Marx released an Undersea Adventure Play Set shortly before going bankrupt in 1979, several years after Louis Marx had sold the company.  While it shares many features with other play sets, it also is very unlike other Marx play sets.  Its figures, for example, come in full color.  And it does not have a playmat like many sets did, but has a similar mat that serves as a backdrop, which I think is really a nice innovation!

Neither the set nor its contents are often found for sale now, so I would guess that a relatively small number were made.  That is not to say that it lacked playability.  Items like its shark cage that can be lowered from a boat crane, its undewater recovery vehicle, its deep sea features, and the variety of fish it includes make up a rather nice set for kids to play with.  But with bankruptcy looming, I suppose the company had larger concerns than distribution and sale of the set.

Veteran collector David Schafer says that the Undersea Adventure set was the final "new" set the  company made.  The two photos above have been graciously provided by Ebay ID Colonelraines -- and colonelraines.com -- (on the left) and by Ebay ID guhl13 (on right and below).

For the most part, the pieces in the set appear in no other Marx play set.  The only exception I note is the mountain terrain piece, which was used as part of a multi-piece mountain pass in both Wild West and pre-historic playsets.  The mountain, the shipwreck terrain, and the recovery vehicle have all been re-issued.

Recent Price Lines I have noticed
	$214	April 2014	Ebay	Missing people figures, recovery vehicles incomplete, damage to some other pieces

Divers	Boat captain

Sharks Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13	Large octopus Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13	Shark cage Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

Boat Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

Incomplete underwater recovery vehicle and other plastic accessories (treasure chest at left) Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

Undersea shipwreck Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13	Undersea mountain Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

Re-issue recovery vehicle with accessories and shipwreck terrain piece Photos from Hobby Bunker

Backdrop (damaged) with support pieces and other terrain pieces Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

And for those of you who are really into the deep sea theme, below if a photo of some non-Marx fish that could be added to this set.  Except for the lobster, these were made by MPC (Multiple Products Corporation), one of Marx' primary competitors back in the day of the playsets.  I had originally believed these were Marx, but my mistake was recently pointed out to me by playset veteran Kent Sprecher.  Kent says that the maker of the lobster -- clearly out of scale with the others -- is not known.

Non-Marx fish made by MPC Photo courtesy of Ebay ID guhl13

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