Matchbox Monday can "C" the start of 2026 batch C

We are working our way through the 2026 Matchbox basic range pretty quickly. It's already the turn of batch C of the basic range. That means, we are roughly a quarter of the year's models released already. Give or take. It is not the largest of batches, but it still just about gets to the point of me splitting it in 2. However, as I continue working my way through in number order, the first 5 I am reviewing are all fairly recent castings. So, there is not much to dive back on. I managed to eke out a second dive back on one of them. Because, why not? Just pad the report a little. But, before I get to that one, I start off with a brand new casting. 

And this one has been a short while coming. Some may have seen some sneak peeks of upcoming stuff sometime in 2025, with this casting being one of the new ones coming then. You can tell from the MAN number, MB1499, that the '25 Polestar 5 was part of the tooling for 2025 items. However, as we were not privy to the final castings that were due last year, we did not really notice that this switched with the MB1596 '68 Ford Mustang. Hence the Mustang having a MAN number in the midst of the 2026 tooling. Sometimes they incur a delay behind the scenes, and a model may get delayed.  Luckily, the Mustang was ahead of schedule, so slotting it in the empty space being created was a no-brainer. But, better late than never. The Polestar debuts in white in the MB21 slot for 2026. As you can see, this one came in a power grab box. Wheel Collectors received both long card and power grabs for the batch. 

This is the second casting that Matchbox has created from the Polestar Group, after the MB1536 '24 Polestar 3 debuted in Moving Parts in 2025. As we know, Polestar are fairly new to the market. Their first vehicle, the Polestar 1, debuted in 2019. And, this Swedish company makes things very easy, every time they release a new car, they simply add another number. The Polestar 5 is their 5th vehicle, and debuted in 2025. A Polestar 6 sports car is due, hopefully, by the end of 2026 in real life, and a Polestar 7 compact SUV is being planned for 2028. The larger number does not mean a larger vehicle. I wonder if Matchbox will endeavor to make those 2 in the future? 

Now, on to the model itself, this was created by Abe Lugo, and appears to be a very good representation of the real vehicle. One of the things that immediately struck me was the wing mirrors. These are unusually well detailed for a model of this type. Usually, we get a simple piece sticking out the side. But, just as the real vehicle has quite an unusual wing mirror, so does the model. Mind you, the real vehicle is quite unusual in general. After all, Polestar have created it with a panoramic sunroof that stretches over the top and starts to head down towards a rear.... wait.... no rear window. 

Yes, the real vehicle has no rear window. The Matchbox model has captured the slightly unusual look perfectly. This does give the rear this rather unusual look. The way the rear has been created is spot-on. Now, the real vehicle has a small camera at the end of the panoramic sunroof. It is extremely small in real life. The fact that it is not really visible here sort of makes sense. At this size, I don't think it would be noticeable. If they had tried to capture the camera in the casting, I think it would have actually looked out of place. 

That split front lighting system is how real Polestars come. The casting lines are deep, and I can see them holding their own for a number of years. Being an electric vehicle, front ends are often a little bland. Polestar does not really stand out against others. But, weirdly, it is not that bad. And the model has captured the essence of the real vehicle very well. I am impressed with Abe's work here. 

I must admit, I am so thankful that they have gone the good route here in having the sunroof as part of the window, but the side pillars and roof line are still part of the metal body. I am not a fan of the window forming the whole roof section, as seen on a number of castings recently. 

When it comes to the design, they have started off with a simple white. Polestar calls this Snow. However, unless Polestar does something about it, this could very quickly lead to issues. The real vehicle comes in 4 colours! That's it. Space (black), Storm (dark grey), Magnesium (silver) and Snow (white). We have had 1. Three more and we are done. Even Tesla had more variety, and I thought they were stingy with their offerings. The Polestar 3 adds Midnight (dark blue) to the mix, Polestar 2 adds Dune (off-white) and Vapour (solid grey), and Polestar 4 has Electron (mid-grey) as options. Could these be borrowed for the Matchbox Polestar 5 in future years? Or will Polestar give us some new colours for vehicles. Seriously, what's wrong with red?

