Matchbox Monday makes a big move on Moving Parts

This week, I am busy playing catch up again.  With Moving Parts currently not "officially" sold in the UK, I am extremely grateful to Wheel Collectors for helping me obtain them from the USA.  However, this was a case of a blip in the system, where I was waiting on batch F to arrive, which they had last year.  But it was the only thing to send me, and we both decided to wait until more arrived.  We waited, and waited, and finally the floodgates opened, and more products are coming.  So with it, came batch F.  And me, I hadn't got around to batch E yet.  So I decided, I really need to showcase them, so have amalgamated into one large blog report.  Which does also mean no dive back at the end.  I may end up amalgamating batches G & H too.  I am still working out how to do future blogs and make sure I am not falling too far behind.  So, I think it is time I got on with it.  Batch E first.  

And you do have to forgive me.  I was rushing to try and get all the pictures done, and completely forgot to do packaging shots.  I am sure you can guess what they all look like.  Furthermore, I am going to be working through these in number order, as usual, which means that with each batch, new models take up early positions.  Which means, the first new casting of batch E takes the form of the MB1306 '19 Ford Mustang.  It takes the number 2 slot in the Moving Parts range.  

It comes in a lovely dark red, and is very well executed with a lovely curvaceous rear end.  

The opening feature on this model is the doors, which are a very nice, smooth feature. They received some clever detailing to the inside of them, which is noted. 

Matchbox have made both a convertible and hardtop variant of this vehicle already for the basic range, and both featured a grille that was formed out of the base of the model.  It was quite set back, and the Mustang logo wasn't detailed to help it to stand out.  This new casting has taken a different approach, by making the front grille area a part of the body section.  As such, it is tampo printed to stand out, and the lovely Mustang is depicted in silver in the middle of it.  Is this a better way of doing it? Of course, it doesn't recess into the body as much, as they couldn't have it too far back, as it would cause issues with the tampo machine.  But, the fact that it highlights better, I think this is a better option.  So yes, an improvement.  

And I know for a lot of people, the original convertible casting that arrived a few years back was noted for having a rather flattened rear end.  This new depiction has rectified that issue very well.  This is a great rear end.  

I did notice that the base does not make mention of this being a convertible.  It just marked it down as a 2019 Mustang.  

Obviously the original MB1170 '18 Ford Mustang Convertible was going to make an appearance.  This is the debut look from 2019 in orange.  

The immediate area we look at as that rear end.  Yes, the original was definitely a little off there.  Very flat and short.  It was like it all got crumpled up and nobody bothered pulling it back out again.  This new atempt has vastly improved that area.  

It also means that the new casting is notably longer as well. A lot is taken up with the longer, and more curvaceous rear end, but I couldn't help noticing that the original's front end is slightly longer.  I am not sure which is more in proportion, but I prefer the overall stance of the new casting, and it does feel like it is a much leaner machine.  

Although I do prefer the lattice style grille effect of the original.  The new one has no lattice.  It is smooth, except the pony.  I don't know if this is another concession that has to be made to get the tampo printing to work better, and if it is, it is a shame.  If not, they should have put the lattice effect in.  

And of course, I had to bring in the MB1226 '19 Ford Mustang GT in too.  Especially a certain 2021 9-pack semi-exclusive.  This was in a very similar burgundy look.

That one had a honeycomb grille. Again, a part of the base, so set further back in the front end of the model.  I like that it is now tampo printed, but would have liked a pattern to it.  I also notice that on the hardtop, the front bumper skirt was a part of the body, whereas convertibles include it in the base.  

The rear ends of these 2 are remarkably similar.  And why shouldn't they be?  This is a case of taking what was working, and rolling it through to the next version.  A lovely curvy rear.  Just what we wanted.  I do wonder why the new casting wasn't called a Mustang GT like the hardtop was?  To me, it should have been a 2019 Ford Mustang GT Convertible.  But then, that might have been a little too much information to squeeze on the base.  

This casting is a definite win for me.  The Mustang GT is one of my favourite castings of all time, and the new convertible just takes that, and just loses the roof.  I am definitely looking forward to getting more of these in the future.

