Microchem XM 5000

I'm not a 100% sure that this was the set that I had as a kid but I do have distinct memories of a grey plastic tri fold box.  So it's a good chance this was the set.  It pains me that I found these images on vintage resale site.

This set was produced with the prestigious Smithsonian name attached to it.  The name of the set - Microchem XM 5000 certainly makes is sound more fun than it ended up being.  Only a handful of the experiments actually worked - or were exciting enough for me to remember anything actually happening.  

Other things I noticed -

• Across the middle you read, "THE SAFEST CHEMISTRY SET MADE".  This marketing was definitely for the hesitant parents.  Goggles were included to further the idea of a safe kit, but as you notice the models aren't even wearing them.  As a 9/10 year old I would have picked up on this visual cue and not worn the goggles.
• All my life - even now, I've heard messaging that we need to do more to get women - particularly women of color, in the sciences.  This is why I was surprised (pleasantly so) to see a young black girl on the packaging.  I wonder if this was a conscious marketing - with the aim to promote diversity in the sciences, or simply a play to widen the purchasing demographic, to make more money.  
• The image displays far more bottles of chemicals then were actually in the box.  It also reads "1500 Experiments and Procedures".  I honestly don't remember their being that much to do with the kit.  The marketing lead me to believe it was going to be more engaging than it actually was.