Matchbox Monday makes a movie out of Moving Parts

Friday October 9. Midnight. Just as the day begins. Although, if previous releases are anything to go by, it may appear a few hours early, Apple TV will be streaming an exclusive film. Matchbox: The Movie. 

Starring John Cena as Sean, the former leader of a group of childhood friends, who is now an undercover CIA agent. When he returns to his home town, he accidentally gets his friends embroiled in an international pursuit to save the world. How this involves Matchbox cars is beyond me. I am really looking forward to watching it though. I am off that day, just finishing a week's break from work to attend the Leipzig European Convention and basically rest and relax at home. I will be prepared. The film is over 2 hours long. The film also stars Jessica Biel, Danai Gurira, Corey Stoll, & Sam Richardson among others. I can't believe it is just over 3 months away. It was first talked about years ago. Anyway, obviously the Matchbox brand is releasing a number of tie-in models. There will be basics, 5-packs, Collectors and Working Rigs (which will actually include a Convoy) and even some Skybusters, as well as a gift set and a large R/C model.

There will also be some playsets coming for the film as well. But, the first thing I am looking at will be the Moving Parts models. A set of 4 have been released. Sure, I would have liked a lot more. However many they do will not be enough! Ha ha!

I like how all the Movie related items are coming in black packaging. It is a lot more dramatic than the regular orange. I see orange striping around the edges. I like the look of the packaging, but I am still ripping it apart. The first model in the set is a new casting. The MB1563 '73 VW T2B. It comes in orange, which is how the real vehicle appears in the film. 

Earlier this year, the first 3 stills from the film were released. If you notice in this one, what is the final vehicle on the left line? There have been some videos that people uploaded of the VW on location in Budapest in February 2025, as they were filming scenes at that time there. So, we knew this one was coming. 

And this is the model. Doesn't it look fantastic. You may be thinking, well Matchbox has already done a T2. Yes, the earlier T2 has been with us since 2008. However, the T2B first appeared in 1972. This was a facelifted version of the T2, and some of the simple thing that were altered were the indicator lights on the front, moving from just above the bumbers to just under the windows. The VW badge on the front was shrunken to pretty much be the same circumference as the lights. The front bumper was also altered. All of which have been replicated on this casting. 

This casting is shaped perfectly, and captures the look of the real vehicle so well. It comes with an opening side door. And, can I just say, this is perfectly fitting. Look at how little space there is between the door and the rest of the casting. I remember a few weeks back I spoke about a new Jeep casting with quite a gap on the door. This one slots in so well. I am seriously impressed. 

Showing off the base now to show how to open the door. They have done this just like the ID. Buzz casting, with a small indentation in the underside allowing you to pop the door out. 

Oh, sorry, that appears a little blurry. But, you can still see that it pops the door open. It feels solid. I think it is very well done. 

You can then slide the door to the side to open it up. Obviously, as this is a single piece holding it in place, there is a little bit of play in the door when it is open. It can be straight, but you are able to wobble it a little, and it can rest at a slight angle if you do. I don't see that as a bad thing. I think this is a better option with a single point of connection, than trying to use a top and bottom connection. 

And, for such a small piece, it is impressive that it is a 2-part build. There is a small plastic window section attached to the lower part of the door. I think this is awesome!

There is a very small gap at the top of each part between the moving part and the main body part. I have zoomed in to show it, but in hand, it is barely noticeable. This is how to create an awesome, well fitting, moving part. 

It appears that the model has been ink jet printed. At the end of the day, this has been painted white to begin with. All of that orange has been added after. They went with the ink jet route as I think trying to tampo print it might have caused a number of gaps. Tampo pads require a pretty flat surface to work best. This is quite curvy. Ink jet printing does tend to leave a slightly rougher finish. This is why there is a slightly fuzzy look to everything. It is a bit of a compromise. The VW badge looks quite unusual. Had it been tampo printed, it would have looked sharper. But, with so much orange, we would have looked at quite a sloppy mess of orange on a tampo printed model. I do believe this was the better option. I don't think there would have been enough of a budget to ink jet just the orange, and then go back and tampo print on top of that. It is still a core release, at the end of the day. We also get a Hungarian licence plate. I am guessing this is a replica of one used in the film. Well, I did say it was seen filming in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. 