And now we move on to the MB1317 '21 Ford Bronco.  This takes the number 11 slot in the series for 2022. It debuts in a lovely orange shade.  Ford calls this Cyber Orange.  It was an option on the early Broncos, but as of 2023 is no longer an option.  Luckily, this is a 2021 Ford Bronco, so orange was available at that time.  

As is often the case, due to Mattel paint spraying parts at different times, the doors are a slightly different shade to the rest of the body.  I am not sure how they can fix this issue.  Trying to paint everything at one time in a fast moving factory is quite tough. With these mass-produced toys, efficiency is the key.  As such, we do find issues like this.  It is a shame, but I live with it.  Because I love this casting.  

I prefer the 2-door look to the 4-door look on this one.  There is something about the smaller size that makes this look nicer.  Just imagine how overjoyed I am about getting a Bronco Sport for 2023?  Again, these doors are a good fit, and open/close nice and smoothly.  

This side does appear to be a better match in paint shades between the body and door components.  

The 4-door casting was praised for how well the model was depicted, and this 2-door has just continued with this.  It does appear as if thy literally took the original casting, and altered it to a shorter wheelbase and removed 2 doors (then opened them). the front end is so well done, and the tampo printing just enhances this.  

Again, this simply calls this a 2021 Ford Bronco.  Exactly as the earlier 4-door casting did.  Do we need to make a note ourselves of the 2 different castings, as both are called the same.  

So, MB1317 2021 Ford Bronco, meet MB1247 2021 Ford Bronco.  I might retroactively call this 2021 Ford Bronco 4-dr and 2021 Ford Bronco 2-dr. Just so my records keep the 2 models apart.  

As stated, these are the longer and shorter wheelbase variants of the real vehicle, with the 4-door being in the basic range, the 2-door being in Moving Parts.  

Aside from the longer length and the fact that 2 more doors were added, these are pretty much identical.  Fantastic work by the Matchbox guys in keeping the formula to this one unchanged.  I love the consistency.  Front and rear ends are just the same.  

The width is the same too, although my attempt to line them up was quite tough, as there was a tiny roll to it, and I was unable to get them perfectly aligned.  But they are the same.  And that is one of the best things about this.  The fact that they kept everything as it was and literally just altered what was required to alter to reduce the door count.  

I thought the original was a fantastic casting, and this has just taken that and improved it.  Again, another home run.  I am seriously looking forward to getting many more of these.  Bring on the Bronco Sport!!!!

The final new casting to the batch is the MB1323 '75 Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste in yellow.  It is number 14 in the series of 50 models.  

Anybody who reads my blog on a weekly basis will know that I have already showcased this.  It was in batch B of the Japanese exclusive Moving Parts series, taking the J-11 slot in the set.  

The production dates are a little different between the 2, but I could see no differences between the run for Moving Parts, and the other run for the Japanese series.

Which is a shame, as I do love a variation.  

And as I stated at that time when I was doing a review on it, I was loving it.  It went from an announcement "meh" to an in-hand "yeah".  This is a beautiful casting.  

Although, we are privy to be able to hunt 2 down each time.  As you may or may not know, this model is coming with either a LHD or RHD interior.  

For absolutely no reason whatsoever, this interior on the model has ridges on one but not on the other.  However, I must point out, there are only 2 interior moulds.  I do like to re-iterate this, as some may think you can find a LHD model with both rear parcel shelf configurations, and then find an RHD with both.  You can't.  The rear parcel shelf is tied in with the steering wheel.  

So for us mad variation collectors, we just need to hunt down 2 each time.

And now we move into the second half of the series, with models already seen coming back for more outings.  The first is the MB1140 '06 Ford Crown Victoria.  This is a casting that was based on an older basic range model, now with opening rear doors.  A very novel approach.  But this one has a really noticeable blip with that door.  The tampo printing appears to be a little short, leaving a bit of a gap.  You do notice it immediately, especially when putting it at this angle.  

Although the other door appeared to line up much better.  This is because these doors are a single clear piece of plastic, and everything added is tampo printed.  You misalign slightly, and it does make things look weird.  I do like the design.  An original look, with a Matchbox Harbor Police design, and the now fairly common Matchbox City logo.  

The doors are still working very well.  Not the easiest to open, but once you figure it out, it is quite easy.

