Matchbox Monday begins 2024 Batch L

Okay, I looked at this batch and thought to myself, I don't have time to do all of this in one go. As the year ends, the last few batches have been bulging at the seems, and it was just easier to split them in half. So, I took the 12 models of batch L and split them in 2. I tried to get a good mix of new castings, colours and types of vehicle into each report. So, without further ado, let's kick off this first half with....

A new casting. This is the MB1442 Blaze Buster II. It is a Matchbox originals casting, and debuts in the MB47 slot for 2024 in fire truck red.

Okay, first things first. This has a plastic body and a metal base. Yes, this is another of the switched parts, as the larger body section being lighter means it stays under a weight budget. Something that Mattel have on basic range models. Secondly, do you remember a few years ago, when Matchbox announced they were looking at a Rosenbauer Electric Fire Truck that was going to debut in the Collectors series in 2022? The 2022 series ended up with only 18 of the models released, with the MB1336 Rosenbauer Fire Engine and MB1339 '79 Freightliner FLT moved to 2023. The Freightliner was quick to arrive, coming in the first batch of the year. The Rosenbauer continued to get delayed. It was slotted in as part of the final batch of 2023, but when things continued to snag, they called it. It's not coming. However, when you look at that fire engine, it is fairly similar to this. I think what they did was to use the basis of the Rosenbauer, and then make a few tweaks and adjustments to it to alter it far enough away that it would not require any licence. I honestly do not know if it was originally a metal body and plastic base. After all, being planned for the Collectors series, they may have been looking at making it a premium exclusive, and heavier. Once the decision was made to go an originals route with it, they likely switched the parts around to allow it to be used in basics. After all, how many would go for a premium originals casting?

Next up, we come to the name. Blaze Buster II. I bet many collectors would think that they are paying homage to the classic Lesney Blaze Buster. But, no. Technically, Mattel registered a trademark on a Blaze Buster name to create the SB-87 Blaze Buster casting in 2010 for the Skybusters range. Because of that trademark, they have now trademarked the Blaze Buster II in the same vein, but now as a basic.

You can clearly see the TM logo on the base in the name. Notice how the TM logo comes before the II. This is because they don't need to trademark the II part, but simply continue to use the original trademark from 2010.  Legalities. Don't you love 'em!

So, what do I think about what they have done. Well, I do feel we are going back a bit again. Matchbox went a certain route in 2013, which ultimately led to a number of original castings taking over, and losing a lot of the realism that was making it more popular. After they phased them back out at the end of the decade, we had about half a decade of amazing castings. A few duds (like the MBX Mini Cargo Truck) were sprinkled in, but the range was really licence heavy. I was amazed at how they were able to get so many licences in there. I guess the bean counters have started to rein things in again. I have a feeling it was inevitable. And not surprising. It is sad to see. But not awful. I mean, I grew up in the 1970s, and they had a lot of original castings in the range then. The range ebbs and flows. Some points see a massive pull towards realism. Other times see them trying to change. At the end of the day, they always fail with the tweaks. We always end up going back to realism. However, this tweak is not looking as bad. As I said, this does look a lot like the Rosenbauer Electric Fire Truck that was due. So, it is quite realistic. I am not huge on the metal body thing. I know some are. But, if some models like this see a plastic body and metal base, I am not aggressively against it.

However, this does appear to be a 3-part build. Even with the plastic body. We are seeing body, window (which forms a part of the roof) and a base. The details are all there. However, making the roof hose out of the window piece? That looks a little weird. I would have been with the rest of the central section being a part of the window. It does give it a colour break. But, the hose looks weird in blue.

So that is one thing I am not sure on. The other is that large flat front end. I am guessing this is aiming to be an electric vehicle, and as such, these do tend to sport a more plain front end. But, I feel they should have thrown a little logo in the front. Honestly, I think an MBX logo breaking that front area up could have worked. Why not? I just feel that the front grille area, which is plain should not have been.

