Hello, and welcome to another edition of My Want List here on the Star Boulevard Of Speed. I can't believe this year's mix five has showed up in my area. To be honest, I was actually hoping I wouldn't see it yet. In case you didn't know, there are still a few more releases I need to find from the previous mix. Now it looks like I won't be able to get them. But I guess that's just how things go, right? Ultimately, I am satisfied with what I got because the classic cars were the main ones I wanted. Anyway, mix five has quite a few interesting releases, and I'm a little disappointed with how I was only able to get certain ones.
Like a moth to a flame, people were solely attracted to the releases with the most "hype." Sadly, every single one of my local stores had the exact same remnants. It truly is unfortunate that people have to hoard certain castings. Anyway, I'm not going to spend too much time complaining because it's not like I didn't find anything good. So let's move on.
Like the previous mix, this too has some beautiful classic American cars, and one of them is a new casting. I might have also wanted the other releases that you'll see in this post, but the classic American cars are the ones I wanted the most. Sure, Mattel's other diecast brand also has many American classics, but we just don't see certain cars from them. That's why I get really excited when Matchbox releases new castings like the Ford Custom 300.
There was a time when Matchbox kept making classic American police cars instead of civilian cars. And I was a little saddened by that because I would have preferred a regular '59 Dodge Coronet instead of the police car version we got. Now, I'm sure many of you like the various classic police cars they've made, and I'll admit that they are okay castings to have. Especially since they aren't modified looking like the ones from the other brand. I just think they made a few too many of them. If it was up to me, I would have also created a civilian version of each one. Anyway, I'm happy they've decided to go in a different direction. Doing so has led to the creation of another great looking two-door classic American car.
Another beautiful American classic made its Matchbox debut last year, and it was the 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible. I was truly in awe when I first saw pictures of it, and when I finally found it, I took the opportunity to get an extra one to have on display. Ultimately, it was a casting I couldn't wait to see more of, and now the wait is finally over because the next release is available in this case.
There's just something special about a 1950s American car that's finished in black. That's why I really like this year's release of this and the Ford Custom 300. In my opinion, the color makes these old cars look more luxurious. Additionally, black makes the chrome exterior features on these cars stand out more.
The '41 Cadillac Series 62 was one of the mix four releases I got, and I didn't quite like how it had the same interior color as a few of the other releases. So I'm pleased with their decision to give this casting's second release a different interior color, and I love how they went with white. Now, I don't know how you feel about multiple releases having the same interior color, but I think it's great to have some variety between the various releases of a casting.
Not only does this brand give us beautiful classic American cars, they also give us classic pickup trucks too. And the Dodge Sweptside Pickup is one of the latest ones they've made. Like the Buick Skylark, it too was first released last year, and I was very impressed by its cream and red color scheme. Personally, Two-tone exterior color schemes are also great for these old vehicles, so I was hoping they'd do another one for its next releases. And to my delight, they did!
I love how they went with a color scheme that features blue, which is my favorite color. And I feel the designers picked a version of it that goes great with white. So this release is basically the one I've been waiting for. Although, I do have to admit that it's not necessarily my favorite one because I still really like the previous release.
I can't wait to see the third release of this casting. Hopefully they'll pick another great color scheme for it. Oh, and I also think it'd be nice to eventually see a release that's a single color too.
The overall proportions are the one thing these American classics have in common. They aren't the biggest when compared to some of the other diecast cars from Matchbox or Hot Wheels, but they are all similar to each other. And that's what I really like. The three in this post are basically the same size as the Plymouth Savoy, the '66 Dodge Charger, and the '41 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe. Okay, now it's time to take a look at the European cars that I had on my want list.
Although they aren't the ones I wanted the most, I can honestly say that they are all welcomed editions to the boulevard. I guess I just get really excited about American cars because I feel they are sometimes overshadowed by the various Japanese and European vehicles we usually get. Anyway, this case had a total of four European vehicles that piqued my interest, and three of them are classics. The fourth one is a new casting, and it's a modern vehicle.
Now, since I showed the American classics first, I've decided to do the same for the European ones. So with that being said, let's take a look at the latest release of the 1970 Ford Capri first.
