Matchbox Monday delves into a dynamic Moving Parts batch D

I am calling this the British batch of Moving Parts. We have 6 models in the general release, and 4 of them are British vehicles. This is quite a change, as the last batch was entirely made up of American vehicles. I don't know if the guys who map out the models need to do a better job in assortment mixes or something? Mind you, there is a 7th model in this batch as well. The Super Chase. Sadly, the boxes Wheel Collectors got in didn't contain any. But, I managed to secure one anyway. So, time to get stuck in.

And I start with one of the few non-British vehicles in the batch. This is a German vehicle. The gorgeous MB1460 Porsche 356A. Garry Gopinath created this model last year, and this is year 2 for the casting. It comes in a dark blue look as number 2 in the series. 

This looks to be based on Aquamarine Blue, which was one of the colours that the 356A was sold in at the time. Coupled with a bright tan interior and plenty of chrome, this model looks outstanding again. The front and rear tampos are spot on. 

It is actually a shame that many of the real colours for the car were quite understated. After last year's gorgeous white debut, this one doesn't seem to pop in the same way. It is still a lovely model, and I am a big fan of this casting. 

I just wish the colour was a bit more vivid. This is quite an unusual and dull shade of blue. The details on the model are spotless, and the attention to the engine in the rear is faultless again. However, I am not giving this full marks. I know, not scoring a Porsche a 10? What is wrong with me? That shade of blue is not great. It is real. But, still not nice. So, I give this a 9. 

It doesn't hold a candle to last year's debut. That was an exceptional model. 

I do hope a red one is on the cards. It was a real option at the time, and that will surely stack up well against the white debut. Black will also be a lovely option. Again, a real one. Sometimes, when they stay so close to the real vehicles, we do get a few dull looks. At least it's not a Tesla. 

The second model in the batch is also not British. Yes, the 2 non-British vehicles are the first 2 numerically. This is the MB1382 '23 Nissan Ariya from Japan. It takes the number 3 slot in the range in teal.

As far as I can tell, this is not actually one of the official colour choices for the Ariya. I did wonder if they were attempting to do the Aurora Green, but that is definitely more of a green than this is. I wonder why they are already doing their own colours? It is not a bad colour. But, teal is quite close to blue, and last year's release was in blue. I think they should have attempted something more noticably different. Especially as this model is quite a plain one. I am not a fan of the Nissan Ariya in real life. The model, superbly created by Garry Gopinath (except the roof is part of the window, I do hate models like that), follows the real vehicle in being rather plain. 

Again, the tampo printing is faultless. They do know how to make the end result look very realistic. That is a good thing, but I cannot get excited for this one. 

That is terrific work under the hood. A hood, which matches the rest perfectly here. This can sometimes be an issue with different parts being painted at different times. But the Ariya does seem to avoid that. I am not giving this a great score. It is bland, and the colour is too close to last year's release. I am scoring this an 8. It's as good as I am going to get here. 

It debuted back in 2023 in Akatsuki Copper, as Nissan called this. It does seem to be a signature colour for this car. At least, that is how it feels in the real world. 

With last year's model coming in Blue Pearl. A very original name for this particular colour. But, not one that the new issue really stands out from. They should have gone with white, or black, or burgundy. Something that instantly looks different. 

I hope the next issue stands out better from the pack. Mind you, I would not be fussed if we don't see a next issue. I have to be honest. I think this is too plain of a vehicle. I don't know what Nissan were thinking with their electric vehicle front end on this. I can think of many other vehicles that could be made instead and slotted in the range. If I was to rate all 50 models in the range, I bet this would be one of the bottom models, if not the bottom one. 

Anyway, on to better and brighter (and British) things. The first of the 4 Brits is the MB1333 '56 Morris Minor 1000 Tourer. It is the model's 4th outing in Moving Parts, and comes in orange in the number 10 slot. Daft fact, it was number 10 last year.

Now, I have been doing some research. I don't believe that orange was ever a factory option for the Minor. However, having true to life colours is not a must have. If they look nice, which orange does, I am happy to have a Matchbox original paint job. I think it does look nice in orange. However, I am a little confused by that number plate. Joy 57. Are they trying to make this a 1957 model? It had 1956 on the package. I have no idea what that is about. 

There is also another glaring issue. I mentioned how the Nissan Ariya's opening hood was a good match for the rest of the model. Well, this one is not. It is quite a noticeable different orange. That is annoying. 

Well, they get a second chance to redeem themselves. That is because this is one of those castings with an Easter egg. It was Abe Lugo who created it, and he liked to put Easter eggs in castings. And Wheel Collectors made sure to send me one of each. LHD and RHD examples exist. 

