Matchbox Monday looks lovingly at the first half of batch L

As we head into the final parts of 2025 Matchbox, we arrive at the penultimate batch of basics. Batch L. This batch consists of 11 models in total, of which 5 of them are lovely new castings. So, splitting things down the middle as best I can, I begin here with 5 of the models, randomly chosen, which appear to be either new, or fairly old. Let's dive in and see what there is.

The first model is the MB1037 '16 Fiat 500X, which marks it first appearance in the basic range since 2018. It takes the MB35 slot in the range, and appears in blue this year.

As we would expect from Matchbox, this model is a simple car, so receives simple front and rear tampo prints. Abe Lugo was the person behind this casting, back when it debuted in 2017. Luckily, since the debut, we have been able to see inside. The first release was not the best. This model is in a light pastel blue shade, which I don't believe is a real colour option. But, it still looks nice. It is not a fantastic shade of blue, but it does still work. I am not sure if those wheels really do suit it. It has been the go-to wheel for this model, with only 1 so far seeing a different style. But, I do wonder if perhaps the 6-spoke wheel is a better option. 

It is a fine model, and it is nice to see it return to the basic range, for what is only its third outing there. I just think it might have been a little better with a bolder colour choice. It is nice, but not "wow" nice. I am scoring it a 9 out of 10, due to the nostalgia, the realism and the fact that you can see inside. But, the colour is just a little flat for me. 

I did spot a shade, which is always nice. This is a casting that does very well at shading. You don't believe me? Let's dive into the history. 

As I said, the 2017 debut for this was dark green. And the windows were black. Not the ideal start. But, there was a shade to be found.

The last basic range outing was in 2018, and this was really nice in a bright orange hue. Again, more shades could be found.

After this, the model became a bit of a multipack specialist. It took 2019 off, but returned in the 2020 Blue Highways 5-pack, in blue, appropriately. That is a nicer blue than this one, and was also good for a little shading. 

And was then in the 2021 Off Road Rally 5-pack in red. This was the only release to date to see a different wheel option. I still wonder if 6-spokes are better. Again, I spotted some shading. 

It was then in the 2022 MBX City Drivers 5-pack in white, which some were found to be a little more creamy white than others. 

And with no outings in 2023 or 2024, it did resurface earlier this year in the Italian Roads 5-pack in black. Strangely enough, this is the first time I have been unable to find a shade. 

Which does mean it has had 7 outings to date. If I was to ran all 7, the red is my current favourite, followed closely by the orange. The previous blue comes 3rd, then white and black in 4 and 5. This would slot in 6th place, just above the debut. As I said, it is nice, just not "wow" nice. 

The MB886 Ground Grinder has been around even longer. This one first arrived in 2013, but has not been seen in the basic range since 2019. So, a 6-year absence, sees it return in a recurring theme as MB56.

I do love a recurring theme. And National Parks is probably about the most beloved of them all. It has been with us since Micharl Heralda created it in 2008, and I hope it continues long into the future. Does a construction vehicle deserve a National Parks outing? Sure, why not? That's the beauty of the National Parks design. It can fit in with a wide variety of vehicles. This model is a maintenance road crew vehicle. Because, yes, national parks would still have roads going through them. If they start crumbling, they would need vehicles to fix them. Like this vehicle. It is a decent choice. I think it is a little left-field, but still a perfect choice for a livery on this casting. 

Sometimes you do get a random little thing in the livery. HP1000? Is that the horsepower of the Ground Grinder? I don't know. But, I like it. I think this is a perfect look for the model. An easy 10 out of 10. And, this is a casting that does like to be included in the recurring themes. Dive back time. 

This was the 2013 debut look for the model. A simple yellow construction theme for it in the basic range. 

It was also given this green look for the special 60th Anniversary series that year. 

In 2014, it was given its first recurring theme outing in the way of the INC theme. This was both as part of the basic range and the Construction Zone 5-pack.

In 2015, it was just in the basic range in this charcoal design. 

And in 2016, it was just in the Construction Zone 5-pack in dark red. Or maroon, depending on what you found. 

It did not make an appearance in 2017, but returned in 2018 in the basic range in yellow. The same yellow look it debuted in, back in 2013. Yes, there was a point in the late 2010s, when they used to do that. Luckily, it didn't last. 

