Despite the very slow release of new models at retail, we keep seeing lots of exciting sneaks of upcoming Matchbox models on their Instagram. Let’s jump right into this week’s sneaks!
The first thing to catch my eye was this bright orange Jeep Gladiator, identifiable as a super chase by its rubber tires and “SC” logo behind the doors. I like this model much more than the mainline Gladiator with its lack of doors, so I’m glad to see it returning (even if I’m unlikely to find one of these on the shelf). The front and sides are detailed, though we don’t get a good view of the back. This is one of the few Matchbox models that looks good with premium wheels!
I love this shade of green paint for the Alfa Romeo Tonale, both because it fits the car so well and because it’s nice to see an Alfa Romeo debut in a color other than red. The casting itself looks good, though the wheels look a little small. I’m glad to see that the front end of the model is well detailed, but we don’t get to see the back of this model either!
The original Matchbox Prius commands surprisingly big money in the secondhand market now, so I suspect there will be a lot of hype for this new Prius casting. Identified on its base as the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime, this EV debuts in red with a well detailed front end and opening doors. Sadly, the paint match on the doors doesn’t look perfect, and the casting looks like it might be a little too big, at least when compared to the Pathfinder in the background. I’ll have to take a closer look at this model once it hits shelves.
Speaking of the Pathfinder, we finally get to see it in production form! It’s not a model that I’m personally too excited for, but I know a lot of the collector community has been looking forward to this one. The proportions look great, as does the front and rear detailing. I particularly like the spare tire on the back!
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Infiniti G37 Coupe in the Matchbox lineup, and this one looks great in all black. I’m really enjoying this trend of Matchbox pulling great models from their back catalog and giving them a new recolor.
In the background, we can see what appears to be a red edition of the Lamborghini Gallardo Police Car. What’s confusing about this is that we’ve never seen this model without side graphics before, but this one appears to be a clean release. Does that mean we’ll finally see what this model looks like with front and rear detailing? If so, won’t it look a bit weird having a clean red Gallardo with a police lightbar? I have so many questions, so I hope we get a better look at this model soon.
This is our first good look at the production version of the Jeep Wagoneer, though I can’t help but feel like this model is being ruined by its blue windows. Which is unfortunate, since it otherwise looks like a well proportioned though slightly plain model. I hope we see the window piece changed for a future release.
Those are the highlights from this week’s sneaks! In the background there was also a blue recolor of the Tesla Model Y and a Skybusters jet featuring a tropical livery. As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information!
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