The Convoys from Matchbox were always among my favorite toys growing up. There’s just something about a big truck that captures a young car enthusiast’s imagination. I would set up obstacle courses to try to steer my big rigs through, then practice backing them up to a loading dock to fill them up with whatever cargo I could find. They made the perfect playtime companions, and I’m incredibly grateful to still have a few of my childhood big rigs.
The Convoy line has always come and gone, and as the Matchbox team announced at the 2024 Gathering, it’s time for the Convoy line to take a break again. While I’m sad to see it go, the disappearance of Convoys from Walmart and Target made it seemingly inevitable. At least Matchbox left us with one heck of a model to remember them by…
Car carriers have long been a favorite in the Convoy line because of their combination of play value for kids and display value for collectors. I regularly use the orange car carrier from a few years ago in pictures on my Instagram, and other collectors often wonder where it came from and whether they can get their own (they’re often surprised to hear it’s from Matchbox). The orange carrier looks great, but it features a European-style cab and an unrealistic color scheme, so it never felt perfect to me.
This new Western Star Cab & MBX Auto Transport Trailer is a true greatest hits special, featuring the car carrier trailer (this time in a much more realistic green) paired with a licensed Western Star 49X! I’ve gushed at length over this Western Star cab before, so I’ll spare you the full review, but suffice it to say it’s my favorite Convoy cab. It’s fully detailed and well proportioned, with a look that’s both tough and modern at the same time. The lack of an interior is a bummer, but it seems to allow for full printed detailing, which is a trade I’m willing to make.
I particularly like this “MBX Transportation” livery on the side of the cab, complete with DOT numbers on the door that add a huge amount of realism to the model.
The biggest problem with these Convoy car carriers has always been the scale, as this trailer can only hold 3 cars, whereas real car carriers tend to hold 7-10 cars. Even so, there’s a ton of play value here, including the ability to tilt the top deck down to unload cars.
This car carrier feels like a fantastic way to say goodbye – at least temporarily – to the Convoy line. However, a look at the back of the card shows another cool model that didn’t seem to make the cut…
In what feels like the ultimate tease of what could have been, the card art features a Freightliner eCascadia. This would have been a brand new, licensed truck cab that would have fit perfectly with Matchbox’s push toward EVs. Even the trailer features a licensed livery that was used in the press images for the eCascadia! Sadly, it seems this model was pulled at the last minute and replaced by a Harry Potter train. With the Convoy line taking a break, it’s unlikely that this model will ever see the light of day…though you never know. Perhaps we could see the cab make an appearance as a mainline casting, just as the Western Star 49X did several years ago. A guy can dream, right?
UPDATE: In the weeks since I began writing this article, some leaks have surfaced showing a production-ready version of the Freightliner eCascadia. So far, we don’t know anything official about this model, but it seems like perhaps a few of them may have made it into production? If I manage to get my hands on one, you’ll see it here!
diecastleno.com 
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