The most noticeable difference between the 2013 and 2018 runs was with the base. The later runs came out a bit darker. 

The following year, it was in an INC look again. This basic range issue saw the yellow base section change during production. No waiting for 5 years like the previous issue. 

Talking of 5 years, the 2019 issue in INC livery was not the same as the 2014 issue in INC livery. As you can see, the plastic components were different colours, and the INC livery itself was also different. 

We did not see the model in 2020. 2021 saw it back in the 5-packs, The MBX Road Crew pack was a RANEC themed set in orange and white.

And, again, it took another year off before popping up in the 2023 MBX Construction IV 5-pack in the new Matchbox Construction recurring theme that debuted that year. 

This gives the model a total of 9 different looks, some of which have recurred (the 2015 charcoal recurred in a carry forward 5-pack this year). 5 of the 9 looks have been in recurring themes. I told you this one liked the recurring theme. Now, how do we utilize the CarGo theme on this one? Ha ha!

The third model I am looking at this week is the first of 2 new castings I am reviewing this time. The other 3 new castings will be in my latter half of the batch report in a few weeks. This is the MB1525 '67 Alfa Romeo Duetto. It debuts in the MB60 slot in red.

Duetto? This is a little sneaky. Back in March 1966, Alfa Romeo unveiled this lovely new vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show. It was planned to replace the older Giulietta Spider, which had been produced since 1957. However, they didn't have a name. So, they created a contest. People would write in with ideas for a name. The winner would win the actual car. The winner was Guidobaldo Trionfi, from Brescia in Italy. He proposed the name Duetto, which is Italian for duet. So, they gave him the car, and attempted to trademark the name. However, Pavesi, an Italian manufacturer of snacks, just launched a new chocolate bar called Duetto. And they had just trademarked the name. They took it to a court in Milan, but they ended up siding with Pavesi. So, Alfa Romeo simply marketed it as Spider. Most people will simply know it as Spider. It would contain a 4-digit code after the name, which was simply the engine size. 1600, 1750, 1300, 2000 etc, as time went on. This is the first generation Spider, as a 2nd generation debuted in 1970, and ran until 1983. A 3rd gen debuted in 1982 (slightly overlapping) and ran until 1990, with a 4th generation in 1990 running until 1993. The 1993 GTV Spider replaced this model. A little known fact is that this is the last car that was designed by Battista Pininfarina, who had set up his own company designing models. He died a month after the car was unveiled.

So, giving the model the original planned name is a cheeky little dig at Pavesi. In the US in particular, 1st generation Spider 1600s are referred to as Duettos. 

So, what do I make of this casting? Abe Lugo was the mastermind behind the model, and I think he has nailed it. It looks so smooth, so effortless. So curvaceous. I think it is gorgeous. Looking at pictures of real ones, they do seem to dip down like that at the rear. He has captured that effortlessly. The window does have that triangular section at the sides. Spot on. The doors? Yep. That is how they look. The only minor flaw is one that perhaps needed to be done. The rear wheel arch is a little high, but in real life, they curve around the wheel slightly. Something I think in miniature would have likely seen the wheel rubbing against the arch. So, I think he made the most logical conclusion and simply raised that rear arch slightly, just to keep it away from wheels. I do not mind that. After all, I grew up in the 1970s, and loved Matchbox, even though they were then going through the period of chopping wheel arches away to accommodate wider wheels that would create better stability for going down tracks. I do believe this design tweak from the 1970s still holds true for what is essentially a toy car. Hence, the reason why I am not going to down score this particular trait. 

The interior slots in perfectly, and it is also well detailed. I cannot see anything with the casting itself that I would drop any points over. Abe has done a fantastic job with this.

When it comes to the design, Rossa Italia was a common colour option back in the day. Red has been a bit of a signature Alfa Romeo colour, so is a perfect choice for debuting the model. The tampo printing is very well detailed at the front. It curves up from the lower end up to the headlights.

Which, when viewed from above, means it did need a careful alignment to get it going. Kudos for a great job.

Spider Roma. I like the licence plate. I always enjoy seeing a little fun with them. 

So, how to score this? Easy. Inclusion. 10 out of 10. I cannot believe it has taken this long to get it. Casting. 10 out of 10. I am not scoring down for the wheel arch, as noted already. Design. 10 out of 10. It is a beautiful debut. I hope we see many of these over coming years. 

