Matchbox Monday makes the most of the last 2025 basics

Well, the 2025 Matchbox model year is almost over. A few weeks back, I made a start on batch M. This week, I finish the job. But, as a bonus, I added in a little extra on top. The 2026 Toy Fair model. Because there were only 5 to roll through, and I decided to pad it out, just a tiny bit. So, let us get on with things. 

This is the MB1508 '24 Subaru WRX S4 STi, which debuts in the MB31 slot in blue.

Well, this is something that has been a long time begging. A Subaru WRX as a civilian car. It was back in 2008 when Matchbox first created a Subaru. Yes, the very Subaru casting only debuted in 2008. At the time, things were tough, and they wanted to make the (at the time) Impreza WRX, but the bigwigs were not keen. However, the Matchbox team tweaked it by making it a police vehicle. Mattel bigwigs were okay. They approached Subaru. Subaru said it was a rally car. So, the guys showed them pictures of the real vehicle being used as a police vehicle (mainly in the UK). Subaru were astounded, they did not know. But, they signed off on it and Ryu Asada created the first WRX. As a police vehicle. The MB751 '07 Subaru Impreza WRX Police became MB945 later with a retooling. Then, when Subaru make the WRX its own standalone vehicle, Matchbox again went with the same idea. MB1049 '15 Subaru WRX STi was again a police vehicle. I often wondered if we would ever see a WRX as a civilian car. Well, I have an answer. Yes!

This is a second generation WRX. I have been comparing the silhouette of this to a real one. The shape has been nailed. And by incorporating the base into the rear bumper section, and the lower area of the front, they are actually matching how the real one looks. However, one thing that does stand out to me is something that they often do, and surprisingly didn't here. On the real vehicle, the wheel arches are plastic. And they go all the way from the the section where the base sits out from the body. Usually, a model would have been created where this was a part of the interior section. And, to be honest, those little grooves behind the front wheel would have actually stood out better on plastic. That is the only thing about the casting that I feel they could have improved on what they did. 

Apart from that, every other part of the real vehicle has been replicated, almost to perfection. Considering this is a simple toy, they have done a remarkable job with it. I am seriously impressed with the casting. It is a shame the wheel arches don't stand out like they do in real life. 

When it comes to the design, this blue was a logical first choice. Subaru has 2 blue options, with one slightly darker than the other. You get the WR Blue Pearl (slightly lighter) or Sapphire Blue Pearl (slightly darker). I think this is perhaps the Sapphire Blue Pearl variant. I could be wrong. But, it is a bit of a go-to colour for the WRX, and makes the most sense as a debut. We also see simple chrome wheels and clear window showing off the black interior. 

And the tampo printing cannot be faulted. I compared the front end to a real one. The headlights do look like that. It is not missing anything. And the grille, badge and WRX logo are faultless. 

I did check out the rear against real ones. Here's the thing. A WRX will have a red WRX logo to the right of the license plate. But, this is the S4 STi, and they have done their homework. WRX S4 come in silver, abnd the STi logo on the left side is red. Faultless. The license plate (sorry, it is a little blurry), reads "3U L1T5R". Yes, I love these little code ones. Change the numbers for their respective letters in the alphabet, and we have C U LATER! Ha ha! i love it. This is a remarkable design. 

So, let's get some scores on the board here. Inclusion. A no-brainer. Finally, the WRX as a civilian vehicle after 2 police ones. A 10. Casting. The only blemish on this casting. I would have preferred the wheel arches to have been part of the interior section, like we see on many others. It would have looked better. A 9 out of 10. Design. Spotless. Faultless. A perfect 10. That means we get a 29 out of 30. A very fine debut. Hopefully we get many more of these. The 2 previous WRX models saw very little basic range action. 

It is a new casting, so gets the obligatory base shot. 

And from there, we head straight into the final new basic range casting for 2025. The MB1506 Scania P420 XT 4x2 Fire Truck. It debuts in the MB58 slot in red. 

And I am getting the base shot out of the way first, just in case you were wondering where I got the long name from. 

Maskinfabriks-aktiebolaget Scania was formed initially in 1900 as a bicycle manufacturer. It had branched off from a British company, where it was a subsidiary of Humber & Co. They took the name Scania from the region where they were located. Scania is the southernmost region of Sweden. Officially it is known as Skåne in Swedish. In 1911, they joined forces with Vabis, a railcar manufacturer, which had also been dabbling in various other engined vehicles. The new company, Scania Vabis became Scania in 1968, shortly before joining forces with Saab, to become Saab Scania, before splitting again in 1995. At this time, Scania added the AB to the end of their official name. Volvo attempted to buy the brand in 1999, but was ultimately stopped due to becoming a monopoly in the area. MAN then attempted in 2006. Finally, the Volkswagen Group manged to acquire the company, building from a partial to full ownership between 2007 and 2015. 

