Matchbox Monday makes a move on Batch M 2024

Batch M. The final batch of the 2024 Matchbox basic range. As with the previous batch, there were quite a lot of models in this batch. 11 in total. I decided to split it again into 2 reports. I made a decision if there are more than 10 items to talk about to split things. And, to be honest, if I am able to talk a lot about 10, I might split that as well. Well, this is me. I do tend to waffle on a lot. Hmm! Waffles! Oh, right, batch M. I tried to mix things up as best as I could with what was on offer in the batch. So, let's dive into the first half (as the second half gets a bonus).  

Which begins with the MB1284 '60 Chevy El Camino. Year 3 in the basic range sees this model now coming in a pale blue shade. It takes the MB2 slot in the series.

This is the third outing for the El Camino, and again, it is sporting a fairly pale, pastel like shade of colour. This appears to be a recurring theme with this model. I don't know why. Chevrolet called this Horizon Blue Poly. It was a regaulr type of colour that has been replicated in miniature. However, although the blue itself is nice, I do notice that the model is no longer sporting a chrome base. Generally, that does not bother me, but for a model like this, I think it gave it that little extra touch.

As with all the previous issues, this model sports silver pin striping on the sides, and a fully detailed rear end. I love the opposing blood-red interior. It suits the blue well. Disc wheels are also a plus, but due to the lack of a chrome base, I am going to score this a 9. The plain grey doesn't make it pop, especially with the pale looking colour scheme. Hopefully at some point we will get a plain red and a plain white. Both of which I think will work very well with the opposite interiors. I also wonder whether they should look at an alternative to the El Camino? Did you know that at this time, they were making a Sedan Delivery? It was very similar to the El Camino, making use of the front end, but sporting a rather low van like rear. I think that could make for a fantastic alternative. Especially if they add it to the Moving Parts series, and open up the hatch at the back? I also hope that we might see a 4th generation (1973-77) El Camino at some point as well. Why is this generation being ignored? My personal preference would be the end. A 1977 El Camino SS.

As always, I finish with a dive. Which doesn't take long here. 2 previous examples. Both in rather pale, pastel hues. The 2022 debut was a metallic lavender look.

With 2023 coming in a pale green. This was based on the official Cascade Green Poly that Chevy had at the time. Both came in small shades.

And both came with a lovely chrome base, which enhances the look of the front end as well, due to making up the grille section. I think this would definitely have looked better with a chrome finish. As i said, I hope for a non-pastel type of paint job for the next release.

Which leads me to the next release. Another classic. The MB1349 '41 Plymouth Coupe. This takes the MB8 slot for 2024, and comes in a creamy yellow finish.

This one sports a chrome base. However, as you only see bumpers (unless you flip it over), I think if they were limited to how many they were able to chrome in the series, I would have chosen the El Camino over this. Had this have been grey, it would not have been as noticeable. Sure, it would be noticeable, but I don't think it would have been as big a distraction. In my belief, they went with the wrong model to not chrome. That aside, this colour looks amazing. This is based on a real Plymouth colour option for 1941. The Charlotte Ivory. At the front, we get a lovely detail for the grille. As this is silver tampo, I think they could have got away with a grey bumper here, if they had a choice.

And, as they did with the debut in the previous year, the rear sees a 41 DLX licence plate, denoting that this is a model of a 1941 P-11D. As this sports a black interior, the running boards along the sides really stand out. Last year, it had a grey interior, and they didn't pop as well. This is a lovely model. I like that they are not afraid to go deep into the motoring history with vehicle choices. As a child, this would have been the type of vehicle that Model of Yesteryear could have made. I am scoring this a perfect 10. Great work.

The 2023 basic range was in green. I did spot a shade to it.

I do prefer the new one. I think the colour combination works better here.

Ooh! A new casting. Finally. Why do I say that? Well, if people have forgotten, this model was announced at the 2022 Gathering as a new casting for 2023. But, it got delayed. So much so, that they knew it was not going to make it in the 2023 range, and switched it for something else. It was not announced as part of the 2024 new tooling at the 2023 Gathering. Because, let's face it, they were not sure. It debuts in blue in the MB12 slot.

For those who keep tabs on MAN numbers, this was assigned MB1357. If you were to check, this would be slap bang in the middle of a list of 2023 new castings. Sometimes things get delayed. We often don't know why. It could have been something minor. It could have been an oversight in not being signed off. Sometimes these delays are so random that you almost roll your eyes. Although, I am sure the guys in Matchbox HQ are pulling their hair out. It's the way of the world nowadays. So, let's have a look at this new casting.

First reaction. It has the roof as part of the window. Is this the first pickup being made in this manner? No, unfortunately. That is a little disappointing. I know this is the way things are going with the range, but I am still not keen on it.

It really makes this look a lot like the new MB1307 GMC Hummer EV, which was built in the same way, and also sold in blue in 2024's Moving Parts series.

