Playset Magazine #132 : March/April/May 2025
$11.00
Item Number: PM132
Issue 132 concludes our epic four-issue tour of the Army & Armed Forces Training Center playsets of the 1950's & 60's. This issue covers 1957 - 1960s with about 19 sets discussed and contents given. I'm saying that from memory but it involves the transitional sets to 54mm, many of the "Double Dip" sets that came out as 40mm figure sets then were reloaded as 54mm sets causing much confusion that I think we have been able to clear up. There's plenty of vintage catalog work here from PJ and all the gang give this a "deep dive" feel with lots of details revealed. Our thanks to Rick Eber, Jim Grimes, Jim McGough, Craig Remington and our Master Chief of proofing and army experience Paul Gruendler.
I'd also like to add that the entire four parts was one that I knew we'd have to tackle as far back as I can remember for the magazine, with files starting in 1998 when I thought maybe it would be a Tom Terry article. The files just kept building, matching contents to set numbers, until one day most of the questions were answered by research and conventional set-openings. Either way this is a marathon of sets so we can all know with certainty "what was in which box" and I remember Jim McGough, one of our earliest collaborators along with Rick Eber warning, "this will never fit in one issue." Jim and I were laughing about that the other day. No, it never did. But four issues covers it pretty well, we think, and now we present the big finale to you, dear reader, for your evaluations and enjoyment.
Jim Clouse delivers our DioDrama, the first-ever depiction of an Armed Forces - Cape Canaveral mash up that comes off really cleverly, and is a wonderful adjunct to the main feature.
What would have been the big feature is our second slam-bang layout of the "Dimestore Display" sets -- all of 'em in one article, the complete shebang photographed by Eric Koopmeiners whose sets these are. How Eric ever got all of them in mint condition is a mystery but these are beautiful and the first time we've ever seen them all together.
There's a great TWO SHOT for you as Larry and Elnora Nokes bring you a Spring Cattle Drive of vast landscape proportions, and since we seem to be on a record breaking streak with that particular series (Greatest Tank Battle, Worlds Largest Fort Apache and so on)!, I think you'll find more Marx cattle than ever grouped for a single photo right here on these pages. Then its on the march through the last of the Army and Armed Forces Training Centers, the advance of the 54mm troops, new equipment and tin litho.
Our newest addition is Castles, Knights and Vikings, 235 pages of every Marx Castle playset, plus maybe 100 other makers Knights, Vikings and Castles, all arranged by year of release with much-needed updates and contents verification, and with all- new contents lists, photos, vintage ads, and discussion. It includes the Marx Miniatures, the Prince Valiants, the Medievals, the Robin Hood (which we covered in PM but which needed some pretty thorough updating and new information added and has been given the royal treatment in the new book) then on to what contributor Allan Ford calls the Vikings Castles and Moated Sets, then the modern efforts by many makers.
Major chapters are either preceded or followed by chapters with other makers works -- Lido, TimMee, Elastolin, Crescent, Airfix, Toyway, Canadian sets, Jecsan, Kellogg's premiums, many more.
