I was lucky enough to grow up during Matchbox's famous "golden era". Collectors generally agree that Matchbox was at its peak during those years, when the company was churning out excellent models of modern classics like the Audi R8 and RS6 Avant, pinnacles of normalcy like the Toyota Prius and Volvo XC90, and everything in... Continue Reading →
For years, I’ve been telling everyone who will listen that we need more regular enthusiast cars in the Matchbox and Hot Wheels lineups. Sure, Ferraris and Paganis are great, but they’re the most rarified and expensive cars on the market and are hardly representative of the cars that real world enthusiasts choose to drive. I... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
As Matchbox’s Moving Parts line has developed over the last few years, it feels like it has become their flagship line, despite the Collectors series being technically more “premium” and expensive. The level of effort and attention to detail put into many of these models is impressive, and Matchbox finally seems to be dialing in... Continue Reading →
The end of the year always provides a perfect opportunity to look back at the year of diecast and appreciate some of the best models that entered my collection. Even though Matchbox’s 2025 was dominated by poor distribution and its massive pegwarmer problem, Team Orange still managed to deliver some excellent new castings. As always,... Continue Reading →
The Maserati Granturismo is one of the longest running car designs in the auto industry, yet it still manages to look great some 18 years after its 2007 debut. Despite almost two decades of opportunity, the Granturismo has been almost entirely absent from the diecast world (at least from the mainstream brands). Now, with the... Continue Reading →
Even as I hold it in my hand, part of me can’t believe that this factory-spec Matchbox Subaru WRX actually exists. Historically, 1/64 scale Subaru WRX’s with clean decos are few and far between. Until the release of the near-stock bugeye WRX from the Cars & Donuts set in 2017, I couldn’t find a single... Continue Reading →
Back in the day, I used to regularly cover all the sneaks of upcoming Matchbox models that Abe Lugo would post to the matchboxworld Instagram every Friday. Sadly, when Abe Lugo was laid off by Mattel, the Friday sneak posts stopped and the current team at Matchbox hasn’t really done much to cultivate excitement among... Continue Reading →
It’s hard for me to view this model through an impartial lens, because I so desperately wanted it to be made. I grew up loving the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, watching acceleration videos and walkthrough tours in the early days of Youtube car content, and daydreaming of owning one in a few years (ah, the... Continue Reading →
There are some Matchbox models that I know I’m going to like from the moment they’re announced, like the Bentley Continental or the Audi RS6. This Sequoia TRD Pro was not one of those models. I don’t particularly care about the Sequoia generally, and while TRD versions of Toyotas are at least somewhat interesting, I... Continue Reading →
You never quite know what you're going to get with a new Matchbox Moving Parts Lamborghini. The Centenario is a brilliant casting that reset the collecting world's expectations for what a Matchbox supercar can be. It was beautifully detailed, had great proportions, and featured scissor doors that remain the only opening doors in the entire... Continue Reading →
The yearly line preview at the Gathering is one of the most exciting days of the year in the diecast world, and this year didn’t disappoint! As usual, this roundup won’t be a comprehensive list of everything in the presentation (check out the Lamley stream or David Tilley’s post over on WheelCollectors for that). Instead,... Continue Reading →
It’s been 18 long years since we’ve seen a Maserati from Mattel, and even though the return of the Maserati license was overshadowed a bit by the new Ferraris, it’s still incredibly cool to see Maseratis back in 1/64 scale. Where Hot Wheels inexplicably chose to honor the occasion with a model of the Shamal... Continue Reading →
With the Gathering just a few short weeks away, I’ve had Matchbox on my mind. A couple years ago, I wrote a blog post about the cars I’d like to see at the upcoming Matchbox line preview, and since most of those cars have now made their way into the Matchbox lineup, it seemed due... Continue Reading →
Matchbox has released a number of great recurring liveries and themes over the years, both licensed and unlicensed. One of my all-time favorite Matchbox recurring themes is the DHL delivery vehicles. Not only is DHL a real-world delivery brand that both kids and adults would recognize, but Matchbox also used the livery on a huge... Continue Reading →
It's no secret that Matchbox has a pegwarmer problem right now. Countless people online, myself included, have shared anecdotes about the sorry state of Matchbox distribution this year, but I wanted to take a step beyond anecdotal evidence. I decided to take an inventory of all the Matchbox models on the pegs at 10 local... Continue Reading →
In the past few years, we’ve seen usually-staid Matchbox become more adventurous with some of their casting choices, including a few that have overlapped with the JDM hype that has dominated the Hot Wheels brand in recent years. Through hyped releases like the 5th Gen 4Runner and Mk5 Supra, I’ve seen an increasing awareness of... Continue Reading →
Calling a modern BMW ugly is a bit like calling the sky blue. Insulting their design language has become so common that it’s becoming a cliche, even if the insults are well-deserved. While models like the iX showcase the worst of BMW’s current beaver teeth, the BMW M2 stands out among the BMW lineup for... Continue Reading →
This time of year tends to be pretty slow in the diecast world, so it’s always exciting to see an update on some upcoming recolors. Plus, we’ve started to see Mix 7/G pop up at some retail locations, so we got a look at what it has to offer. Let’s jump right in! The most... Continue Reading →
If you’re a Matchbox collector, odds are you’re also a fan of diecast police cars. When the Dodge Durango first came to the Matchbox line a couple years ago, I was surprised to see a civilian version rather than a squad car. I didn’t have to wait long for a police version, though. Matchbox just... Continue Reading →
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