We saw a number of new models from a variety of lines this week, including our first look at the 3rd Moving Parts mix of 2024. Let’s jump right in!
The most exciting sneak has to be this Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo. It’s a mouthful of a name, but a very cool car. Given Matchbox’s history of making great wagons, and the fact that Hot Wheels has a regular Taycan in their lineup already, I’m very glad Matchbox decided to model the long roof version. After seeing the 3D printed prototype at The Gathering, it’s great to finally see the diecast version, which looks quite well proportioned. I really like that the Matchbox team was able to use the window piece to form the Taycan’s massive sunroof while still giving the model metal A and C pillars. Unlike the LFA casting, this Taycan’s opening doors have wing mirrors, which is a very welcome addition. The only concern I have is that the headlights don’t look especially well defined, but Matchbox is usually good at printed detailing, which will hopefully make that a non-issue!
In a turn of events that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, the Alfa Romeo Giulia is getting a bright blue recolor! This blue is absolutely gorgeous, which makes me glad Alfa Romeo finally relaxed their “red and white only” rule.
Whether you consider this color silver or beige or JRG, it looks appropriate on this Morgan Plus Four, even though I might have preferred the slightly pink-er press color. This car will make an excellent spiritual successor to the Morgan Aeromax from several years ago, and it’s a great nod to Matchbox’s British heritage.
Saldy, it looks as though the era of clean decos on the Moving Parts Mitsubishi Evo is over, even though I have yet to find a single one available at a retail store. This one certainly isn’t bad looking though, and the all-around deco has me wondering if this could be a super chase. It’s hard to tell if those 5 spokes are the new premium version, but their small diameter has me thinking they might be. If so, this Evo will be even harder to track down than the rest of them!
We saw the Alfa Romeo Stelvio in its packaging in the last round of sneaks, so it’s nice to finally see it loose! I’m very excited to add this model to the Alfa Romeo collection, though the front end looks a little squished from this angle. The opening doors look to fit very nicely, with possibly the best color match I’ve seen on any Moving Parts model.
The deco on this Honda E suggests it will be a Target exclusive Red Edition. I’m not crazy about this casting, but that little white stripe is adorable.
Matchbox’s candy series of cars appears to be returning next year, as we have both a Mini Cooper wearing a Charleston Chew livery and a VW Bus wearing a Fluffy Stuff (?) livery.
Luckily for fans of the VW Bus, the Moving Parts version of the casting appears in its most realistic deco to date. Between the chrome base and rubber tires, this model appears destined to appear in the Collectors line, where I’m sure it will prove popular with VW collectors.
Another appearance of the Fiat 500 Turbo, this time in a pale green. This casting looks pretty good by itself, but always looks a bit too big next to other Matchbox models. I can’t help but feel like it’s being overused compared to some more exciting recent models like the CLA Wagon or Holden Commodore.
Speaking of overused castings, the VW ID.4 is back, this time in white. While I don’t dislike this casting, I find myself beginning to experience some “boring crossover fatigue” with the Matchbox lineup.
This Range Rover is pretty cool though! Hailing from a time when driving an SUV was an oddity, this 1975 Range Rover looks great in green. Based on the hype for the yellow version, I expect this to be a popular model as well.
The official Matchboxworld Instagram was not the only source of new models this week, though. Thanks to @macnninc on Instagram, we got a peek at an upcoming Moving Parts mix, including our first look at the final production version of the Focus RS! I’ve preached for years that we need more Hot Hatches in 1/64, so I’m very excited to be getting a more detailed version of the Focus RS than the nearly deco-less Hot Wheels version from several years ago. I’m not crazy about the look of these wheels on the Focus RS (I probably would have gone with the five spokes). In its packaging, the Focus RS casting looks like it might ride a little high, but we’ll have to wait and see how it looks once it’s loose. Hopefully it has a full rear deco as well!
Unlike the rather ugly green version set to appear in an upcoming Collectors mix, this gray Lexus LX looks phenomenal! I think Matchbox nailed this casting, and I’m glad to see it getting so much use so early in its life.
The same can be said for the convertible FC RX-7 – I loved the white one and I look forward to adding this red version to the collection! Note the packaging, which shows these 6 spoke wheels with a way lower profile tire, which actually looks good! Matchbox should make an updated version of their six spokes that look like that render.
Mustang fans will be happy to see the Boss 302 make another appearance, this time with a color-matched hood!
If the debut color of the Citroen e-C4 X was any indication, this white recolor will be the pegwarmer of the set. We can only hope there isn’t more than one of these per case! Even though it’s actually a pretty well done casting, it just doesn’t seem to resonate with a North American audience.
That’s it for this week’s sneaks! As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information.
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