The rear end of the casting is great, and I love the tampo design. The "made up" Habberthorpe SY4 writing and yellow checks and crest sound very British, and gives this a final realistic look. So, how would I score it?Inclusion. Well, after a spate of licenced fire trucks, it does feel like a backwards move. And, to be honest, I think they went with a wrong name. I will get to that in a minute. I am going to give it a 5. Casting. It is quite small. I never mentioned that. 3 parts and a plastic body? Not the best. Plus, the front end and roof hose are not great. I am giving that a 4. Final look. Well, I can't complain about that. Red? Realistic design? Something that has been seen before as well? I will get to that as well. For this, I am giving it a 10. That gives it a total of 19 out of 30. That's not awful. So, the name?

As I mentioned, I bet many thought that the II was in relation to this? The MB22-C Blaze Buster. It debuted in the 1975 basic range, and ran worldwide until 1981, and continued as an ROW exclusive until 1983. When it first arrived, they gave it a white ladder.

But they didn't like white. So they changed it to black. Didn't like that either, so changed it again to yellow. This was all within a matter of months, so both white and black ladders are rare. By the end of 1975, it was a yellow ladder, and stayed yellow until the model was replaced in 1984!

In 1976, they thought it was best to start painting the base. So, they painted them black. Unpainted bases are classified as 1975s, although they did run into 1976. This was a common occurrence through the Lesney, Universal and Tyco eras. Not so much with Mattel.

1977 rolled around, and as was often the case with models, they gave up chroming things. In this case, the interior was now just plain white.

Although you might find minor shades, a major shade happened in 1980. They tweaked many parts. The red was now notably darker. The amber windows were an entirely different hue, and the ladder turned a dark yellow.

Even bases were not always black. Or should I say gloss black. A matte black and various other dark colours were also used.

Towards the end of its life in the basic range, and now as an ROW exclusive, we also saw our first alternate label. No. 32. This label was originally a part of the K-39 Superkings Snorkel Fire Engine, as a small label behind the doors, but found its way here towards the end. These were circa 1983.

After being dropped, the model was sent to Bulgaria for a year in 1986. I only have the 1, but there are many variations to find. 4 shades of red, yellow or white ladders/interiors (as far as I am aware they kept both the same each time), & silver or black base.

However, as I said, I felt that one of the more modern models could have been a basis for a new name. How about the MB897 Blaze Blaster? This debuted in the 2013 range in red.

And saw 2 different yellow releases in 2014. The basic range release was the one with black side hoses. The Mission Force Fire release had orange hoses.

With 2015 seeing 2 different basic range issues. Fluorescent yellow and National Parks mint green.

Or, the more obvious choice. Also from 2013, as the other "Blaze" model debuting, the MB881 Blaze Blitzer. Plus, that model debuted in the same livery as the new one did. I really feel that they should have gone with the Blaze Blitzer II name for this new casting. It was the most logical choice for a recurring name, with a recurring theme to boot.

Plus, that model is a similar looking sort of vehicle, with a hose on the top. But, a lovely hose, cast from the roof piece. That was a much better way of doing it. Am I the only one thinking Blaze Blitzer II was a missed opportunity?

Yep, they trademarked that name.

That model had a busy first year as well. Aside from the basic, it was also a part of the 60th Anniversary series in white.

2014 saw a few outings as well, although one, in white again, was a promotional one. It was the model chosen to be the 2015 Toy Fair promotion.

While a green issue was found both as a single and in the Fire Command 5-pack. It was good for a shade or 2.

While 2015 saw 2 red issues. Again, the basic range release was thrown in a 5-pack. Fire. This featured the yellow checked design. A further white chevron design was exclusive to the first year of Power Grabs.  That first year saw them packaged differently, in a set of 12 models with some pulled from elsewhere, but a couple of exclusive looks. After this, they went with a simple duplicating the basic range style that continues to this day.

The model was given just one more outing. In 2016, it was a final basic range look for Wilton. A real livery on an original casting. That was a good way to go out, but I am surprised it never saw any further action. For an original design, I thought this was pretty decent. To be honest. I prefer it to the new one.

After all that first truck talk, I think it is time to move on to another model. This is a Matchbox originals casting. The MB1243 MBX Field Car. Okay, I guess I could have mixed my releases up a little better. There were 2 non-licenced models in the batch, and I did them both together. But, I like this one. It takes the MB46 slot in the range and sports a repeated livery as well.

Coming in red with an Aspen Ski Holidays livery, this is giving me serious throwback vibes. I love all the retro stuff.

