In the past few years, we’ve seen usually-staid Matchbox become more adventurous with some of their casting choices, including a few that have overlapped with the JDM hype that has dominated the Hot Wheels brand in recent years. Through hyped releases like the 5th Gen 4Runner and Mk5 Supra, I’ve seen an increasing awareness of Matchbox from traditionally Hot Wheels-exclusive collectors who are impressed by the detailing and accuracy we all love from Matchbox.
I have mixed feelings about this change, as I love seeing more enthusiast cars benefit from Matchbox’s design prowess (and I’m always happy to add more cool cars to my collection), but it has also made some of these hyped castings incredibly frustrating to find. Usually, because of Matchbox’s smaller collector following and smaller case size, even the most exciting castings aren’t too difficult to track down. With releases like this Integra Type R, Matchbox collectors are getting a taste of the worst part about collecting Hot Wheels – the competitive race to be the first to the pegs (you’ll often see the flippant “if you’re not first you’re last” posted in Hot Wheels groups online). Hopefully, Matchbox can adjust their case mixes to better match collector demand, rather than resorting to the same artificial scarcity that Hot Wheels seems determined to promote, along with the bad behavior that accompanies it.
I can hardly blame the wider world of collectors for being excited about this new Integra Type R, though. It’s typically-great Matchbox stuff, with perfect detailing and excellent proportions, accompanied by the perfect stock-looking paint job. White paint with white wheels is the classic Type R look, and the bright red interior is a perfect fit for this model. If Matchbox can make a mainline this good, how can Hot Wheels justify 30-times the price for their RLC version?
While I’m usually not a huge fan of these small Matchbox wheels, they seem like a perfect fit for this Integra. The small size is a good match for the casting and the design isn’t too far off from the wheels that came on the ITR. That giant rear wing is classic 90’s boy-racer fare, and I wouldn’t want to see a Type R casting any other way. I also find my eye being drawn to these very 90’s looking door handles, which I’m happy to see included on this casting. Really, the only missing detail to remind you that this is a mainline is the lack of a Type R badge in front of the rear wheel.
There’s no missing Type R badge on the rear though, as the back of this Acura is typical Matchbox greatness. I always love Matchbox’s fully-detailed brake lights, and the red Acura badge is a lovely bit of attention to detail. Perhaps the most amazing bit of detailing is the little black keyhole to pop the trunk. The only thing that’s missing here is the Integra logo that’s molded into the rear bumper, but even the Hot Wheels RLC version didn’t have that, so I suspect it’s too small of a detail for a model at this scale. I do wish Matchbox would have included some printed detailing on that license plate, though.
Matchbox always impresses with the accuracy of their printed detailing, and these headlights are a great example of that printing prowess. This casting would be very unforgiving of mis-aligned headlights, which thankfully isn’t a problem here. The design of the orange lights in the bumper is particularly interesting to me, as it’s a little unusual. It appears that Matchbox printed a dark gray section to represent the silver reflector in the turn signal, then printed a larger orange section over the top to represent both the orange bulb within the silver turn signal housing and the orange side marker to the side of the turn signal. The effect is convincing enough, but we’ve definitely seen better light detailing from Matchbox on other models.
After years of degrading the quality of their interiors, we’ve been seeing Matchbox step up their game again with recent castings. Not only is red an awesome choice for the interior color on this casting, but the detailing is top-notch for a $1 model. There’s no color breaks like we might see on a BBR or anything like that, but the seats feature racing harnesses and both the shifter and handbrake are visible on the center console. There’s even what appears to be a rear strut-tower brace in the trunk! This example is right hand drive, but I’ve seen some pictures online that there is also a left hand drive variation for those who want a proper American-spec Integra Type R.
JDM hype aside, I can’t help but appreciate this little Acura. I’ve long wanted to see Matchbox expand their lineup to include more enthusiast icons, and I think this is a good direction for the brand, as long as they can figure out how to balance the case assortments so these more widely-desired models are still relatively easy to find. Hopefully future recolors will be more widely available, so collectors struggling to find this white version can add an example to their collection. As long as I’m wishful thinking, I’d love to see Matchbox make a modern Integra Type S for the perfect “then and now” pairing.
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