After a torturous few weeks with almost no new Matchbox models to drool over, we finally saw a bunch of exciting recolors and even a couple new models! Not only did we get a parking lot full of sneaks from the Matchboxworld Instagram – we also saw the upcoming 2024 5 packs with a number of fresh recolors.
Starting with my favorite of the bunch, we have this gorgeous blue recolor of the Cadillac CT5-V. While I’ve been waiting for the electric blue press color to make its way to the Matchbox CT5-V, I’m still happy to see this dark blue recolor. This color reminds me of the CTS Coupe that received an almost identical coat of paint almost seven years ago. I’m sure the two will look excellent together! The grille design really benefits from a dark paint color on this casting, as the red paint on the debut model had a nasty habit of showing through the black mesh printing on the grille. It’s good to see the 10 spoke wheels back on this model, as they just fit the style of the CT5-V better than the 5 spokes we saw on the black recolor.
As the number of exotics in the Matchbox lineup continues to grow, it’s wonderful to see the McLaren 720S Spider casting getting so much use. It’s a great casting and this purple version is easily my favorite so far. We don’t see metallic purple paint on many Matchbox models, but it looks absolutely fantastic on an exotic car like this. It catches the light just enough to highlight the crazy bodylines of the 720S.
Ever since the Toyota Celica was teased by Lamley a few months ago, there has been a lot of collector hype for the model. Now in final production form, it looks lovely with tampo detailing on all four sides – plus a detailed engine bay! Given the wheels, I assume this model will debut in the collector line, though it could also be a Mattel Creations model. Either way, I expect this to be a hard model to get your hands on!
The same could be said for the Oldsmobile 442. While it’s not my cup of tea, this model is sure to draw a lot of attention from collectors, though it looks like it rides a bit high. I certainly appreciate the stock deco!
This Matchbox County Fire/Ambulance livery is easily my favorite current unlicensed theme. The white, orange, and red graphics are eye-catching while still looking realistic, and I love that it’s seeing so much use! If I can find them in stores, I’ll be adding both of these to my collection.
Tesla sure is having a moment in the Matchbox lineup. 2023 had four Tesla models in the mainline, plus the Moving Parts Roadster, Model X, and Model 3. That trend doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon, as this week’s sneaks featured another 3 Teslas! That…seems like a lot. It’s not that the Tesla castings are bad – I particularly like the Model S – but 7 total Teslas (including recolors) in one year feels fatiguing. To make matters worse, Tesla only produces cars in a few colors so we are just seeing the same white, black, gray, blue, and red colors on repeat. This time, it appears to be a red recolor of the new Model S facelift, a blue recolor of the Tesla Roadster, and the white debut of the mainline version of the Model 3.
A curiosity: in the wide shot of all the cars, there is a Porsche 911 GT3 that I recognize. This looks to be the same blue and orange GT3 that was released a decade ago, sadly still missing its headlights. Matchbox has been rereleasing a number of old decos on the newly modified GT3 casting, but I would have liked to see this one add the headlights that were missing from the 2012 release.
Luckily, there’s plenty of new recolors in the 2024 5 packs. 5 Pack models are always nice because you can be nearly guaranteed to find them, unlike some popular mainlines that can be a struggle to track down. My favorite of the new 5 packs is the MBX Electric Drivers pack. Electric drivers has proven to be an enduring theme for the past few years, though it’s often held back by some less interesting cars. This year, it’s absolutely stacked! The blue Porsche 918 Spyder is doubtless the star of this pack, looking fabulous on those chrome wheels (even better than the yellow version). The red recolor of the Ford F-150 Lightning is a close second though, as it feels like we’ve been waiting an eternity for a new release of this excellent casting. The Karma GS-6 finally gets released in a color that shows off the body lines of the casting (you can check out my showcase of the blue version here). An electric-themed pack wouldn’t be complete without a Tesla, so the Roadster makes another appearance, this time in black. The weakest casting in this 5 pack is undoubtedly the Renault Twizzy, which has proven to be a bit of a pegwarmer in my area – though I definitely prefer it to the Citroen Ami!
The next new 5 pack is MBX Japan Cruisers, which is sure to be popular with collectors given the current JDM hype. My favorite from this set is the white Mazda 3, which looks incredibly clean with those black wheels. The Civic Type R looks good in this very unique shade of pink, though I dislike the updated Type R casting that deletes the lower part of the back window. The Subaru WRX STI police car looks good in this realistic livery. As much as I like the early releases of this casting, I think it might look even better now that Matchbox has added headlights to it. The Nissan Skyline and 4Runner are always popular models with collectors, though I would have preferred to see something like the 3000GT or RX-8 in their place.
The MBX British Roadways 5 pack is undoubtedly made to appeal to our friends across the pond, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting cars in it. The most exciting is the Jaguar F-Type Coupe, though I still find it disappointing that the mainline doesn’t get the detailed grill of the Collector’s series version. The adorable Mini Cooper S Cabrio is back in orange, though the hood stripes mean it will likely be missing any rear end detailing. The Land Rover Defender 90 has seen a ton of use this year, and it returns once again in light blue, though the press image shows a Bronco Sport instead – ha! The Morris Minor is a car that has no significance to me, but will likely prove popular among UK collectors, and the LEVC Taxi finally gets a new color, now appearing in blue with a black bumper. The British Roadways pack is certainly the weakest of the new 5 packs, but it’s probably worth picking up for that F-Type alone.
That’s it for this week’s news! As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information, and I’ll be sure to do a full feature on some of these models in the near future!
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