Matchbox Monday looks at some of the more expensive items

Mattel Creations. They are really going nuts with all the Matchbox items lately. We seem to be going through them about once a month now. My wallet is hurting. But, I cannot help it. I keep getting them. But, before I get there, I thought I would have a little fun. You see, I recently returned from a trip to the USA, where I was headed to the latest Matchbox Gathering. However, while there, I will be hitting many, MANY stores looking for Matchbox. I can't help it. You never know what you will find. Well, I found that some of the largest playsets were being discounted. The 2023 set, as well as the 2024 at certain Walmarts. I have no idea why. I thought to myself, shall I get them? For a little fun? Why not. I also grabbed a medium size set as well. These sets never seem to appear in the UK, which is a huge shame, as I think they are brilliant. In fact, the way they click together to make a larger diorama makes them even more fun.

So, I will start off by having a little fun. Before I realize just how much money I am spending here. The smaller of the 3 sets (a medium size set) is called Matchbox Farm Adventure, and is new for 2024. I am not going to go through the unboxing and setting up.

Boom! There it is. Fully built. It was very sunny when I started these. It is large, so I headed to my back garden to get some better photos.

It comes with the MB703 Tractor, but for this set, is pulls along a simple all-plastic trailer unit. The unit has no name, but is still the same size as a regular miniature model.

If you were to open the barn door (it slides sideways), the tractor will roll in and click a switch, which sets off a sound element. As well as this, the chicken in the roof pops out (just like a cuckoo clock).

It also has a harvesting unit in the corner, which you can slide back and forth.

Sliding it forward will flatten the crops (simulating the cropping function), and sliding it back will pop them back up again. A simple, but effective mechanism.

There is another switch to the side of the barn, next to a farmer, which when activated, gets the animals in the barn moving.

There are 2 loose bales of hay, which will easily pop into the chute at the top side of the barn. I think this is a fun little set. Plenty of play value. I really like it.

Now, this tractor. Obviously, originally it never had a trailer attached. That is new for 2024. I am keeping the trailer, purely because it is made by Matchbox, and is a standard size. But, what of the tractor?

It is, what Mattel refer to as, a carry forward. It was originally a part of the 2015 Mission Force: Farm set. The original pops up for a comparison.

I have to admit. These are very similar. The shade of blue to the body is almost identical. The base is the same grey, and has not seen any changes to the writing on it. The wheels match too. The tampo printing appears to be the same colour, but there is a tiny difference. The logo in the new model has a thicker black crop outline. That is it. It was all I could see. I am quite amazed that after 9 years, there is basically no shade to find.

For those wondering, when the Mission Force set was released, Matchbox were issuing it with 2x Skybusters (long gone) and 3 miniatures. The other 2 were the MB853 Sowing Machine in green and MB786 '57 GMC Stepside in its last outing before being modified. It came in red.This model did return in a 2022 MBX Highway II 5-pack, now with the modified body.

However, 2023 saw the theme make a return. It appears to be just in blue. The MB1010 Dirtstroyer & MB829 Farm Trailer appeared in the MBX Farm Trailer Hitch & Haul set (which carried forward to the first batch of 2024).

This year has also seen the RW027 Crop Sprayer appear in the Working Rigs series.

And the MB728 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U300 was added as a 9-pack (later 8-pack) exclusive.

As the Mog has a tow hook, this can also have fun towing the new plastic trailer unit. But, as I have all these out...

Well, I had to get them all on the playset. I even included the accessories from the Hitch & Haul pack.

As I said, I think this is a great little set. There is just one thing I would have changed....

It has a sign in the corner with Matchbox Farm on it. Yes, logical. But why was a chicken put above? They should have added the same crop logo that is being used on all of these blue models. That would have made much more sense. Tied it in even more. A missed opportunity there.

Now, it is the turn of the big ones. I admit, last year, when I was on my jaunt around the USA, I did see this one, the Epic Construction Yard, but thought better of spending my money. However, now being discounted, I decided to go for it.

It is huge! I was not expecting it to be as large as it is. Wow! There is a lot to it, considering this cost me only a few dollars more than the Farm one.

The rotating crane section on the top really towers above the rest of the set, just like a crane would in real life. This is great.