The rear is more of the same. Ink jet printed rear lights, and the same licence plate adorning the rear. I also like the black in the air vent on the side. With a chrome base forming the bumpers, and those disk wheels being the closest to the VW dish, I think this is absolutely the best they could have done this. I have nothing I think could have been improved. 

I am absolutely loving this one. So, I think it is easy to score it. Inclusion. Well, I think this is a big part of the film. It was a great choice to include, and I think this is a great vehicle to choose, as there was a classic T2 in the Lesney era that this sort of pays homage to. Whether that was intentional for the film, or not, I do not know. But, I would like to think that might have been a part of the reason they chose a T2 for a notable part in the film. So, yes, a 10. Casting. Perfect. I cannot see anything wrong with this at all. Another 10. Design. I definitely think ink jet printing was a better option than attempting to tampo this much orange. I know that does compromise how crisp the other details appear. I am not going to score it down for something I feel is beyond their control. At the end of the day, they have 3 major ways to detail a vehicle. Tampo printing. This involves passing parts under a tampo pad machine, that has 4 different colours. Models are limited to what they get added, and the surface needs to be fairly flat. Casting details will be left blank, the pad can't get in the gaps. Then we get ink jet printing. More colours, and the ability to pass the whole model in one go, including working with many levels, allowing colours to slide into casting details. It's not just parts going through, but the finished model. But, they are rougher, and the detail will not be as sharp. The most expensive option is fusion graphics. Smooth and multi-coloured. But, expensive, and the amount of orange being applied here would not be feasible with fusion graphics. Ink jet was the best. So, I am giving this a 10 as well. Oh, a perfect 30. I was sort of expecting that as I first looked at it. My gut was right. This is freaking awesome!

As I mentioned, we did have a T2 in the Lesney era. The MB23-A VW Camper debuted in 1970. You can tell it is the original T2. The front indicator lights are just above the front bumper. The VW badge on the front is notably larger than the headlights. The T2B changed those. However, when this was created, it was cast by somebody in the UK. They used a picture of a VW T2 to work from, but the one they had was a German LHD model, and they decided to change it to a UK RHD model. So, thye switched everything to the other side. Sure, a steering wheel moved from left to right makes sense. But, here is the daft thing. When VW actually made them in RHD form for the countries that drive on that left, they switched the steering wheel, but never changed how you fill up the model. The very first run in 1970 had the fuel cap moved to the opposite side. It was pointed out that this was actually incorrect. 

Regardless of whether it is LHD or RHD, that fuel filler cap will always be in the same place. So, what did Lesney do? Wipe it!

Yes, they never re-cast it into the correct side of the vehicle. Did they throw their toys out of the pram? I can just imagine the conversation. What? It's on the wrong side? Fine, it's gone. Now nobody can complain. Yes, I have a vivid imagination. Finding an example with a fuel filler cap is not easy. It was the very first run, and only a month or so later, they were being found plain. 

The original blue look ran for 2 years. This means that you will be able to find some decent shades to the blue. 

Fairly late in 1971, they decided to spice the model up a bit, and added a sticker. A little boat to the sides. Blues tend to be more commonly found without a sticker than with. It was in no way related to removing the fuel cap. That was an immediate decision due to being wrong. This was over a year later. 

Although you can still find shading to the labeled blue. 

And you will also find that in the early days of adding a sticker, they weren't too sure which way round to put it. So some were found with the boat facing the wrong way. 

In 1972, they decided to change the model to orange. This continued for another 3 years, and I have never seen a 1972-74 orange with the sailboat label facing the wrong way. I think they figured out which way round it should be, and kept that going. However, with 3 years of production, the orange was also good for some shading. 

