Space Master 2002: A Rack Toy Quest

Above is the Space Master 2002, my dad sold these around 1977-1978. I remembered everything about these fun toys, how they looked, that card art with the skimpy dressed lady, everything.

Except the name.

For years, I’ve tried everything but searching for “Spaceship” on ebay is well, a long day. I had kind of resolved to just keep my eyes open at toy shows and antique malls and hope for the best. What happened next I was totally unprepared for.

My son asked me to help him find some gaming cards, so we went from shop to shop, each time having no luck. I’m one for a quest, so i suggested a used bookstore on the other side of town. It was a long shot, it looks like the last time they got in new comics, Superman was dead, but what was the harm?

As we wandered around, there it was, sitting next to paperbacks and unsold Gen 13 merchandise. My brain processed it and i snatched it up and held it close, like i had some sort of competition. I paid immediately, I didn’t care what the price was (it was dirt cheap, I’m the one guy who’d have paid far more).

That’s one of the things I love about collecting, this inexpensive toy is relatively meaningless to most but it meant the world for me to find and that little bit of kismet made my month. So much so, that I didn’t complain when I had to drive an hour into the city to get my son those darn gaming cards.

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