As the frustration of trying to find popular Hot Wheels and Matchbox models at retail grows year after year, I find myself exploring the world of more premium 1/64 models. I’ve covered my experiences with MiniGT, BBR, and Pop Race on this blog before, but after finding a killer deal on this McLaren 600LT made... Continue Reading →
How Did Hot Wheels Get Exotic Envy’s Casting Selection So Wrong?
Through all its iterations, the Exotic Envy premium series has been a mixed bag. The concept is an easy slam-dunk (a car culture set comprised of all desirable, poster-worthy exotic cars – yes please!), but the execution has fallen short of the concept’s potential in every iteration. We’ll examine the new set momentarily, but first... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – 3/3/2024 – Taycan Sport Turismo, Ford Anglia, GR Supra, and More!
New product has been nearly nonexistent at retail stores, but the sneak peeks are still flowing strong! Let's take a peek at what Matchbox shared with us on their Instagram this week. It’s always an exciting week when we get some Porsche news, and I know many of us German car lovers have been waiting... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – 2/19/2024 – Porsche Macan S, Radical SR8, Volvo 240, and a Blue Gemera!
This week’s Matchbox sneaks feature some new castings as well as a few long-awaited recolors – let’s jump right in! Easily the most exciting is this orange mainline version of the Porsche Macan S. I was severely disappointed when Matchbox chose to debut this new casting as a super chase, especially given its ugly wheels,... Continue Reading →
The MiniGT BMW M4 CSL Shows The Importance Of A Good Deco
Sometimes a car has a specific paint color that just looks correct – the obvious choice. Colors like Verde Mantis on a Lamborghini or Resale Red on a Ferrari seem to add to the appeal of the car, and the same is true of this frozen gray paint on the BMW M4 CSL. When BMW... Continue Reading →
The Hot Wheels Japan Street Set Shows A Bright Future For Silver-Logo Premiums
It’s no secret that the Hot Wheels mainline has been highly budget constrained for a number of years. Castings have slowly begun to include more plastic and less metal, fewer tampo passes, and reduced quality control. Since being a “$1 toy” is such a big part of the Hot Wheels brand, it’s understandably difficult for... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – 1/29/2024 – Holden Commodore, QX80, Silverado EV and More!
The months after Christmas are always a bit slow in the diecast world. New releases are few and far between, store shelves are mostly bare, and it feels like the whole hobby goes into hibernation. With little diecast to be found in stores, it's nice to see some new sneaks of what's coming soon to... Continue Reading →
The Matchbox Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Starts 2024 On A High Note
The first mix of 2024 has barely hit the shelves and we already have a model of the year contender! This new 911 Cabriolet is a gorgeous model, and it’s incredibly impressive that the Matchbox team is able to put together such an impressive model at a $1 price point. One of my favorite... Continue Reading →
We Finally Have A Stock 1/64 Toyota GR86 Thanks To Pop Race
New diecast maker Pop Race burst onto the 1/64 scene out of nowhere last year. Their first few models didn’t really appeal to me, but that all changed when they released a stock-looking GR86 in Neptune Blue (the best color available on the GR86). I’ve been waiting for years for a GR86 model to be... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – BMW E30, Mk8 Golf GTE, Mercedes CLA, Radical & More! (1/13/2024)
The season after Christmas is always slow in the world of diecast, with minimal inventory at retail stores and new mixes being slow to release. It’s easy to get a bit bored during this time, so I’m glad Matchbox dropped some heat for us to get excited over! The most exciting car in these sneaks... Continue Reading →
Matchbox’s New Moving Parts Packaging Doesn’t Deserve The Hate
The diecast collecting corner of the internet seems to be up in arms over Matchbox’s new Moving Parts packaging (just as they were over their last Moving Parts packaging change) but now that I have it in hand, I don’t think it deserves the hate it’s been getting. Let’s take a look at each of... Continue Reading →
My Top 5 Hot Wheels Premium Models of 2023
With the year coming to a close, it’s time to take a look back at some of the best models of 2023. This year, we ended up with a few car culture mixes being delayed, which means I had fewer models than usual to pick from since I’m only including new models in this list. ... Continue Reading →
My Top 5 Matchbox Moving Parts Models of 2023
After a few years of struggling to develop the line, Matchbox has finally grown the Moving Parts lineup into a collection worthy of a Top 5. As usual, to be eligible for this list, these castings must be new for 2023 – no recolors allowed! Without further ado, these are my 5 favorite Matchbox Moving... Continue Reading →
My Top 5 Matchbox Basic Models of 2023
The Matchbox mainline has always been my favorite diecast line, and this was a very good year for it. We saw some fantastic recolors of some great castings, but this top 5 list is limited to the best new castings we saw in 2023. Let’s jump right in! Number 5: Karma GS-6 I love when... Continue Reading →
Matchbox Chevy Tahoe: It Doesn’t Get More American Than This
If you were to make a list of the most iconic American automotive nameplates, you would probably include cars like the Corvette, F-150, and this Chevy Tahoe. Used by everyone from soccer moms to Uber drivers to the Secret Service, the Tahoe is pure Americana. I’m thrilled that Matchbox decided to make a model of... Continue Reading →
Matchbox Finally Brings a Lexus LFA to the US
Better late than never, right? Through a combination of Matchbox’s increasing interest in the world of supercars and the growing hype surrounding the now-mythical Lexus LFA, we finally have an LFA model from one of the Mattel brands. Sure, Kyosho and Tomica have made models of the LFA in the past, but those aren’t widely... Continue Reading →
Toy Show Haul – December 2023 – Walmart Exclusives, Bronco R, Lamborghinis, and a Super Treasure Hunt!
It’s the weekend, and that means it’s toy show time! Local toy shows are one of my favorite ways to get older and rare modern models without having to pay eBay markups and shipping. Let’s jump right in! First up is a Walmart exclusive McLaren Senna from the Quarter Mile Finals semi-premium set. When these... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – 12/4/2023 – Taycan SportTurismo, Honda E Red Edition, Candy Cars, and Moving Parts
We saw a number of new models from a variety of lines this week, including our first look at the 3rd Moving Parts mix of 2024. Let’s jump right in! The most exciting sneak has to be this Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo. It’s a mouthful of a name, but a very cool car. Given... Continue Reading →
Matchbox Mercedes-AMG SL 63 – New Wheels, Who Dis?
Mercedes sure seems to be having a moment with the Mattel brands. Whether it’s the 500E, C63, and 560SEC from Hot Wheels, or the GT 63 and CLA wagon from Matchbox, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to Mercedes models. That doesn’t mean I’m not happy to see a new Mercedes casting though, especially... Continue Reading →
Matchbox News – 11/21/2023 – Porsche 911 Targa, Aventador SVJ, Bronco, and Lots of Recolors!
When it rains, it pours with Matchbox news and this weekend was one heck of a rainstorm. After some fairly uninteresting sneaks on the official matchboxworld Instagram account, we got to see an upcoming mix of basics, and upcoming mix of Moving Parts, and the next Collector’s mix! https://www.instagram.com/p/Czxb72fOfyC/?img_index=1 Let’s start with the most exciting... Continue Reading →