This made me laugh. It comes with a working port-a-loo.

Thankfully, the person inside is fully dressed when you open the door. Mind you, wouldn't it have been so funny if you opened the door, and there is somebody inside sitting on the toilet, reading a paper, and a voice booms out "occupied".  I would have laughed my head off!

Behind the toilet we find a small hill with a wrecking ball crane on it. You see a small lump that can be pressed.

When depressed, the wrecking ball spins round and knocks the ramp down, but bursts a water main while doing so! Oops!  

There is a sign at the other end to tell us that a new parking structure is coming soon.

The top section of the parking structure has a giant hook on the top, as this can be lifted and rotated around by the giant crane.

But, when taken off the crane, will rest comfortably on the top of the rest of the structure. That is pretty clever. It will settle in place and remain sturdy.  

This set features a lot of play value again. It also has a secret underground door that shows the pipes going around. Now which one shuts off the water?

Included in the set is the MB1176 MBX Backhoe. You could say this is a carry forward, but remember this is a 2023 set. This model was in the 2023 Construction 5-pack. It was also in a construction themed 9-pack.

At the time, I noticed that the 5-pack release was a little darker in shade to the 9-pack release. So, I kept both. This one appears to be the same darker shade as the original 5-pack release.

However, I have noticed that the shovel on the front in the playset release is a notably darker orange than either the 5-pack or 9-pack release. So, yes, I am keeping this as well. Bonus!

This brings me to the final set. New for 2024 is the Matchbox Transportation Center (US spelling). It is only 16" tall, compared to 20" of the previous year's large set. It is still big.

I can't believe this was already on discount at Walmart stores. Not all of them. Some were still selling at full price. Obviously, I grabbed a discounted one.

It has loads of cool features. At the bottom of the large structure there is a rotating door. It is activated by a vehicle going over the yellow striped section in front of it. Which, in this case, is a taxi stop. Hence, the addition of a taxi. I love the little doggie (there is also a man and an empty slot).

To the side of the main structure is a marina section, with an ice cream vendor in the corner.

The pier section will swing out when needed, showing a small water section under it.

If you head inside the main structure via the entry point onto the ramp.

There is a yellow (lift or elevator) section on the corner that acts as a sliding point.

Which can take the vehicle all the way to the top. It will then shoot all the way down the spiral section to the bottom. Well, as long as the barrier is open.

The only thing I noticed (it may just be mine, or a flaw) is that the bottom grey curved section kept popping out of the white section it clicks into. I kept popping it back in.

When it is correctly in the white section, the model will roll all the way out of the bottom. I think this is fun. There is much more to it. A plastic helicopter will sit on the "H" pad on the roof, and depressing the "H" pad will activate various noises and sentences. I could point out other little parts, but I am here about models.

The model included is the MB1025 Toyota Prius Taxi.

It was originally a part of the 2017 basic range. During its run there, I noticed the yellow was good for shading.

It then carried forward to the 2022 MBX EV & Hybrid 5-pack. I noticed it came just a little darker than the darkest of the singles I already had. This one matches one of the 2017s. I saw no difference. Nothing to warrant keeping it. To be honest, as this has already been carried forward before, I would have looked further back at the 2015 basic range release of the MB980 Checker Cab. That has never been carried forward before. In fact, since the casting was altered to include the taxi sign as part of the window section, it has only been used twice. Where is it?

Aside from the large plastic helicopter, the set also contained this little plastic boat. It may seem familiar.

That is because it is based on a certain casting from 2001. The MB518 Rescue Boat. This is the 2001 US only debut release.

Except that the new piece is pure plastic. It only contains a body and a hull. There are no markings on the hull at all. Not even a Matchbox logo. I wonder if the budget could not stretch to adding a diecast one.

The most basic one of all was a certain 2006 Coal Car. This was just a silver hull and blue body. No tampo printing. But, it was a metal hull, and there were wheels in the bottom. Plus, it did have separate interior and window pieces.

Some may remember that the casting was updated into the MB826 version, which was the removal of the front window in the top.  This actually occurred between the 2009 SpongeBob SquarePants licensed 5-pack and the re-appearance for a 2011 SpongeBob themed tub adventure playset.

