Matchbox Monday absolutely adores 2026 Moving Parts batch A

I am loving this batch! I am putting this straight out there. I have a funny feeling that I might already be seeing some contenders for my next Top 10s list coming next Christmas. Yes, batch A of the Moving Parts series is just loaded with awesome models. And I am happy to see that we have 7 of them in this first batch. Still no sign of extending the range beyond 50 (+ the Super Chases), and things will continue to be released across 8 batches (hoping we don't see a batch of 8 with a Super Chase added on top). But, I am still hoping that one day the range will be extended beyond 50. I pray for a 75-series akin to the classic era of the brand. Plus, make the assortments larger. 8 per box? In this case, it means that 1 of the 7 models will be doubled up. It is a shame they don't make models in equal quantities, and then the "extra" could be a random pick from the 7. The problem is, if they choose a bad one, which may be perhaps the slowest seller in the batch, it could cause a blockage on pegs. Anyway, enough mf my yearly rant about the state of Moving Parts, I should get on with checking out the 7 models. 

And I begin with the first new casting of the 2026 year that I am reviewing, as last week's basic half batch did not include any of the new ones. It is the MB1579 '64 Porsche 911. It debuts in blue as number 1 in the range. 

So, first new casting to review of 2026? Yes, I am calling it. I think this may be my number 1 new casting of the year. They have rocketed out of the door with an absolute stunner of a casting. Gary Gopinath was talking to me about his little masterpiece at the 2025 Gathering. I had a look at the FEP sample on show at the event, and I mentioned it to him that this could end up being my favourite of the year. After all, it is a Porsche 911. My favourite car of all time. And what they have done is go back to the start. The 1964 model year was the debut year for the car, that was initially going be known as 901, but was changed last minute due to Peugeot kicking up a fuss over the number system with a 3-digit and "0" in the middle. 82 examples were made that said 901 before it was changed to 911, pronounced nine-eleven. The real vehicle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the son of Ferdinand Porsche, who was the son of Ferdinand Porsche who started the company. Yes, Dr Ferdinand Porsche had a son, and called him Ferdinand as well. He was known as Ferry. He too had a son, and called him Ferdinand. He tended to be known as Butzi. And they all continued on with the family business. Butzi had children. Guess what he called his first born son? Ferdinand! It's tradition. As is the Porsche look. You can see how they all look just a little like the VW Beetle. After all, Dr Ferdinand Porsche designed that back in the 1930s before starting his own company. And the 911 has been in continuous production now for over 60 years. It gets makeovers, but still has a distinct look that captivates many people (like me). 

It is very nice to see that they have finally done a classic. After all, the first 911 was the MB003 Porsche 911 Turbo in 1978. Also known as a Porsche 930, this was a 1975-89 era 911. We have not had an "O" series, as the original is sometimes referred to as, before. You can instantly tell that this is the original shape. Garry has captured the lines beautifully. 

Along with the way the front bumper section works. I have been cross-referencing this casting alongside pictures of real 1964s (sadly I do not own a real one), and can see absolutely nothing that he could have done differently. 

I know there are some people who have been pointing out lately that some Matchbox models look a little too thin. This is a peculiar quirk of shrinking them down. By making them quite thin, they are actually creating them more correctly. Usually, a model will get slightly fattened in miniature size to make them look a bit better. But, if they keep the length and width ratios the same when shrinking, this is how a model would look. Quite thin! They are keeping the dimensions more in check. Which I think is a good thing. It actually makes them more realistic. 

The rear of this opens to show off the engine that has been lovingly recreated inside. Just look at all the detailing. It is freaking awesome! 

I just cannot fault this in any way. I am loving it. Even the debut colour is fantastic. Sky Blue was an early 911 colour option, and it has been perfectly replicated here. The tan interior works so well, and I think the disc wheels were a great choice. 

The model gets 4 passes through the tampo machine. Front, rear, opening hatch and engine. It is just beautiful. 

So, is it worth doing scores? I think you already know the answers. Inclusion. 10. Casting. 10. Design. 10. I would score more if I could. Maximum scores, across the board. As I said, I think this could end up being my new casting of the year. The 2026 model year has a long, LONG way to go, but I think it's all downhill from here! Ha ha!

It is new, so it gets the obligatory base shot before I move on.

I have noticed that the Moving Parts series is also moving from the first numbers onwards, with just a few random gaps as they go on. It appears there is a little more stability with the numbering system this year. After number 1, we have number 2. Another outing for the MB1255 '20 BMW M4 Cabriolet. It's purple!

It says so, right there on the license plate. Ha ha! Purple Silk is a special BMW colour option, although I think it is a little different to this. But, I always say, they don't have to be real colours. I think this one is very unique. It stands out. However, do you notice that the driver's door is starting to mis-align more. It has always been slightly mis-aligned, especially as the passenger door is perfectly aligned. But, I think it is starting to become more noticeable now. 