And now we move into the other new casting of this part of the batch. The MB1491 '23 BMW i4 Police Sedan. It takes the MB80 slot in the range, and debuts in a silver Polizei theme. 

I have to admit to being in 2 minds about this one. As we know, there has been a BMW M5 Police around since 2014. So, yes, it is starting to look a little dated as a modern European police vehicle. So, this is a good way of giving us a brand new, modern European police car. But, BMW again? While I am happy to see the i4, could they have done it as a civilian car instead? And chosen another manufacturer to give us the police car instead? Just imagine a modern VW Passat Wagon as a police car. Popular in the UK, across Europe and in Australia. And, let's face it, Matchbox has never EVER made a Passat! Give us a modern wagon as a police vehicle, then dive back and provide us with the 1991 B3 VR6 as a saloon/sedan. I think both of those Passats would make awesome Matchbox models. Rather than just do BMW after BMW as a police car. Not that there is particularly anything wrong with another BMW police vehicle. I would just like them to switch it up a little bit. If that makes sense.

Abe Lugo designed this one as well. While the Alfa was beautifully done, this one does feel a little compromised. Particularly down the side. In real life, the i4 has a small vent behind the front wheel, which then leads into a strip that goes along the bottom of the doors. Even on a polizei liveried model, this vent and strip exists. It appears to have been ignored in the model, both as part of the casting, and as part of the tampo detail. Which I think is a real shame. It is one of the coolest parts of the design of the i4, and helps to distinguish it from other cars. The rest of the car has been captured well, except for the rear spoiler. It doesn't stick up at the rear end as aggressively as the real car does. 

The front end has been captured well, and shows off the massive kidney bean grille correctly. We see that it is detailed, which I think is a BMW requirement. Yes, the badge is slightly to the left. That is just a quirk of the tampo process not being perfectly aligned. Something I do not score down for, as this is a mass-produced toy car for children at the end of the day, and they are cranking them out at speed. A slight mis-alignment is likely to be found in most of them, I would imagine.

Which does mean that the rear is not going to be detailed. The casting does a good job on this part. And, I checked, the rear bumper being black plastic is just like this in real life. So, that is excellent work at the rear. I think, especially on a core model where sides are more likely to see prints (which being a police vehicle, this is), getting the casting right, and well detailed in the lesser printed areas is even more important. 

And, obviously, as we now have lights as part of the window section, this does mean that they are quite a dark smoke to make them both stand out. It is a shame that Matchbox has never pursued the 2-colour plastic process that can be done. Just imagine if they made the window piece clear, but that light bar section would be blue. Of course, it doesn't have to a perfect switch. It can be spread out slightly, only visible if you were to take the model apart. Something to think about, particularly if we get a premium outing. 

When it comes to the livery, the Polizei theme is always a winner. However, I do miss that the vent behind the front wheel and black trim along the bottom of the door was omitted. If they didn't etch that into the casting, at least give us it as part of the tampo print. As is often the case, rear lights are depicted at the side edge, but obviously don't wrap around the back. It does make them look a little awkward. But, not putting any rear lights, would that have been better? Or worse? It is a tough one. 

So, let's get some scores on the board. Inclusion. A BMW i4 is great. Making it a police car, meh! Had it been a civilian one, I would have given it top marks. Because the last European modern police vehicle was a BMW, I would have wanted a different one. So, I am giving this a 6. Casting. The side vent is barely visible in the casting, and has not been in any way enhanced by side tampo, which is something we will be getting all the time on this casting. The rear spoiler not being so proud is also a bother. So, here it gets an 8. Design. Polizei. Brilliant. Obvious, but still great. It was always going to appear. But, the lack of the side vent in the tampo as well does irk me, and the rear light is also annoying. So, again, an 8. Oh, that gives this a 22 out of 30. That makes it sound pretty bad. Which it definitely isn't. I would have simply preferred a different car as the new modern European police vehicle. 

A quick base shot for a new casting, before I move on to the last casting, in what could be it's last outing?

As we saw earlier this year, Matchbox has finally given us a new garbage vehicle. The MBX EV Trash Truck arrived earlier this year, and I am assuming that it will be taking over as the go-to trash vehicle from now on. Because this MB742 2008 Garbage Truck (which was renamed Garbage King in 2019) has been around a long time. 2008, obviously. It has had a good run, but I wonder if this burgundy/red MB99 could be the swansong? Only time will tell. 

