It was certainly a long time coming. When the Shelby GT500 casting was released in 2020, it was a pretty good looking upgrade to the Shelby GT350 casting we already had in the lineup. Unfortunately, ever since its debut release, this casting has been plagued by the same unfortunate tampo treatment: hood, roof, and sides. ... Continue Reading →
One of the nicest things about the Matchbox brand is the knowledge that no matter what mainline model I want, I will eventually be able to track it down at some retail store. That’s one of the lovely side effects of Matchbox being less widely popular than the blue brand – it just doesn’t have... Continue Reading →
When was the last time you thought about the Nissan Sentra? Unless you recently rented one from Enterprise, odds are it’s been a while. That’s not surprising, because the modern Sentra is a fundamentally uninteresting car. Sure, maybe you liked the old Sentra SE-R back in the day, but this isn’t an SE-R. This is... Continue Reading →
It’s been a great couple of years for diecast Porsches. After what felt like decades of Matchbox and Hot Wheels reusing the same old 911 GT3 castings, we’ve finally seen a whirlwind of new Porsches released. Hot Wheels released the 992 GT3 and Taycan, and Matchbox released a new Cayenne, 918, 911 Carrera 4, and... Continue Reading →
Mattel’s loss of the Ferrari license is one of the most frequently told stories in the world of diecast, and for good reason. The Ferrari brand holds a ton of significance for car enthusiasts all over the world, myself included. I used to love collecting Hot Wheels Ferraris, and I certainly wish they were still... Continue Reading →
It’s always amazing to see a new casting with some Matchbox heritage, and we’ve been getting spoiled lately with the modernized versions of classic castings being released left and right. The new Porsche Cayenne casting is so great it was my 2022 model of the year, the Karma GS-6 seemed to rise from the dead... Continue Reading →
When the Karma GS-6 prototype casting was unveiled at the Gathering 2022, I dubbed it the surprise of the show. This car serves as a successor to the important but somewhat forgotten Fisker Karma casting, and I couldn’t wait to get these two models together to compare them. If you’re unaware of the history of... Continue Reading →
I wrote a fairly critical article when Matchbox’s 918 Spyder first hit the market in its gray and gold deco. While I stand by my comments in that article, some things have changed since then that have allowed me to really appreciate this new yellow version. One of my biggest criticisms was the casting choice... Continue Reading →
I’ve always found it odd that the Zonda doesn’t get more recognition in the world of diecast. As I was growing up, it seemed like Horacio Pagani’s latest iteration of his namesake supercar was being featured every season on Top Gear. It had wild styling, an exhaust note to die for, the kind of supercar... Continue Reading →
Matchbox has a long history of fantastically executed, stock looking pickup trucks. Trucks like the Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 police car show Matchbox’s prowess with this type of vehicle, so my expectations were high when I heard they would be releasing the new F-150 Lightning. It does not disappoint. The F-150 Lightning fits well... Continue Reading →
It’s always great to see a new performance car hit the market, but it’s a rarity to see a new performance brand. Hyundai’s N division has been taking the world by storm since it’s debut a few years ago, but there has been a startling lack of N representation in the world of diecast. I’ve... Continue Reading →
Models like this make me question the hype around super treasure hunts. For 10% of the market rate of most super treasure hunts, this Lamborghini is intricately detailed with printing on five sides. It even has a spectraflame style green paint! That paint is the most striking part of this model, with the bright green... Continue Reading →
For most of us collectors, I think it’s fair to say our hobby is an extension of, or at least a byproduct of, our childhood love of cars (both 1:64 and 1:1). While my tastes have since shifted to more performance oriented sports cars and muscle cars, I grew up with an obsessive love for... Continue Reading →
The Corvette is among the most storied of American nameplates, right up there with Mustang and F-150. So, it’s not surprising that both Matchbox and Hot Wheels can be reliably counted upon to produce their own take on the Corvette of each generation, as we’ve seen all the way up to the modern C8. Weirdly,... Continue Reading →
A new Hot Wheels Porsche is always a big event, so the fanfare surrounding this new 992 casting is no surprise. This casting is also the follow-up to one of my all time favorite Hot Wheels Porsches – the 991 GT3 RS, so it has some big shoes to fill. When I first saw pictures... Continue Reading →
Modern muscle cars are among the most underutilized car segments in the diecast world. While we often see these castings come out, they’re usually short lived or quickly relegated to multipack duty with unrealistic decos. Sadly, that was also the case with this Camaro - it received just a few clean, stock-looking releases before being... Continue Reading →
I’m a huge VW fan, and the Mk5 Golf GTI is one of my all-time favorite Matchbox models, so you’d think I would love the Mk2 GTI. However, this model has been plagued by odd decos since its debut release, starting with an orange design featuring the rabbit logo and followed by a Polizei livery... Continue Reading →
Despite the hype surrounding this new Matchbox Porsche (and it is a great model), it represents a missed opportunity for the Matchbox brand. In fact, the missed opportunity is two-fold: the model choice and the execution of this debut release. Given that Matchbox only releases 100 models each year – Moving Parts and Collector notwithstanding... Continue Reading →
Matchbox and Jaguar seem like companies made for each other. British heritage and elegant designs are hallmarks of both brands, and the old Matchbox Jaguar XK shows just how nice a well-done Matchbox Jaguar model can be. So imagine my excitement a few years back when Matchbox announced they would be making the XK’s spiritual... Continue Reading →
Many a Hot Wheels designer has commented on the challenges of designing a 1/64 scale car. The challenge, they say, is that a car cannot just be scaled down to 1/64 because the proportions will look wrong on such a small car. Instead, they must adapt the features of the car to fit on such... Continue Reading →
