Matchbox Monday continues cutting basics in half with batch C

Batch C of 2025 consists of 11 models. Last week, I ran through a Moving Parts batch of 9, which really used up a lot of my spare time. This is why I decided to cap it in single digits. If anything hits double digits, I am splitting it in 2. So, this batch gets split. This first half sees 2 new castings, and 4 new colours. So, let's get on with it.

And I start with 1 of my favourite castings. The MB1358 '04 Mazda RX-8. This is the model's third year in the basic range, and for 2025, it comes in a lovely shade of blue as MB10.

I have to admit, this is still one of my favourite Matchbox castings. Even if it was created by Charlie Angulo, one of the other model brand's designers. I have to admit, if you are working for Mattel creating things like these, you are skilled at what you do. I know I couldn't do it. Now, on to this colour. Mazda calls it "Winning Blue Metallic". Yes, they actually put the word win in a car colour. But, saying that, it is a winning combination of colour, detailing and wheels. I had to. I am sorry. Wait, come back. I will get better.

I don't think that they can honestly do wrong with this model, if they keep churning them out like this. Real colours. Real front and rear tampos. Cool wheels. Tinted windows. I think it is fantastic. An easy 10 from me.

For those who have forgotten, this was my number 1 new Matchbox (non-Porsche) new casting of the year in 2023, when it debuted in black.

And in my 2024 Top 10 list, the red one was my number 1 new livery of 2024. This little RX-8 in blue has a lot to live up to.

As does the "Nordic Green" that was in the MBX Japan Cruisers II 5-pack this year as well.

Yes, this is 1 of 2 new looks for 2025. I wonder if either will end up in my Top 10 lists at the end of the year.

Yes, I forgot the package shot again. I keep doing that. This is a brand-new casting. The MB1498 '97 Acura Integra Type R. This was created by Abe Lugo, and takes the MB52 slot in the 2025 range. This appears to have been quite a popular choice for a Matchbox addition. And they have gone down the USDM route, with those 4 round headlights at the front (and obviously using the Acura name).

Outside of North America, this model is more commonly known as a Honda Integra, and although the headlights are massively different, the main shape of the car is very much the same. Debuting in 1993, the third generation saw a Type R variant from 1997, so this is the debut Type R look. Abe has worked wonders with the shape of the model, although when you do get it, you do notice it is quite a small casting. Some models do appear quite small. Although, it does work well against the recent Toyota GR Supra.

It debuts in a simple white look (Frost White, as it was officially called at the time), and comes with simple front and rear tampo printing. Can you ask for any more?

Could they have done any more with this one? No. It is spot-on. Abe did a fantastic job replicating it, and the sides are very well detailed. They need no additional tampo printing to enhance them. The rear spoiler is very well done as well.

As some may know, Abe has recently left Mattel after 16 years. Am I sad about it? Hell, yes! He worked wonders with the Matchbox brand, and kept pushing forward with the realism that we see now. And when we get little masterpieces like this added to the range, it shows what he was able to do, and what could be missed sorely within the Matchbox brand. I really hope it doesn't lose its identity without him. Thank you Abe.

As one of his last offerings (there are still more coming, as they work well ahead), I can say he hit a top score here. Inclusion. 10 out of 10. The first Integra Type R? A US Acura variant as well? Brilliant. This is the first Matchbox Acura! Finally! We have had Lexus, Scion and Infiniti sub-brands of Japanese carmakers. Never an Acura. Finally, we have one. Casting? Well, it may be a little small, but that doesn't take away anything from it. I am scoring this a 10 as well. Design. You cannot go wrong with white, front and rear tampos, simple wheels, and a lovely red interior. This is a perfect start to its run in the basic range. A total of 30 out of 30! What a winner!

As it is a new casting, I do a base shot. Quite plain in the middle there. Is that important? Not really. I grew up in the 1970s, where they didn't put anything on bases except the writing.

Next up we have a vintage model. The MB1349 '41 Plymouth Coupe. This is the model's third year in the basic range, and comes in black as MB66.

As we have seen with this model in its last 2 outings in the basic range, they have made this completely stock, and it comes with simple front and rear tampo prints. Black was one of the official colour options on 1941 Plymouths, and let's be honest, a black look on a car just looks cool.

The P11 Deluxe was the basic version of the larger Plymouth offering at the time, and this was the model that Abe Lugo had recreated in miniature. He did like his vintage cars. I do wonder whether we will continue to see the vintage cars in the range now that he has left. But, if this is the last we see of this in the basic range, I do think it went out on a high. This is a gorgeous look, and totally worthy of a 10 out of 10. You cannot fault it. Simple disc wheels and a black interior suit the look perfectly. I think it is the best it has looked. 

Mind you, it is the only 1 of the trio that I will not have multiples of. The 2023 debut in green was good for a shade or 2.

And last year's ivory look was also fun for shade nerds like myself. 

