After what feels like months of almost no news of upcoming releases from Matchbox (and no new models in stores either), the silence has finally been broken by a huge drop of new upcoming models! There’s no previously unannounced castings here, but plenty of exciting new decos and our first look at the production version of some new releases.
The most exciting sneak we saw this week isn’t a car at all – it’s a new release of the Convoys car carrier truck! Every time I post pictures of the previous releases of this Convoy it generates a lot of excitement online, and it’s easy to see why. It has some of the best photo and play value of any truck in the Convoy line, and there’s just something cool about being able to deliver a load of brand new Matchbox cars on a truck. Unlike the more European cab design of the last release, this upcoming car carrier gets the fantastic new licensed Western Star cab for a much more American look. The green and white deco looks far more realistic than the previous orange, making this truck a must-have. Unfortunately, I suspect acquiring this excellent truck will prove difficult because there are no major retailers in the US that carry the Convoy line. Hopefully this car carrier is a sign that Matchbox is going to try to revitalize the line with greater availability!
Amazingly, this week’s sneaks show off a second model that isn’t a car…it’s a train! This is an interesting move for Matchbox, as it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any sort of train from Matchbox. Given the Hogwarts Castle branding, it’s clear that this train will be a Harry Potter vehicle, just like the soon to be released Ford Anglia. What’s not clear is how this model will be sold. Could it be a convoy model, a Mattel Creations model, or something new entirely?
With the relatively new Tesla Model X casting already having exhausted the only five colors Teslas come in, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the future of this model. Here, we see it dressed up in a SpaceX Crew Transport Vehicle livery – a very clever way to get some more life out of this casting. It should make an excellent companion to the NASA security vehicle that was released a few years ago. Based on the pictures, it appears this Model X gets front and rear detailing in addition to the logos on the side, a rarity among mainline models!
The Buick Roadmaster looks positively vintage in this wood paneled livery. This Radwood-ready model also features full detailing all-around, which makes it look very premium. I’m glad to see Matchbox really making use of the extra budget of the Moving Parts line, and the door fitment looks far better than what we’ve seen from a number of previous Moving Parts models.
Speaking of great door fitment, we have the new Mercedes G580 With EQ Technology already making its way to the Moving Parts line for those of us who didn’t want to pay $25 for the Mattel Creations version. Despite its mouthful of a name, this G-Wagen is a great looking casting, with very crisp lines and an appropriately big size. It’s not year clear whether this Moving Parts model will get the rear detailing of the MC version, but it definitely gets the front and side detailing. The flat gray paint looks great as well.
The Mini Cooper EV is a casting we’ve known about for a long time, but this is our first time seeing a production-ready version. The blue paint looks wonderful and I love the detailing, though I can’t tell whether the headlights are cut out from the hood or printed directly on the hood piece. Sadly, I suspect this Mini might end up being a bit of a pegwarmer since we’ve seen so many Minis in the Matchbox lineup recently (including a full Walmart-exclusive themed set).
It’s hard to tell exactly what casting this is, but I think it’s the Chevy C10. I like the Edelbrock shop truck deco though, and it will make a great companion to the Collector’s series Camaro.
Thanks to @aidannewmodels20th on Instagram, we also got a look at the packaged versions of some other mainline and Moving Parts vehicles, starting with the BMW iX in what I could best describe as medical device beige. We can also now see that the Dodge Durango police car will be a Moving Parts model, rather than a Collectors series one as I had previously thought.
I’ve been waiting for the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer since the prototype was shown at the Gathering last year, and it looks every bit as good as I imagined. I love the dark red paint, and it looks to be getting front and rear detailing. The only unknown is the scale, but based on the wheels I have high hopes that it will match the scale of the other big SUVs from Matchbox. We also saw the Citroen e-C4, which has been a pegwarmer in the Moving Parts line and feels likely to be one here too. I know Matchbox is trying to grow their presence in Europe, but why not a more interesting model like the DS3?
It’s very refreshing to finally have some new models to be excited about after so many slow weeks in the diecast world. Hopefully some of these models will make their way to store shelves sooner rather than later! As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information.
diecastleno.com 
It’s so great that Matchbox gained Harry Potter license! I’m very surprised to see Hogwarts Express. Honestly it could match to Convoy line but I would prefer it in Hitch&Haul line because it would be more accessible. I hope so much for Knight Bus in basics and maybe Hagrid’s flying motorcycle or Vernon Dursley’s Vauxhall Vectra – there is big potential in this collaboration.
In Mini headlights are definitely cut out from the hood – there were sneak photos of this, also package shows it. It’s good that door in Merc are opening with frames. But we have also second colour of Ford Fiesta. And for me surprise is Fiat Topolino from sneak peek however I hoped for this after seeing Citroen Ami in basics. I like Fiat way more.
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the little pickup is a Ford Couier.
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