Matchbox Monday just does the whole of batch J

I went for it. It appears that batch J of the 2025 Matchbox basic range consists of 9 new items. Well, 9 that were not a part of batch H. Wheel Collectors kindly sent over these both on long card and in power grab box. As I have this rule now that if I hit double digits in a batch of something, I split it into 2, this one just sneaks in under the radar. So, no splitting things up this time. In that case, I had better get on with it. 

As I said, I am getting these in 2 ways. And the first model in the batch, if I was to go in numerical order, is the only new casting that appears. The MB1553 '23 Toyota RAV4 TRD. It debuts in the MB17 slot in the range, and comes in white. 

I can't believe that Toyota has been making the RAV4 since 1994, yet this is the first time that Matchbox has ever made a casting of it. RAV4 stands for Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive. I have to say, I am very happy to finally see that they have done one. However, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 is a 5th generation model, and a 6th generation has now been launched. Should they have waited a year and done the new one? I think the new RAV4 looks really good. It is a tough one. As we know, sometimes development can take a little time, and they may have started development back in 2023, and then hit a snag, and delayed it. I am not privy to the inner circle within Mattel. So, as a vehicle that is only just going out of production, I am still okay with seeing it.

Then there is the other part of the name. TRD. It appears on the back of the model. TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. Often this leads to more powerful engines, and other tuning parts. But, on the RAV4, this means more rugged and off-road related items. Was that really a necessary inclusion to the model? I don't see how this really changes the look of the miniature. Abe Lugo was the person behind this. He likely has a better knowledge of it than I do, but I see the inclusion of the TRD moniker at the end to be redundant. 

When it comes to the casting itself, Abe does know his stuff. However, and this is something I find actually a little unusual, the wheel arches are part of the body. Usually, especially with the more off-road style vehicles, we see them utilise the interior section to create the wheel arches, and they stand out from the body that way. Because, it appears in real life to be that way. I don't know why it was done this way. Aside from that, the silhouette appears to be spot on. The way the doors kink down at the ends. The way the rear quarter window is shaped, along with the body section surrounding it. He did a great job. It is a shame the wheel arches are not as striking at the real ones are. 

The front end has been captured perfectly in my eyes. I also like how the window wipers are quite proud on the window. As is often the case, we do get a sunroof.

And it has been slotted into the roof section perfectly. Smoothly aligned against the metal body. Excellent job there. 

When it comes to the design, the white is a perfect start. The front and rear tampos are spot on as usual, and I can see nothing wrong with the wheel design chosen, or them being black hubs. However, the one little niggle I have is with the window. It just appears a tad too dark. When you look from a low position like this photo, it does appear to be a dark smoke. But, from above, it almost feels like a blacked out window. I do think a lighter tint could have been a bit better. 

Overall, I do think it is close, but no cigar. Inclusion. An 8. Yes, finally a RAV4. But, I would have actually waited a year and done the 6th generation, or just went with a classic. Perhaps a 2nd generation 2000 release or 3rd generation 2005 release. Also, why bother with the TRD? Just being a RAV4 was enough. Casting. For this, a 9. The TRD appears to come with wheel arches that stand out. As far as I can tell, standard RAV4s can be found with colour-coded wheel arches. Again, not bothering with the TRD could have paid divdends here. Design. Again, a 9. If only the window was a little lighter. This gives the model a score of 26 out of 30. There have been better. But, it is not awful. I do think it has a certain charm to it, and am not opposed to seeing more of them. 

Being the only new model in the batch means it is the only time you will see a base. 

Next up, a bit of a personal favourite of mine. The MB1422 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. This Garry Gopinath creation first appeared last year, and for year 2 goes grey. Vanadium Grey Metallic, to be exact. It comes in the MB27 slot for 2025.

Now, I have to admit, when I first saw it, my initial instinct was "where are the gold wheels?" After all, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and Porsche 918 Spyder have both appeared in recent years in the same grey, and both have had gold wheels. I would have loved for them to have kept that part consistent. Chrome is fine, and to be honest, more akin to wheels seen on real ones. But, I did like the Matchbox gold wheel look. It made the models stand out better, and I do wish we had seen it on this one. 

Apart from that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this one. The colour is a standard Porsche colour option. The front and rear tampos are faultless. The black interior and clear window suit it so well. The wheels were the best option, but as they are not gold, I am docking it a half point. Not because the chrome is bad, but just because I would have liked it to match the other 2 grey Porsches. A 9.5 out of 10.

See, the red one has them. Don't they look fantastic? I would have loved the 2024 wheel to carry over to the 2025 wheel. 

It would have given the model a bit more of a colour spread, than just a single red strip going around the back. Maybe next year we will get a gold wheel one again. 

