September 2nd Matchbox Ambassador Update, by Dirk Schleuer...

Ambassador Update 02 September 2015

Hello Matchbox friends,

Summer time is vintage car time...at least for me...several smaller and bigger meetings, rallys and lots of fun.

Beginning in August, I went to a small place near the river Rhein called Hitdorf and did that with a very special car – see pic below.

Sorry – pic is from a local newspaper so you normally do get a better quality from me! You know that Matchbox sold a model of that vehicle only some years ago?

(Check: http://www.mbxforum.com/11-Catalogs/00-Software/jnmb75nds.php?uSeries=ClassicEuropean Economy Cars&uCatalog=3002)

With the special protection the trips to follow will surely be safe!

Having fun with our Messerschmitt KR200 Convertible – my Mom and me!

But know show you some new stuff coming:

New models from the 1-120 series:

New color for the very sought after Tesla:

And a new layout for the police Dodge Charger:

Even better from this angle?

All these pics will surely also turn up on Johns and David's Lamley Group (http://lamleydlm.blogspot.de/).  My friend John Nijhuis has devoted an extra page for my updates and report – check: http://www.mbxforum.com/01-News/900-Ambassador/jnambassador11.php

Rather sad news is that the supreme heroes series has been canceled. Only wave A with four models was produced and the other models shown from coming waves were just samples and not produced. But don’t be too sad – the best of world series is coming and surely fill the gap – check pics of three more models coming:

Lets start with the bike – surely special even in this very special set:

 

Printing on the seat proves that it is still before production and the pic came in really hot from the design team at the ToyBox at Mattel.  I include big pics so you don’t miss a detail...

And it surely would be wrong to miss a detail on this Land Rover with emergency layout!

One more pic to enjoy!

Also we need a Cadillac – check out this beauty:

But we are not finished yet – highlight surely is Michaels 5.000 design – the bus:

And the other chocolate side...

But also the front view is nice and shouldn’t be missed:

Last time I did ask you about new Matchbox Originals to do and I still keep that question alive. I do get several ideas of licensed vehicles to be produced and surely everybody can name on the point 5- 10 castings never done before and surely worth doing. But I think these ideas will help the design team even more!

Oil field pipe truck:

Timberjack log skidder:

And on my lunchbreak a had one of these on my pedestrian way: Nilfisk City Ranger – surely a great challenge to create:

Because it bends in the middle to turn quicker:

Sometimes you find funny things on the way/road. This time a plane pulling kind of car...

If you know the wheels – yes – it is a duck (Citroen 2CV). At least the most useful and needed parts of it and surely it pulls a plane – prove picture!

I did take the picture on my rallye last weekend – the rallye was called “GoldRace” and took us from Jülich near Aachen (Aken) into the Netherlands and back home. Good weather and lots of fun:

Every team do get a Matchbox model Duesenberg with their own race number on it – so ours was number 2...

From time to time I play with the little explore the world model ;) You surely can guess its purpose?!

We had lots of fun at the rallye and I wish you also lots of fun with the best hobby in the world... 

Dirk 

August Matchbox Ambassador Update, by Dirk Schleuer...

Ambassador Update 01 August 2015

Hello Matchbox friends,

As said, I will send you frequent updates, rather than waiting to post the information until a next report is due to be issued. With the new team in charge, we do get pics and info at a stage that is way before we used to get them in previous years. Some info is spread direct thru Instagram “@matchboxworld” and some is coming thru our channels like my reports or the blogs like John and David's Lamley Group (http://lamleydlm.blogspot.de/). To cover you with the information in time as well I will use these updates.

You might have seen this pic from the new licensed GHE-O Toy Fair model already:

Surely a beauty and a must have for me!  Note that this will not be available at retail, so the secondary market is the only way to get one if you are interested.

We are proud that we can also show you the backside of the model:

Always nice to see what the boys can do to the design and details when they aren’t limited to create a $1 toy!!!

That brings us to the “next step up” models – the Best of World series is surely a home run. Also not tied up in the $1 problem the range, shows 12 super models to collect. My favorite so far is surely this Lambo LM002 with these perfect fitting tires and a nice deco:

But also the design for the standard model corvette to come is worth having a look at.  Especially if you check it against some weird decos from the last years:

And yes – I really want to collect your ideas of future models to come … the team is working on 2017 at the moment. As always around 25 new castings are in line. It is just a fact that being a $1 toy not every casting can be a licensed car, even if we only suggest licensed models. I'm pretty sure that we can still name hundreds of good alternatives to do as a Matchbox, but we might help the team more if we also find ideas for “Matchbox originals” (non licensed/generic), models like the glass truck from Larry’s report. So lets make an agreement: you send me your idea of a model, and it is licensed, you also include a Matchbox original idea, or a decoration for an existing casting.