But we do have another small issue.  Did you notice I said '06 Ford Crown Victoria?  I did not mention it being a police or a taxi.  Why?  Because this has a Harbor Police side design, yet they used the taxi window piece for it.  Doh!  It has been a bit of an ongoing issue with this casting.

Because this was one of the original Moving Parts castings, first arriving in the 2019 series.  It debuted in white with a really cool NYPD theme.  But when the factory adapted parts from the old casting, they simply adapted a taxi window piece for this.  So the roof has Taxi on it.  

A second release arrived later in the year.  This was another police livery, this time for Boone County.  But by the time this had already been produced, the first was only just hitting stores (albeit rather limited), and it was pointed out the wrong piece was in use.  

Boone County was produced again for the 2020 Moving Parts series, as they were still in the earlier stages and trying to build up the toolbank.  At that time, they had corrected the window section to now have an alternative light bar roof section to it.  The 2020 Boone County had the correct roofline.  

We also had a full-blown Superfast issue in 2020.  This was in black with a Texas Highway Patrol State Trooper design. This also had a correct roofline.  

For 2021, and a Moving Parts series now being numbered, the number 3 slot early in the year gave us an actual taxi this time. The older taxi roofline part was used for this one, and I did notice the yellow was good for a shade.  

And then later in the year, we got another taxi outing.  Number 19 in the set was another New York model, this time as an NYC Taxi.  Absolutely fantastic. But after 2 taxi outings, we move back to a police one, and the factory forget to switch the window part back again.  It's a small issue.  Hopefully, when the next release arrives, the factory will remember beforehand to check which window piece is required.  

The MB1138 '64 Pontiac Grand Prix is another of the 2019 original Moving Parts castings.  It is number 22 in the series for 2022. It looks really nice in a simple metallic brown.  I believe Pontiac called this Saddle Bronze at the time.  It is a genuine option.  And in real life, they would come with brown leather interiors.  Something Matchbox also depicted.  

As with every release so far, this is a very simple design.  No graphics beyond the simple logo and pin-striping along the bottom and around the window.  I love it!  But, are you noticing what I am?  The doors?

You see, this is another casting which features opening doors. But, considering this was only 2019, these doors are not holding up well.  

This was my first attempt at closing the door.  There is too much play in the hinge.  The door almost rotates upwards as you attempt to close it.  I'm sure the Pontiac didn't come with butterfly or scissor doors. It is trying to replicate it now, though.  They could do with a little tidying up of the casting to tighten the doors up again.  Most of the models with opening doors now are very solid.  They feature lovely, smooth opening and closing actions.  This is sadly not in the same boat, and is letting the casting down. Everything else about it is fantastic, but this is a very noticeable sore point now, and could do with some attention to fix.  I hope the next time we see it, those doors open and close better.  

Because I am not ready to say goodbye to this casting yet.  It may be an original 2019 Moving Part model, but 4 years is not long enough.  It still has lots of potential.  After all, this was a nod to one of the classics from Matchbox.  The original purple 2019 release was paying homage to the early Lesney issue.  

The original Grand Prix debuted in the 1965 basic range as MB22, and ran for 5 years in red. Something we still have not seen from Matchbox in the new incarnation.  It then transitioned into Superfast in 1970 and turned purple.  Sadly, this did not last long as it was immediately replaced in 1971 and purples are not easy to come by.  Especially when people like me are hoarding 3 of them.  Well, the shade of purple, considering it was produced only a short period of time, varied considerably. There is an ultra-rare red Superfast.  I will likely never own one, but I have held one.  Actually, I have held 2. And seen 2 more.  But unless I re-mortgage the house, I doubt I will own one.  

Later on in the 2019 year, we had a version 2 of this.  Well, they only had a small selection of castings, so many were used twice.  It turned blue, which I believe was depicted in artwork in 1965, when the original Lesney model was made.  They were going to paint it blue, but decided on red instead.  It took a while before they altered the packaging to show it. Because, you know, errors have been a part of the Matchbox brand since the early days.  That is why I don't sweat the small errors, like with the Crown Vic Taxi/Police.  It is what I grew up, and part of the fun of the collection.  

As happened with the Crown Vic, version 2 of the Pontiac was carried forward for another run in 2020.  It was notably paler, though.

And we also saw a Superfast release in a dark red.  Close to the original Lesney red, but that was a light red. Maybe one day we will see a brighter red.  You can see the door is starting to lose its way a little.  

