Matchbox Monday runs down the 2025 Line Preview

Well, the 2024 Matchbox Gathering of Friends is all finished for another year. Next year, Jim Gallegos has set the date for the 4th weekend of July again, just like this year's event was. It officially runs Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27 2025. So mark your calendars. This year, just as normal, we had a fantastic time. I took my niece with me, and we had lots of fun and laughs. And purchased 1 or 2.... hundred models.  Well, I did. As is usual, room trading was already in place by Thursday evening, and deals were already going down.

There was the Matchbox banner outside the building, and it was placed in a position where people could drive their car up and take a photo. I was in a Toyota Rav4 for my travels in the USA, so this was brought up. I think this will work quite well as a Matchbox. I laugh, but just wait....

The first major event of the weekend was the Friday meet and greet. With cake! As is always the case, we get 2 lovely cakes, with really cool designs on them. Spoiler alert, these 2 showcased the 2 promotional items that Matchbox had for the event. The "dealer" Toyota cake made me laugh.

There were a few exciting additions to the meet and greet. Firstly, the Matchbox team created this unique 1-off Pocket Kar-O-Rama! 120 spaces to be filled by anyone in attendance who had a pocket car.

There were quite a few calls for this type of mat to be made more widely available. I wonder if they will make some more for next year's event and auction them off?  Anyway, Jim set up a little prize for whoever was in the slot that was chosen at random by a ticket from a bucket. Next year, everybody in attendance, bring a pocket car!

And Michael Heralda held the first (hopefully annual) bingo game. There were 5 rounds, with 10 players in each round. Whoever won had a unique 1 of 5 specially decorated Ford GT40.

After bingo finished, it was back to the room trading. Saturday morning began with a short bus ride to the south car park for the 3rd annual Car Show. Many classics were on show. Some I remember from before, but there were plenty of new arrivals. This event seems to grow every year.

There were all sorts of vehicles on show. From the fun (this 1970 Meyers Manx was awesome).

To the workhorse (like this 1959 Chevy Apache 2 Ton).

Plenty of muscle cars (telling apart a 1968 Pontiac GTO in red from a 1970 Pontiac GTO in green).

I do love a classic Mustang, and this 1966 was awesome!

There was a cool blue 1991 Chevy Camaro with dual white stripes as well.

And of course, there were a lot of non-USA vehicles. My personal favourite, the 1978 Porsche 911 Cabrio in red. Beautiful!

And this lightly customised 1963 VW Beetle with opening front window was cool as well.

A lovely magenta 1974 Triumph Spitfire was in perfect condition.

But, who says they have to be mint. This 1967 Datsun 411SSS is almost entirely original. The suspension and transmission are the only replacements. This is a well-loved vehicle.

There is a lot more to the car show, and seeing is believing. As well as this, Bob Porcja ran through the details of 1959, and later 1960 in Matchbox history. Paul Carr gave us a hugely in-depth reveal of his time working for Matchbox, plus....

We had a little Q&A time with the guys from Matchbox who came to the event. Believe it or not, Gerry Cody was not officially here in a Matchbox capacity. But, being as passionate as he is, midway through his family vacation (road trip) with the family, he orchestrated the trip to coincide with the event, and came along anyway. That is dedication. He MC'd the Q&A session.

We met up with Julian Payne, who has been with Mattel a very, VERY long time.

Abe Lugo, everybody's favourite. His passion is unbelievable.

We also met with 2 members of the marketing team, Fiona Ciliotta.

As well as GianCarlo Melloni. We grilled them, queried them, passed on insights and suggestions for many things, surely leaving them all with massive headaches.  Ha ha! It was all in good fun, though. Well, it must have been, because they did return for dinner.

As is the norm, we returned later in the day, and all sat down in big groups for dinner, folllowed by some speeches and a few presentations.

Including a special tribute to the Corrales Fire Department chief, Anthony Martinez, as well as his predecessor.  The dinner model was a tribute to them.

We also had a little talk from the people behind Alta Mira, the new charity that the event is supporting. Some of the team from Alta Mira were in attendance at the event. As we know, the auction proceeds all go to charity. And Alta Mira received everything won from the auction lots.

There were around 90 lots of items (including a few late submissions) and some Matchbox made posters to auction off. Some of the items were gifted by the Matchbox team for the event. Including the end lot.

