Matchbox News 9/1/2022 – 2023 Matchbox Sneaks & A New 5 Pack

Matchbox has started to release sneaks from the 2023 line, and they aren’t holding back! 

First up is Matchbox’s highly anticipated take on the Koenigsegg Gemera.  Obviously, this is a casting that was already attempted by Hot Wheels, but I found the Hot Wheels version to be too narrow and tall.  The result was a casting that looked less like a supercar and more like a concept city car.  In contrast, Matchbox’s version appears both lower and wider, correcting both major flaws in the Hot Wheels casting.  The dark metallic gray color choice is excellent, especially when paired with the striking yellow interior that really highlights the glass (or plastic, in this case) roof panel.  The model sports headlights and a Koenigsegg logo on the hood, and the company’s trademark ghost logo on the rear decklid.  These pictures make it hard to see the rear of the model, but it looks like we may even be getting tail light detailing! Also note the cameras in place of traditional side mirrors – very cool.

Next up: a recolor of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, this time in a metallic burnt orange.  This is one of my favorite castings of the last few years, so I’m thrilled to be seeing another clean release.  Hopefully, Matchbox is able to run through the entire Giulia color catalog before this casting is retired.  I believe this color is meant to be Orca GT, a rare but very striking factory paint option.  This is also the first time we’ve seen the split 10 spoke wheels on the Giulia.  While they look good, I prefer the five spokes for this casting.  This may be slated to be in the Autobahn Express IV 5-pack that was teased at The Gathering. 

Unfortunately, it looks like we might be done with clean releases of the C8 Corvette.  The white one that appears in these sneaks is missing its rear tampos and appears to feature a black stripe on the hood.  I don’t see a panel gap around the engine compartment, so I assume this is the mainline casting.  

For the most hardcore Matchbox collectors, the highlight of these sneaks is probably the Ford Bronco in National Parks livery.  It seems like every casting is getting the National Parks treatment these days (I’m not complaining), but this is one the best in years!  Not only does the casting itself seem to perfectly fit the National Parks theme, but it’s stunningly well-executed.  In addition to the standard side graphics, we are getting the grill and headlights detailed, which makes this model look like it belongs in the Collector series, not the basic line its wheels indicate!  

We also got another look at 3 models we’ve already seen: the black Moving Parts Tesla Model X, the orange Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody, and the Collector series Ford Bronco.  All of these were on display at The Gathering 2022 – you can read my thoughts here. 

The Autobahn Express 5-pack theme is the gift that keeps giving with recolors of golden era castings, and the third iteration is now being spotted in stores.  This one was found by @robmatchbox117 on Instagram, featuring some never-before-seen recolors.  

The Porsche Panamera casting appears for the first time in white after being teased in a sneak earlier this year.  

While the BMW M5 Police looks similar to the one released in the Best of Germany series, I believe it’s actually a blue tampo version of the green Polizei debut deco for this casting.  The design features the same upward swoop on the rear door and lacks front end detailing, just like the green version. 

The Mk5 VW Golf GTI makes an appearance in orange, though I can’t tell if this is a re-release of the GTI Fahrenheit that came out in 2008.  The paint color appears lighter, and obviously this will be the retooled version of the casting. 

The Opel Speedster is a casting that hasn’t made an appearance since 2017, so I’m quite surprised to see it again.  I find this color combo fairly uninspiring, but at least we get front and rear detailing! 

The Mercedes Unimog U300 now sports the rapidly-growing Ranec theme, which will undoubtedly make it sought after.

After a couple weeks of minimal news following The Gathering 2022, it’s great to finally be seeing some new stuff again!  Stay tuned as I’ll be covering future updates right here!