In 2021, we saw a Collectors release in white.  Another premium outing after 2020's premium issue.  You can see the door starting to really go here.  

It is a shame that this model is starting to wear on the door mechanism so quickly.  After all, even though it has been with us since 2019, it hasn't had a lot of usage.  I would expect the door to last a lot longer than it is.  Hopefully they will look at the casting, and give it a little tidy up.  I want more of these, especially a lighter red, paying homage to the debut of the Lesney.

Now we move on to the MB1163 '18 Range Rover Vogue SE.  Which, as people know, Matchbox have Land Rover (not Range Rover) on the base, due to legal reasons.  This is another of the originals.  A 2019 debut, and this one comes in charcoal as number 40 in the 2022 range.  

Again, as with all other releases to date, this model is a very standard looking representation of the real vehicle.  And I am fine with that.  I love having Range Rovers in the range, and it appears they are getting Moving Parts issues all the time.  The rear opening hatch is all plastic, but as you can see from the upper view, the tampo print perfectly matches the painted roof section.  That was pretty much spot on.  When they get things as good as this, I want to make sure praise is given.

And the rear is still opening and closing perfectly.  This model is holding up extremely well in the 4 years to date. Not like the Pontiac.  Please keep an eye on the Pontiac.

I am going to do another dive back here, as this is building up quite an impressive set of releases. When it debuted in 2019, it was a premium outing in the Superfast series in a dark blue.

Before 2020 gave us a Moving Parts release in metallic black.  

We also had another Superfast outing that year in orange.  A colour I found was absolutely fantastic for shades.  

And in 2021, we had another Moving Parts outing in white.  Again, I did find a shade, although I think in this case, it is more of a thickness to the paint. The creamier one does appear to be quite thick with paint, and the thinner coating does come out much brighter.  

Just like with the Pontiac, this model has seen 5 releases to date. But unlike the Pontiac, this has not affected the moving part in any way.  Do you notice that the first 2 had MBX on the rear, and since then it has been replaced by the Land Rover logo?  What?  I notice these things.  

Just like I have noticed that the Moving Parts releases have all been various monotone shades.  Black, charcoal and white.  I am waiting for a silver one to arrive.  The premium offerings are giving us the fancy colours. When are we getting a green one?  Collectors series in British Racing Green.  I am definitely up for it.  

Which brings me to the final model in batch E.  The MB1262 '78 Subaru BRAT.  This is number 45 in the 2022 Moving Parts series. It is not the first we have seen of this in the 2022 series.  There are a couple of castings that doubled up in the series.  Well, I say a couple.  There are 5 in total, and this is the second doubled up I have previewed so far (the Corvette Stingray coming in batches B & C).  

And I have to say, I absolutely love this look.  I believe it was officially available later on in the BRAT's life, but I don't care.  I love it!  The red and orange striping is so cool.  Very cool.  I see that silver Subarus also came with this striping back in the day, so am hopeful that Matchbox replicate that in the future.  This is also the first time we have seen the front end detailed, as previous releases went around the rear instead.  

This is also lovingly detailed under the hood too.  This is the sort of stuff I thoroughly enjoy getting from Matchbox.  I am really enjoying this casting.  I am amazed at how quickly it continues on from debut.

Because it debuted as number 2 in the 2021 Moving Parts range, in the very last batch of the series.

And then in batch B, we saw the first of the 2x 2022 Moving Parts releases, as they simply inverted the colour choice of the original for the number 43 model.  Yes, it is number 43 and number 45.  Very close to each other.  I also noticed the red striping did vary in shade, although in these 2, the rear print is almost maroon on one, compared to red on the other.  

So technically, this is the trio we have received in the space of 6 Moving Parts batches. Or three quarters of a year.  Roughly.  Timings may not be exact, but that is basically how they should be appearing.  I am very much looking forward to seeing more of these.  I wonder if we will get a premium outing as well.  I think it would sell well as a premium offering.  

A pretty decent batch.  3 fantastic new castings.  And out of the 4 older castings, 2 are just awesome.  The other 2, one having a small error, made me laugh, job done.  The other, we really need those doors looking at before they just fall off entirely.  But the model looked great. So how does batch F look?