Of course, if you are careful, you can get it to line up. Abe Lugo created this casting and it debuted in 2021, and since then, all releases have followed the same pattern. Tampo printing front and rear only. This is similar to a basic range model, but in all honesty, we don't really need any more on this one. I think it works just perfectly. 

The white interior is a nice contrast, and the doors do still open and close smoothly. If they could just look at the driver's door and line it up a little better. Due to the door, I can't score this a perfect 10. I want to. I really like this colour. But, I will give it a 9, as they need to fix the casting. 

As I mentioned, it debuted back in 2021 in blue. You could find shades on both the body and the window that year. 

In 2022, the white version was also good a for a shade or 2. Just on the body this time. 

In 2023, it came in red. I never found a shade there. 

And, after taking 2024 off, it was back in 2025 in yellow. 

Which means that this is the 5th outing for this one. I think that is pretty good going for a Moving Parts core release. And I like that the colours just seem to be getting brighter with each release. 

Next up, we skip number 3 (the VW ID Buzz is in the next batch), and jump to number 4 now, with the second outing for the MB1537 '24 Lexus GX. It comes in grey this year. 

Lexus calls this Incognito. It is one of the official colour options on the GX. Again, we are seeing simple front and rear tampo prints on this model. But, what is even more noticeable this time is just how the cowl at the front of the window stands out. I think Garry Gopinath made a great choice by creating it that way, as it is an extension of the window piece, but is much thicker, giving it a very dark appearance. 

Now, as much as I cannot argue with the tampos that are present, I have to say, it is missing something. 

You see, this model has opening doors. 

But, when it debuted last year in earth, the side was given a little tampo hit. Of course, that meant body and doors were done differently. I wonder if they are leaving this blank to save some tampo hits to be used elsewhere. Honestly, they do have overall limits, and if they can eke out a lower hit count on one model, it can be assigned elsewhere on a model that really needed a little extra. They do really see big picture. We tend to look model by model. Lament something missing on one. But, they may have sacrificed something somewhere to achieve something better elsewhere. So, although I am thinking there is a reason behind it, I am still scoring this a 9 out of 10. I do think the 6-spokes look better than the double 10-spokes. But, neither really suit it perfectly. 

I wonder when we will get the green one? Lexus doesn't have a lot of official colours for this vehicle. Black, white, dark blue, 3x greys and a green one. 

Number 5 in the series is the MB1549 '16 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in red. 

Can I call it again? While the Porsche may be my number 1 new casting of the year, if you read my Top 10 lists of 2025, you will see that this casting was number 1 last year. I thought to myself that the only way they could have improved on it was to make it red. Hello! Red is my favourite colour. And it looks as good as I thought it would on this. Garry Gopinath showed me it last year at the Gathering. It wasn't part of the display. It was his pocket car. He said it was due early 2026. He wasn't lying. First batch. I think it is stunning. 

We get simple front and rear tampo prints on the Jeep itself. I could not ask for more. They didn't need anything on the sides here. 

And with those doors that open and close so sweetly, and the lovingly detailed surfboards, I am loving this one more than the debut. My number 1 model of 2025 just got an improvement! A perfect 10 again. This is why I said this batch was so good. I think I have 2 contenders for my year end listings already. 

While the surfboards are the same beige, they do now get a 2-colour tampo hit. See, they even upped the ante on that. 

You may notice that the tampo faces the alternate direction on the new release. I have no idea why. I don't think there is a need to keep the direction the same. 

At least I know which surfboards go on which Jeep. Red on the... errr... Dammit! I can't wait to see what we get for its next release. 

Now we move on to number 6 in the series. The MB1162 '04 Honda S2000. It returns after taking 2025 off in white. 

They have gone a little left field with the design on this one. A bit of a change to the norm. I like it when they mix things up a bit. I don't want all releases like this, but sometimes a jazzy look makes a refreshing change. And in this case, I think they have done a great job with it. We have a solid white car, with a red interior and red wheel rims. A matte black hood adorns the front, and the tampo print is mainly made up of red and black colours. 

This does mean that there is no front or rear print. But, once in a while I can live with this. Not every release has to have front and rear tampo. 

Even the engine is made up or red and black tampo printing. Smoke windows as well? There is a definite theme here, and I think this all works very well together. Honestly, as the front headlights are made from the window piece (something they should try and do more), we only used to get the Honda badge detailed on the front. A tiny "H". Was it really worth the tampo hit? The rear? When we get models that see side printing, I tend to allow for a lack of rear tampo. I know that was mainly because of the basic range, but even on Moving Parts. They are still core issues. We get 3 passes through the tampo machine here, and I think it is fine. I would have like the rear to be detailed as well, but I am okay with it. I will still score this a 10. Yes, I am that fickle. I like the side design. There are a number of logos, and they include real ones, like Falken and B&M (the US car parts company, not the UK discount store). I think this looks cool. I like it. It's different. 

