The Convoys from Matchbox were always among my favorite toys growing up. There’s just something about a big truck that captures a young car enthusiast's imagination. I would set up obstacle courses to try to steer my big rigs through, then practice backing them up to a loading dock to fill them up with whatever... Continue Reading →
When the Matchbox team decided to revamp and grow the Moving Parts line a few years ago, many of the early castings were pretty rough. The opening parts caused panel gaps that were far too big, color match between the main body and the opening part was often poor, and the mechanisms for the moving... Continue Reading →
It’s finally the best time of the year! No, not Christmas – it’s the Diecastleno Top 5 season! At the end of every year, I round up my favorite diecast models from each of the major product lines and organize them into an algorithm-pleasing numbered list. This year, I’m kicking things off with the Matchbox... Continue Reading →
It’s been a slow few months for Matchbox news, as product has slowly been trickling into stores for the holiday season but relatively few new products have been teased on the @matchboxworld Instagram. The last two weeks have had some interesting tidbits though, so let’s dive in for a better look at all the new... Continue Reading →
Since they debuted a few years ago, Matchbox’s super chase models have always felt a bit lacking to me. Where Hot Wheels $upers are often an upgraded, more premium version of the mainline they replace, Matchbox’s super chase models often feel like a downgrade over their mainline counterparts due to the addition of unnecessary side... Continue Reading →
The Mk5 VW Golf GTI casting is one of my favorite Matchbox models of all time, so I’m stoked to see this Mk8 Golf GTE debut as the perfect purple successor to my beloved Mk5. Add in my affinity for hot hatches, and this seems to be the perfect Matchbox model for me. So, how’d... Continue Reading →
It’s not often that I write two back-to-back Matchbox News posts, but Matchbox dropped such an enormous mix of exciting recolors and five pack models that I couldn’t help but take a deep dive into them. I’ll get back to my normal reviews and showcases in a couple days, but first let's jump into these... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
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