Only 6 models in this batch, but we still get 3 debuts for new castings, and another 2 that have only been with us since 2022.  

So let's get stuck into those new ones, shall we?  First up is the MB1313 Ford GT40.  Yes, GT40!  That is quite significant.  It takes the number 7 slot in the series of 50.  

I love this debut look, as Matchbox have gone with a real nostalgia feel for it.  White with a blue stripe and 6.  It is a shame they didn't put it in the number 6 slot.  So close!  For those of us who have collected a long time, this is a brilliant design for the model.  Simple, yet, so much history. So it is a perfect debut.

And for the first time, Matchbox have given this model an opening part.  The rear engine compartment tilts back to show off the engine inside.  This is a little different to how it was initially announced.  When they first mentioned the car coming in 2022, back at the Albuquerque Convention in 2021, they mentioned they were looking at a door opening feature.  But as things move forward, I guess they felt that this was a cooler option.  Some may think that it was to save on parts.

But no.  That opening rear is a 2-part build.  It wasn't that simple.  

Having an opening part with a window in it is not something we see that much of.  Most opening parts will be window-less.  Or they will be made of plastic, and tampo print what is not a window.  So this is actually quite a big deal.  I wanted to point that out, as people will likely not even notice things like this.  Yes, things like this are what the Matchbox team work hard to give us.  

And of course the name.  This is quite significant.  Because until now, we had never seen a GT40 before.  Officially!  

Because this is obviously the classic.  Lesney created a casting way back in 1966.  It was added to the basic range as MB41 and ran for 6 years. It was one of the original 10 Superfast models in 1969.  When the series was launched, they released 5 brand-new castings, and another 5 immediate transitional models from the regular era.  But this is the important part.

It was sold as a Ford G.T.  No mention of the 40 anywhere in the name.

Mattel created a new casting in 2004 as MB634 (later MB995).  This too was given a retro look inspired by the classic Lesney for the 2004 Superfast series.  

But again, no mention of 40 anywhere on the base.  It was simply known as Ford GT.  This is one of those daft things I like to point out.  I bet nobody even realized that, either.  I tell you, this model is full of little surprises.

Of course, I do have to compare the 2 Mattel made models.  Size-wise, they are pretty much identical.  It appears that they did use the original as a template for the new casting.  It is just about the same length and width.  Apart from the opening feature, the only thing you notice is the smaller rear window opening.  A couple of small enhancements over the earlier model, but these are very similar to each other.  And this is also the first time that stripe has gone all the way over the model as well.  Yes, I keep pointing out these little things.  

So I am extremely happy with this new casting.  I am sure it will continue to be very popular over coming years.  

Three different releases of Ford GTs in white with a 6 stripe.  But I do wonder....

Will Mattel ever recreate the bronze look?  It was swapped for 1971 in the Lesney era, and ran for the last 2 years.  But we only seem to get the original white recreated.  I'm just saying.  An idea for the future.  

More nostalgia now.  They really hit us with the nostalgia vibes in this batch.  The MB1326 '80 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL.  Another new casting, and this was also one that brought us Lesney vibes.  

Taking the number 15 slot in the series, this model debuts in blue with a simple front and rear tampo.  I say simple, (and apologies for the blurriness), this rear end looks so well done.  I had to rub my finger along it to make sure it was not actually ribbed.  Those lights look amazing!  I am daft like that.  Sometimes the most random thing will get to me.  The rear lights on a 450SEL.  Yes, that's what I found the most fascinating part.

Even more than them recreating a classic Lesney model again.  Even down to the opening doors, just like the original.  

Those doors are a smooth fit, and open/close very nicely.  Not like the Pontiac!  What?  I will get over that.  

I like that this also has a sunroof surround shaped into the roof.  They didn't go with an obvious plastic sunroof part, like we often see nowadays.

Dammit!  I was trying to get another shot of the rear.  Where's the delete button? Is that it?  No?  I will make sure to edit this piece out before submitting it..... Doh!  

So, again, I am very happy with this one.  Just like the Ford GT40, I am getting massive nostalgia feels from this, and that brings a smile to my face.  So kudos to the Matchbox team for this cool release.  And as I mentioned the original....

I guess I should bring in the original for a little show and tell.  Lesney launched the MB56-C Mercedes-Benz 450SEL in 1979, where it ran for 2 years.  Yeah, that was it.  2 years, in a metallic blue (compared to the solid blue of the new release).  