If you remember this one debuting, it was part of the Superfast series in 2019. It came in a simple yellow look, and originally had a logo on the rear corner, but it was deleted for later runs. 

It saw a second premium issue in the 2021 Collectors series. This time it was in red. You might notice how both were still fairly simple in their execution. Mainly front and rear tampos, alongside the engine detail. The yellow did see a little extra detail on the side, but the red didn't.

It was also added to Moving Parts that year in white. Although this was a metallic white, and good for a shade. 

In 2022, it was given a special green outing in a Japanese exclusive series in picture boxes with J numbers, paying homage to the classic Lesney Japanese box models. 

It saw nothing in 2023, but a blue one appeared in the 2024 Moving Parts series.

This does mean that this is only the 3rd regular Moving Parts outing. 6th overall, with the Japanese exclusive issue and 2 premiums. I think we should get a number of new looks before this retires. But, due to the limited slots, I have a feeling it won't be next year. 

Next up, we have the lovely little MB1541 '91 Mitsubishi Pajero in green in the number 7 slot. 

This was pretty high up in my Top 10 lists of 2025 when it debuted. I loved this casting. Garry Gopinath doe the majority of Moving Parts nowadays, and he is making some incredible castings. This one is gorgeous. I know some may be cringing when I say Pajero. Especially if Spanish is their first language. They know it as the Monteiro, which sounds much nicer. For 2026, it comes in Belize Green, an official Mitsubishi colour option. Funnily enough, real ones are often found with the lighter tan cladding around the lower edges than the grey we have here. But, grey can also be found. I think the grey looks really nice. I think it suits the green better than the tan does. And well done on getting a great match between door tampo and the plastic on the rest. They have been getting better with this lately. Matching paint and plastic. 

The model does see 4 tampo hits in total. The front end is detailed, and if you look through the bull bar, you do see the triple diamond in there. They did not skimp. Very well done. 

The rear gets the same license plate as the 2025 debut did. I hope they mix things up there in the future. I don't know if people know what the 4D56T is. It is a code for the inline 4 cylinder 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine. They did their homework. I think this is stunning. I prefer this to the debut release as well. I can see this making my year end top 10 of new looks. This batch is just awesome! Another 10 out of 10 from me. 

Well, I had to show off my prepro. I won this at the 2025 Gathering. 

As I said, the debut saw the exact same tampo, right down to the same license plate detail. 

I definitely want many more of these. I just hope next time, they come up with something fun for the license plate. Maybe "Lo Siento" (Spanish for sorry). You know, Pajero! Sorry again for any Spanish readers. Lo siento!

We arrive at the last model in the batch. We skipped number 3 this time, and instead, we get number 13. The MB1528 '24 Dodge Charger Daytona. Or is that Dodge Charger R/T? Last year the model debuted as Daytona R/T, but the base just had R/T. Now the packaging has dropped R/T. It's the '24 Dodge Charger. 

Hmm! We do get a little R/T logo on the side. Yes, it's still the R/T. This stands for Road/Track. It's a performance package. The dark blue colour option is something that Dodge Calls "After Dark". It's a very dark blue. We have seen this before on a Matchbox Charger. This does mean that some of the tampo detailing gets a little lost. Do you notice the black roof? It's there. Black on dark blue doesn't stand out that well. 

Perhaps a higher position. Ah, you see it now? The rear end detailing is what we expect, and the Daytona added to the base section is still there. This means that this does get 4 passes. 2 at the back, the roof and the front. I think they likely manipulated things to get the R/T logo on the sides. They would not have done them as a separate pass. Likely front and 1 side, roof and the other side in one go. 

While this is a real colour option, and does look nice, I do feel it doesn't pop as well as the debut did. It is not as nice. I will give this a 9. 

I really liked the debut look last year in "Redeye". 

I think this would have been better in actual black. Or, as Dodge calls it, Diamond Black. However, aside from the "White Knuckle", which will stand out, I really hope they give us the "Peel Out" colour. It's a bright, funky orange. Now that will stand out. 

Oh, have I just got to the end of my reviews? 9s and 10s. A stellar batch, featuring the new casting of the year (placeholder, but likely unchallenged). 

Along with 4 more castings on year 2. 2 were better than the debuts (at the front), 2 were worse (at the back). 

And a pair of convertibles that have been with us for a number of years, and seen quite a bit of action, for moving parts castings. 

So, as these head off to join my collection, I look ahead to next week, and a chance to finish off the first basics of the 2026 model year. More new castings. Spoiler alert, none are better than the Porsche here. What do you mean, hardly a spoiler? Ha ha! Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.