This week’s Matchbox sneaks feature some new castings as well as a few long-awaited recolors – let’s jump right in!
Easily the most exciting is this orange mainline version of the Porsche Macan S. I was severely disappointed when Matchbox chose to debut this new casting as a super chase, especially given its ugly wheels, so I’m glad we’re finally seeing it in a mainline version that you’ll (hopefully) be able to actually find in a store. Luckily, the orange color is an exciting one to start with and the deco looks clean, with both front and rear detailing and a merciful absence of ugly side graphics.
I still can’t believe Matchbox is actually including a Radical in their lineup this year, but here it is looking production-ready! While this color combo certainly isn’t the most exciting, the casting itself looks very good and appropriately cartoonish. I love the RADICAL text on the top of the wing!
Behind the Radical, we can just make out a Ford Mustang Convertible. There are two versions of the Mustang Convertible: one mainline and one revised version in the Moving Parts line. It’s hard to tell from this angle, but based on the design of the grille and the rear seats, I believe this is the mainline version, which is odd because we’ve already seen a blue version of that casting in 2020. It seems odd to reissue that version already…
This blue Koenigsegg Gemera certainly isn’t a reissue though! As cool as this blue color is, it seems like a bit of an odd choice. My best guess is that Matchbox was trying to emulate the green press color for the Gemera, but this version definitely came out closer to blue than green, and I’m still not a fan of gold wheels. I’m glad this deco is meaningfully different from any of the Hot Wheels versions though, as the gray and yellow versions felt very similar.
I haven’t been a huge fan of Matchbox’s Opel Kadett so far because it always felt like it was missing detailing. Either it received front and rear detailing and no side deco, or the sides were detailed and the front was bare. This premium version – hopefully for the Collector’s series and not a super chase – looks to fix that problem with loads of detailing. As another plus, these premium wheels actually look quite nice on the car, which is certainly not a given with Matchbox’s premium models.
Anyone else hearing the Bond music? Obviously, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a sneak of the preproduction version of the Aston Martin Vantage, but it certainly looks good every time, and I can’t wait to see the painted version.
Last but certainly not least, we have a red recolor of the already beloved Volvo 240. I’m glad to see this casting retaining its clean deco, as the car just looks so clean this way. I don’t expect to be a completionist on this casting, but this red version certainly looks worth picking up!
As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information!
diecastleno.com 
Leave a comment