Ricochet Racers
In 1974 Hasbro appeased both the weapon and car loving kids of the world when they unleashed Ricochet Racers. Ricochet Racers were a blast. Basically the gun fired slot cars that could be raced against another or shot into plastic barrels. You really get the feel of a rifle with this sucker - the cars are fitted with cartridges, a bolt-action lever loads them, and then that then a spring-loaded firing mechanism launches the cars. I remember shooting these things all over the kitchen floor as a kid.
Basically, there were two versions. The original Marksman Set released in 1974 and the Spider-Man set released in 1975.
Quick Links:
Marksman Set Spider-Man
Set Did You Know?
The original version released in 1974. Pretty basic but effective. Came with a variety of cars (marked on the box side panel).
Building on the popularity of the Marksman Set, Hasbro released the Spider-Man set in 1975. Unfortunately, this set did not sell too well and the line was discontinued. The Spider-Man set features a more colorful gun (not to mention the box art), a great target and ramp combination and two cars - Spider-Man and Captain America.
The original Ricochet Racers set was a much bigger hit in the UK (distributed by Palitoy) with about twice as many sets released overseas than in the United States.
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