Doh! The other one is also a bad match. That is not very good. I am quite upset with this one. Every Morris Minor has seen a minor difference between body and bonnet (I use the British term as it is British) in the past, but this has gone from a minor shade to a major shade. Which is a huge shame. I did like the orange. And the dark tan interior worked well, and even the grey bumpers were not glaringly obvious. 

The tampo is brilliant, including the engine. But, it does say 57, not 56. I have to admit, I am quite upset with this particular release. Had it said Joy 56 on the rear, and the bonnet matched the body better, I would be scoring this a 10. I love the orange. But, these are glaringly off, and as such I am going to give this a 7. I am doing well in this batch so far. 9, followed by 8 and now 7. 

The model debuted in cream in the 2022 series. You can see a small variation between body and bonnet. But, it is not glaringly obvious.

And 2023 gave us the platinum 70th Anniversary specials. Again, the bonnet/body variation is smaller. 

And last year saw a pair of lovely burgundy models. Hmm! The bonnet'body variance is even smaller on that one. Just as they were getting better, they go and ruin it with a badly matched pair of parts. 

It is a lovely casting. I just hope that we get a better match between body and bonnet on future outings. 

I need to reverse the tumbling scores. I think this might do it. Taking the number 14 slot in the 2025 series is the latest release of the MB1455 Bizzarrini 5300GT Corsa Revival. It comes in a lovely blue look this time.

I am not sure if they actually made a blue version of the revival car. Between 2022 and 2024, 24 models were created and sold. Red, yellow, and a final issue in green were about as far as I could find for colour options. I could not find a photo of a revival in blue, only the original from the 1960s. So, if that is the case, it appears that Matchbox went a little classic with this one. I am sure the yellow must be coming at some point. In the meantime, this blue looks amazing. We see tampo printing all over, and this is the first time that the roundels are left blank. No number in them. Which, I am trying to think. Is this a first for Matchbox? Having a model with blank roundels? Either way, I like it. It's different. A little out of the box. Why do the roundels have to have numbers every time? 

And look how well that opening bonnet matches the rest of the body! A perfect match. It can be done. Poor Moggie Minor! This is another stellar release of the Corsa Revival.

And the tampo printing all over does include the engine. They really push the boat out with this one. I continue to be blown away by how awesome it is. Garry Gopinath is the creator of this casting, and I am sure he is immensely proud of this one. And, finally, I get to say it this week. A perfect 10! This is my favourite model of the batch. 

As we know, it started off last year in red, with a 3 roundel. 

And earlier this year, we saw a premium example in the Collectors series in the green that was used for the last of the 24 real vehicles made. That had a 65 roundel. And due to the Moving Parts issues seeing so much tampo, the only major difference is the real riders. 

Although if you look carefully, there is a little extra tampo touches to the front of the premium release. But, honestly, these Moving Parts are close to premium already. I am sure we must be looking at a yellow release shortly. Next year, perhaps?

So, now, we move to the only new casting in the batch. The MB1538 Land Rover Defender 130. It debuts in white in the number 24 slot. 

Hmm! I have to say, I am disappointed. But, not majorly. Let's get the obvious part I don't like out of the way. The roof is part of the window section. I was really hoping for a proper roof as part of the body. But, i guess this sort of makes sense.

As I bring in a white MB1237 '20 Land Rover Defender from the 2022 Best of UK series for a comparison .

They appear to have crafted this in a similar vein. That had a roof as part of the window, so the new one does, to match up. 

They do appear to have made them to a pretty similar scale. The new casting is fractionally wider than the original. 

And when you put them side by side, the lengths sort of tally up as well. The original had larger doors due to being a 2-door model.

Although I do notice the wing mirrors were a part of the body on the original, and are part of the window on the new one. Is that a major issue? Perhaps not.

So, if I keep the original in mind when I look at this, it isn't as bad as I originally thought. I like that they added the ear muffs (as I call them), which are actually a side mounted gear carrier and deployable roof ladder. 

Although, because they are part of the window section, they don't really stand out. Which is a shame. 

We also see an opening bonnet again. However, the engine is not detailed. But, the model did see 4 passes through the tampo machine. Plus, the roof piece got a pass as well. 

Talking of the roof piece, it does come off. Was it a better option to give this 4 blobs of white on the front or detail the engine? This is a new roof accessory, It features what looks like a drone and some luggage. 

But, this leads me to another issue. More older Landies arrive. The 2020 basic range release of the MB1184 '65 Land Rover Gen II Safari and MB1341 '65 Land Rover Gen II Safari from the 2021 Mattel Creations series for a little show and tell. 

You see, both of these also sport a removable roof item. The original Land Rover had a choice of items, and these were also interchangeable with the MB1076 Trailer Trawler and MB1035 '59 Chevy Brockwood Wagon. That was awesome!