Just like the modern incarnation, this featured opening doors.  They didn't have wing mirrors on the door to the original, and the new one has a plastic base and not metal.  But they are still very similar.

They didn't add a tow hook to the new model, which was a part of the original.  But in the Lesney era, they were putting tow hooks on everything.  Anything.  Whatever.  Here's a vehicle.  Can we fit a tow hook? Yes, yes we can!  

And I was quite surprised to note that these were also pretty similarly sized.  Did Mattel get a classic Lesney for sizing up?  I don't know.  I wasn't there.  But it was really cool that they did get this to come out the same as the original.

There is no dive back at the end of this report, but I am sneaking one in the middle of it.  Because this does feel like a perfect time to do a little diving.  As I mentioned, the original only ran for 2 years.  Most models came with a tan interior, but some sported a red one.  

And of course this model was always good for shades.  I do enjoy a shade variation.  I have yet to find one with the red interior, but I will continue to hunt one down.  

But only having the 1 colour for production was never enough for me.  So I did manage to obtain this silver pre-production sample.

And a second example, in all-yellow.  Including the base section.  That is a lot of yellow!

And that yellow one is a very early prototype, as the base does not feature the slashes yet.  The silver one did.  Obviously a later example as a test before production began.  

After 1980, Lesney decided to modify the casting.  They turned it into a taxi, by adding a large taxi sign in to the roof, and painting it tan.  Tan being a German taxi staple at the time.  This was classified as MB56-D, and ran in 1981 worldwide, but was dropped from the US market after that.  However, 1982 saw a second year in the ROW market. Again, we did see a few variations.  The interior again was usually tan, but some came out chocolate.  We also discovered many actually had silver painted bases, rather than being left unpainted.  

In 1983, now as an ROW exclusive, they decided to modify the casting again.  1982 had seen the taxi being given the MAN number MB056.  But this change (much like we see now) simply over-wrote the original.  MB56-F was now a police car.  Or shall I say Polizei.  As that was how it came.  White with green on the doors, front and rear, with Polizei across the front and rear. Of course, shades of white were known.  And the green tampo was dark, or light, or in some cases, non-existent!  Yes, they forgot to tampo print them, but still sent them out anyway.  This was the England factory.  With this being only sold in ROW markets, production did not move out of England until 1985. That was how Universal saw as the most cost-effective route for production.

In 1984, it continued on, but a small change took place.  The loudspeaker on the roof was no longer chromed.  

The model was replaced for the 1985 range.  Officially.  That is how the record books show it.  But this was the old way. A VW Golf GTi arrived in 1985 as MB33 in the US range, or MB56 in the ROW range, replacing this model.  But the Golf was not in production at the start of the year.  It was not ready until quite late in the year, so the Mercedes-Benz was still in production through quite a chunk of the year.  Stores were able to order by model if they desired, so if a store wanted more MB56s, the factory would churn out more Mercs.  At this time, production had moved out of the UK and into Macau, so late runs from 1985 (before the VW debuted) were made in Macau.  These are pretty consistent.  A light green tampo and a pale grey base.  

And obviously, they finally updated the Lesney base to say Matchbox Intl Ltd, Made in Macau.  

But that was still not the end for the model.  After being dropped, the tooling hung around for a while, doing nothing.  But Bulgaria were in the market for more models, and so they were sent to Bulgaria in 1991, where they now reside.  For years, they made a lot of examples of them.  Some without a loudspeaker on the roof at all.  

The base saw a simple alteration to overwrite Macau with Bulgaria on a tab.  With the casting now in Bulgaria, we saw a lot of issues there.  But no more anywhere else.  Now we have a new one, though.  

The last new casting will give some collectors nostalgia vibes.  For me, it is actually too old.  But, on the flip side, I have wanted a Morris Minor by Matchbox for ages.  So this has actually made me extremely happy. It is the MB1333 '56 Morris Minor 1000 Tourer.  