When the casting was altered, they kept the name Rescue Boat for a while.

However, the last time we saw it, which was back in 2016 when it was a part of the Shark Week series, both as a single (yellow/blue) and 5-pack (white/red), they changed the name.

They renamed it Res-Q Waver. It has not been seen since the name change, but I wonder if this is a sign that it may pop up again. Boats have never been good sellers. I know we are getting a new one next year, which I am sure will buck the trend (he says, keeping fingers, toes, and anything else handy crossed, but imagining the usual scenario). In the meantime, you know what, I am keeping this little plastic model. Yes, I am that crazy. Which leads me to the next part.

Playing with the sets. Ha ha! Seriously, the next part of the blog is the main part for most. I am sure many are not fussed about playsets. But, some enjoy them.

Mattel Creations. We are getting a monthly release lately, but one I was unsure about was this. The MB1762 Gold State Coach. Yes, I put an MB number to this. I was told at the convention that the Mattel team did indeed assign that manufacturing number to the casting. We will see when they reach MB1761 whether they skip the number and go to MB1763. But, for now, I am listing this down as MB1762.

Inside the outer box is another box. Actually, it is just a lid. You can see the plinth sticking out the bottom.

Inside, you will find the Gold State Coach pulled by 8 horses.

As expected on a model that costs an absolute fortune (no, the carriage is not pure gold), there is a lot of detail. The horses are very well crafted, and the riders all get lovely detail. They do appear to be 4 lots of the same pair. But, I would not expect them to try and craft each pairing in a slightly different pose. You may be wondering why there are riders on one side. This is how they do it in real life. Riders only sit on horses on one side. I am not sure why.

Unlike previous incarnations of the coach, the wheels at the front pivot.

You may be wondering why this is being referred to as MB1762. Surely, with those horses in front, this is way too long to be a miniature. No, those horses hook on to the carriage in the middle. Then, those chains along each side have a small hoop to hook over the front end of the carriage.

Unhooking is the easy part. Carefully slipping off the roped section is another story. But, using tiny tools, I got them off. And here we area. One MB1762 Gold State Coach.

The attention to detail is incredible. From the metal sculpted cherubs over the wheels, which are also metal.

It even has a metal king and queen inside. There are almost no other elements used. A tiny interior piece and plastic window finish off the model.

The only tampo printing is on the sides, where it depicts the picture as seen on the real coach. It was last seen transporting the king and queen back to Buckingham Palace after the King's coronation last year. They do have a modern carriage that they used to take them there.

The base has almost no detailing on it. Just a copyright, Matchbox logo and Made in China. Yes, this did not come from the usual factory. The wheels being held this way remind me of the classic regular wheel era of Matchbox. Which sort of fits the theme. After all, this is a carriage from 1762! But, I was told this at the Gathering. They created the carriage itself specifically to fit the size of a regular Matchbox model. I checked some sizes, and discovered there is a very good size comparison.

The coach is almost identical in length to the MB1433 '64 Lincoln Continental that debuted earlier this year.

And the width? Yep! Bang on! This is definitely a miniature. So much so, that I am going to keep the horses off, and store this in my carry cases along with all my other miniatures.

I don't own either of the originals from the 1950s. The success of the original Gold State Coach was one of the factors in Lesney moving into toy cars, along with Jack Odell's daughter coming from school telling her dad that they only allowed toys in school that could fit in a Matchbox. They released a large coach in 1952, then followed it up by a smaller one in 1953. Cut forward to 1992, and Universal created this Y-66 Golden State Coach. I don't collect Models of Yesteryear, but ended up with this because it was also included in a special set in the UK in 1994, called Britain in Miniature. This is the 1994 release. I don't know how different it is to the earlier 1992 issue. But, comparing it to the new casting, it pales in comparison.

Not just in size, but by the sheer scale of the detailing. The horses do not have any chains down the sides. The horses pivot at their attachment to the carriage. And the carriage has blacked out windows with no interior.

You can tell that a lot of effort went into creating a perfect replica of the real vehicle here.  The cherubs are all correct now. You can thank Julian Payne for this, as he was the mastermind behind the build. Julian was originally from the UK, but has been in the USA with Mattel for a number of decades now, and has made a lot of models over the years. Could this be his magnum opus?