However, when the newer premium Mattel Creations casting was made, the roof item had an additional notch on the front end, and the other parts were ever so slightly different. So, although other items could sort of fit on the newer Land Rover, the new item was not able to go on any of the others. 

But this new model is something entirely different. But, it could have been the same as the original ones. We could have had loads of fun switching things around. 

I really do think that is a wasted opportunity. 

When it comes to the design of the model. This is where things do improve. I like the white, and the Emergency Rescue theme. Plus, with tampo all around the model, including on the bonnet and the roof accessory, we actually have 6 passes through the tampo machine. That is quite impressive. 

This is a new design. Very realistic, but also quite simple. It is definitely a Matchbox original design, and I like the M logo design. Pretty clever. 

So, time for the scores. Inclusion. I have wanted a full size Land Rover ever since the smaller 90 was put in the basic range. I was expecting a 110, but a 130 is even better. So, in that category, I will score it a 10. Casting. Oh dear. The roof is part of the window. The accessories on the side don't stand out. The roof piece was created in a totally new and unique way to ensure it is not compatible with anything else. Its saving grace is that it does match the smaller 90 quite well. But, I am not impressed. I will give it a 5 for casting. Design. I love the final look. However, I think it was pointless detailing the front of the roof piece and ignoring the engine bay. But, that is minor. So, a 9 in this section. Which gives it a total score of 24 out of 30. It could have been better. 

Oh, it is a new casting, so it gets a base shot. Considering the Land Rover 90 was specified as a 2020 model, I was surprised they didn't specify a year here. 

Which brings us to the last of the standard 6 in this batch, and the 4th Brit. Yes, I know, you could technically classify this as German due to the BMW link. You could have classified the Land Rover as Indian, and the Bizzarrini as Italian do to their links, with the Morris Minor being the only true Brit, but I go with the more common consensus. Many still think of Minis as British. But, these are currently being made in China in real life, while the Oxford site in England gets set up for its adaption to include electric vehicles in 2026. So, yes, this is the MB1461 '22 Mini Cooper SE. An electric vehicle. The second in the batch. It comes in British Racing Green in the number 38 slot.

Yes, this is the 3rd model in the batch to see the roof made up from the window section. It really is spreading rapidly across the Matchbox range. However, it does seem to be a little masked by the British Racing Green. Being dark itself, you don't notice the window/roof part as much. 

The model comes with the usual front and rear tampo prints. You can't go wrong with that. I do like that they did the optional British flag inspired rear lights. Well, sort of. 

We also see the engine bay fully detailed as well, and they did a great job again here. I like the way the lights are correctly left out of the opening bonnet. It all fits together well, and matches as well. I will give this a 10. Yes, I am rather surprised. I cannot fault the look of this one. 

I prefer it to the debut in blue from last year, although that is a nice look as well. Of course, the Mini comes in many colours, and I am sure we will see quite a few over coming years. 

As you can see, the rear detailing is slightly different between the 2. Mainly with the licence plate. But, we do have a yellow dot now. 

And that did change the front licence plate as well. 

As I pointed out earlier, Wheel Collectors missed getting the Super Chase this time. The second Super Chase of the 2025 Moving Parts series is the MB1451 '73 BMW 3.0CSL. It comes in metallic dark grey with stripes. 

I do like stripes. And these red, orange and yellow ones look incredible on this one. However, I wasn't so sure on the yellow headlights. They look a little weird to me. 

It has a premium tampo treatment, and real riders. I think the rear end is much better than the front end. 

Well, short and sweet on the design. I did not like the yellow headlights. So, I am dropping a point for those. Which gives it a 9 out of 10 for design. But, I want to go back to what I pointed out when it debuted last year. 

The badly opening bonnet (or hood). That is as far as I can get it to go up. You can barely make out all the effort that Garry Gopinath made to the engine bay, and the tampo treatment it was given. 

If you you catch it at the right angle, you can just make some things out. But, not a lot. 

And, if you don't close it correctly, it gets wedged the wrong way. I really do not like that at all. They really should have just had the doors opening instead. It would have been much better. Because, did anybody notice? Every single model in this batch has the engine bay as the opening feature. No doors. no rears. Well, the Porsche was a rear, but that was due to the engine being at the back. I feel like they seem to be using the engine bay as an opening feature by default. Particularly when it comes to electric vehicles. More variety please. 

Last year's debut of the BMW did have normal looking headlights. Much better. I actually prefer that one to the latest. 

So I got to chase down a model that I like less than one that was easy to find. Sounds about normal for me. On that note, I think I am done with another batch. 

Just the 1 new casting this time. The next batch of Moving Parts gets a lot more new stuff. 

And when you discount the British stuff, you only get a few. One of those was a chase as well. 

So, as I wrap these up, I looking to next week's article, and more basics. Batch F is a bit bigger than E, so I will be splitting again. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.