Target’s Matchbox Section Redesign Doesn’t Bode Well

By now, you’ve probably seen that Target stores in the US have redesigned their Matchbox section for 2026 as part of the yearly toy aisle reset.  As diecast collectors, the yearly toy aisle resets always give us a sense of what stock and distribution might look like for the year to come…and this looks like a spectre of doom. 

In case you haven’t been to a Target recently, their redesign greatly reduces the number of pegs for both Matchbox mainlines and Moving Parts models down to two pegs of each in most stores.  That means, if the pegs are absolutely stuffed, there is space for 20 mainlines and 14 Moving Parts models out on the retail floor.  Since Moving Parts models are sold in cases of eight, there is at least room for more than one case, but mainlines are sold in cases of 24.  Even under ideal circumstances with fully stocked shelves (a rarity in the diecast world), there isn’t even space for a single Matchbox mainline case.  For context, my local Target has 16 pegs for Hot Wheels, which is enough space for 160 mainlines plus a giant dump bin below.  Even considering the 72-count cases that Hot Wheels uses, there’s room for 2-3x the amount of cases! 

Remember, too, that Target doesn’t carry any of the extra “themed” mainline sets that its competitors like Walmart carry.  Those two pegs of mainlines are all you get. 

Of course, Target is not the only place to get Matchbox cars.  Walmart, dollar stores, and even some grocery stores provide another place to hunt for the Matchbox models you can’t find at Target.  None of those will help you find Red Editions, though.  Target’s exclusive Matchbox cars have quickly become can’t-miss models, with most featuring clean decos and an increase in the budget for printed detailing that often makes Red Editions some of the best mainlines available.  If the previews we saw at the Gathering are anything to go by, 2026’s Red Edition lineup will be absolutely stacked with fantastic models, including the return of some castings we haven’t seen in a while like the Mercedes AMG GT63.  Red Editions were hard enough to find already, and with the reduction in space allocated to mainlines, they seem set to be incredibly frustrating to track down going forward. 

The lone ray of sunshine I see with this redesign is the return of Matchbox 8 packs, which have been largely absent from my region for some time now.  There are some decent 8 pack exclusives coming this year, and these packs tend to reuse mainline models, so they might offer opportunities to acquire some of the mainlines you can’t find at Target anymore. 

I’ve seen a lot of outrage directed at Target over this from my fellow diecast creators, but I think that anger is misplaced.  It’s naturally tempting to pillory Target over all this, but if I’m being honest, I find it hard to blame them.  Like any major retailer, Target will be looking at statistics like inventory turnover and sales volume to determine what products they should stock more or less of.  With Matchbox’s major pegwarmer and distribution issues last year, Target’s inventory turnover of Matchbox models cannot have been good.  With Matchbox’s 2025 mainline card art redesign, it’s painfully obvious even for the casual collector that many of these models just aren’t moving.  Most of the Targets I’ve been to lately still have numerous 2024 mainlines on the shelf, alongside the Nissan Ariyas in the Moving Parts line.  In the face of such slow sales, I can hardly blame Target for choosing to reduce the amount of shelf space allocated to the brand. 

Sadly, most of the blame for this unfortunate Target redesign should be directed at Matchbox themselves.  Obviously we’re all here because we love Matchbox’s products, but it would be burying our heads in the sand not to recognize how badly the Matchbox team has screwed up some of their product assortments lately.  I do a fair amount of diecast hunting on a regular basis, and I still have to resort to buying desirable models online because I never see them in stores.  I see a similar assortment of pegwarmers at Walmart stores, there are just more pegwarmers available because there are more pegs…that doesn’t really solve the problem though, does it?  How long before Walmart comes to the same conclusion and reduces their stock of Matchbox cars? 

I truly believe that the Matchbox team is trying their best to make the brand successful, but there definitely needs to be some adjustments made to the lineup.  We’ve seen Matchbox absolutely kill it with some enthusiast-focused cars lately, and those models need to be prioritized for recolors.  EVs and crossovers can absolutely still be a part of the lineup, but their releases need to be spaced out a bit more and their recolors a bit less frequent.  The return of more licensed police and emergency vehicles would be great to see too, as they appeal both to collectors and to kids! 

While this redesign of the Matchbox section at Target stores is disappointing to see, and while it does mean Matchbox models will be a bit harder to find in 2026, I hope it serves as a much-needed wakeup call for the folks at Matchbox.  If Matchbox’s case assortments and quantities can be adjusted to better match demand, hopefully we will see better inventory turnover in the latter half of 2026.  If they can do it, we might just see a bigger Matchbox section return in 2027.