With a quirk of the old Morris Minor, this vehicle would have a retractable roof section, but the back side windows would still be fixed in place.  You could manually wind down the front windows, but it was more logical to make the model with all windows up.  And I think it was a great decision.  We are getting a saloon (or sedan as they call it in the USA) for 2023 in the basic range.  You might also notice the rear ate.  It says MNRS3.  This is because the 1000 was sometimes dubbed the series 3.  It was launched in 1956, and this is alluded to in the plate, a Minor series 3.  Very cool. Of course, some may know that Abe who runs the brand, his wife recently bought one in real life.  So the attention to detail was absolutely perfect.  If they weren't sure, they could bring the car in to work and go look at it.  

The bonnet opens up to unveil the lovely attention to the little 1.0 litre engine inside.  I love all the little details they managed to pick out.  This was really a labour of love and it shows.  

I adore his model.  It is just perfect. It was just how I wanted it to be.  This creamy shade was known at the time as Pale Ivory.  One of many shades that Morris liked using.  Old English White was a slightly lighter shade.  Bedouin was close to this too, although that seems to be more for the Traveller. Red interiors would be the norm for a colour like this.  Talking of which....

They threw us an Easter Egg with this one.  LHD or RHD.  And yes, I see that the 2 I received are actually different shades.  The LHD one is a little deeper than the RHD one.  I am now going to attempt to find the alternates.  There were pedals cast into the base section, but the base is the same.  If you were to take the interior out, you would find 2 sets of pedals.  Each interior piece exposes one.  

So this is a huge highlight for me. As I said, for some, this could bring back nostalgic vibes.  Lesney released a Morris Minor in the 1958 basic range as 46-A, at a time when they were still building up towards 75 models, moving from 42 at the end of 1957 to 60 by the end of the 1958 year.  It was 1 of 18 new additions that year.  It was sold in dark green for 2 years, before switching to blue for a final year.  However, there was a rare creamy one that was believed to be a pre-production sample they made too many of and just put out anyway.  Those creamy ones are some of the rarest Matchbox models and are worth a pretty penny now.  I don't own any of these, as they are all from before my collecting time.  I start with 1969 Superfast and collect from there on.  But I do know a little about pre-Superfast stuff.

So that is why, for me, it was all about getting a new Minor casting, not chasing down old ones.  Base shot to finish off.  This would have been in my top 10 for 2022 had I got the model in time.  I am still debating whether I should include it as a possibility for my 2023 rundown (coming in December).  Yes, I do plan a little ahead, don't I.  

This brings us to the other 3 in this batch, of which 2 are still technically new castings.  Both debuted in 2022, but have had a bit of an explosive release.  First up is the MB1267 '64 Chevy C10 Longbed.  It takes the number 31 slot in the series in white over blue.  

I saw white over blue, but the blue is just a tampo print down the sides.  I don't know if this is a genuine look for the vehicle, as I couldn't find any that looked like it, but I still think it looks nice.  These dual tone looks are pretty cool, whether factory original or not.  

And again, with the opening hood, this features a detailed engine bay, and the front grille was printed up at the same time.  Something I like about the Moving Parts series, as they can get a few more tampo hits in on what is essentially still a core model.  

So how does it compare against the 2 that we have seen so far this year?  Well, I am not going to lie.  I actually prefer this to the Mattel Creations issue that was the debut look for the model.  That was a nice golden tan, and matched an earlier '62 C10, which I thought was cool.  But that was sporting just a simple striped side.  This feels just a little nicer, although because of the deep door lines, the tampo printing did struggle to attempt to cover them.  But that is a limitation with tampo printing itself.  It is a pad.  A pad doesn't have a lot of play for crevices or bumps.  

But it was never going to stand a chance against this awesome one.  The Collectors release in rusty blue.  In fact, I highly doubt they will beat that look on any future release of this casting.  Because this rusty look is just one of the best looks I have ever seen on a Matchbox model.  Period!  Not just the Chevy C10.  

So, with 3 releases for 2022 in different ranges, the new one comes in as my second choice among them.  

Next up is the MB1224 '55 Porsche 550 Spyder. The oldest casting in the batch.  It has been with us since 2020.  That was so long ago.  In comparison, it's like ancient history.  And yet, here we are with just a third release.  The exact same number as the C10 which only appeared a matter of months before the latest release.  It is strange how they explode some models on to the scene, yet others pop in quietly.  Which is a shame, because this is a Porsche!  Yes, I am biased.  What can I say?  Porsche nut!  And I have to say, number 33 of 50 for 2022 is the nicest one yet.

