Without a doubt, this week’s biggest news is the redesign of the Moving Parts packaging, but we also saw a seemingly-finished version of the Collectors series Subaru BRZ and some new mainline recolors. Let’s jump right in!
It seems like Matchbox just can’t win with their Moving Parts packaging. When the design looked like the regular Matchbox mainline cards, collectors complained that they looked too plain and weren’t easily differentiated from a regular mainline. They change up the design to stand out while also making the cards easily scannable from below and use less cardboard, and collectors decry the design as ugly. So they’ve decided to try again, this time with a more traditional card shape and a stackable design…and collectors hate it.
I’ve seen all manner of criticism of this new card design online, from its susceptibility to theft to its lack of protection for the model. Some of the criticism is certainly valid – I share the desire to check tampo alignment before buying a model – but I find the theft criticism specifically to be rather odd. Sure, there’s no plastic blister standing between you and the car, but there is a piece of cardboard (which is what forms the back of traditional blister packaging anyway). In case you haven’t been to a retail store lately…the plastic blisters aren’t exactly stopping people from stealing cars!
Theft aside, let’s examine the other criticisms. Obviously, this design obscures at least half of the model beneath cardboard. That’s unfortunate, but it’s an improvement in visibility when compared to the Power Grabs packaging Matchbox uses in many countries. Printing the back half of the car on the cardboard is a clever solution, though I do miss the ability to look at the whole car to examine it for defects before buying it. I appreciate the decision to use fully recyclable packages, as I always feel rather guilty throwing away a big stack of plastic blisters. This packaging also can’t show off the opening parts that are almost always highlighted using the plastic blisters, which doesn’t matter to me but may reduce their shelf-appeal to kids. Then again, being able to see and touch the front half of the car without plastic in the way might counteract that…which leads me to my main concern.
How will these cars hold up while being exposed during shipping and on the shelves of retail stores? I don’t love the idea of buying a brand new model that’s already covered in fingerprints or has chipped paint. The foil printing on 1/64 wheels is famously fickle – are we entering a world where the front left wheel of every Matchbox is missing its chrome? Perhaps it’s a good time to be a hobby dealer that ships directly to consumers.
Packaging aside, it looks like we’re in for some really cool models next year. This Pagani Huayra Roadster certainly caught my eye with its combo of bronze and black paint. The wheels look to be the new premium five spokes that debuted on this year’s Lexus LFA, so I assume this is a super chase. If that’s true, it’s noteworthy that Matchbox is no longer marking their super chase models, which should help to mitigate scalping.
This is also our first look at this gorgeous metallic green recolor of the Ford Mustang GT Convertible, and I’m absolutely in love with this model. The dark green goes so well with the gray wheels, making this one an instant buy.
It’s clear this Hummer’s packaging was used for some torture testing by the Matchbox team. I love seeing behind-the-scenes pictures like this. The GMC Hummer EV looks to have survived their torture testing well, and this blue looks lovely. We’ve seen this casting before, just after the Gathering. I much prefer this Matchbox version of the Hummer to the ill-proportioned one from Hot Wheels, so I’ll be picking this one up as well.
This beige with white roof combo has to be the most iconic look for the FJ40 Land Cruiser, so I’m glad to see it get this deco. Interestingly, the color of the model on the packaging differs quite a bit from the actual paint on the car.
Matchbox also recently showed off some upcoming models sans-packaging, the most exciting of which is the Subaru BRZ in blue. This is due to appear in the Collector series next year, and I’m glad to see it got such a clean, stock-looking deco. So many Collector series cars get unnecessary graphics, and there’s so few models of a factory BRZ. Overall, I think this casting looks quite good, with the aggressive side skirts and rear ducktail captured quite nicely. My only concern is the front bumper, which looks just a little squished and high off the ground. The new premium five spokes make another appearance, and they look much better on this BRZ than the LFA. The thick tires make it look like the BRZ has an aggressive tire setup for some autocross or track action.
Fans of the Opel Kadett will be glad to see it back, now in a pale shade of green. These wheels definitely improve the look of the car, and the full front end detailing is a welcome sight as well.
In the background of the Kadett picture, there appears to be a gray recolor of the excellent BMW 3 Series Touring. It wouldn’t be a German car if it wasn’t available in flat gray, so this seems like a good color choice. I love this casting, and I hope this version has some brighter wheels instead of the boring black wheels we’ve seen on it so far.
Porsche sure seems to be having a moment in the Matchbox lineup. We saw several new Porsche castings this year, and next year is set to add several more to the lineup, including this uber-clean 356. I love the chrome bumper and simple front end detailing, as well as the very retro red interior.
Finally, we have another look at the upcoming blue recolor of the Dodge Challenger SRT8 that we first saw a couple weeks ago. Even after all these years, this casting still looks great, and this blue color is rather lovely. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the aggressive new widebody Challengers, but it’s nice to appreciate how clean and simple the plain Challenger SRT8 was. Also note the Bizzarrini in the background!
That’s everything new this week, as usual the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect all these new sneaks.
DiecastLeno 
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