Better late than never, right? Through a combination of Matchbox’s increasing interest in the world of supercars and the growing hype surrounding the now-mythical Lexus LFA, we finally have an LFA model from one of the Mattel brands. Sure, Kyosho and Tomica have made models of the LFA in the past, but those aren’t widely available in the US, making them hard to find and expensive to source.
For a comparatively reasonable $5, Matchbox has this Collectors series LFA featuring a metal base, making it feel heavy and substantial. That metal on metal construction puts this LFA more in line with the Hot Wheels Premiums that it competes with, though it may mean this LFA gets stuck in the premium series. That would be unfortunate, as Matchbox’s basic wheels are far better than their premium wheels, so the Moving Parts version of a casting is often better looking than the more expensive premium model – as was the case for the Nissan GT-R Nismo.
Credit must be given where it’s due though, as Matchbox has been making an effort to improve their premium wheels. This LFA is the first model to feature their new premium five spokes, which are basically a rubber version of the five spokes that have been a mainstay of the basic line since the Fisker Karma. I think they look better in person than most of the pictures I’d seen online, but they are definitely too small for this casting. I love that they gave this car a suitably low stance, but these wheels are so small that the car can’t actually roll smoothly.
Looking at the base, the facepalm-worthy reason for its inability to roll is clear: behind each wheel is a semi-circle of metal that’s slightly taller than the wheel itself, meaning the car is just dragging along on its base. Did nobody on the Matchbox team try to roll this casting around before putting it into production?!
Luckily, that problem could easily be solved with the slightly bigger basic wheels, if this casting ever finds its way to the Moving Parts line. My perfect version would be yellow with the silver 10 spoke basic wheels, though I will be surprised if Matchbox makes a plastic base to allow this model into the Moving Parts line.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the look of this casting online, and I think they’re rather overblown. Especially from the front, this casting looks like a proper supercar, with a low front nose and a wide stance. There’s plenty of detail in the front bumper and headlights, and they even managed to replicate the LFA’s air intake at the front of the hood! As small as the new wheels are, they manage to sit nicely inside the wheel arches, unlike some recent Matchbox castings.
The back of the LFA is similarly excellent, with loads of detailing in the LED brake lights and rear grilles. As usual, I’m not a big fan of this trend of replacing a car’s license plate with the name of the car, as I think it makes the model look less realistic, but at least we still get the Lexus and LFA badges in their proper positions. Oddly, Matchbox has omitted the third brake light (it normally sits above the Lexus badge). They were already printing in red on the back of the model for the brake lights, so I have no idea why they would skip the third brake light. The same is true of the LFA’s iconic triple exhaust tips. Those exhaust tips are one of the most distinctive styling elements on the LFA, and we’ve seen on cars like the Lamborghini Centenario that Matchbox is able to do silver printing for exhaust tips, yet they’re left black here. At least they’re well modeled, though the black paint they used on the base is a little too thick, leading to some lost detail in the mesh of the diffuser.
Unfortunately, the side profile of this model is clearly the weakest part. The overall shape of the LFA is good, but it’s clear that a lot of sacrifices were made to accommodate the opening doors. There are no side mirrors, which is always a disappointment, and doubly so on a supercar with distinctive mirror placement. Then there’s the side window, which is the wrong shape on this model. It should continue back along the roofline, but here it ends right where the door ends. This could easily have been solved with some black printing in the places where a window was supposed to be, and the omission of printing feels like another weird compromise on a premium model. Finally, the LFA’s door and side skirt are supposed to be designed to channel air into an intake in front of the rear wheel, and there’s nowhere near sufficient depth to that air channel on this model. I’ll spare you my usual Moving Parts rant, but I can’t help but feel like every one of those compromises was made to appease the Matchbox team’s desire to have an opening door, even if the model is worse as a result.
At least those opening doors mean we get much more detailed door cards than normal. This might be the first Matchbox model with an interior door handle!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve felt so conflicted about a new Matchbox release. I’ve wanted a model of the LFA for so long. Judging by the reaction at The Gathering when this model was teased, I’m far from alone. Expectations were high, and this casting may have fallen victim to its own hype. I like the new metal base, but I would trade it for a plastic one in a heartbeat if it meant more detailing and the potential for it to get basic wheels. Likewise, I feel like this model could have been so much better if it had not had opening doors. If it needed to have a moving part, why not have an opening hood to show off that legendary V10? At least the front and back of the model look good, so I think it’s worth the $5 price tag, as long as you display it strategically to hide the sides! If we’re lucky, someday Hot Wheels will take a shot at making their own premium LFA model, without the requirement of opening doors. Until then, I’ll just keep watching the greatest car video of all time.
DiecastLeno 
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