I am blown away by this model. This is a work of art. Yes, I might have dismantled it a bit to keep the coach in my collection, but I still appreciate all the work that went into it. If I were to score this out of 10, it is a no-brainer. Perfection. 10 all the way. Being a new casting, I score the casting, 10, the decision, 10, and the final look, 10.

Aside from the coach, we have seen another 3 Mattel Creations recently. They have appeared in a regular, large and supersized box. I will go from large to small.

The first of which is the MB1294 '49 Kurtis Sport Car. I remember when the debut version arrived in the 2022 basic range, I went on a ramble about how this was the cover model for the first edition of Motor Trend magazine in the USA. Well....

This is so cool. They have replicated that debut issue here.

This is the original cover. I think this is absolutely brilliant.

The back of the box has a load of blurb about both Kurtis and the magazine. This is one of the best efforts that they have made with a Mattel Creations model.

Inside, you will find the background for the original picture And the model itself sits inside a plastic cover.

But, that is not all. We have seen detailing on the basic range Kurtis models. This is a dark green model, which is the one that was used on the cover. You can't really tell as it was a black and white picture. There is additional detailing on the model, as expected, due to it being a premium. The window edging is detailed. Expected.

And the whitewall wheels are real riders.  That is a rubber part that has been whitewalled.

The rear is sort of as expected. You may notice the licence plate says MOTR 75. This stands for Motor Trend 75th Anniversary. But, beyond this, now we get into the details.

Who remembers the Premiere Series of the 1990s? Models in this series had interiors detailed. Something which we have not seen much of in recent times. Well, this one has a detailed interior. Finally, this is worthy of the high price. But, again, this is not all.

The base is plastic. Just as it is in the basic range. However, this has been painted black, and then the exhaust system has been picked out in grey. Yes, this is comparable to the Ultra Class series of 1997! This has hit a high bar for Mattel Creations. I am so impressed with this model that I am scoring this a perfect 10 as well. It is just about perfect. I can't think of anything else that could have been added. I say just about, as if they had created a metal base for it, and opened up something, then it would be perfection. But, this is a regular basic range upscaled. For that, they cannot go higher with creating all new tooling.

This is only the third release of the model. As I mentioned, it debuted in 2022 in red. This model saw some differences in the front chroming, where some got a full chroming including in the cracks, others coming out in a more black inserted area.

And now, the dark green. There are not many other official colour to choose from. I know there is a yellow one. What else? I am not sure. That may be it. Will we even see it again? Who knows. I will be happy to see another.

Next up, we get a model in the regular packaging we are used to. An oversized plexicase in an orange box. This was one that rather surprised me. If anybody was to tell me that Matchbox would do the MB766 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as a Mattel Creations model, I would have said no. But, they have.

When I first saw the Mattel pictures, I was a little unsure of what to make of this one. The pin striping all over it really looked bright, and in your face. So, when I opened the model, I was actually surprised. The lines are not as noticeable as I thought they would be.

In fact, the closer I got to it, the more I started to like it. This one is a grower.

So, by the time I was holding the model loose in my hand, I was really liking it. I thought it looks pretty cool against the backdrop in the package.

However, this is me, and the model is staying loose. The solid black with light pinstriping all over actually looks great. It sort of gives it a night time glimmer.  If that makes sense.

Aside from the pin stripes, there is just the usual detailing in most places. The licence plate simply has SLR on it.

SLR is replicated under the doors. And do you see the McLaren logo? After all, this was the special McLaren version of the SLR.

As depicted by the (plain) base. Which you might also note a certain date code. S39. Yes, this model was actually made in the factory at the end of September 2023. From what I have been told, the factory will make models at various times, but sometimes it is before the release date, as a model has a vague plan for release, but if something significant comes along, then they want to time that specifically at a certain time, so models do get moved around a little. So a model may lose it place in the queue due to another. This one lost its place, but took a while to get another slot. However, production still took place when expected. It is just the way it goes. There are many moving parts to getting a model from planning to production, and many hurdles to overcome. We don't see all the ins and outs, just the end products. But, this is why there is a team. There's an awful lot to do. As to the model, I am rating it a 9.5. Not absolutely perfect, but much, MUCH better than I originally thought.