If it is, it is going out on a high. This is a repeated livery from the 2022 Working Rigs release of the RW051 Garbage King XL. And, I do love repeated liveries. The red cab is nice, and the gold cog wheels suit the over look of the model. 

And we see the recurring Matchbox City logo in the design. Loads of little tampo details, and the white strips all over look fantastic. I think this is a great look. It gets a perfect 10 from me. So, if this does become the last new look for the casting (I can see it pop back as a carry forward still), I think it deserves another dive back. Here we go. 

As I noted, this model debuted in the 2008 basic range in white. It had a blue base, and early runs saw this blue base in a very dark shade, which was turned much lighter later. 

And, due to an issue with the wheel, last runs were given 6-spokes. 

The model was chosen that year to be 1 of the 25 given 2 looks. Which was a little unusual, as most 2-look models were worldwide releases. However, 2008 being the first year of a 3-way split, LAAM markets never saw this casting debut, or the second outing in cream. 

It did have a busy debut year. The German market saw this orange model as part of the Euro Edition series. I did see some shading to the orange on it. 

Although I didn't see any shade to the 1st Editions 10-pack outing at the end of the year. 

2009 saw the model available in all markets in the basic range. This red Bedolla model was founf with either a grey or black interior piece, which at the time was also a part of the roof.

It saw 3 other outings that year. A City Services 5-pack saw a blue outing. Another German exclusive Euro Edition outing was found in yellow. And finally, a Superfast release in white and green with the real Waste Management livery was also done. That one saw the debut wheel again, as it was fixed by then. 

2010 only saw a basic range outing. Or should I say outings, as again, it was chosen to have 2 looks. As was the case in 2009, all 3 markets saw it this time. 

2011 saw just the 1 basic range outing in green. And this one was only in the US market. Go Green!

While a certain City Life 5-pack outing went a little nuts. It was found with 3 different wheels. 6-spoke, cog or crown. 

While the 2012 model year only saw the 1 outing. A City Works 5-pack, where it was found in black, but sported either smaller 6-spoke or larger 6-spoke wheels. At the time, they had 2 styles, where the spokes are smaller or larger, leading to a thinner or thicker rim. You have to look twice to catch it. 

After that, the 2008 Garbage Truck was retired. 7 years later, in 2019, the model returned. However, it was now known as Garbage King, still under the MB742 MAN number. The metal rear section had been retooled to plastic, leaving only the cab in metal. The interior was no longer also in the roof. However, for the basic range return, it was given the same mint look all over. It was, of course, a National Parks model. 

It was given a white and blue look for the 2020 basic range. However, if you looked carefully, you might have noticed the rear plastic section would vary in shade of blue. 

2021 saw 2 more arrive with white cabs. At the start of the year, a Thank You set had been created during the pandemic. Orders from the USA could be placed in mid-2020 for it, but it was not available until the start of the year. It then popped up in the basic range with a green rear. 

2022's basic also had a white cab. This was paired with another blue rear section, which was a different design to the 2020 one. 

And, although I don't go nuts with carry forward sets unless something significantly changes, this one did in a 2022 12-pack, sold online. It used the old 2011 look, but was now on the updated casting. Go Green! (Again). 

2023 saw the cab in silver. Whoa! A non-white cab in the basic range. First time since 2019. This was part of the new Matchbox Construction theme. And, you really had to look carefully, as this is, currently, still the last time we saw a wheel variation. It could be found with either 6-spoke or cog wheels. But, because they were left black, you almost missed it. 

And last year saw the model in green and grey with the City Services recurring theme. And the green cab shaded quite a lot. 

So, the casting has seen quite a lot of action in 2 stages. The latter one from 2019 has seen 9 different looks (although 1 is technically a carry forward). It has done well. Thank you little Garbage Truck. You have been a fun model to collect. I am saying goodbye now, just in case this is it. Although, I am not opposed to seeing more of it. 

And, on that sombre note, this brings me to the end of the report. We have seen 2 new castings showcased.

Along with 3 castings that have actually been around for quite some time. 

So, as the first half of batch L starts "moving" its way off, my thoughts "move" to next week. As if I need any further hints at what batch I am going to be covering next time. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.