The mystery box. Each year, Abe outdoes himself with what it contains, and each year, the bids go higher and higher. Alta Mira must have been very happy with this one. But, after dinner, it was the moment we were all waiting for. Line preview time!

Fiona was first up, with a brief insight into the direction the brand is taking in 2025. The logo is going to be receiving a very minor tweak. It will still be the lozenge we know and love, but in 2025, they have added a little shading, a little shadowing, a little more of a 3D effect to it, to really make it pop.

The packaging will start to appear in 2025 with the orange section triangulated across the upper left quadrant. This is planned for the majority of the items (Collectors is still as is). The basic range will also increase from 100 models to 125 across 12 assortments. These 125 models will be split across 6 sub-sections - City, Adventure, Road Trip, Showroom, Construction and Rescue. The last 2 are new. Super Chase models will continue as they are next year. I did investigate after. Moving Parts, Collectors and Working Rigs are all continuing in their same assortments. Hitch & Haul will be renamed for 2025, but sadly, Convoy will be discontinued for the near future. There is one more batch of Convoy to come to finish them off for the time being.

She also told us that Mattel still has the licence for Jurassic World. A new film is coming next summer, and Matchbox will be partnering up to release more Jurassic themed items. It will be a mix of new tooling, recolours for classics, and of course a number of returning items.

After this, Abe returned to showcase what we all wanted to know. What is new for 2025? We had a brief reminder of the @matchboxworld Instagram page, and a quick glossary of the final 4 batches of 2024 before the reveal. 2025 basic range models. Many were shown in mock-up form at the event, and if shown, I will show the mock-up, if not, a general picture of the model.

The 2024 Ford Explorer BEV. This is almost ready for production, and is coming in a blue look for the debut version.

2023 Toyota RAV4 GR. See, I told you, my drive for this trip would make a good Matchbox.

1967 Alfa Romeo Duetta.

1997 Acura Integra Type R.

2023 Cadillac Lyriq.

GMC Topkick Utillity Truck.

2024 BMW 7-series.

2004 Maserati MC12.

2021 Lexus LC500.

2023 Dodge Charger Pursuit.

Mini Site Dumper. Yes, there are some new original designs.

MBX EV Ladder Truck.

1966 Chevy Chevelle Wagon.

BMW i4 Police Sedan.

2015 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon.

EV School Bus.

2023 Nissan Ariya - Pole to Pole (a model of the real vehicle driven by Chris & Julie Ramsey from the North Pole to the South Pole, covering over 30,000 kilometres from March through December 2023).

Mercedes-Benz EQB.

MBX Turf Hauler II.

1995 BMW 318i.

2021 Morgan 3-Wheeler. Please note, this model is getting a new thin wheel. The mock-up wheel shown here is just a prototype. It is not the finished article.

2024 Toyota Tacoma.

1970 Citroën 2CV.

2021 Scania XT Fire Truck.

Coast to Coast Yacht.

2023 BMW M2.

2017 Toyota Land Cruiser 78.

2025 Ram EV.

Now, those were the 28 models that were listed by Abe as coming in 2025. However, this was not a full list. There were 3 prototypes that were in the cabinet that he did not mention, and as always, this is not set in stone. An odd model may be dropped, and there will also be a few that they haven't signed on the dotted line yet, so cannot mention at this time. So, what were the 3 additional items not mentioned?

MBX Field Car II. This is based on the MBX Field Car, now lifted with large 4x4 wheels, and no roof.

Cupra Tascavan.

New (unnamed) Garbage Truck.

After the run down of basic new tools, we had a brief look at the world of diecast. Or, in other words, what to expect in the larger area of the basics. 5-packs and 8-packs. First up, the 5-packs. Now, please remember, nothing is set in stone. These are all subject to change. Both pack and contents.

Electric Drivers - Honda e, Jeep Avenger, Tesla Model S, Chevy Silverado EV and Opel Astra.

Autobahn Express - 1971 MGB GT Coupe, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6, Bentley Bentayga, Mini Cooper S Cabriolet and 2019 Audi TTRS.

Italian Roads - 1968 Lamborghini Miura LP400S, 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia, Fiat 500 Turbo, 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA and Fiat 500X.

MBX City Life - MBX City Bus, Renault Kangoo Express, 1994 Chevy Caprice Classic Taxi, Ford Panel Van and MBX Armored Truck.

MBX Construction - Skidster, Mercedes-Benz Unimog U300, Mini Dozer, Road Stripe King and MBXcavator.