I do think they have steadily improved the look of the model in each year. With each newer release, my interest in this model grows. I hope it is not the last we see of it.

Next up is a wagon. Batch A had a Merc, batch B a BMW, and now in batch C we get the MB1366 '80 AMC Eagle. This is truly a good time for wagon lovers. It is another of Abe Lugo's creations, and takes the MB69 slot for 2025 in tan.

The last 2 years have seen Matchbox give this model a wood panel side effect, but for 2025, they have gone a different way. And this is also a true look for the Eagle. Cameo Tan was one of the official colour choices, and it did come with a brown lower edge that also went over the wheel arches. They have done their homework on this, coming up with an extremely realistic look for this year's release. I am extremely impressed with the little details. The 4-wheel drive logo towards the rear. The silver trim for door handles and window trim. Being a 4-wheel drive car, I think these wheels are the best choice for it. They have quite a rugged look to them that suits it well. 

As much as I love the wood grain effect side design, I do like that they comes up with alternate looks at times. And after 2 woody years, perhaps it was time for a change. Good call Mattel. So, again, I am giving this a perfect 10. I know that at some point, it will be really cool to have a plain side model, with front and rear printing on it. But, for now, I am happy with the side designs. I think this wagon works very well with the side design. 

Of course, I had to use this opportunity to bring out my extra cool piece. A pre-production sample of the model that I won at the Leipzig auction last year. It looks really funky in purple. Of course, I highly doubt we will ever see a model made in purple, which makes this stand out. 

This was also a 2023 debut, and the first one out of the box was brown with a wood grain side design. This was also another I found was very good for shades.

And last year saw a charcoal with wood grain sides. I did not find a shade to this one.

This year's release does stand out next to the last 2. I like the variety. Of course, I am not done with wanting more wood grain models. White or blue would be really cool. However, in this style, a bright red with brown lower and wheel arch trim is a great alternative. 

This is the other new casting I am showcasing this week. The MB1511 MBX Lil' Dumper. This is a Matchbox original design, debuting as MB76 in MBX Construction orange. 

Okay, I am going to confess something. I might have had perhaps a small hand in this. A few years back, I was talking with Abe Lugo about some ideas for 2023 and the 70th Anniversary. I made mention of an idea for paying homage to some of the early Lesney castings, and mentioned about a number of construction vehicles being the first ones done back in 1953. This then moved to a discussion about how a site dumper had been in the very first year, and had seen a number of outings during the Lesney era, but after 1981, we have seen nothing. Every now and then, the construction discussion popped back up, and each time I kept mentioning a site dumper. So, this might have been partly down to my bugging Abe. If you don't like it, I do apologise. If you do, you are welcome. 

This model has been created by Garry Gopinath. I am trying to think whether this is his first truly original design. He is a fairly recent addition to the Matchbox team, and I can't think whether he has created something from his own mind or not. He has made some amazing models in the last year or 2, but from what I can think, they are all licensed vehicles. The last few years did see an incredible amount of licenses added. But, a few more original creations are sneaking back in. I do not mind some of them. I could not tell you of any specific site dumper by name. I would have to Google it. So, if I have to Google it, I would bet that most people, especially kids, would have to as well. Unless they are a truly nerdy kid who loves construction stuff, or is the child of somebody who uses one or makes one. Those would be the exceptions. Not the norm. So, for me, being an original design is not important. It is about how it looks. And it is pretty cool. It has the usual tipping front end. What you would expect from a site dumper. 

The seating area for the driver can be open or enclosed. They have gone with an open look for this one. Previous dumpers have been enclosed, so it is nice to be a little different. The detailing to the seating area, particularly around the outside, is very good. And this is because it is made of plastic. Yes, this also has a high plastic content to it. I know some don't like too much plastic on models. And this is quite a small model. 

I fact, the only metal to the model is the base. Which is small itself. So small, that very few details could be added. Mattel, Thailand and the model code. That is it (aside from sneaking the elephant in at the rear). No model name, no MAN number. No year of copyright. 

Could the orange area have also been made of metal? Possibly. I think the seating area is correct being made of plastic. And, making the tipper section metal as is would be weird. I think it might be unsteady when tipped. Making the body and tipper metal might have been too much. Unless the base was plastic. However....

The way they make models that tip, like this, is to have the tipping section be a clip-on section. As such, I can see why they go with plastic. I think a metal section would cause too much stress to the section it is clipping to. So, yes, perhaps the rear of the model could have been made in metal as well as the base. But, the tipping section (which I like with the "M" inside), in this day and age, will be plastic. If it hadn't been, I would have been very surprised. 