I am finding this easy to score. 10! You throw out a retro livery like this, and I am going to have a big smile on my face. As I said, I like the casting anyway, and this is my new favourite look for it.

I had to bring in the original. As you can see, the MB098 Ford Mini Pickup with canopy sported it between 1985 and 1989. The Field Car even sports a blue window, just like the original Ford did. Yes, there is no top tampo, but that is expected in this day and age. 2 passes through the tampo are the norm.

Running for 5 years did see a few changes, although the biggest one was only found in the US range, as the casting was run in the US range from 1982 through 1989, but ROW markets only saw a shorter 3-year run from 1985 through 1987. During that time, this look was the only one ROW markets saw.

Late in production, and as a US exclusive by now, the model was cost reduced from a metal to a plastic base in late 1989. There is a rare 1991 Thailand made multipack variant, where it used this livery. I am still looking for that one.

As I mentioned, it debuted in 1982, but only in the US range. The original look was a silver "Big Foot" model, and the earliest England made ones came with an unpainted base. The first runs had a stepped roof, but this was soon altered to a smooth roof. If you look hard enough, you will find variations, like this one with no top print.

Or, when they accidentally put the livery on the wrong model? It was the England factory. There was the MB107 casting with a roll bar instead of canopy. And, errm, well, they put a few together the wrong way. Funnily enough, the alternate never appeared. Just the canopy livery on roll bar model.

In 1983, after Universal took over the company, they moved production to Hong Kong, at which time it started to see a painted base. Then, when they realized the Hong Kong factory was only leased, they stopped that and moved everything over to Macau, where it saw the rest of 1983 and through 1984 production.

I would not say no to them doing the Big Foot livery as a retro look on a model. Idea for the future? The only other release was a UK promotion for SLD Pumps. This was in 1988. Being a promotional release, I don't expect this look to return. Although why a UK promotion went with this specifically US-type vehicle is beyond me?

A-ha! A licenced vehicle. Double-licenced? Well, I suppose technically, this is linked to each other. The MB1286 Tesla Model X appears in the MB75 slot in black. But, not just that, it is sporting a Space X livery and card art.

This is a real vehicle.

Although the model has 01 on it.

However, here is the unusual part. Check out the licence plates. 01 has YAYSP8C on it. 02 had CRW DR6N.

Look what is on the back of the model. CRW DR6N. However, if you were to Google the real vehicle, you would actually find the licence plate keeps changing. I guess they are having fun with a number of plates for the real vehicles, and I guess at the time of the livery, the 01 model had the CRW DR6N plate. So, I can't really knock points off for that, if SpaceX are busy switching things around willy-nilly. So, I am happy to overlook that fact. Aside from that, I think it is brilliant. Full tampo front, rear and sides. Ooh! They managed to squeeze in a little extra for this one. Although, the side print is just white, and when you notice the front is grey and white, the rear red and white, I think this was a clever manipulation of still doing 2 passes through the machine, but 2 prints, nudge the body and do a final print. Either way, I think this is an awesome release, which deserves a 10. Again, I think this is my favourite look for this model so far. Plus, I want to see them do an 02! Does the SpaceX company employ more Teslas in supporting roles? I want a range.

Plus, I finally have something tangible to showcase along the MB1301 SpaceX Dragon Capsule. It arrived in a special limited edition run in 2023 with a high level of tampo.

With a second release at the end of 2023, but technically as a 2022 basic range release. It ran a year late. But, just got in, in time. This was on an altered casting, and used much less tampo. There is also a Skybusters release in a larger scale, but as I don't collect those, I don't have 1 to show.

This model is technically a new casting, but it actually debuted earlier this year in the European Streets series. The MB1425 '23 Citroën ë-C4 arrives in the basic range now in the MB84 slot.

Obviously, I reviewed this model only a few months back (mid-September to be exact), when it actually debuted in the European Streets set.

Which means I already reviewed it. So, I am not going to again. So, for those who cannot remember, I scored this a 10 for inclusion, 7 for casting and 10 for inclusion. I also made mention of my hope for a variation when it arrives in the basic range.

So, let's bring in the European Streets model to compare.

As I hoped, there is a shade. The original run for European Streets is on the left here. It is a lighter teal than the new run on the right. It is the only variation I can see. Windows match, as does the tampo print. So, if you are like me and enjoy wacky shade variations, both are required. If you are the opposite, and enjoy packaging, then obviously you need the 2 as well. If you are anything else, you will probably be happy with 1.