MBX Japan - 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GTX (although the image was the 2003 Nissan Z), 1991 Mazda Autozam AZ-1, Subaru SVX, Mazda RX-8 and Lexus LS400.

MBX Rescue - BMW M5 Police, Renault Master Ambulance, Mission Helicopter, Scania P360 Fire Engine and Ford Capri.

MBX Retro - '79 Chevy Corvette T-top, Land Rover Ninety, 1978 Dodge Monaco Police, 1976 VW Golf Mk1 GTi and 1969 BMW 2002.

MBX Adventure - Swamp Raider, Torque Titan, Rumble Raider, Custom 1968 Ford Mustang "Mudstanger" and Road Mauler.

MBX Airport - Ford Taurus Police Interceptor, Swift Shuttle, Runway Wrangler, 2006 Utility Truck (the writing noted a Road Stripe King, but Abe confirmed it is the tanker) and Hardnoze.

After these 10x 5-packs, which will be the ones with new items, as they will continue with carry forward sets (as a whole) and carry forward models in a 5-pack style, Abe then previewed the currently planned 12 8-pack exclusives. Again, anything can and likely will change as the year goes on.

Pack 1 - 2017 Honda Civic. Pack 2 - 1969 Volvo P1800S. Pack 3 - Ram 1500 Police. Pack 4 - 1961 Jaguar E-type. Pack 5 - 1997 Land Rover Defender 110. Pack 6 - 2006 Audi RS6 Avant. Pack 7 - 1968 Dodge D200 Pickup. Pack 8 Karma GSe. Pack 9 - Ford F-150 Contractor Truck. Pack 10 - 2016 Chevy Camaro Convertible. Pack 11 - Ghe-O Rescue. Pack 12 - 1933 Ford Coupe.

Next up, we moved to the subject of Moving Parts. It appears that 2025 will follow a similar pattern to 2024, with 8 batches containing the set of 50, along with a chase in every other assortment. he then showcased the new tooling.

VW ID Buzz.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona.

Tesla Cybertruck.

2023 Toyota Century.

2024 Maserati Granturismo Folgore.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ.

2024 Ford Mustang.

2007 Ford Excursion.

2024 Lexus GX.

1984 Rover SD1 Vitesse.

2023 Ford Maverick.

1991 Mitsubishi Pajero.

2023 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato.

Alpha Motors Wolf.

1963 Ford Thunderbird.

1987 VW Golf Cabriolet.

Land Rover Defender 130.

2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RS.

1994 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning.

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee K-9 Unit.

There were 20 in the slide show, but the final Jeep was on display as well, for a total of 21. Abe then moved on to the themed assortments. As was the case in 2024, Walmart will be receiving 4 batches of models, and Target will see a "Target Red" in every second case. However, the Walmart batches will now be reduced to 5. The good part about that is that the "missing" model is a carry forward, which should hopefully reduce the peg warmers. The 4 sets are....

Batch A - Truck Series - 1995 Nissan Hardbody (D21) (NEW LOOK), 1957 GMC Stepside (NEW LOOK), 1977 Ford Courier (NEW LOOK - this model is debuting in the final Convoy batch this year), 1968 Dodge D-200 (carry forward) and Chevy Silverado 4x4 (carry forward).

Batch B - Sports Cars - Mazda MX5 Miata (NEW LOOK), 1972 Lotus Europa Special (NEW LOOK, Jaguar F-type (NEW LOOK), 2016 Chevy Camaro Convertible (carry forward) and 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 (carry forward).

Batch C - MBX Adventure Guides - 2013 Ford Explorer Utility (NEW LOOK), 2020 Jeep Gladiator (NEW LOOK), Sahara Survivor (NEW LOOK), 1965 Land Rover Gen II Safari (carry forward) and 1968 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (carry forward).

Batch D - Local Cruisers - 1958 Chevy Impala (NEW TOOL), 2019 Ford Mustang GT (NEW LOOK), 1935 Ford Pickup (NEW LOOK), 1951 Hudson Hornet Police (carry forward) and 1971 Pontiac Firebird Formula (carry forward).

The Target Red models are scheduled to be at this time - 1968 Chevy C10, BMW M5 Police, Porsche 911GT3, Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63, 2018 Dodge Charger and 2023 Toyota Supra.

Next up was the Real Working Rigs. We still have 4 batches making up 16 models, but we are being told that the case counts will be slightly different in 2025.