Of course, if you hunt around, you will find that sometimes they may forget a label. But, if anybody has seen an orange with the sailboat facing the wrong way, I would love to hear about it. 

After a 5-year run, the model was dropped from the basic range. They decided to bring it back for twin packs in 1978. It was part of a TP-12 twin pack, and they decided to alter the casting. The opening roof piece was removed, and the roof filled in. They also renamed it to Dormobile, instead of Camper. It came in olive with red cross labels. 

It ran for 2 years. It may have been longer, but at the start of 1980, Lesney wiped out all army related models in one swoop. Everything was gone in one go. But, with 2 years of production, you will find a little shading to the olive green, but also the usual black wheel hubs might also be chrome plated at times. 

There were some plans for giving it a standard ambulance look at the time. However, they never came to fruition, and it only exists as a pre-production sample. 

But, they did decide to create a new look at a 1980 Limited Edition model, exclusive to the USA. It was part of a set of 10, after earlier success with a Roman Numeral Limited Edition set in 1980. However, these were not given numbers, or new names. This was given a Pizzavan livery on the side, and also was found to come with black or chrome wheel hubs. There is a rare variant with 5-arch wheels I am still trying to find.

After this, the model was retired from regular use. However, in 1987, as part of a deal with a Hungarian company, the VW was sent over for a 1-year lease. During that year, they went nuts creating loads of different colours. However, the casting sent was the earlier Camper casting with opening roof, but they sent the newer base that said Dormobile. A little mix and matching. For some reason, the Hungarian factory only made models with the same Pizzavan design that had been used on the 1980 limited edition. 

The model would have numerous combinations of body and roof, and the Pizzavan logo would either be 2 colours or just 1. However, the 1-colour version was actually missing the other tampo colour. Not just both parts in 1 colour. After the Hungarian factory finished with it, and sent it back, they never used the casting again. 

The second model in the batch is the MB1258 '20 Nissan NISMO GT-R (R35). This is definitely not something that is based on a classic. But, it likely has a notable part in the film. It comes in charcoal. 

Is this Gun Metallic? A real colour option on the R35. It looks a little dark. I am not sure. But, I would assume that this the colour of the one that they used in the film. It would be weird if it wasn't. So, it has to be correct. However, it is a little sad that the doors didn't match up with the paint very well. This has been an ongoing issue with Moving Parts, plus premiums that use them. I often notice it is the doors that get the issue. Luckily the VW was ink jet printed, so everything matched. But, this one didn't. However, I don't mark down for that, because I don't know if that is just my example being unlucky. 

However, as daft as this sounds, I might actually steal a point off this one for ignoring the licence plate used in the film. This has gone with the same tampo print detail on the rear plate that was seen on earlier Godzillas. I liked the genuine plate on the VW. It felt classic. Lesney models in particular would have plates with details added. A few Universal issues saw it, but as premiums debuted, the idea of having actual plates was phased out. I am a little sad that they didn't do whatever the plate used in the film on the model. 

It was the only minor flaw I could find with this. I think it is great seeing it again. It has been vastly underused since debuting in 2021. So, it gets a 9. I do like checking licence plates. 

As you can see, the same licence plate was added to the debut in the 2021 Collectors series. 

I am impressed over how the Moving Parts model gets all the rest of the tampo the premium did. 

Although that was also the case when it saw its only other Moving Parts release to date (a Super Chase is due later this year). This red issue from 2022 was only to be found in Japan. 

The only other release to date was in 2023, when it was an exclusive extra in a 70th Anniversary premium gift set, that saw all 7 Collectors 70th Anniversary models packaged in one big box, with the Nissan thrown in as an extra for the current decade. As I noted at the time, each of the 7 models was from a different decade, from the 1950s through to 2010s. Then they added this as a 2020s model in the set. 

Can you believe that they created such a cool car, and have had 4 releases so far? Yes, a 5th is imminent. But, I still feel it is a little underused. 

Next up is the MB1310 '19 Ram Ambulance. This is in white for the Movie. However, I do note that the package has it written down as Dodge Ram. I have no idea why. Is that a packaging error?