This model is just beautifully done in black, with simple front and rear detailing.  Especially the Porsche badge depicted in gold.  It sets off the model beautifully.  

And again, we get an opening engine bay depicting additional detailing to the engine.  This is easily my favourite release of this casting to date.  

Each release just seems to improve over the previous one.  It debuted in the Moving Parts series in 2020 in a light metallic blue.  

Before 2021 gave us a Collectors release in silver.  I loved the red stripes going along the rear, and again this had gold Porsche badging.  But it stands out so much better on black.  

As I said, this one just keeps getting better and better.  I don't think there is a way to improve again, but I hope we still see plenty more of these over coming years.  It has mileage left.  

Which brings us to the final model.  The MB1268 '72 Custom VW Beetle Dragster. Again, this was a model that debuted in Creations, saw a Collectors release and now a Moving Parts release in its debut year.  It takes the number 42 slot in the series in lavender.  

This does bring nostalgia vibes with it too.  Honestly, the whole batch was made up of classics.  The Mercedes-Benz was the newest by year.  And 4 of the 6 models have links to classic Lesney items. h one being a nod to the old Dragon Wheels from 1972.  But this one comes in a lavender colour scheme.  Which, if you were like me and grew up in the 1970s, a lot of Matchbox models would sports similar paint jobs.  Pinks and purples were the in-thing in the early 1970s.  So this is a great colour choice for this model.  I love the lavender wheel detail on the rear wheels too.  There are a few real logos on there.  Iskenderian Racing came (sometimes nicknamed Isky Cams for short) make camshafts.  Obviously.  Hedman Hedders is one of the products that Hedman Performance Group make.  I don't know who Flo-Jo is, but I like the overall look for this one.  

And of course, as we know, this features the lift up front end.  

So, how does this one stack up against the other 2 that arrived this year?  Well, again, it started as a Mattel Creations model.  This was paying homage to the old Dragon Wheels, but giving us "Draggin' Wheels". Pretty cool.  For nostalgia vibes, you have to give it to them.  They did a stellar job.  But, I actually prefer the new one.

Then there was the other one.  Big fan of recurring themes, too.  Moon Eyes is one we have seen on a number of models now, and I loved this.  I think I mentioned at the time how I actually preferred it to the Draggin' Wheels one.  I actually prefer the latest to this as well.  Yes, for me, these are actually getting better with each release.

Of course, the core wheels that they have in their toolbank don't give us the tiny ones you see on funny cars.  

Which does mean the stance is not as aggressive.  They went with what they had, and gave it a small lean.  Which is fine.

It is really tough.  Draggin' Wheels.  Homage.  Awesome! Moon Eyes.  Recurring theme.  Fantastic.  Flo-Jo?  New and unique.  But for me, it gets the nod.  Not that there was anything wrong with either of the others.  Both were so cool. I love all 3.  But I have to give the team props for their awesome look on this latest issue.  

Which is why I had to ensure I showcased these.  All 6 in this batch have been utter brilliance.  One of the best batches from Matchbox.  They have been releasing some amazing stuff.  Particularly in Moving Parts.  I just wish that Moving Parts could be sold in the UK where I am.  Every time a random store finds a batch from somewhere (looking mainly at Poundland and their way of getting random items through odd channels), they sell out so fast.  Here are the Moving... Oh they're gone. I wish other stores would see that and think, Hmm, me too.  

So that brings me to the end of this report.  I ran long.  No dive back, although I did sneak that Merc one in during the article.  6 brand-new castings in this report.  Wow!  

Along with another 2 that are still only in year 1, even though both are on their third outing.  

With another 5 castings that have been around a little longer.  But not much.  Moving Parts is still a fairly new range, and is still building up.  Much like the original Matchbox brand did in the 1950s.  Ah, nostalgia vibes again.  

We saw 2 British vehicles in these batches.

I am going to say 3 German.  Although I think with the VW, this is more of an American take on one.  

Plus 2 Japanese models as well.  Although with the Subaru, it is of a vehicle sold in the US, not Japan.  But, it was still made there.  

And half a dozen American ones.  I hope you enjoyed the report.  Next week, it will be a shorter "new stuff" section, couple with a dive back at the end again.  Until then, I hope you all have a good week.