Batch A - Cement King HD (NEW LOOK), MBX Airport Fire Truck (NEW TOOL), MBX Excavator (carry forward) and MBX Road Grader (carry forward).

Batch B - Scania Tactical Command Center (NEW LOOK), Road Scraper (carry forward), International Street Cleaner (carry forward) and International WorkStar Dump Truck (carry forward).

Batch C - MBX Backhoe (NEW TOOL), International WorkStar Flatbed Truck (carry forward), Freightliner Vacuum Truck (carry forward) and Western Star Wreck Truck (carry forward).

Batch D - Front Loading Garbage Truck (carry forward), MBX Crop Sprayer (carry forward), Pierce Velocity 100ft Aerial Platform (carry forward) and Western Star Dump Truck (carry forward).

Next up is the Skybusters line. There are 4 new tools for the Skybusters range, along with a new logo.  These are....

2024 Robinson R66 Turbine.

Cessna Skyhawk.

MBX Original Rescue Helicopter Coast Guard.

Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.

There are 4 scheduled batches of 8 models per batch. These are currently planned as follows....

Batch A - MBX Rescue Helicopter (NEW TOOL), Cirrus Vision (NEW LOOK), Air Blade (NEW LOOK), Gee Bee (carry forward), Boeing 747-B (carry forward), Jet Fueler (carry forward), Cessna Citation X (carry forward) and Cessna Caravan (carry forward).

Batch B - 2024 Robinson R66 Turbine (NEW TOOL), Boeing 747-400 (NEW LOOK American Airlines), MBX Sky Cruiser (carry forward), Airliner (Indiana Jones carry forward), Boeing 747-B (carry forward), MBX Stunt Plane (carry forward), Air Grabber (carry forward) and SpaceX Falcon Heavy (carry forward).

Batch C - Cessna Skyhawk (NEW TOOL), MBX ehelic (NEW LOOK), Boeing 747-400 (NEW LOOK - UPS), MBX Crop Duster (carry forward), Ford Tri-Motor Airplane (Indiana Jones Carry Forward), CH-47 Chinook (Carry forward), P38 Lightning (carry forward) and Hypersonic Jet (carry forward).

Batch D - Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules (NEW TOOL), Blaze Buster (NEW LOOK). Airbus A300-600ST Beluga (NEW LOOK United Airlines), Space Shuttle (carry forward), Water BiPlane (Indiana Jones carry forward), Super Hornet FA18E (carry forward), Bubble Helicopter (carry forward) and Hydro Prop (carry forward).

We then moved on to the Matchbox Collectors series. A little preview of batch D of 2024 was shown, with the 16 of 20 1973 Mazda Savanna RX-3 in red, 17 of 20 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage in blue, 18 of 20 1953 Ford COE in black, 19 of 20 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL 4-door in purple and 20 of 20 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 in green. We were then shown some new castings for 2025.

1993 Jaguar XJ220S.

2023 Porsche 911 Dakar.

1990 Honda Accord CB.

1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.

2023 Aston Martin DB12.

1990 BMW 850i.

Mercedes-Benz EQS (rolled over from a planned 2024 debut).

We were then given a planned batch A release of the Mercedes-Benz EQS in red, BMW M5 Police in Polizei look, Bizzarini 5300GT Corsa Revival in green, 1978 Ford Bronco in black and 1970 Honda N600 in white and red.

And that was the end of the line preview. Cue applause. A brief respite and then the auction to finish off the evening. Sunday was the annual toy fair in the convention room.

Or, should I say 2 convention rooms, as it has got so large now.

And, of course, we were treated to some autographs from Julian Payne (front), Michael Heralda (middle) and Abe Lugo (rear) during the toy show. This was a long line with lots of signing going on.

With 6 of the 11 former Ambassadors in attendance this weekend, we took a moment to get a group shot in front of the sign.  L-R - Jim Gallegos (who runs the event), myself (David Tilley), Terry Ozima, Chuck Wiersma, John Lambert and Dirk Schleuer.  

Plus, as well as the kids corner inside the trading area, there was a massive train track running outside it in the hallway.  

All in all, this was a massive success (I think). Jim has continued to outdo himself, as well as those who help him to set up and run the event. He does not do it all on his own. Until next year, we all get back to our usual lives. I hope you enjoyed the recap. Hopefully, everybody has a safe and happy week, and next time, I return to my usual rundown of a batch of items.