I have to admit, I cannot fault this one. I am always happy to add a new manufacturer to the mix. I know Matchbox are trying to push more electric vehicles into the range, and seeing different manufacturers used (not just every Tesla known to exist) is definitely a better option. So, for inclusion, I am giving this a 10. We had a Polestar in Moving Parts. This is the first basic. Casting? Abe did wonders. I am extremely impressed with his handiwork here. Another 10. Design. Faultless. Another 10. Whoa! A perfect score. 30 out of 30. Not bad for a new casting. 

Oh look, the base shot is another giveaway. A copyright of 2024? Yes, this was a little slow in getting here. It was worth the wait. 

So, the second model in this little group of 5 is the MB1504 '21 Lexus LC500. It takes the MB25 slot for 2026 in blue. 

I do find it funny. We finally get a model of the LC500, as the real vehicle debuted in March 2017 as a 2018 model, and Lexus announce that it will stop production in August 2026. There will be no 2027 variant. Typical. Although, there is nothing to stop the Matchbox model continuing on for a while longer. I think it is a lovely little model. It only debuted last year, and is another of Abe's creations. This model appears to be close to the limited edition Structural Blue that was offered a few years back in real life. As with the previous issue, we see front and rear tampo detailing, and the light smoke windows work very well here, off-setting the white interior. And white interiors are an option on these. It looks very nice like this. 

They went with regular chrome on the wheels. That looks fine to me. I do wonder if we are due a new modern wheel design for vehicles like this? This wheel has been with us since 2006! But, that is not a detraction from this model. I am giving this a perfect 10 as well. 

I did see a little shade variation in blue between long card and power grab box. Plus, do you notice the interior is also a different tint?

One is a more solid white, with the other being a very mild translucent look. That is the only way I can describe them. Either way, I have 2. 

I think this model is a perfect complement to the debut last year in dark red. They both look extremely classy. 

And it is things like this that I am very thankful for as a Matchbox collector. Realistic vehicles in realistic colours with realistic designs. I can't wait to see what they come out with next on this one. 

Next up, we have the MB1490 '25 Ram 1500 REV. It appears in the 2026 range in the MB27 slot and comes in red. 

This is one of those awkward models. Slated to begin production in late 2024 as a 2025 model, Stellantis delayed it, and then pivoted it away from being an electric vehicle. The 1500 REV is now going to be a plug-in hybrid and production is scheduled to begin in late 2026 as a 2027 vehicle. Which means that this sort of joins the Tesla Roadster as a vehicle that came out as a toy well before the real vehicle did. Although, if this does begin in late 2026, it will be well ahead of the Tesla. We are still waiting on that one. Scheduled to start in 2020, it has been nudged back and back, and zzzzzzzzz. Oh, right, I think they are now saying 2027. Until it gets moved again. Now, as a casting, Abe created another blinder, and this red model looks much nicer than last year's blue. However, as these are pre-dating the real production, I can't say if this is going to be a real colour option. If not, it should be. As I said with the Polestar, what's wrong with red? It looks lovely here. We also have a matching interior. Which means that the wheel arches are matching the body. 

You can still see the red rear lights depicted. Great job there with the detailing. I think this is a a lovely release. Of course, this is still based on the fully electric REV that was canned. No exhaust pipe. But, I don't expect them to retool this one to include a little pipe sticking out the back. Perhaps they should just say this is a concept. One that I will be happy to see further uses for a number of years. It is one of the nicer pickups in the range. I am giving this one a 10 as well. Jeez! Everything so far is perfect. 

I did like the blue, but the red is so much nicer. I prefer this year's blue Lexus to last year's red. What works well on one vehicle may not work quite so well on another. But, I do think red will work on a Polestar!