When seeing these compared to other pickups, it does look a little, oh what's the word, sad.

Not bad, just sad. Well, it makes me sad. Because that is about the only thing that I don't like about it. Chevy debuted the Silverado EV in early 2022, with production starting in May 2023 as a 2024 model. This is the 6th Silverado casting that they have created, and the third to debut in blue. Aside from the upper part, the rest of the casting looks amazing. The way the body works its way up the C pillar. That looks great. And, when you check out the real one, you will see that they have replicated the show model in blue. When it was being shown, it had a black roof, which sort of blends in with the window. I can see where they were going. But, most production models appear to have body coloured roofs. Sure, this gives us that cool C pillar part, but I would have preferred the roof being a part of the body and miss out on that C pillar piece.

I did also notice that the rear is left blank. They have done a simple side detail, which may have been requested by GM. We don't know. That side detail does include the word Silverado on the front doors. However, you may be thinking there is a mistake, as the "e" appears missing. No, it is there. This is one of the small issues with doing an exact tampo. The Silverado on the real vehicles has the "e" in light blue. A very close look does see the "e" there. But, against a blue background, it is almost invisible.

The front end has been replicated very well, and the tampo detailing enhances this beautifully. However, I have to be honest, I know I like to see vehicles updated with newer variants, but there is a part of me that would have liked for them to do the sister model. Just for a change. The GMC Sierra EV. I think the front end on that looks better than the Silverado, which is a little bland in comparison. And I think the GMC Sierra could have been a better companion to the GMC Hummer. Especially, as they are both based on a similar platform, with the Silverado/Sierra using the same floor plan, but narrowed, and the Hummer is in Moving Parts.

Scores. Hmm! Not great. After a year's delay, I don't think it was really worth waiting for. Inclusion. I am giving it an 8. I think the idea of a modern Silverado is decent, but I would have preferred the GMC Sierra instead. Just for a change. Casting. Again, that roof is doing nothing for me. The rest is great. But, 7. Design. The rear is blank. The front is good. Being so on the nose with the Silverado name on the side is not great on a blue model. It really does look like a Silv Rado. I am scoring it a 6. Overall, 21 out of 30. Meh! Not a great one.

Only 1 of the 2 new Volvo castings from 2023 returns in 2024. Where is the XC40? This may have been what was moved up to fill the Silverado's gap in 2023, as they might have been working on it as an early 2024 model, but when the Silverado got delayed, nudged it up. Which would make sense as to why it never appeared. Looking forward to one in 2025 (hopefully). But, we do get another of the MB1344 '86 Volvo 240. It takes the MB88 slot in 2024, and comes in burgundy.

Volvo simply called this Dark Red. It is an official colour option, and looks amazing on this model. I love it. The rear licence plate is cool as well. Ruby 240. The tampo printing is absolutely perfect as well. I think this looks better than the debut.

I still don't like those wheels on it. Out of all the wheels in the Matchbox database, these are the best of a bad choice.

Although this is a specific Volvo wheel cover, I think this is the sort of look that Matchbox should be looking at. A large disc middle area, with a lot of gaps around the edge. A generic look along this sort of style could work for a wide variety of models from the late 1970s through perhaps most of the 1990s. Something between the classic and modern styles. Because it is the only thing that is stopping me from giving it a perfect score. As it comes away with a 9.5.

This dark red joins the blue from 2023, which I did find a few shades. Sadly, as I have not seen this batch in the UK (we appear to have skipped the majority of 2024, going straight into 2025, and this is not carried forward into the next batch), I have not seen whether the current one has managed a shade or not.

I love it when they do identical liveries, except changing up the licence plate. It makes things so much more realistic. Which is one thing I love about Matchbox. Keeping many things realistic.

I do love a Mustang, and am so happy seeing the MB1226 '19 Ford Mustang GT continue for another year. With the updated Mustang coming in Moving Parts for 2025, I wonder how much longer they will continue with this one. For 2024, it comes in black as MB98.

Can you believe that this is only the second year that this car has been in the basic range? I don't know why it was not a mainstay. This model looks amazing in black. Ford calls this Shadow Black. It is actually a metallic finish, and comes with gold wheels, which I think really pop when applied to a black model. I think that combination can make just about any black model work.

As is often the case with this model, it comes with simple front and rear tampos. I think they have done the right thing this time, by including black tampo. I think that rear end might have looked a little wrong if there had been little sparkly bits across it. They went with a full black strip across the back with red lights mixed in. When it came to the Silverado, a blue "e" was lost in the tampo, and looked wrong. However, in this case, black on black was the best option. I applaud them for that decision. This gets a perfect 10 from me. I hope it is not the last we will see of the car. It is one of my favourites.

So for those who are trying to remember just when it was in the basics, and how it appears to have seen many outings, let's do a recap again. It was back in 2020 when it debuted as a Walmart exclusive casting, one of the models in the Mustang set. At the time, each set came with 2 batches, and it was in both. It debuted in the first batch in green, and I did find a shade.