Next up, we move on to the MB1295 '22 Ford F-150 Lightning. This model is now in its 4th year in the basic range, and comes in light blue as MB38.

Well, I had a look around, and I cannot see this particular shade of blue being an official colour option on the F-150 Lightning. However, as I always say, that is not exactly the most important thing. The blue option they have is known as Antimatter Blue, and is a mid-range metallic blue shade. Argon Blue is scheduled to join it in 2026, which is a little lighter, with a slight purple tint to it. But, what this does do, is follow the MB1540 '23 Ford Maverick's lead this year. Now I want to see the MB1225 '19 Ford Ranger sport this colour scheme as well. So, it actually gets me quite excited. So, in that sense, it's a job very well done. 

And it comes with the standard front and rear tampo printing as seen on some of the previous examples. Again, these are faultless, and I love the consistent look. It may not be an official colour, but I love this look, and am definitely giving it a 10 out of 10. I think this may be about the nicest one done so far. Hmm! That means a dive back.

This is the model's 4th outing in the basic range, after debuting in silver in the 2022 series. I did spot a little shading to the silver.

They also chose it to be the model to advertise the brand at the 2023 Toy Fair that September. This received the usual bronze design that has become its own recurring theme.

For 2023, the model was one of the ones chosen to sport the platinum 70th Anniversary design. 

Then, in 2024, it saw 2 outings. Matte black was the basic range release, and a dark red was chosen to be one of the Electric Drivers 5-pack models. 

It is tough. I really like both of last year's outings as well. These are my top 3 of them all. Then the Toy Fair, platinum and silver being the most boring. Ha ha!

Next up, something that is a little confusing. Back in 2023, Matchbox had a license to release a few models under the Indiana Jones banner. The whole film series does not have that many vehicles to choose from. They were planning on doing 6 in total, but sadly only 3 of them made it to production. Some may have seen some pictures of the MB1360 MBX Cargo Truck that have been circulating around social media. That was pretty close to production, and was scheduled to be one of the 2023 releases. Those who have seen it are quite sad that it got cancelled. For an original design, it was a very good facsimile of the type of truck in the films. I don't know why it never made it. The only 2023 item that did make it was the MB1364 '36 Auburn Speedster 851. One of 2 licensed items. It debuted as MB48 in the 2023 series. However, as a way to keep the license active, they have re-issued it here in this batch outside of the 1-125 series. 

But, due to a slight oversight, they have still got the model number on packages. As you can see, it still has 48/100 on the power grab box. The blister sounds even worse, as they have altered it to 48/125. The 2023 range was only 100 vehicles. MB48 for 2025 is the MB856 Load Lifter. It would have been better to have simply left off the numbers. 

I honestly do not know if they are able to use this casting outside the Indiana Jones license. I am unsure if there is something small that was modified in the casting that makes it uniquely Indy. But, it is nice to see it again, even if it is a look already seen. 

However, if you have been following for a while, you might have noticed a pattern. If I have opened something up to show it as a carry forward, I have noticed something about it. 

So let's bring in the 2023 outing for a little comparison. 

The new run is on the left here. You might notice the metal body section is much paler than it was back in 2023. It is very noticeable. 

The tan roof and the plastic wheel arches appear to be almost identical to how they were before. 

The golden side stripe is fractionally lighter on the new run. Not as noticeable as the body. But, I am happy with getting a second one. Even if it is the same as before. Now, we saw the MB1436 '66 Ducati 250 Scrambler reappear earlier this year in the same vein. It was originally released in 2024. However, as of the end of 2025, the MB1429 MBX Tangiers Tuk-Tuk has not returned for a second outing. I wonder if it will pop up next year. Keep the license running another year. It is a shame that the MB1360 MBX Cargo Truck never arrived, and the MB1400/MB1401 pair of original designs that were going to be created under the Indiana Jones license never got anywhere near production. As I said, we got 3 out of a planned 6. 

Next up, we have the MB1090 '17 Honda Civic return. This is the model's 4th outing in the basic range, ever since Howard Sung created the casting back in 2018. For 2025, it comes in a mid-blue as MB74.

I like that the rear license plate has "BLU HNDA" on it. I do like checking these out. Obviously, both words missed out 1 vowel. But, you can still tell exactly what they were going for here. I think they have nailed the look of the tampo printing front and rear, just as they have on all releases to date. 

The wheels? Sensible. Fine. Interior in grey? Good. Clear windows? Yes, can't go wrong there. This particular blue. It does appear to be the Honda Racing Blue. Usually, that would be held back for the Type R. In 2017, you could buy the sporty Type R in this particular shade. A regular Civic? Not necessarily. Is that important? Just as I said about the F-150, no. It is a Honda colour. It doesn't technically appear on this exact car. But, on a model? It looks lovely. Again, I am going out on a limb here by saying that blue is the nicest this has looked so far. Or should I say this blue. 10 out of 10. And if you missed batch J, you missed it. It didn't roll over into batch K. Where I am in the UK, I have not seen or heard of batch J. Getting these from Wheel Collectors has been extremely useful for things like this. 

