Recolours and new models - could the future of Matchbox look bright?

I have been the first to slam Mattel for the direction that they have been guiding the Matchbox brand - it has been an utter disaster for 2012. You can see a mile off how the funding for diecast has gone into Hot Wheels  rather than Matchbox - and the so-called re-brand has been a f**king joke.

However:

there is evidence to the otherwise - have a look at these pictures from the latest Ambassador report (yes, we finally have some more detail!).

My God, some of these castings look fantastic - and credit must be given to Ray Alder from the MB Design team for pushing through the change - note that MB65 London Taxi was a garish tampoed failure, whereas the re-colour is simply a gem.

I like the Z4 and the Exige stands out as a very good model indeed. I am not that bothered by the Buick police car - one for Americans I think, but the new Oshkosh casting (in green, big 4WD oojamaface) is really exciting.

The Gathering is a couple of weeks away - I await to see what this brings to the collectors table. But for the moment, I am pleasantly surprised.

Maybe there is a future for the brand after all.

 
 Buick Century Police Car (1956)

Oshkosh Military (above)

Ford Police Interceptor

Bburago's 1/43 Abarth Punto

I do like the fact that Bburago still has agreements with Fiat and Abarth.

I have one of the best value 1/43's around that being my 131 Abarth in Alitalia livery and also the Abarth 500.

The Punto Abarth is another good VFM casting from this stable. Colours are re-created accurately and has the official Abarth badging is ever present.

What a refreshing change to see esuch models being thought about and produced rather than the endless Ferrari's, Lambos and other high end cars.

I am continually impressed with these offerings - long may it continue.

Hot Wheels 1968 Copo Camaro

Keeping up with random Americana within the Garage, is this Chevrolet Camaro COPO.

A GM corporate edict forbade Chevrolet from installing engines larger than 400 cu in (6.6 l). Requests from dealers who were dealer-installing 427 cu in (7.0 l) engines in the Camaro caused Chevrolet to use an ordering process usually used on fleet and special orders (taxis, trucks, etc.) to offer 427 engines in the Camaro. Two Central Office Production Orders (COPO), numbers 9560 and 9561, were offered in the 1969 model year. The COPO 9561 option brought the solid lifter L72 big-block engine, making an underrated 425 hp (317 kW) gross. Dealer Don Yenko ordered 201 of these cars to create the now-legendary Yenko Camaro. Other dealers also became aware of the L72 engine package and ordered it. Around 1,015 Camaros were fitted with the L72 engine option

Hot Wheels BMW M3 GT2

Another interesting model from the 2012 HW range. There is not a of detail to it, but with a little imagination and a steady hand, I am very sure that extended detail can be added such as rear lights and such.

It does STILL amaze me how HW can produced licensed models like these and Matchbox cannot - I sound like a cracked record, but it annoys me - in saying that we do get a BMW motorcycle for the 1-120 range....

Aston Martin Fiesta???

I can't help but think that the direction of the new Ford cars seems to be coping established designs.

For example, the new Fiesta and Mondeo seem to have borrowed the new nose from Aston Martin......it is just too much of a striking resemblance.

First of all it is a Ford - not an Aston. It will drive like a Ford - not an Aston. It is priced like a Ford - not an Aston.

For me, the nose is not unique enough to make the car stand out - the same can also be applied to the Mk7 Golf.

Have designers really run out of ideas? 

Vanguards 1/43 Ford Fiesta XR2i

The XR2 was the second vehicle to roll out of Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) plant at Dunton in Essex, hence the XR2 tag. Their first project was the 2.8i V6 Capri which although never given the XR tag was the mythical XR1. Their instructions for the design of the XR2 were simple; major changes to the transmission or chassis were not allowed but the car was to be capable of a top speed of 100mph+.

The XR2 used the 1600cc Kent engine already in use in the American Fiesta. The XR2 was given a 32/34 Weber DFT carburettor and a mildly up-rated 4 speed manual gearbox. The brakes benefited from ventilated discs at the front although the rear still used drums. The car was fitted with up-rated and slightly lower suspension and a rear anti-roll bar although surprisingly a front anti roll bar was never used. Also up-rated were the wheels and tyres. The wheels fitted were 13x6 and were the first generation of the "Pepper Pot" design, they were fitted with 185x60 tyres which helped to give the car more grip on the road. The appearance of the car was improved with the square headlights and indicators being replaced by round headlights and the indicators being mounted in the bumper. The front end of the car was also improved with the addition of spot lights and the bumper gaining a set of over-riders.

All this made for a very impressive looking car, which at just £5500 proved to be very popular with approximately 20,000 being sold in the UK by the time the Mk2 was introduced in 1984. But it wasn't just about looks, the engine kicked out 84bhp which could drive from 0 to 60 in just 9.5 seconds and then on to a top speed of 105mph!

Another good use of a casting by Hornby. Like the MkII Granada, I have been waiting for this model to appear in the range for a while as well.

Hornby/Corgi have pretty much got this one spot-on. Tampo's are well placed, the pepper-pot wheels are well re-created and I do love the way that the rear fog light hangs off the backside of the car as it did in real life - good attention to detail here.

As the 1.1L and XR2i have now been done, there are others in the range that may warrant inclusion such as the 1.3 Ghia, 1.1 Popular Plus and also the lesser 957cc base model. also ho[ping that the Fiesta Van makes an appearance....

Matchbox 5-pack

I am not a fan of the 5 and 10 packs that are released every year by Matchbox - some collectors lap them up as it is a variation on a model, but I tend to stick with the pure 1-75 range (sorry make that 120) as a collection.

BUT, there is an exception to the rules and this is one of them. I really liked the models included in this pack, and it also gave me a chance to see some of the models out of the blister as I do not normally remove them from the packaging.

I am not a fan of the Fisker Karma at all as a car, but I do think that it is a good inclusion as it is something different and a hark back to the old days when the not known were within the line up (MB75 Alfa Carabo anyone?)

Lotus and Caddy Estate are fine, but the two that really appeal are the VE SS Ute and the Dodge Charger. These tow models - for me - represent what can be achieved by Mattel when they really want to - just the right amount of tampo on each model and both are well produced castings. So much so, they are sitting on my desk at work.

Moving forward, I think I will be getting 5 or 10 packs for the nipper when he is a bit older, as they represent good VFM. I won't be sorry to see them bashed up or chipped - after all they are toys. But perhaps when there are a couple that catch Daddy's eye, some shrewd Jedi mind tricks may have to be employed.