First Look: 2014 Matchbox BMW 1M in estoril blue...

Since we are already on a BMW kick today, why not the last preview we have been given permission by Mattel to show, this time of the upcoming color of the BMW 1M.

It looks like Matchbox is going with signature colors to start the run of the BMW 1M.  First orange, now estoril blue.  All we need now is alpine white with blue and red striping.

When we first saw the Matchbox preview photo in the Ambassador Report, the color didn't come through as well.  But now we have seen it in person, it is truly replicating the bright but deep blue we see on so many BMW's.  The 1M has been a favorite since its release last year, and when it hits the pegs we will be sure to the collection we have amassed together.

For now, we will enjoy these pics from the Gathering...

(Find the Matchbox BMW 1M on ebay...)


Matchbox BMW 1M (2014 Mainline):

Matchbox Rarity: 2005 SF37 Porsche 959 that never was, by David Tilley...

Some of you may noticed a very unique Matchbox Porsche 959 is up on ebay right now   We thought because this Superfast rarity rarely pops up, we would have David Tilley write a little about.  DT has one of the only others known, and in pure Tilley-ness, he opened it.

If you are a rare Matchbox or Porsche collector, you may never get another chance at this one.  The listing ends tomorrow:

Rare Matchbox Superfast Porsche 959 on ebay

Enjoy the article...

Today we will provide you with a guide to a slightly older model that never was.  In the early 2000s, Matchbox were providing a premium series called "The Premiere Collection" along with various offshoots.  These models sported rubber 2-part wheels and a high level of detail not normally seen in the basic range.  By 2003, the range was starting to falter, and sales were struggling.  The guys in Mt Laurel were coming up with perhaps the last new item before they were all to be made redundant.  This in 2004, Matchbox began their latest foray into premium series with the return of the Superfast series.  These were simply a look into how Matchbox were when Superfast began in 1969, with a box inside a blister, high levels of detail and standard wheels.  The series of 75 models was produced to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Superfast and proved to be a big success.  In 2005, they decided to make a second series of 75, and as was the case when Superfast began, many of the models were carryovers from the 2004 series.  But some new castings were introduced, and other "older" castings were also brought in to replace some of the others.  This was to have been one of them.

In 2004, Matchbox released a 1957 Chevy BelAir as #37 in the range, and for 2005 they decided to go with the Porsche 959.  As you can see, this model made it all the way to the FEP stage, where they were mocking up the model inside the blister.

A sample run of 50 examples were produced as a test, and things were going well.  But then; at the last second; it stopped.  It was said that the Porsche 959 casting had a flaw around the wheel arches that caused the casting to fail.  It was going to take a while to fix, so rather than try to pursue that route, they looked at the previous model and just went with another Chevy Bel Air.  So this model never made it into production after all.

It is a real shame as it was a lovely little model, and the first we had seen from the 959 for a few years.  This is one of those 50 models.

Of course this was the last it was going to see of its package as it had to be set free.

To be honest, it doesn’t really look too bad around those arches.  Maybe it failed after they run these 50.  As was often the rule, test runs were normally made of models of anywhere between 20 and 2,000 models depending on what they wanted to check for. 

Bye bye box.  It was nice sitting on you for a while.

There was not a lot of additional printing on this particular model.  Although the rear would have not been noticed anyway due to the body color being similar to the red needed.

This is perhaps the last we will ever see of this model, as by now the casting will have lay destitute in the factory for the best part of a decade, and is likely not in any fit state for use at all now.  It is a shame, as these supercars of the 1980s and 1990s were very popular in the Matchbox range at the time.

 

But if you want to be one of the 50 lucky people interested in this, there is an example on eBay right now.

 

Rare Matchbox Superfast Porsche 959 on ebay

 

Here is a shot of the model with some older versions of the casting.

Or if you prefer, how about with a group of other pre-production examples of the 959 that were never made.

Two from the Gathering: The cambered & stretched Honda Civic from 78toy4dr, and the uber-detailed Toyota Tacoma from Franklin2700...

Yes, it has been awhile since we did As is the Custom.  Three weeks to be precise.  The Matchbox Gathering will do that.

Prep and the event itself doesn't give us any time to review all the custom submissions we have received, so we have to wait.  And finally we are working on it.  There are literally hundreds of submissions to work through.  As is the Custom is coming.  We promise.

In the meantime, we have a couple of treats to show you.  We returned home from Albuquerque with two amazing customs, and they deserve to get their own post.  Both were done by customizers we have featured before, but it is really a treat to be able to photograph these customs here at Lamley.

The first is from Albuquerque resident and Instagramer Chris H, better known as @78toy4dr on IG.  We have always been impressed not only with Chris's immense talent, but his propensity to make creative and clean creations.  So it was a total treat to meet Chris on Sunday at the Gathering Toy Show.  Chris pulled me out of a crowd based on the JDM Legends t-shirt I was wearing the day before (I am predictable), and asked if I wanted to see his customs in person.

Of course I did, but from the work I had seen before, I knew there was another person who would want to see them too, so I introduced Chris to Mattel Designer Miguel Lopez.  At that point I just stood back as Miguel ogled over each of Chris's customs, even noting that many had been seen by members of the Mattel Design team when they were featured on Lamley.

There was one element in particular that Miguel honed in on: Chris's cambered wheels and stretched tires, made from Matchbox 5-spoke wheels.  We won't give away any of Chris's secrets, but what he has created is simply stunning.

