My Adventure 2000 set nears completion
When I was young, my father bought me a Lesney/Matchbox SuperKings truck every year for Christmas. He took this purchase with such grave responsibility that I think it may have even been his one and only Christmastime task. Dad would spend considerable amounts of time picking out just the right truck for that years gift. It had to be as authentic as possible without any fancy customization or goofy looking colours. Dad was a big Matchbox fan for that very reason. Hot Wheels occasionally entered my stocking but only when the car met Dad’s exacting standards.
It was made very clear to me that these Matchbox trucks were to be played with very gently, indoors only, and preferably in a carpeted room. I still have all of these toys and they show very little play wear.
Dad instilled such a passion for these toys in my that it’s been my quest to locate as many of them as I can. Fortunately for me, the SuperKings line was very popular and most of them are still readily available. As I’m the one paying the bills, I can now also purchase some of the items that I like, that my father may not have approved of at the time. (Sorry Dad).
A few years ago I discovered the Matchbox Adventure 2000 set and I really had to have them. I found an open box set at an antique market with almost no play wear apart from the PlayDoh clogging the wheel treads. (I would have liked to participate in that adventure). While this set is in great condition, it’s still missing a few accessories like the rockets for the K-2004 Rocket Striker.
When these were released, this was a pretty coveted set. The K-2001 Raider Command unit was made popular by it’s inclusion in the classic Judge Dredd story, “The Cursed Earth”. Images were featured both in the magazine as well as the “Cursed Earth” role-playing game. There was even a contest in the 2000AD magazine in conjunction with the Killdozer vehicle appearing in the Cursed Earth storyline which allowed the winner to acquire a full set of Adventure 2000 vehicles
Overall, my set is in pretty good shape and I’m loving that it’s almost finished. My K-2004 rocket striker should come with 4 rockets. Needless to say, the 4 black rockets that should be in my door pods have long since vanished into a vacuum cleaner. While these toys are simple enough to locate New In Box, that’s not the sort of collecting that I like to do. The fun for me is in locating all of the pieces that I require via flea markets, antique markets, and eBay and the rockets and action figures are the toughest pieces to come by. Recently, I located a second K-2004 Rocket Striker on eBay that had 3 rockets still in the bays. I paid a little more than I expected for it, but the seller over quoted on the shipping and actually refunded some of my money. When the Rocket Striker arrived, there was a 4th rocket rolling around in the box. I’m pretty stoked about having an extra rocket. A good auction, way better than advertised.