I checked the base, and it still just has Ram on it. 

Now, I have checked. The side design on this one includes a badge on the door that states Cartersville, Ohio. I did a Google check. I cannot find a Cartersville in Ohio. There is one in Georgia. But, this is definitely Ohio. The closest I can find in Ohio itself is Cridersville. I have a theory. I think this could be perhaps where the guys in the film grew up, playing with Matchbox cars. This could be where Sean (John Cena) returns to, to meet up with everyone again. I am sure when I have seen the film, and made various notes, many of the models I am looking at now will make a lot more sense. But, I do believe this one is from a fictional town. Let's see how close I was, when the film arrives in 3 months or so. 

Now, the side design is really nice. However, just look at how much more there is. The hood is blue. A tampo hit. The front is a part of the base section, and this is also highly detailed. That's a separate tampo hit to the hood. 

And just look at the rear. The edges are where the side design "wraps" around the corner. Plus, we get prints on both doors. 

Which, if you think about it, would have been done before production. This is tampo printed. When they tampo print, they print parts before they put them all together. Sure, there is a slight mis-alignment where the side design doesn't quite match up to the where it goes around the corner. Again, this could be just mine. Others may match perfectly. When it is mass-produced like this, I am not going to be awkward over a minor mis-alignment. It's close enough. But, count them, side, side, hood, front, rear, door, door. That equates to 7 passes through the tampo machine. On a core model! We are seeing more and more of models getting above average tampo hits. Last week saw both a Jeep and a GMW Wrecker with additional prints. Now we are seeing this Ram with pretty much a full tampo spread. The only thing missing was a detailed roof! This is freaking awesome. A perfect 10. 

This is not that far removed from the 2022 Moving Parts debut, which was the real Peel Regional issue. 

For 2023, the model was sold in Moving Parts in red with the recurring El Segundo Fire Dept livery. 

And was also sold in the 70th Anniversary special orange series. The base came in a shinier or duller black. It doesn't show that well in picture. It's more noticeable in person. 

It also appeared as a Mattel Creations exclusive in metallic green, with a very National Parks looking livery.

And it was chosen to be one of Everett Marshall's annual Golf Tournament charity models. There were 2 made. A red one for the Burns Foundation, and a pink one for Breast Cancer Research. 

That is technically a total of 5 2023 issues. Phew! After that? Just one. 2024, and a final Moving Parts before the new one. 

That equates to a total of 8 different looks to date. Over half of which came in 2023. Hopefully this is the start of the return. This is a lovely casting, and deserves more outings. 

This brings us to the last model in the batch. Another that is barely used. The MB1313 Ford GT40. It comes in black with dual white stripes. Woohoo! Stripey!

The Ford GT40 is a cool car. I was not overly bothered about them creating a Moving Parts version of this model, as they had the MB634/995 Ford GT created back in 2004, and is still going as a basic. I am never keen on duplicating basics and Moving Parts with the same vehicles. But, that said, if they do end up doing it, they might as well use them. The Ford GT40 debuted in 2022, and has barely been seen since. and this one does look awesome in black with dual white stripes. I am always a fan of adding stripes to a model, and this one looks fantastic like this. I can't wait to see it pop up in the film. 

I am really impressed with the fact that they ensured the stripes went all the way over. You can see they are right down at the front there. Along with full detailing of lights etc. 

And the rear end has been detailed extremely well as well. Now, I did drop a point for the Nissan for not using the proper licence plate as used in the film. I am not doing the same here, as there is no plate on the model. The same with the Ram. If they are not bothering with a plate, I am not going to kick up a fuss about it. But, if they do, and it was specifically from a film. Use the plate in the film. Like they did on the VW. The Nissan was wrong for putting the wrong plate on the back. The VW was right for including it. The other 2 are, well, okay. They didn't have plates. I am okay with the lack of a plate. If you do something, do it right. If you don't, whatever! I hope that makes sense. 