Hey look, another French vehicle. It is not that often we have French cars in the range, but lately there are a few. I am loving that fact. It is about time the French car industry was better represented. This is the MB1216 '18 Renault Kangoo Express. Now in year 5 in the basic range, this comes in a really fun looking Hula Beach themed MB92 release.

I like this look. The orange is a really nice colour, and the beach vibe on the model is awesome. It is a shame they didn't release this earlier in the year. Wait, that works for the Northern Hemisphere. I guess coming at this time of the year in the Southern Hemisphere is about perfect.

I am giving this a 10. I love it. However, I am adding a caveat to that. If you remember, back in 2012, as Matchbox was first altering direction, they started coming out with many surfing and beach themed liveries on vehicles. Many were a little unusual. Surf Doc on the Cadillac Ambulance? A Hawaiian themed Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 Convertible? Yes, they went overboard with it before. But, when you sprinkle odd ones in like this, I really enjoy them. If they suit the model well, I say bring us more.

Let's do one more dive. And, for the first time in this blog report, I am simply going back through the history of this casting. It debuted in the 2020 range in white, with an Agave Acres side design, courtesy of Michael Heralda.

For 2021, it was brown with a locksmith theme. This was unusual as it was in English on one side, and German on the other. What? No French? This was also repeated in the 2024 European streets series.

Mind you, there was a French exclusive Best of France issue in 2021, repeated in 2022. Shades of yellow could be found.

2022 saw a white Shell liveried basic range release.

And 2023 saw a blue Goodyear liveried basic range release. I also love the real liveries on the sides.

This is not the only 2024 outing, as the white Crispy Cleaners issue was in the MBX City Drivers IV 5-pack.

Not including carry forwards, we have seen 7 different looks for this one so far. I am still up for more. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next. Original design or licenced livery?

And now, it is time for the final model. And another new casting. This is the MB1427 '22 Jeep Wagoneer. It takes the MB97 slot in the range in dark red.

Yes, I know, this batch saw 2 Jeep Wagoneer debuts. I decided to split them in my reports. This is the modern one. The WS model code Wagoneer is officially a 4th generation, although the 2nd and 3rd were more upscale Cherokees. This is only the second true Wagoneer. I guess it is only proper that they made this.

And, I have to say, this model is gorgeous! I am loving it. This is a proper model, made up of a metal body and lovely clear windows and a tan interior. The casting has been expertly constructed. This model has been created by Abe Lugo, and this is further proof of his genius in small scale. I cannot see anything here to fault it.

The model comes in this lovely red. Jeep calls it Velvet Red. It is a real colour option direct from Jeep, and sports a simple front and rear tampo print. These are both expertly done, and makes the model even more realistic. This is exactly what I want in my Matchbox models.

The only thing (apart from the wheel design, but they are the best option from what they have available) that is not a realistic part is that interior. The tan is not a real colour option on the Wagoneer. It is black or grey. But, I think the tan looks better in miniature. It matches the velvet red so well. Maybe Jeep should take a leaf out of Matchbox books and create a tan leather interior option for the velvet red paint.

I am very impressed with this. It is solid, feels fairly heavy, and likely just coming in under their weight limit by a fraction. Pushing the limit as far as they can. And I applaud them for that. Inclusion? Love a Jeep. I have to give this a 10. Casting. Perfect. Another 10. Design. Better than what Jeep themselves can do. 11. No, wait, I can only go to 10. So, a pretty much perfect way to end this report. 30 out of 30. What a debut. This one has a bar to reach.

And as I show the last base shot, I believe I am done with another report. Part 2 of this batch will be coming in 2 weeks.

Technically, there are 3 new castings showcased here, although one did arrive early.

With 3 slightly older castings sporting some incredible looks.

So, as these head off, my thoughts turn to next week. And more importantly, what next week is. I believe there is a certain event taking place at some point during the week. Yes, we are talking about my Top 10 awards for 2024. Oh, wait, you were thinking of another event? Well, I suppose people may be celebrating something else. So, with that in mind, I decided to take a week off from new stuff on here, and as I was having fun diving back to a few classics here, I thought I would dive back through more next week. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.