accessories," and of course the set's large coliseum with colorful banners and spiked gates to let the wild animals into the arena (though you'd need four sets to complete an entire oval coliseum).  Having been sold for a relatively limited time before its popularity declined, a complete playset is now hard to find and very expensive.

Most of the sets' pieces have been re-issued, including an entire playset from Mexico.  The re-issue set has enough pieces to make up a complete coliseum oval, but Playset Magazine reports that not all the original figures and accessories are included, some have been replaced by items from other companies, and all pieces are made from a brittle plastic in various glossy colors.  The magazine also notes, however, that nice re-issues exist of some individual set pieces.

The Ben Hur Playset was featured in PFPC Issue 14 and Playset Magazine Issue 30.
 
Character Figures (PL-1038)

The three playset had three character figures: an emperor, an empress (giving the thumbs-down sign), and Ben Hur  Ben Hur is made in the likeness of Charlton Heston, who played the role in the movie, and is posed to be driving a chariot.  If reins had been included in the set, they would fit perfectly into his hands once his square base is fit snuggly into a chariot.  The two charioteers included in the set's figure group (see below) are posed in a similar manner with the same base.

The three character figures generally appeared in what Playset Magazine calls "a beautiful translucent purple color", but were also made in a now hard-to-find cream color in the smaller #4696 set.  I've included both colors below, because the purple does not show all the details well.

1.  Ben Hur Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	2.  Emperor Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	3.  Emperess Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood
1.  Ben Hur Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	2.  Emperor Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	3.  Emperess Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

 



Romans and Gladiators (PL-1037)

This approximately 54mm scale, 16-pose figure group includes a good variety of Roman citizens, soldiers, charioteers, and gladiators.  The mold included one of each pose in a soft plastic cream, gray, or tan (called beige by Playset Magazine).  

Before the individual photos of each figure, I have included two group photos from Rick Koch, one with figures made in gray and one in tan.  For you Wild West fans like me, I've always thought the seated woman would make a good lady-of-the-night for a Wild West town!  The first photo below is a complete set of 16 in gray.

Figures in gray Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

The photo of figures in tan below is missing one figure.  (You can have the fun of figuring out which one!)

Figures in tan Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay toy-hood

1.  Trumpter	2.  Woman carrying jug on head	3.  Female spectator, seated	4.  Spectator yelling with thumb down

5.  Male spectator, sitting with left hand held forward	6.  Roman standing with small box, left arm out	7.  Gladiator with trident and net	8.  Gladiator with sword and square shield

9.  Gladiator, kneeling with sword and shield	10.  Gladiator with sword and round shield, no helmet	11.  Gladiator with short sword and round shield, wearing helmet	12.  Slave, in chains

13.  Roman with whip	14.  Charioteer wearing helmet, whip to right side	15.  Charioteer without helmet, whip overhead and looped	16.  Charioteer with spear

Recent Price Lines I have noticed
Unopened bag of 14 figures	$295	February 2012	Ebay
Full set of 16	$158	May 2013	Ebay	one figure has molding error
Gray set of 16 shown above	$71	June 2013	Ebay
Tan set of 15 shown above	$71	June 2013	Ebay

Structures

  The Coliseum

The multi-piece coliseum in hard plastic includes

• a main center structure with stairway and separate roof supported by six separate columns,
• two straight sections with seating and railings, and
• two curved sections with seating and gates to let out the wild animals.

The coliseum generally came in gray, but PFPC Issue 14 notes that in the smallest of the three sets, it came in white with gray and black swirls that gave the structure a marble look.  When assembled, the coliseum is 18 inches wide and 8 inches high.

In addition, a variety of small plastic standards are included to decorate the seating sections.  There are seven different standards, and they came in red and yellow.

Coliseum with curved and straight bleacher sections Standards placed into small holes in bleacher sections Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

 

Examples of standards Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys		Clips to hold coliseum and bleachers in place Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

  The Market Place (PL-1035, -1035A, and 1035B)

Playset Magazine points out that the ideas for a bazaar and slave market probably came directly from the movie, which includes scenes at such locations.  Both pieces are beautifully done, but the pieces are easy to break and now hard to find in good shape.  Pieces came in a pinkish salmon and pastel blue (though seen as gray in the photos below).

Fruit Stand Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Slave Market Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Small Accessories  (PL-1032)

This 18-piece group includes 14 separate items made in tan and blue, according to Playset Magazine.  Photos below suggest that they were also made in gray.  Again, although I do not yet have individual photos of all these items, each of them are pictured below.  As often, the mold included more than one of some items.

