This news roundup features only a couple of new castings, but there are also plenty of new recolors to get excited about!
The most exciting new model in this set of leaks from @ada_3l3 on Instagram is the Chevy Silverado PPV. This model was called out during the line preview at last year’s Gathering, but no prototype was shown. This is our first look at both the casting and the deco! Sadly, this looks to be a generic “Matchbox Police” deco, rather than a licensed deco to help me expand one of my existing police department collections. It seems like many of Matchbox’s new police car castings have debuted with generic decos recently, but most have been shortly followed by a licensed deco or two, which I hope happens with this Silverado.
As generic decos go, it’s a decent one, featuring the classic black with white doors color scheme. I still wish Matchbox would have reused an existing recurring generic deco rather than creating a new one, as that would still allow kids and collectors to build out matching police collections without requiring licensing fees.
Sadly, this Silverado PPV falls victim to many of the same shortcomings we’ve seen on other recent police car models. There’s no front or rear detailing, the windows are an unnatural color just so the lightbar can be blue, and the bash bar on the front looks exaggerated to the point of cartoonishness.
I also find it a tad odd that Matchbox went with a gray base for this model, as black seems like a more natural color for the bash bar. I don’t think anyone would have been upset by a black rear bumper, especially with those blue windows!
It also looks like this Silverado might be rocking a bit of a Carolina Squat, but hopefully that’s just due to the way it’s packaged in the blister. You can definitely expect a closer look at this model once it hits shelves, because I also want to compare it to the rest of the pickups in the Matchbox lineup.
We’ve seen some leaks of the 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness before, but this is our first look at the final product. Dark green is the first color I think of on the Outback Wilderness, but this blue is a good color too. The casting’s construction is clever, utilizing the base and interior sections to form the black plastic body cladding that makes this model instantly identifiable as the Wilderness version. That frees up the printed detailing budget to be used on the front and rear, giving us a quite handsome looking model. However, I’m not so sure about the wheel choice. It’s hard to tell for sure, but I think this might be a new, enlarged version of the existing Matchbox six spoke wheels. They look cool, but they feel like a total mismatch for this Subaru with their large rims and low profile tires. Surely the existing SUV wheels (which look more like what is depicted on the card art) would have been a better fit. Perhaps this was just an error on this particular example – I’ll report back once I can get my hands on one.
Next up, we have a red recolor of the Subaru WRX STI S4 that debuted last year in blue. That blue version was one of my favorite models of 2025, so I’m thrilled to see it make a return so soon! Though, if I’m honest, I was hoping for an orange recolor, as orange is the color I most associate with the VB WRX. Hopefully that’s next!
When it comes to color choice, it’s hard to criticize Sun Yellow on the Mercedes-AMG SL63. As one of the best colors in the Mercedes paint catalog, it’s a perfect fit for a sporty convertible like the SL63 and it looks absolutely stunning on this casting. Without even having it in hand, I feel comfortable crowning this the new definitive release of the SL63, and I will definitely be adding it to my collection!
The new BMW M2 is the rare example of a car that I think looks better in diecast form than in full scale, so I had been a little disappointed by how little use the M2 casting had been getting after its debut red release. That disappointment is firmly in the rear view mirror, because this purple recolor is now the third recolor coming out just this year! Twilight Purple is among the better colors available on the G87 M2, and it’s even mercifully devoid of gold wheels! It looks great, and is definitely a must-have for any BMW fan.
I have to give Matchbox credit for consistently using the Porsche 918 Spyder casting. Sure, I’m starting to get a tad tired of it, but I’ve still never seen it hanging on the pegs, which is not something you can say about a lot of Matchbox models. I like this bright blue color, though I still find myself surprised that we haven’t seen a white 918 from either Matchbox or Hot Wheels. Hopefully a pearl white version comes soon!
This blue Maserati MC12 is a curiosity. It looks suspiciously similar to the one that is being released in the Italian Roads 5 pack this year. We’ve seen mainline models reused in 5 packs before, but this is the first time I can remember seeing a 5 pack model released later as a standalone mainline. I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s a cool model, but it also reduces the desirability of the 5 pack somewhat. It’ll be interesting to see whether this is the start of a trend, or whether the Matchbox team just needed a last minute addition to fill a mainline production slot and chose the MC12.
I’ve been clamoring for a yellow Ford GT for a while, so I should be stoked to finally see this one coming to the lineup…but I guess I should have been more specific. I’ve never been a fan of the Ford GT releases with side detailing, because it typically means they miss out on headlights, which makes them look far too cheap and unrealistic. We don’t get a good view of the top of this model, so there’s still a chance that it gets the needed detailing, but I’m not holding out much hope. Too bad, because the real-life Ford GT looks truly epic in yellow!
While we’re on the subject of deco disappointments, let’s take a peek at the BMW i4 Police (which oddly, wears a fire deco). When this casting debuted, I liked it but had two major fears: that Matchbox would quickly run out of good police liveries that made sense on an i4, and that it would lose its front detailing on subsequent releases. I didn’t have to wait long to be proven right, because after two consecutive Polizei decos, this casting is now being released as a generic fire vehicle with an ugly blank front end. At least those first two releases were cool!
This 2023 Nissan Ariya Pole to Pole EV also looks suspiciously similar to its debut release last year. It features the same “Pole to Pole” livery, albeit with some white snow detailing similar to the recent Plowverizer. I’m not sure if the repeat design is a licensing restriction, or if Matchbox just doesn’t know what else to do with this casting…
If you, like me, were starting to wonder whether Target’s exclusive Red-edition models even exist anymore, fear not! Thanks to @pugswheelsdiecastandcars we get our first look at a Red Edition of the 1970 Ford Ranchero. This was theoretically the fourth Red Edition of 2026, scheduled to come out in Mix H, but I haven’t seen any of the 3 Target exclusives that were supposed to precede it. I’m a little worried about what that might mean for the Mercedes-AMG GT63S that is scheduled to come out after this Ranchero, which I’ve been looking forward to all year.
Finally, while this news is a couple weeks old, I would be remiss not to show off this black recolor of the R35 Nissan GT-R NISMO for the Matchbox Movie! This absolute stunner of a casting is one Matchbox’s best, yet it’s seen very limited distribution. The best release yet was the red Japan-exclusive model, which was very limited production and rather hard to get your hands on in the US. It’s also seen a couple of premium releases, but those are all held back by Matchbox’s lackluster rubber wheels. This new black version looks set to finally let more collectors get their hands on this excellent casting, and we can be grateful for that! Given that Matchbox will probably be releasing a lot of promotional models to go along with the Matchbox Movie, I’m optimistic that this could be an easy model to get your hands on.
That’s it for this week’s news! As always, the list of upcoming Matchbox models has been updated to reflect this new information. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any future Matchbox news!
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It definately has been a long time since Matchbox released a new Chevy Silverado. I know the new Silverado PPV has a generic Matchbox Police deco, but I honestly love it! I’m super excited for it & the second release of the BMW I4 as a Fire Department vehicle to hit the pegs! It’s gonna be a while as usual for them to hit stores near me.
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