Ok – I will start:

Being German and liking sport cars, I'm really a fan for this unique sports car: Wiesmann (www.wiesmann.com) – you rarely see them on the street, but if you see one you take a second to enjoy it!

Ok – I will keep my promise to submit an idea for a Matchbox original model. Just passed one of these today – we see them in different versions around, and we all need them to get the road we want to drive on – a street building machine – picture is one version, but I guess we can all live with this being a nice addition to our “INC” company vehicles:

The other idea is a design for an existing casting. You all know we do get the BMW M1 (1M) last years in a very special livery for the Leipzig show. But the car was also used as a safety car – check this:

So far so good … Have fun


Dirk

Just Unveiled: Matchbox 2016 mainline Freightliner Fire Engine, Best of the World Austin Mini Van...

The Matchbox buzz continues...

If you haven't been on the @matchboxworld feed on IG, you really should.  Any excitement you get from what we share here at Lamley will triple when you follow them there.  You get the sense that things are wide open, all ideas are being considered, and most importantly, the orange brand is in very good hands.

And you get a few sneak peeks, and everyone loves sneak peeks.

In the last couple of days we have seen two upcoming new models.  First up is a 2016 New Model, the Freightliner Fire Engine:

It looks to be another great addition to the ever-growing fleet of Matchbox Fire Trucks.  It is nice to see Freightliner join Pierce, Mack, Seagrave, International and others as part of the fleet.

Next is the second model we have seen from the Best of the World premium series, due in December:

Yep, that is the always popular Austin Mini Van, looking fantastic in purple, and even better on the new Matchbox two-piece wheels.  The design is clean, and while I can't make out the side graphics, they look wonderfully British.  Between this and the fabulous black BMW 1M, the BotW seems to be off to a very nice start.  We can't wait to see more.

And we probably will soon.  Between our new MBX Ambassador Dirk Schleuer's upcoming reports, this IG feed, and other sources, the Matchbox excitement doesn't appear to be waning anytime soon...

Just Unveiled: Matchbox Best of the World Premium Series...

There is so much to share from last weekend's Matchbox Gathering, that it is hard to know where to start.  But I have some help in deciding.

Mother Nature.

I am lost in the woods.  By choice, thankfully, but deep in the woods nonetheless.  A family trip to the Island Park/Yellowstone area was on the books following the Gathering, and here we are.  It is beautiful, and I highly recommends visiting the area.  Being deep in the woods also means that piecing together a wifi signal for my macbook is quite the task.

I have a signal, but it is weak, as I learned late last night while trying to upload the 75 photos I have of the upcoming 2016 Matchbox models.  Every device just gave up trying.  So if I can find an area closer to civilization later today, I will upload them then, and put up the post tonight or tomorrow morning.

But that doesn't mean we are devoid of news we can share (i.e. less photos to upload).  In fact, this bit of news might be even more fun.

In December of this year, we will see this:

It is Matchbox's latest premium series, Best of the World, and it looks fantastic.  10 models, sitting on premium 2-piece wheels, with full deco.  And if you look, for 10 models there is a lot of variety.  Three from the UK, three from the US (Mack too?), a couple of German BMW's, and an Italian Lambo.  Plus, a fire truck, a motorcycle, a bus, a cop car, and on and on.  This set conjures up thoughts of the Golden Age we harp on about all the time.

Ten models might not seem like a lot, but it is a great place to start.  We will get into it a bit more on a future post, but there have been a lot of changes at Matchbox.  Personnel being one, where the brand fits within Mattel another.  On one hand it means there is a lot to prove, on the other there is some wide open space to take the brand in the best possible direction.  It should be fun to watch, and we collectors could really benefit.

But there are some casualties.  The Supreme Heroes line is done.  A line that held so much promise (18 emergency models, all premium), died a slow death, and now only four models released in the initial batch is what we have to show for it.  At least we got those, and at least the wheels were developed for it.  They are the same wheels we will see in Best of World.

Best of the World should be better.  Ten is a more realistic number, and the variety of the models should bring the collectors out.  There is no way that A100 and Foxbody Mustang will hang on the pegs for too long.

And we can feel confident about saying that, because the folks at Matchbox were nice enough to share images of the first model in the series, the BMW 1M, and oh my...

How good does that look!?!  Simple but stunning deco, and matte black on gloss.  It is a stunner of a model, and even better sitting on Matchbox's version of real riders.

We are all in on this, and cannot wait for December for when this hits.  The new Matchbox team is very forthcoming on news, so we should see more details coming from them directly or in the reports of our new Ambassador, Dirk Schleuer.

I can't wait for this one.  You?