98c Model Maker Cardback Sets
General Information
The following information has been collected from original newspapers, catalogs, and magazines, some of which are freely available for reference below. The rest can be found in the site’s gallery. No aggregate catalogs (BrickLink, Brickset, etc.) were used.
Instead of making a separate entry for these sets, as they all share the same sources/information, they've been combined into a single entry.
Advertised Part Count(s): Unknown
Presumably, each set included exactly the number of parts to build the intended model.
First Year Confirmed Available: 1963
Mentioned as having already released in Playthings October 1963. This can be confirmed via newspaper adverts.
USA Only.
Most Likely Retirement Date: 1964
The 801-806 Model Makers do not appear in the August 1965 dealer order form.
Last Year Seen Available: 1965
Mt Vernon Register News, October 21st, 1965
Aliases:
Note: The set number can be found in the bottom left corner of the card.
Retail Price(s): 98c (USA)
Discounted Example(s): 59c (1965)
Rarity Score (Rarity Index): 6/7
Known Variants
So oddly, while I thought there were no variants of these sets as they were produced for such a limited amount of time, there may exist a separate production run that changed the card as well as updated the line:
The Seesaw model maker is instead replaced with palm trees and a sitting figure. The alternate version is incredibly odd looking and may not be a production variant. The non-rounded corners are the main indication for this, though obviously not conclusive. As such, I caution against calling this a prototype, but it very well could be. It could also have been given away at a toy fair, used for toy demonstrations, etc.
No other blister pack has been found with this variant. The bottom reads 802A, suggesting a production after the original run. As discussed in Everything About Samsonite Form Numbers, Samsonite commonly used trailing letters (i.e. 'A') to indicate a revision before they began using the letter 'R' 1965+. Worth noting, but that would depend on whoever was responsible for set numbers being aware of that system and how it worked.
It could have been something to do with how they changed the young child to an adult, or it could've been an extremely limited 1965 production run, before the 'System' rebrand. I don't really know, and I'm weary of any sort of definitive or even likely conclusion.
The palm tree set does not exist, and would've been impossible to build correctly with parts of the era. The 2xX plates in green would've been far too heavy for all the 1x1 cylinders to hold while allowing the bend in the tree.
Box/Overview
These blister packs mark the beginning of the Model Maker line, as they are advertised as such in newspapers and on the packaging itself. It should be noted that the newspaper clippings shown above are not exhaustive of appearances. I generally do not collect duplicate ads.
What's interesting is that they first appear in a late 1963 trade magazine, wherein it's explicitly said that they've released and are available.
All ads I have for these sets are from local hardware, hobby, and drug stores, no big name retailers. And that's not a coincidence, as this was during Samsonite's 1963-65 expansion into supermarket sales. And such a market makes sense for these sets, it is similar to what we see with the later 360-363 Model Maker Vehicles, in that those were also ~90 cent packs released to supermarkets.
Due to the nature of the packaging of these sets as well as their limited availability, they are immensely difficult to even source images of. They were likely only produced in 1963-64, all of which contributes to their rarity.
There were six total sets. Each came on a similar card that had the set's name, an image of the intended model, and the other sets in the line:
The 801 Space Rocket:
The 802 Player Piano:
The 803 Seesaw:
The 804 Building Crane:
The 805 Little Indians:
And finally, the 806 Cowboy & Pony:
The backs of the cards were blank:
There also appears to be something underneath all the parts of the set, as can be seen below. I'm not sure what it is, if anything:
Contents
Each set contained at least the necessary parts to construct their intended model.