With the second batch seeing an orange outing. Again, I found a shade.

It did appear worldwide as well. It was included in one of the Top Gun Maverick 5-packs in charcoal. As the film kept getting delayed, they kept making new runs of the packs, and I noticed that the charcoal varied a lot. The difference between the lightest I found and darkest was huge.

And then it was 2021 when the model hit the basic range. Not once, but twice. However, the first outing in white gave us a scare. The model came with a cost-reduced look. Black windows that were now covering the doors, and a lack of interior. It also came with a side tampo, not the usual front and rear. However, normal service returned with the second outing. This was a lovely blue, with clear windows that didn't cover the doors. Plus a lovely interior and front/rear tampos.

It was also chosen to be a semi-exclusive in batch D of the 9-packs that year, as it was the year with 3 semi-exclusives in both packs in each batch. I miss that year for 9-packs.

Ignoring any carry forwards (the green returned in a playset, and the 2 basic range issues from 2021 have both returned for later outings), 2022 saw nothing new. 2023 made up for it by giving us 3. Target stores in the USA did see a basic as such, as it was one of the Target Red issues there. White was another Walmart exclusive, in the Muscle series. We also saw another outing in a Shell themed Convoy set.

And this is not the only 2024. The Candy series returned after a debut batch in 2020 (which returned for a second outing at the start of 2024). A second batch appeared, with the model in blue with a Razzles livery on the side.

So, considering we have only seen 2 years of basic range outings, this model has seen a lot of action. Still not enough to retire it (fingers crossed). Becuase, there are a few more I would really like to see. Triple Yellow. That one is pretty obvious, it is the yellow one. Need for Green. Yes, an official Ford name, It is a much brighter solid green, and many are seen with a black stripe going straight over the top. A bit like the Target Red's white stripe. That would be incredible if they could do that. As I said, I am not ready to say goodbye to this one.

There is one more to go in this report. Another new casting. The MB1346 '24 Fiat Topolino. It debuts in the MB100 slot in mint.

This model also sports a MAN number from 2023. However, this is a little different to why the Chevy Silverado did. That was just delayed. This was a replacement for something that was being pencilled in for 2023, but was cancelled before they got anywhere. So, rather than just leave a gap there, they simply inserted something new into the slot. They do that occasionally to keep the numbers consistent. I was a little curious when I heard this was coming. It was a late addition to the 2024 tool list, as it was not announced at the 2023 Gathering. This was why they decided to plug a MAN gap with it. The reason for my curiosity was that the Fiat Topolino is simply a badge-engineered Citroën Ami.

However, while they are technically the same vehicle, the Ami is quite simple. It comes with a straight-forward front and rear, with side doors that open the opposite ways, so both doors are the same door. However, the Fiat version is a little different. It comes with a unique front and rear for starters. Plus, the little mouse (topolino is Italian for little mouse), has a few other optional changes, which Matchbox have run with. No doors? A folding roof?

Coupled with an additional luggage holder on the rear, this looks a lot different. I like it. The best part is that they have ensured that, because these are essentially the same vehicle, they have been made in exactly the same size/scale.

The Ami is also known as an Opel Rocks Electric (originally Rocks-E), but is just the same except Opel badges instead of Citroën ones. So, seeing one that is actually quite different makes it interesting. Sure, it is still a quadricycle, and is still a small city electric vehicle, but this one feels like it could almost head out of town for a picnic, or to the seaside. It is a fun look. The roof is open. The doorless side sports a rope, which I admit is the best way they could have done that. But, the Topolino Dolce Vita (what they call the doorless soft top variant) is such a cute little model.

I love the little luggage holder on the rear. It is such a cute vehicle. Much nicer than the Ami. Plus, they modelled the retro look on classic Fiats of the past.

The front end evokes memories of the classic Fiat 500 of the 1960s. Well, 1957 to 1975, to be exact. It comes with simple front and rear tampos on the official Fiat colour of Verde Vita. This translates into English as Green Life.

Where the Citroën Ami was different, but seemed a little bland, this one is so much more fun. I think Stellantis made a great choice by giving us this funky retro styled quadricycle as an alternative. I love it. After some scepticism, I am all-in. Yes! Rather surprisingly, I am scoring this a 10 for inclusion. It is so cute. Casting. Honestly, I can see no other way they could have done the rope across the open door. Could they have done it as part of the interior? Well, there is not really an interior. It is also a part of the body. So, I am giving this a 10. Design. That is the perfect debut look. Again, cannot be faulted. 10. That is a perfect score of 30 out of 30. I know, I am about as surprised as you are.

As it is a new casting, I finish with a base shot.

So, halfway through batch M, but I am done with this blog. The other half will be with us in a few weeks (3 to be exact). This half featured 2 new castings.

As well as 4 models returning to the basic range for a second or third outing.

Next week sees me move upmarket for a while. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.


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