Final dive back of the blog. This model debuted back in 2009. It came in silver for the first release. I noticed that the silver was good for a shade.

It saw a version 2 later in the year, which came in black. Just like the new one. However, that was a core range model with simple front and rear printing. Plus plastic wheels.

For 2010, it was going move to the 5-packs, where a blue model was going to be a part of the Modern Rides 5-pack. However, there were some issues, and the model had to be dropped (it was replaced by a Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible in the same blue). These issues kept the model away from the Matchbox range for 7 years. Finally, in 2017, it returned! Back in the basic range for another go, this was also silver.

However, this silver was a completely different silver to the debut. Plus, the licence plate at the rear was a new one. This was not a simple carry forward. But, that was the last time it saw a basic range outing.

For 2018, the model appeared as a part of the Mercedes-Benz themed set at Walmart stores in the USA. This was a matte gold coloured model, and boy did this one vary in shade during production. These are the 2 extremes from my own set of 4.

Then, for 2019, it finally got a 5-pack release. However, this Blue Highways release was not blue. We never got a blue. It was in matte grey.

This release is the next one. 5 years later. This means that since 2009, when the model debuted, we have seen a grand total of 6 outings. That is not a lot. Plus, from what I am hearing, they are looking at retiring the model, so this is serving as its swansong. Wow!

Which brings us to the last model. A brand-new casting, which comes in a small box. This is just a regular plexicase.

Inside the box, we get a lid to the plexicase which features the German flag sprawled across it.

Which lifts off to reveal the brand new MB1312 '93 BMW E30 M3. This is the debut for the model, just pipping a Collectors release to the post. But, this simple sits in a clear plexicase with a German flag themed base, that matches the lid. The blurb for the BMW is only on the back of the original orange box.

It looks decent, but I do wonder why we didn't get a bigger plexicase like we did with the Mercedes-Benz. In fact, this is not the first instance of the smaller box. We had a Divco in one a few years ago. I thought that was a 1-off.

The model itself looks really well done. The casting has captured the shape of the real E30 M3 very well. However, it is quite a small casting. I was a little surprised by that. Plus, do you see those weird lines going up the front window? They are really off-putting.

The white looks great, and the M badge is well depicted. The German flag theme is something that BMW does do. Particularly with the M-series of models. They usually have the 2 shades of blue and red stripes, but you can get German flag themed ones, and additional stripes to go over your car. So, this is a realistic replica. Although I doubt many real ones will have Matchbox at the back. Ha ha!

It looks like the casting will end up in the Moving Parts range, as the hood lifts, showing off the highly detailed engine inside. This is likely what is causing the issue with the front window, but that doesn't normally happen. Is it because the casting is too small?

The rear licence plate again has Matchbox on it. A great little nod to who makes this. I know when the first pictures were surfacing, people were not sure which manufacturer was making the small one. I guess we know now!

If you look inside, you will notice that the model has a roll cage. Yes, this has been created as a track vehicle, rather than a road vehicle. Something akin to a certain Porsche 911 RSR which appeared recently. I like that the Matchbox brand is being given the chance to expand its parameters. I also like that this has the wing mirrors detailed. We often miss that.

So, as this is a new casting, I show the (again, blank) base. That Kurtis has raised a bar, and now nothing feels as good. Ha ha! So, how to score this? Inclusion? 10. I cannot argue that this is a great model to include. We are getting a bunch of classic BMWs being added, and more coming next year. I am definitely enjoying that. Casting? Hmm! An 8.5. Half a point for feeling that little bit small. Only fractionally. It didn't need to be much bigger. Plus a point for the way the hood goes up and has the front window with big lines going up it. That is a little off-putting. Design. I love this. 10. So, 28.5 out of 30. Decent, but not perfect. I will still enjoy getting more of these.

Well, that is it for another blog. Jeez! I hope you all managed to get through the initial playset stuff. I enjoyed messing about with them. As I add more Mattel Creations to my collection.

I also add in a few random other items as well. I do enjoy getting literally anything that they throw my way, don't I!

As this lot go and make their way to my carry cases, attention turns to next week, where I think I need to go back to basics. If you know what I mean. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.