So, where does this vehicle fit in with the Scania range? Scania has a number of sizes for cabs. The smallest is the L-series, going up through G-series, P-series and R-series, with the S-series being their current largest. The P-series is the one that is being used here. A mid-range vehicle, but also their best seller. It works in so many configurations. From box trucks, to cement mixers, and in this case, a fire truck. The P420 signifies that this has a large 420 horsepower engine. We recently had a P360 with, obviously, a 360 horsepower engine. 4x2 signifies the axle configuration. 4 wheels, 2 of them driveable. XT? Well, that stands for "Xtra Tough". Something that this particular vehicle needs, due to the amount of weight involved in all the fire apparatus it needs to carry. And what we have here is a very fine representation of the end result. 

There are a ton of details added here. Do you notice the little bit overhanging the front window? They are there on real Scanias, so they can see down in front of the cab. The wing mirrors are dual mirrors, created in this butterfly style. Again, we appear to see Matchbox doing their homework. 

We also have a colour break by incorporating the interior section to raise up and form part of the roof elements. Ladder? Boxes?  Hose? I am very impressed with this. I like that we have these many colour breaks by utilising the interior part like this. It reminds me of the classic Merryweather Fire Engine, which debuted back in 1969. And do you notice the interior also forms the wheel arches? Well, I had to point that out, after the talk about it on the Subaru above. 

When it comes to design, you can't go wrong with fire truck red. Well, I suppose you could if you really tried. I am thinking back to the Hero City days [shudder]. But, thankfully, in this modern era, we get some lovely designs. This is fairly simple. The recurring Matchbox Fire Dept theme, although the yellow diagonal stripes are different. I like it. A very realistic interpretation of the types of trucks we might see. 

And, I am not sure if Scania request this, but we get the front detailed as well. You cannot complain at 3 passes through the tampo machine, and a solid, fairly heavy, mainly metal, licensed fire truck. 

So, let's score this. Inclusion. I am giving this a 10. It's a licensed fire truck. Sure, the last one we had in the basic range was also a Scania. But, we are also getting a new Pierce next year (well, this year as it is already 2026). They are mixing things up. We did get a Seegrave in Moving Parts a few years ago. We have had a couple of original designed fire vehicles, and both are okay, but a licensed one does go down very well. Casting. Nailed it. I cannot think of anything they could have done to improve this one. Another 10. Design. A fantastic start. A simple red design will always go down well. 10 again. A maximum score of 30 out of 30. This is a real winner!

Next up is the MB1353 '16 Nissan Sentra. This is the car's 3rd year in the basic range, and settles into the MB91 slot in metallic black. 

Now, I have to admit, this model has not been selling extremely well where I am. I am not sure why. Because I love a black car. I think they just look cool. Even something as average as a Nissan Sentra. This is the bread and butter of the Matchbox range. Everyday cars you see on the street. Well, not on every street. The Sentra isn't sold in Europe. But, I never minded that. I was always surprised that we had a 2016 Sentra. In 2022. That was part of the 7th generation, and the 8th generation had already been sold since 2019. In fact, as of 2026, Nissan have not launched a 9th generation. I actually like the front end of the new 9th gen. Much better than the blandness of their electric vehicles (here's looking at you, Ariya). But, for now, we have the 7th gen. And the black looks great. Couple with a grey interior, a light smoke window and simple front and rear tampos. You cannot go wrong. 

Well, that's what I think. As I said, there have been some hanging around near me. But, I like it. Black cars are cool. I am giving this a 10 out of 10. 

2023 was a fun year for the debut. There was the short run where some were found with 5-spoke wheels instead of the usual 6-spokes. 

And it was also good for the shade nutters like myself. 

Whereas I never found a shade on the 2024 red basic range release. 

Or on the grey issue that was an 8-pack exclusive. 

The model has only had 4 releases to date. I don't know if it warrants further inclusion in the basic range, but multipack use is still worthwhile. However, I am all for them looking at the new 9th generation 2026 Sentra for a future casting. If only for the fact that Nissan have finally decided to give a car a cool front end. 

Finally, we get another MB1266 '18 Dodge Durango. I was wondering where this casting had disappeared to. It takes the MB107 slot in the 2025 range in grey. 

Abe Lugo was the person behind this model. It debuted in 2022 in massive style, and then vanished. After 3 years, it returns to remind us that it exists. The Durango has been around since 1998, but is currently only on its 3rd generation. This is that 3rd generation. The first 2 were built on the same platform as the Dodge Dakota pickup, but the 3rd generation is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. I liked this when it debuted, and thought it would be a lot quicker in getting another outing. The colour looks a lot like Destroyer Gray, which is an official colour. Except this one appears to be metallic, compared to the solid look of the real one. As I always say, keeping to real colours is not important. I think this one looks great. 

