Many of the cars that I picked up in Lamont’s Childhood Collection are in poor shape. But these two space-themed Hot Wheels from the early 1980s are models that I don’t yet have in my collection.
The Hot Wheels Science Friction is a Larry Wood-designed unlicensed casting that was first released in the 1978 Classy Customs series and was produced in about 10 different variations up to the 1993 Tattoo Machines (renamed Lightning Storm). This example, from the 1982 Hot Wheels Hot Ones series, has bent guns and radar dish, broken exhaust pipes, worn paint, and is almost entirely missing the yellow, black and red Space Cop tampo.
Click here to see the 1978 Science Friction in my collection, which wore the same paint and tampo, but with blackwalls. I also have another gold Hot Ones variation of Science Friction, the magenta model from 1982.
Hot Wheels | 1982 Hot Ones | 2018 | Science Friction | white with missing “Space Cop” trim, chrome windows and engine, orange plastic radar, light and guns, unpainted metal base | Hong Kong | gold Hot Ones wheels
The Hot Wheels Spacer Racer – another Larry Wood-designed unlicensed casting – was first released in the 1979 Classy Customs series and was produced in about 6 different variations up to 1987. The perfect vehicle for all of your outer-space firefighting needs, this example of the Spacer Racer is from 1982 and is, unfortunately, missing the plastic hose nozzle which mounts on top.
Hot Wheels | 1982 | 2503 | Spacer Racer | metalflake red with yellow, white, black trim, chrome windows, yellow interior, missing ray gun, chrome plastic base | Malaysia | blackwalls
Click here to see photos and links to all of the 1982 Hot Wheels in my collection.
The Race Case 
I haven’t seen those two models before. The Space Racer would go well with the Matchbox space themed vehicles like Cosmobile and Planet Scout.