As you will see in the pics, Chris has cambered all four wheels, and then given the wheels a stretched tire look.  And if the aesthetics aren't enough, the car rolls.  And rolls well.  It is the kind of gap that Stance Nation would be more than proud to show, but amazingly done on a Hot Wheels Honda Civic.

By the end of the day, we found ourselves returning with said Civic in our collection.  This was a tremendous gift to receive, and we wanted to show it off.  Chris was worried that our close-up photos would expose some flaws in his work.  Nope.  This model is truly amazing.

Thanks Chris.

Honda Civic EF by @78toy4dr - Instagram

The other model comes from Brian, aka Franklin2700.  We dubbed him "Steady Hands" awhile ago, because of his ability to detail standard Matchbox and Hot Wheels models freehand.  The details can be big or minute, but he enhances any model he takes on.

Brian was at it again, this time with the just released Matchbox Toyota Tacoma.  There is a lot of equipment in the back of that Tacoma, but little detail.  That is until Brian got his hands on it.  Pay particular attention to the ropes in the back.  That should be enough proof of Brian's talent and skill.

We love when what seem to be tiny enhancements totally change a model.  If you saw Brian's collection of customs, you would be more than envious.

Thanks Brian.

Matchbox Toyota Tacoma by Franklin2700

Seeing these two customs was a huge highlight of the Gathering.  We are glad we were able to give them the photo treatment here...

First Look: Matchbox 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500...

Here is yet another upcoming model Mattel allowed us to photograph at the Matchbox Gathering, and that will be hitting the pegs soon.

We imagine a few collectors will be happy about this one.  It is a truck.  Not a truck with oversized wheels.  Not a truck with special equipment in the back.  Not a lowered truck (but that hasn't ever been a Matchbox thing).  It is just a truck.  No crazy tampos, or made up business name on the door.  Just a blue truck.

Matchbox has done just a truck many times before, including the Silverado SS a few years ago, so this one fits in nicely.  Do we like it?  Yeah, for sure.  It is, as is the norm with realistic models released by Matchbox, very precise casting-wise.  It is probably not a model that will make it into the Lamley collection, as for me most current pickups are a little on the boring side.  Of course, if it were just a bit older, and had a vintage vibe, I might be all over it.

Nonetheless, this plain blue truck is probably what the doctor ordered when it comes to Matchbox collectors.  What do you think?


Matchbox 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 (2014 New Models):

July 24th Matchbox Ambassador Report, by Larry Scaduto...

We have a new Matchbox Ambassador.  Nigel Cooper now joins John Yanouzas, Jim Gallegos, David Tilley, Terry Ozima, John Nijhus, Chuck Wiersma, Shabbir Malik, and John Lambert in the "emeritus" camp, and we will now sit back and enjoy watching Larry Scaduto take the ranks.  

Larry has put out his first report, giving us an idea of what to expect, plus he asked for your help.  Give it a read. 

Welcome Larry!

Ambassador Report July 23^rd,2014

Larry Scaduto (Ambassador #10)

Introduction:

Firstly, I would like to thank Dave Weise & everyone else involved in selecting me as the next ambassador to Matchbox. As a collector of JUST Matchbox for over 50 years it is my honor to represent the collecting community and of course, the brand of which I so dearly love! I started out as a 7 year old kid who “borrowed permanently” his first 7 models from a friend back in 1964. At present my collection sits somewhere over 16,000 cars, gift sets and other Matchbox related items. So with that said, let’s talk about our last ambassador….

Nigel has been a friend of mine for at least 25 years. We’ve done a lot of trading over the years, but we haven’t touched base in quite some time. It was nice this year to sit down with him and catch up. All I can say to him is that “you set the bar pretty high for the next ambassador….little did I know I was to follow you! Thank you for a wonderful job this past year. Your knowledge of this great hobby is phenomenal and it made for some good reading”. I have a good idea of how I’m going to do the reports. It will be a work in progress but you will get the very best effort I can give, along with ensuring that I am always available and approachable. 

Thank you once again to Mattel, The Matchbox Team and everyone involved in my selection. It’s time to move forward and bring on 2015….Thank you!

Vantastic PrePro

The Ambassador Reports:

Starting out, I will be setting the reports up similar to Nigel’s. The first thing you will see in every report will be the new products from Matchbox.  I will also be keeping the question & answer section going. I discussed this with the team and they said keep them coming. I will say up front if questions summited are repeats from earlier reports, they will not be answered. I will edit them so they are simple and right to the point. If for any reason Mattel cannot answer the question, that will have to be the answer. There are some things that must remain confidential!!!

My next part will include something different….A show & tell section. Nigel was showing us his wonderful collection and the history behind certain models. I will say upfront, I don’t have that kind of background knowledge and insight into Lesney Products, so I won’t pretend to be an expert there. The majority of what I collect is SuperFast. I will start the ball rolling by showing you some interesting pieces from my collection. If you have a rare Matchbox item to show the collectors, please feel free to submit pictures and a little story about the item. I will try and include as many stories as possible. Let me know what you all think of this idea, as I do welcome your feedback!

   

   As for the final part, so far it will be a “What’s in your area” section. Send me pictures from stores in your area or what you have brought home that is new and/or different. If you have found any items from the latest batch or a variation that we should see….we want to know (or at least Tilley wants to know). That means tell us where you found the models as well!! There is nothing more frustrating than someone posting that they found the latest releases and not telling you where. This information will be really helpful for us collectors, and it will let the Matchbox Team know how the models are being distributed throughout the world.

                        

                                                         Chevy Lumina PrePro’s                                                Bumina PrePro’s  

Here is my e-mail 

matchboxamb10@outlook.com

Larry Scaduto