This is why I am giving this another perfect 10. Yes, 3 of the 4 models in the batch got a perfect 10. The other one lost a point that, in my eyes, was not applicable on 2 others. That is how I do it. So, let's recap how few of this have been done. 

It debuted in 2022 in a big way. A Moving Parts outing, that was paying homage to a classic Lesney. Which is another reason why this is such a cool model to add. Like the VW, we can go further back to the Lesney era. In fact, let's finish the new ones, and then do that.

Because, as well as Moving Parts, 2022 also had a Collectors release in blue.

And that was it. Except for the fact that it was chosen as the dealer model for the 2023 Gathering. It came in red, although there are 10 chrome ones out there. Sadly, I never managed to get a chrome one. 

But, that is it. So far, just a handful of release. now, Lesney....

The original debuted all the way back in 1965. It was part of the regular wheels era, and I don't own those. It came in white with a blue 6 stripe, apart from a 1966 gift set which saw it in yellow, with the same label. It rolled over into Superfast in 1969, as part of the Superfast 10-model launch, which is where I come in. It was still white. This was what the 2022 Moving Parts debut was paying homage to.

White continued through 1970, and small shades can be found, both on white, and with the red interior. 

Although usually black, Lesney liked wasting paints they didn't like on bases, and when they got some funky green paint they didn't like, they used it up on a model where you only see it by flipping the model over. 

Considering it debuted in white in 1965, it only saw a new colour in 1971, which was technically its final year in the range. It turned bronze, which was good for shades. 

Plus, as the year progressed, the GT was one of the first models to undergo the process of widening wheel arches and adding fatter wheels, which was run through the entire range over the next year. 

And the paints used on the base were quite diverse. Anything they didn't like, or black. After 1971, it was retired from the basic range. 

However, fast forward to 1977, and Lesney decided to create some unique releases exclusively for the Japanese market. However, these were basically some older models brought back. The GT was one, and MBJ-5 was brought back in its original white form. However, as the casting had been altered during the bronze year, this meant the new one was different. 

It ran for 3 years until they cancelled the whole Japanese exclusives. During that time, when they ran out of labels, they grabbed whatever they had sitting around. Like the cat label from Mod Rod.

Or the 6 label from the Renault 17TL. Plus, if you notice, it could be found with 5-spoke wheels or dot-dash. After 1979, when Lesney stopped the Japanese exclusives, leftover models were dumped in MP-1 5-packs and cleared out. An addendum, there is a very rare all yellow plain model, that was found in Italy. I do not own that one. After they finished the clearout, the model was no longer made in England. 

But, just like the VW, this model also found its way to Hungary in 1987. Isn't that a coincidence. They made an array of colours, and these came with a 6 and stripe tampo that looked a lot like the label applied to England ones. 

As well as bodies being in multiple colours, the tampo would also be in multiple colours and the interior. 

However, unlike the VW, when this was sent back to Matchbox, they turned round and just shipped it straight back out again. This time to Bulgaria, where it was part of the 1988 allotment. Unlike Hungary, and 3 earlier Bulgarian deals, where they were leased for a year, this was the first of the purchased tools. And the GT is still in Bulgaria now. Over the many years of production, it has seen every colour imaginable. Some can appear in plain looks. 

Some may have various logos on them. 

Or come up with unique designs or marking special events within Matchbox. There are so many variants, I could go on for ages listing them. I won't. Just know that this model has hundreds upon hundreds of different looks from Bulgaria. Matchbox has a lot of GT40s around. Classics, moderns, and everything in between. I think this was a great model to include in the movie. 

As was the VW. Those 2 are both great vehicles. Both classics and linked to the Lesney history of the brand. I have no idea if that is significant to the movie, but I think it is great for us collectors to see these classics with a history. 

Obviously, the other 2 are too new to have such historical relevance. But, they are both getting me hyped up for the film. I can't wait to see it.

So, as these head off to the collection, I think I will return to the basics for next week. I need to make a start on the 7th batch of the year. AKA batch H. So, until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.