The accessories  include

1.    lounge chair
2.    curved arm chair
3, 4.   broken wheels (Thanks to collector Josh Petrie for pointing out to me that the two wheels are different, one with the stub of one broken spoke left on it and the other with three broken spokes on it.)
5, 6, and 7.  Three different busts on columns
8.    urn
9.    empty basket
10.    basket with fruit
11.  brazier with three legs
12.  donkey
13.  fountain with lion head
14.  wooden push cart (no, do not try to make donkey pull the cart!)

My personal favorite in this group is the fountain.  I keep thinking that it would be a good piece for a Wild West set in some quiet Mexican village!

Accessories in blue Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	Accessories in tan Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Columns with busts Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys	Donkey Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Lounge chair Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys	Jugs Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys	Fruit basket Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys	Basket Photo courtesy of Wayne, Ebay ID newbackpondtoys

Hand Cart -  color variations Photo on left courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	Broken wheels (two different) Thanks to collector Ross Petrie for pointing out to me that the two wheels are different!

Tent Accessories  (PL-1095)

This accessory group includes multi-piece tents, as well as various other small related items shown below.  According to Playset Magazine, the set's tent accessories represent the camp of the sheik who provided Ben Hur horses for the chariot race, the signature scene in the movie.  The sheik and his people, however, are not in the set; one needs to buy a Marx Captain Gallant playset to get those!  

In the Ben Hur set, all pieces in the group come in red or white.  Those shown individually below are from a Captain Gallant Playset, which includes these same items, but in purple and yellow.  At the bottom of this section are two photos of some items in red and white from Rick Koch.  I welcome your individual photos of these items in red and white!

Tent Photo courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)

Tent awning Photo courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)	Support poles for awning	Partial sprue of tent points Photo courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)

Ben Hur tent pieces in red and white Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Table Notice the intricate etching on the table top.	Hassock	Tied bundle
Photos courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)

Jewel chest	Pillow
Photos courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)

Hookah	Oil lamp	Incense burner	Fire pot
Photos courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)

Tent accessories in red and white Photos courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Chariots

Of course, the chariots were the focal point of the playset for any kid setting it up.  No matter that the coliseum was only about a quarter of an oval, any kid's chariot race covered a full-circle track, probably winding under chairs, over a coffee table, and perhaps even into the next room.  The chariot bodies were all the same, with 4-horse hitches molded onto the body.  They came in red, yellow, and blue.  A metal axle and two wheels snapped into place beneath the body.

Ornamentation for the chariots came in three styles: eagle, lion, and columns, with the columns behing the style that Ben Hur drove in the movie.  They came in the same three colors as the chariots and snapped onto the front of any color chariot body.  Each of the three chariot styles is shown below.

Overall, they are attractive and popular among collectors today.  However, they are also fragile, and most went through a number of races and/or wars staged by kids of the 1960's.  So they are very difficult to find today, especially in good shape.

Nice re-issues are available.  

Chariots with all accessories attached Photos courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

Animals

  Chariot horses  (PL-865)

The horses below are often called Ben Hur horses and were used for the sets' chariots.  However, they were first used in the company's Wild West playsets in 1957 or 1958.  They fit perfectly in a chariot hitch, but like the Wild West wagon hitch problems, they are a bit tight to get into the hitch.  As a result, hitches were often broken pushing them in.  Be very careful if you are putting a horse into an unbroken hitch!  If you have a horse already in a hitch, I strongly suggest you do not try to take him (or her) out of it.

Note that a donkey also came in the set, but it was included as part of the small accessory group above.

Ben Hur horse running	Ben Hur horse stopping

  Wild Animals

And, of course, the gladiators needed a few wild animals to fight.  The lion and tiger were apparently made specifically for this set and are exceptionally well-done.  They came in a brown orange and beige.

Lion Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	Tiger Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood

The Catapult

One final item included in the Ben Hur Playset was a catapult.  Frankly, I was uncertain why the set would include catapults, but a few of you guys have informed me that catapults were used in an ocean battle early in the film.  Still, with the catapults, perhaps Marx should have created some barbarian figures, adjusted the set contents somewhat, and released a Fall of the Roman Empire playset!

Well, these things certainly gave the kids an additional item to make havoc with.  And I'm sure that those who ended up with the big set #4701 were thrilled to find three of them in the box!

The catapults operate with a rubber band and come with a set of 24 little plastic rocks, which most definitely were quickly lost once removed from the sprue.  But no problem for the kids, because I'm sure they could find plenty of other things to use as ammunition (marbles, nuts, real rocks, etc.).  Of course, us collectors want those plastic rocks, and they are hard to find!

Ben Hur catapults and rocks were brown; wheels were yellow.

A bit more information and more photos on the the Marx catapults is included on the Medieval Accessories page of this web site.

Catapult with plastic rocks Photo courtesy of Rick Koch, Ebay ID toy-hood	Sprue of 24 rocks

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