After the deluge of news and new castings at the Gathering every year, there’s always a bit of a lull for new Matchbox news. Now, we’re slowly starting to see some new recolors and prototypes of upcoming models previewed on the Matchbox Instagram, so it’s time for a bit of catch-up. Let’s start with the... Continue Reading →
The prototype of the Holden VF Commodore SSV debuted at the Gathering in 2022 to much fanfare, especially from the Australian Matchbox collectors. As a huge fan of the Chevy SS, I was thrilled to see that its Australian sibling would be coming to the Matchbox line (it’s common for owners of Chevy SS’s to... Continue Reading →
The Mk7 VW Golf has been a frustrating casting to collect, as every version we’ve seen has been ruined by ugly side graphics that come at the cost of any front or rear detailing. As a lover of clean cars and Volkswagens alike, this has annoyed me to no end. Luckily, it seems someone at... Continue Reading →
McLaren's naming structure has become a bit crowded lately. Even as a certified car guy, the alphanumeric soup of 570S, 600LT, 650S, 675LT, 765LT, and so on has become hard to keep track of. As the new entry level model in the McLaren lineup, the Artura seeks to free us from the numbers with a... Continue Reading →
The late 2010’s really were a peak for Aston Martin’s design language. All their cars were the perfect combination of elegant and aggressive in a way that just exudes “cool” – none more so than the DBS. Hot Wheels’ take on the DBS is fantastically executed, with great proportions and lots of casting detail. Originally... Continue Reading →
If you’re anything like me, the annual Matchbox line preview is the highlight of your diecast year. I was happy to see 3 more of the cars from my Matchbox wishlist were checked off this year! This preview had a noticeable shift back toward construction and emergency vehicles, but there were still some cool performance... Continue Reading →
Believe it or not, the original Lamborghini Murcielago casting came out in 2003. To its credit, the Lambo holds up better than most castings from that era, but a lot has changed in the years since. Hot Wheels castings have become more detailed, more realistic, and less focused on track use, which meant the aging... Continue Reading →
I’ve never explored the world of Tarmac Works before, as most of their models are of cars that are outside my car tastes, but I love an AMG Mercedes. As one of the rarified Black Series models, this SLS might just be the craziest car Mercedes has ever made, so I decided it was time... Continue Reading →
Like most Matchbox collectors, I’m a big fan of the company’s lineup of police cars. Over the years they’ve made some iconic cop cars, from the Crown Victoria that dominated policing in the early 2000’s, to the Dodge Charger and Ford Explorer we see on the roads today. But there’s something else Matchbox does remarkably... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
After Matchbox's recent disappointment of a 911 Targa, I thought it was the perfect time to take a look at a model that does a far better job of giving the 911 Targa the treatment it deserves. This is the MiniGT Porsche 911 Targa. I admit, a piece about how nicely detailed and well executed... Continue Reading →
It’s long puzzled me that the affordable, everyday enthusiast icons are so often overlooked by diecast car makers. In fact, I wrote a whole blog post about the need for a hot hatches premium series from Hot Wheels! For whatever reason, the cars that actual enthusiasts likely drive every day are frustratingly hard to find... Continue Reading →
I think it’s fair to call the Nissan GT-R the dominant car of the diecast world for the last decade. We’ve seen seemingly every possible permutation of model, special edition, and color from each and every one of the major diecast brands for the R32, R33, and especially R34 generations. So why are premium 1/64... Continue Reading →
We all know the Hot Wheels mainline serves as a gateway drug of sorts into the world of 1/64 diecast collecting. They offer a great blend of value for money and are easy and affordable to build a collection out of. However, like many collectors, I find myself collecting fewer and fewer of these mainline... Continue Reading →
I can’t fathom why Matchbox continues to make one of their best castings so hard to find. This Nissan GT-R Nismo debuted in the Collectors series at only one per case, making it nearly impossible to find. Then they released this fantastic red version…in a Moving Parts series that was sold exclusively in Japan. Then... Continue Reading →
After a few weeks of not hearing much from Matchbox, we finally have another set of exciting sneaks, including some new castings I didn't even know were coming! The most notable surprise casting in this week’s sneaks was the Dodge Durango Police car in a Boone County Sheriff Livery. I don't remember this model even... Continue Reading →
Throughout history, a number of great philosophers have asked pressing questions about the human condition, about our place in the universe and the nature of conciousness…which prompts me to ask: is a Targa without its targa still a Targa? Ok, I may not be Renee Descartes, but I think that will be the main question... Continue Reading →
I was inspired by a recent Instagram post from @font_kustoms where they pointed out the growing repetition of boring castings in the current Matchbox lineup and showed some great castings from the back catalog that would make a better choice for upcoming assortments. I couldn’t agree more, though I think that there are some other... Continue Reading →
Matchbox and Alfa Romeo have a famously troubled past, filled with limited recolors and underutilized castings. Yet, in recent years we’ve seen plenty of interesting recolors of both the new Giulia and the old Guilia Sprint GTA, so it seems the two companies must have resolved their differences. With this newfound cooperation, we now get... Continue Reading →
Despite the very slow release of new models at retail, we keep seeing lots of exciting sneaks of upcoming Matchbox models on their Instagram. Let’s jump right into this week’s sneaks! The first thing to catch my eye was this bright orange Jeep Gladiator, identifiable as a super chase by its rubber tires and “SC”... Continue Reading →
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