I just knew they were going to eventually use blue for this casting, and I'm glad I didn't have to wait that long for them to do so. To be honest though, I thought they were going to use a darker version of it, but I'm genuinely glad they went with this lighter version. This particular blue is a great color for most classic cars, and classic European cars definitely look terrific finished in the color. That's why I love releases like this and the 2019 release of the '63 Austin Healey.
You never know how many releases there'll end up being of a certain European car. Especially when it's a not from a vehicle manufacturer that's commonly seen down the diecast row. So it's always exciting to see a continued use of castings like the 1971 MGB GT Coupe.
The base they picked for this release is the only thing I don't necessarily like. I mean... I know it's not that big of a deal, since Matchbox usually gives their various releases a grey plastic base. However, in my eyes, castings like this look better with a chrome plastic base because it makes it have realistic looking bumpers. The other base also makes this particular casting have a realistic looking grill, too. That's why I was hoping they'd use it again for this casting's third release.
I might not like the base they picked, but I can definitely ignore it because I do like the exterior color that was picked for it. Although... I do have to admit that I kind of like the previous release just a tad bit more because it's dark green, and I feel that's great color for a British sports car. Also, that release has a chrome plastic base. Anyway, there's no denying the fact that this car looks pretty good finished in yellow, so I'm still happy with this release.
Unlike the first two European classics that are coupes, the third one is a four-door, and it's the '80 Mercedes-benz W123 Wagon.
There's been quite a few nice releases of this casting now, and there's even been a blue one, too. But just like the classic American cars, I feel there's something special about a Mercedes-Benz that's finished in black. After all, this manufacturer is all about luxury, so elegant colors are going to be some of the best ones for their vehicles. And black has definitely made this release look a little more elegant than the previous releases. So yeah, this is now my favorite one.
Besides the exterior color, the tampo details also contributed to this release being my favorite. And my favorite detail is definitely the blue and yellow California plate. Okay, let's move on to the casting that's new.
As you've all seen, there's been a huge push towards the creation and promotion of electric vehicles. And both of Mattel's diecast brands have stayed on top of the game by creating many diecast replicas of these new technologically advanced EVs. Eventually, there'll be no need to make car noises when you roll these toys around. Anyway, it's always exciting to see the next EV they're able to make, and it's even more exciting when it's a vehicle from a manufacturer that we don't typically see on the pegs. So which manufacture is it? This time it's Renault, and the vehicle is their new Megane E-Tech.
This is a pretty nice casting, and I can honestly say that I'm pleased with its overall width and height. Sometimes, Matchbox's castings are a little small when compared to some of the other diecast castings. But in my eyes, this one is just right.
At first, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the gold section on its front end, but I came to accept it after I visited Renault's website. From what I can gather, this release's exterior color scheme is based on the one that's available for the "Launch Edition." I, for one, think it was a fantastic design choice. I mean, if the manufacture makes one, then why not base the debut release of a casting on the special version of its real-life counterpart? In my opinion, doing so is one way to make a casting's first release special.
Now, the real "Launch Edition" also has gold on its rear end, and for some reason, Matchbox chose to not add it to this release. I know that detail would have been added to it's base, but it's not like Hot Wheels didn't add a tampo to the new Z's base. So I feel Matchbox should have added gold to the rear end of this release. Also, the entire section around its license plate should have been black. In fact, based on how the real vehicle looks, the license plate section should have been part of the base.
There's two more releases that I got, but I'm going to stop this post here. Usually, I'll limit each post to a total of six releases. However, there ended up being seventh one because I wanted to talk about all of the American and European vehicles in one post. So the other two releases are going to be save for a White Booth Wednesday post.
If I had to pick a favorite release from the ones that are featured in this post, then I'd definitely pick the Ford Custom 300. I'm truly thrilled to see another civilian version of a 1950s American car. And to be honest, it'll most likely be one of the releases that's featured in this month's edition of Best On The Block. As for the spot it'll take, well... you'll just have to check out the post to see.
So how do you feel about this year's mix five? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of My Want List. Until I find more releases, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.