I did say this particular blue, because, if I was to dive back, you would see that the debut release was also in blue. A much paler blue for that outing. The new one is so much nicer. 

We then saw a dull red look for the 2019 basic range, which returned as part of the Japan Origins Walmart series in 2022.

For 2020, it was only released as part of the City Adventure II 5-pack. It came in metallic black, but I did notice some were almost a solid black look compared to others. 

It then returned to the basic range in 2021, now in white. This was the last basic before this one, and again was good for some shading. Some came out more creamy than others. Easier to find as this also rolled over into 2022, as part of an MBX Japan Tourers carry forward 5-pack.

2021 also saw another blue outing. This was an official Civic colour. Aegean Blue Metallic. A nice colour. Not as nice as the new one. But, it was good for some shading in the MBX City Drivers 5-pack. 

And, apart from the 2x 2022 carry forwards already mentioned, we had not seen anything from it until this year. But, this was not the only one. It was also in an 8-pack in Modern Steel Metallic. An official Honda option. 

That does mean, that since it debuted in the 2018 range, it has now been released in 7 different colours, less than a 1 per year average. And three of them have been variations of blue. Sure, the real vehicle does not have a lot of options itself. But, 2 of the blue were not official Civic colours for the regular car, so I would like to see green or orange perhaps? I think they would look cool. Plus, the real burgundy look has not been done yet. I like seeing standard road vehicles in the range. I think this still has an outing or 2 left to go. I know it is now the older generation. I think since 2021, when the 11th gen debuted, it has been a bit dated. But, nowadays, we are seeing slightly older variants of models mixed in. So, I am not opposed to a random extra issue. 

So, from 1 blue car to another, next up is the MB1451 '63 Chevy Corvette. This makes its basic range debut for 2025 in a silvery blue look as MB83.

As you might remember, Garry Gopinath created this model as a Walmart exclusive in the Convertibles series in 2024. So this is the model's second outing. But, the first worldwide. Now, this silvery blue look was an official look for the 1963 Corvette. Chevy called it Silver Blue. Yep! No imagination. Well, it was the only one. Ermine White? Daytona Blue? Riverside Red? Saddle Tan? Sebring Silver? Tuxedo Black? All cool sounding names. Then we got Silver Blue. Yes, there were 7 official colours for the 1963 Corvette, and it appears after naming 6 of them, they just gave up. But, it is a nice colour. Sure, this is the 3rd blue in the batch, but every blue has been unique. 

The model has simple front and rear prints, mostly over the top edges at either end. But, what we do get is MBX 327. No, it does not think it is the MB327 '33 Ford Coupe. The engine in this is a 327in³ block. It is a nod to the engine under the hood. You might have also noticed a tiny 327 on the hood as well. I think it is lovely. Black interior is a common option for Corvettes at the time. It was pretty much the standard one, unless they asked for an alternative. I think they have nailed this one. A perfect 10.

And the best part? Shades! Yes, it appears that the silver blue can be more silver or more blue. I often find this when it comes to models painted this sort of colour. 

This looks great next to the Sebring Silver of the 2024 Walmart Convertibles debut. 

I am very much looking forward to future outings for this. Plenty of other official colours to work with, and as the Corvette continued, there were plenty of others as well. But, as I say, they don't have to be real ones. I would love to see a funky look in the future as well. It's a Corvette. There are real yellow and green ones (for example) that have seen a repaint after being bought. And yellow does look good on a 'Vette.

I am a bit of a fan of this casting. The MB1292 '94 Mitsubishi 3000GT. I am happy to see that this has also reached its fourth year in the basic range. For 2025, it comes in white as MB88.

Mitsubishi calls this Zurich White. It was one of their official colour options for the 1993 and 1994, replacing Glacier White. However, Glacier White returned for 1995, and continued until the model finished. That was in real life, obviously. On the model, this looks amazing. I think they have done the real vehicle proud. Abe Lugo was the person who created this casting, and every single release has looked fantastic. 

It gets the standard front and rear tampo, although they left the license plate blank this time. Boo! The tan interior is a great choice. But, I am a stickler. Losing the rear license plate tampo? A half point deduction. I cannot give it a perfect score if there was something I said boo to? But, it is a minor infraction. Very minor. Because, this is a lovely model, and this is exactly the sort of thing I am happy to get from the Matchbox brand. 9.5 out of 10 is still a great score. 

And, yes, I have found that the white can come out a little more creamy than not at times. Love a shade!