I know this model doesn't have an interior. It comes with black windows. But, they do seem to work here. It does give it quite a sinister look. A dark grey with blacked out windows. Front and rear detailing are spot on. I like it. I am giving it a 10. 

And I did spot a little bit of shading to the grey. I do enjoy comparing models for shade variations. 

So, let's recap. 2022! The model actually debuted in the Dodge series, where it came in white. 

Then, a few months later, it also appeared in the basic range in black. 

And before the end of the year, it was in red as part of the MBX Road Trip Hitch & Haul set. 

And that was in until now. Technically, for those who like mathematical anomalies, this does mean that it averages 1 release per year. Which is similar to most other vehicles. But, with 3 in 1 year, then 2 years of tumbleweed, it doesn't feel like it does. I hope we see another one much sooner. 

And now, it is the 125th and final model I am reviewing from the 2025 basic range. I mention that, as this year they have again managed to get all 125 models out in time. They have been on a roll these last few years in getting everything out in time. Okay, I am (again) missing a Target Red, which should have been out in the batch if you went in to a Target store in the USA, but the 2 of 6 MB1168 '18 Dodge Charger looks to be joining the 1 of 6 MB1343 Mercedes-AMG SL63 in not making it. If it were not for Target, we would have actually achieved a 1000% release for 2025. Anyway, this is the MB1344 '86 Volvo 240, taking the MB122 slot in a pale yellow. 

This was an official colour option on 1986 Volvos. In Sweden, it was known as "Gul". That means yellow. Were you expecting a fancy name? This is a Volvo. It's yellow. Enough said. Although a lot of people like to refer to it as cream. It was quite a common option at the time. I can see why the Matchbox model went with it. And it looks fantastic. I think it really stands out. I still don't like the wheels. They just do not suit this car at all. But, aside from that, everything else is perfect. The headlamp wipers are the standout for me. 

I like that they added a specific version in the license plate. It's a 240DL. If it were not for the wheels that don't suit this, I would have given it top marks. But, until they come up with a new wheel design that better suits the cars of this era, I am giving it a 9. 

And if you hunt around, you might find various shades of yellow, or cream. Whatever you fancy calling it. Creamy yellow? 

I did find a shade to the debut in 2023 in blue. 

But never found one on last year's red variant. 

Ooh! Each one is sporting a unique license plate. I do enjoy checking the plates. I wonder what will be on the next one? Now, who do I talk to about making a better 1980s-1990s era wheel?

Now, I would normally be finishing up, but as we are nearing the end of the 2025 model year (only 1 more blog report about 2025 stuff before I start on the 2026 models), I thought that now would be as good a time as ever to include the 2026 Toy Fair model. This year, they decided to go with the MB1519 '24 Toyota Tacoma.

I do enjoy the Toy Fair models, and this is another in the recurring theme for them. I wonder if the next one will follow this pattern, as I believe it was Abe Lugo who kept coming up with these. now that he has left, Next year might see something completely different. Or, they may keep the theme going. I have no idea. 

As we have had many of these over the years, there was not a lot that was going to surprise me about these. It has the same bronze look we have seen on numerous models recently. The black, yellow and red, along with the white are all what we would expect. 

However, there are a couple of things about this that are different. For starters, when we usually get these models, they come with blue tinted windows. This one has smoke tinted ones. Mind you, it does blend in with the matte black roof very well. 

And this one has real riders. Not regular plastic wheels. You almost miss that part. 

And being a promotional tool, it gets tampo printing on everything. Even the front of the model that rises up from the base is seeing tampo detailing. That's what I love about these. They can just go nuts. 

I don't tend to score promotional models, as they are always so well done. But, I do think, out of all the recent Toy Fair models, this is one of my favourites. i am not diving back through them. But, you might see a few of the older ones on my Instagram feed over coming weeks. 

This brings my tally of 2024 Tacomas up to 3. I found 2 shades to the debut in white from earlier in 2025. In fact, because it was an early batch, I think I actually had them in late 2024. 

So, 2x 2025 models. one appeared in 2024, the other is advertising 2026. Yep, makes total sense. 

And, on that confusing note, I think I am done for another week. 2 new castings covered, along with a promotional on another. 

Along with 3 other models that have been around a few years. 

And as these head off to join the collection, I start making plans to "work" my way on to the last report of the 2025 model year. Yes, next week is the last 2025 model year report. And it will also be another I get "creative" with by adding something extra. I think you might have guessed what is coming. Until then, I hope everybody has a safe and happy week.