So, how do I score this. It is not an easy one to score. Inclusion. As I have already pointed out, I had bugged Abe on numerous occasions to include a new site dumper. If they want to keep a variety of construction vehicles in the range, I think having a vehicle like this was a no-brainer. Being an original design is perfectly fine, due to not knowing any real ones. Why pay for a licence for something people are barely going to know anyway. So I am scoring a 10. Casting. Hmm! It is nice. It is small. It's a site dumper, they are small, and in fact, the old one I always thought was too big. One thing I am not a big fan of is the current way they do steering wheels. Inside cars, you don't tend to notice this unusual method. But, on an exposed vehicle like this, it does look weird. I am not a fan of that part. Aside from that, the metal vs plastic content is not a big deal, but I do think perhaps the rear could have been metal as well.  It is extremely light, due to being small. So, I will give it an 8. Design. I hadn't mentioned that until now. But, this is MBX Construction. A recurring theme. That gets an instant 10 just for being another themed model. A total score of 28 out of 30. Which, for an original design, is a very good score. I have scored licensed vehicles lower than that. So, well done on this one. 

And, as I did mention older ones, I guess I should take a little time to dig out the last one for a little comparison and dive back. This was the MB26-C Site Dumper. Another original design, that was created in 1976 by Lesney. This was the last Site Dumper before the new one. As I noted, it was an enclosed rear model, compared to the open rear of the new one. Perhaps if they had enclosed the rear, I might not have been put off by the steering column. But, I like it being open top. Ooh, I am torn. 

As I noted, this model was made a little larger than the new one is. Being a small vehicle in real life, I always felt it was made too big. It didn't feel like a site dumper should. More like a regular dump truck. I prefer the smaller size to the new one. However, this was a metal body and metal dump. Something I am sure more people will prefer. In fact, during its final year, the plastic base was retooled into a metal one as well. But, when it debuted in 1976, it was simply all yellow. The first run saw dot-dash rear wheels, but this was swiftly changed to the regular 5-crown wheel. I admit to still being on the hunt for a dot-dash wheel variant. 

After 2 years, they made a small change for 1978. The dump was changed to red. 

By the end of 1978, the front wheels had changed from 5-spoke to 5-arch. There is another rare wheel variant I am looking for. An early 1978 where the little rear wheels again were 5-arch instead of 5-crown. Bases were plastic, but did have a small surround area in black. During its final year in yellow/red (1980), some were found with either charcoal or brown surrounds.  After 1980, the US range dropped the model.

However, ROW markets continued on for 1 more year. The 1981 model saw them alter the base to turn it all metal, and it was painted a variety of colours. Black, charcoal, brown, blue-grey or silver exist. I admit, I haven't worried too much about bases. I concentrate on the other parts that are more visible. It was now in red with a silver dump, and at first chrome wheel hubs. There is a crossover (again, rare, I am yet to see one), where the last red dumps were attached to red bodies. 

But, wheel hubs soon turned yellow. 

And red bodies can be found in shades to a dark orange hue. So, you might think there were only 3 looks for the 6 years the model was made, but when you look closer, you can find a lot more to hunt down. 

And from that red dive back to the last model I am looking at this time. The MB1363 '22 Ford Bronco Sport. For 2025, it comes in red as MB87.

Is it me, or are those windows too dark again? Doh! This model has been created with a different roof piece to attach to the windows, so they need to utilise that to their advantage, and make them visibly different. It is the one thing I feel lets this model down. I am loving this red. This is a slightly more modern colour option to the Bronco Sport. When it debuted, the red was known as Hot Pepper Red Metallic, and was a slightly orange/brown hue to the red look. But, since then, they have changed to Ruby Red Metallic, which is what this replicates. A very nice colour with front and rear tampo printing. 

Had they made the windows a little lighter tint, I would have scored this a 10, but it is too dark. So, we get a 9 for this. Such a shame, as I think this colour is really nice, and it is my favourite colour for it to date. 

But, that was what they got right with the 2023 debut. Daft fact, I think they were aiming for Cactus Grey as the debut colour. However, when Ford added it to the configurator on their website, it had quite a blue hue to it, and it appears that Matchbox has followed that route. This is quite a blue look. Good for shades, and the window was the best it has ever been. They used the roof being different to good effect. 

But, last year, the windows got darker. And this year, darker still. No, you are going the wrong way. Bring back the first window look. The Eruption Green Metallic paint job was also good for a shade or 2. I am yet to see a shade to the red. I might still find one. 

I like the consistency with the tampo printing, but not the darkening of windows. That needs to be stopped. Or otherwise, what was the point in making a separate roof piece? That is something to think about for future issues. 

But, for now, I am done with the first half of batch C. I will return to it after I have done a few other things. Like, perhaps more diving? Hee hee! These 6 models saw 2 new castings, both quite small. 

As well as 4 other models that you might not have noticed had something in common. They were all 2023 debuts. Did anybody catch that? Or has it just dawned on you as I mention it now. 

But, as these head off, I did enjoy that little dive with the old Site Dumper. And with Easter looming, I thought it was a nice time to take a break from the modern stuff, and have a little fun with some older models in my collection. But, which ones? Check out my report next week to see which random ones I chose. Until then, i hope everybody has a safe and happy week.