Astronaut Astro Trac

Major Matt Mason Astro Trac

MMM Astro Trac - What is it?

One of my favorite vehicles, and certainly Mattel's answer to the Lunar Rover, the Astro Trac is an all-time favorite. Debuting in the 1968 Toyfair catalog, the Astro Trac was powered by one "D" Cell battery. Three things distinguish the Astro Trac from the other vehicles as part of Mattel's Man In Space line: the Astro Trac may be "steered" by setting the pivot point for the front axle - there are dimples so you can set the angle of steering; the unusual foam tires; and finally the speed at which the vehicle tackles terrain.

The Astro Trac resembles a seated car, with a large fuel or oxygen tank above the back axle (the battery slipped into the tank and the vehicle was switched on by turning the tank cover). A control column comes up from the front and provides a pod for the astronaut to drive the vehicle. The large foam-rubber back tires provide plenty of grip. There is also a trailer hitch pin on the back, to aid in the pulling of items such as the Mobile Launch Pad.

One thing to note is that the back tires are extremely fragile due to the "astro-foam" (similar to insulation or HVAC filter material) breaking down over time. Exposure to heat and air accelerates this problem. One almost never finds an example with original wheels, and when they are original, they are usually deteriorated and refuse to re-form when pressed (mushy comes to mind) - for some reason examples that come from Canada seem to hold up better - may be climate differences?. There are several solutions for tire replacement, however almost exact replicas may be purchased from Bill Ystrom. Please review the Restoration page in the Resources: Restoration area of the site.

Astro Trac Images:

Sticker Sheet:

Instructions:

Mattel #6302-0920 Astro Trac

Patents:

OUTER SPACE VEHICLE TOY (Space Rover)

D210,085 Feb 6, 1968, Filed Jan 19, 1967

J. W. Ryan and Gerald W. Schmidt

"The ornamental design for a outer space vehicle toy, as shown."

Found by Pat LeBlanc after Graeme Walker

John's Notes

This is that crazy prototype that appeared in the Star Log Guide to SF Toys and on the back cover of the 1967 Mattel Toy Fair Catalog (for retailers). This eventually made it into production as the Astro Trac. See "String Monorail" below for the detailed Technical Explanation - Amazing!

There's a second patent that's more specific to the string system used by the Space Rover so I've omitted.

Maladies:

Melts in the seat or elsewhere (happens when a figure is left in the cockpit or against the white plastic)
Missing front suspension and wheels
Missing and/or disintegrating tires
Missing Battery cover
Corroded Contacts

Variations:

N/A

John's Notes:

What strikes me as most unusual about this vehicle is the stock number. Most MMM items were released in the relative order of their stock numbers (when items were released together during the same year, the numbers were mostly grouped together). The fact that the Astro Trac has such an early number suggest another explanation to me. I believe that Mattel originally intended to release the Space Rover as depicted on the cover of the 1967 Toyfair Catalog and in the Starlog Guide to Science Fiction Toys article.

For some reason (most likely the mechanics of getting such a heavy toy to successfully climb a string, as it appears was intended for it), the idea was scrapped (however it may have survived with the much lighter Reconojet and with this reset as the Astro Trac). I think the toy went through several iterations before becoming the Astro Trac as released. I have a prototype made from a modified Space Rover (it is molded in silver plastic, has obvious cut marks where the body was altered, and lacks the Mattel logo on the control column). This Space Rover has had large wheels applied to the four corners, with the tires covered in old-fashioned hair curlers. The word "Snow Cat" is written on the tank along with the designers' names. The entire vehicle is spray-painted silver. I think that this was the "missing link" between the Space Rover and Astro Trac.

Since the stock number is so early, this supports my theory that the toy was intended for an earlier release, but required some more R&D before ultimately being changed to the released form.

Accessory may also be found in:

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Astronaut Astro Trac