As I said, just think of this as a concept vehicle, and continue making new ones for a number of years. I will be happy with that. 

Next up on the docket is a much older vehicle. A 2024 casting. Ha! This is the MB1440 '23 Ford Police Interceptor. The first one in this report that was not an Abe Lugo creation. Garry Gopinath created this casting, and it takes the MB28 slot for 2026 in silver. 

a recurring theme silver at that. Yes, I love recurring themes, and this Skybusters logo and blue stripes has adorned a few vehicles over the years. Which ones? Let's see, we have the....

MB821 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor in the 2020 basic range. This one was even more fun due to the wheel variation to be found. 

Then there was the MB1198 '94 Chevy Caprice Classic Police in the 2022 range with the same look. 

And last year, we saw the MB1140 '06 Ford Crown Victoria Police sport this look in the Moving Parts series. 

That means this is the 4th outing for this design theme. Plenty of scope for more. The MB969 '93 Ford Mustang LX SSP. MB1021 '15 Ram 1500 Police. MB751 Subaru Impreza Police. MB1049 '15 Subaru WRX STi. MB1046 '51 Hudson Hornet. MB1180 '59 Dodge Coronet Police. MB987 '78 Dodge Monaco. MB1491 '23 BMW i4 Police Sedan. MB966 BMW M5 Police. MB872 BMW X5 Police. MB933 Dodge Charger Pursuit. MB1509 '23 Dodge Charger Pursuit. These are just some ideas for future issues. 

However, did you notice the one thing that is actually going to downgrade this one? What happened to the light blue window? it doesn't match! Doh! Had it sported a light blue window like the others did, this would have been another perfect score. But, when we get recurring themes, I do like certain elements to roll through each one. Seeing a smoke window ruins this one. Well, it doesn't ruin it. But it is a let-down. So, I am knocking a point off. Shame on them for letting this slip through. 

Although, it may be simply that Ford said no to the blue window. It can happen. But, I stick by my 9. This is the 2024 debut in white, with a recurring theme for Peel Regional Paramedic Services.

And in 2025, it also saw a recurring San Diego Police theme. 

So, 3 releases in, and we have 3 recurring themes. But, as you notice, all 3 do sport the same smoke window. It may have been Ford who ruined the aesthetic of the light blue window on this design. Although, as I noted down loads of potential releases for this theme, I do hope they get a blue window. 

And this brings me to the last model in this particular blog. The MB1289 Road Roller. This is the older model in this particular batch. A whopping 5 years old! It debuted in 2022. It takes the MB29 slot in another recurring theme; INC!

The INC Construction recurring theme is one of the longest running themes, debuting back in 2012. We have had over 3 dozen of these over the years. We were close to getting the MB1228 '57 Dodge Sweptside in 2023. I don't know why that got canned. But, it continues on with the Road Roller being the latest recruit. Blue, yellow and grey. They are the 3 major parts of this look, and all 3 are in full effect here. 

I admit to not being a big construction vehicle fan. But, when we get a bunch of them in recurring themes like this, it does bring a smile to my face. And this does. I love it! So, I can see no reason not to award this a perfect 10 as well. Now, who do I talk to about that dodge Sweptside?

Much like the Ford just reviewed, this one is also a model with an array of recurring themes. When it debuted in 2022, it came in the Matchbox City theme. 

2023 was a little different, as this was paying homage to the first Lesney basic vehicles with the red and green design. 

And in 2024, it was given the Matchbox Construction recurring theme. 

With 2025 giving us the recurring Freeway Services white design in the basic range. 

5 releases in, and 4 of them are recurring themes. I await a Ranec release! 

And with that, I do believe I am done with this report. A shorter one to the norm. I guess sometimes, they will be a little on the shorter side. We saw the 1 new casting. 

2 vehicles in year 2 for basics. 

And a further 2 that are a little older, but coming in recurring themes. 

So, as these head off to join the collection, I will start working on my sweet tooth for next week. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.