If I had noticed the pattern, I probably would have guessed what was coming for release number 5. After all, the model debuted in the darkest colour. Black. Sable Black to be exact, back in 2022. 

2023 gave us a red release in the basic range. Caracas Red as Mitsubishi call it. 

And 2024 gave us blue in the basic range. Not an official colour option, but a nice bright blue anyway. Plus a shade!

And we also saw a yellow one. Martinique Yellow, as it is officially known. This was a Collectors release, but aside from real riders (that look just like regular plastic wheels), there was no other change to the model over and above the core outings. That is because they are pretty much nailing it every single time.

Unless they leave off the license plate. This is only the second one omitting it. But, do you notice the colour spread? Darkest, 3 primary colours, lightest. Are we about to head into secondary colours? Panama Green is a popular colour option. Sorrento Red is slightly purplish. No orange adjacent. But, people have recoloured their real ones to bright orange, and they look cool. So, I am game. 

Yet another casting in its fourth basic range outing. This batch appears quite heavy on 4th outing models. Ha ha! This is the MB1299 Audi e-tron, taking the MB98 slot in yellow. 

As some people may know, this was the original e-tron, but since Audi have expanded the range, since 2023 it is known as the Q8 e-tron. Which also means that the real vehicle has now finished production. The last one rolled off the assembly line earlier this year. It finished at the end of February as the Brussels factory was being closed down. But, as I have noted already, this should not mean this casting will disappear immediately. After all, yellow is not one of the regular colour options. There is plenty of scope to come up with some more cool colours on this. Because this is one that they have had some fun with. And this yellow looks really cool. It is extremely bright. Audi does do a specialist look known as Vegas Yellow. Some e-trons have appeared like that, so there is a possibility it was a colour option at one time. And just how yellow is it? After all, the interior is also yellow. It is a little darker than the metallic yellow body, which is seen with the parts that Abe Lugo created outside going over wheel arches and along the bottom edge. 

With simple front and rear tampo prints, I cannot fault this. I do think the interior being a little darker helps to make the wheel arches stand out. Plus, trying to get metal and plastic to match (particularly with a metallic painted metal section) would have been tough. I did ponder whether it might be better having it grey, but I think I prefer the golden yellow interior. So, I am giving this a 10. 

And, yet again, I notice it shading. Ha!

Dive back time. As I have said a few times in this report, the model debuted in 2022. It came in blue in the basic range, which also popped up in the European Streets series alongside the basic run. 

And the 2023 basic range in silver was another good one for shades. 

This model was also a Toy Fair model (second one shown in the report) as this appeared in September 2023 for the 2024 Toy Fair. The same look as the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning shown earlier. 

And in 2024, this model was given a red outing in the basic range. And, yes, I did see some shading again. 

And was also one of the last 9-pack exclusives that year, before they reduced them to 8-packs. This was in purple.

Which gives this model quite a bright colour spread. Bright blue, bright red, bright yellow, the 3 primary colours. Plus purple, silver and bronze. And, I realized as I was writing up, I completely missed showing the 2024 Autobahn Express 5-pack release in silver, with a Polizei theme. Doh! But, it is just another fun release in this selection. I think we could see 1 or 2 more of this one, easily. 

Finally, we move on to yet another blue. But, this is a very dark blue. The MB1427 '22 Jeep Wagoneer. It is only the model's second outing to date, and this dark blue takes the final slot in the range. MB125. 

Abe Lugo created an awesome model. I am a big fan of this casting. Considering how big it is, it is a metal body and has an interior. Sure, there is quite a large sunroof section to help lower weight, but this is still quite a hefty, large casting. And that works so well, because this is a Wagoneer. It is a large Jeep. It feels it when you put it next to other Jeeps in the Matchbox range. Now, this is Midnight Sky. An official Jeep colour. It looks stunning. The model comes complete with front and rear tampo, and a lovely clear window, so you can see inside. 

These wheels have been around for a few decades now. They still work, so why worry about swapping them out for something else? They do feel realistic enough to suit this model. I honestly cannot see anything to pinpoint for improvement. They have nailed it yet again. Another 10 from me. 

And I even managed to find a shade to this one. It was dark, but I found even darker. Overcast Midnight Sky? Ha ha! I get worse.

Bringing in last year's red debut, I can honestly say these are 2 fantastic releases to date. I hope we see plenty of this one in years to come.

Phew! That was quite a trek. Quite a few models this time out. 

Only 1 actual new casting in the batch. However, there was another which technically is still on release 1. 

I did notice how blue the batch was as a whole. But, as I said, the blues were very different. Dark, bright, pale, and silvery. 

And another 3 in the batch in various other colours. 

So, as these "move" along, I guess I need to start planning my next article. A subtle hint to what is coming up next. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.