Today On The Boulevard: 2022 Matchbox Sets - Only Three Releases

Hello, and welcome to a new edition of Today On The Boulevard. I still stand by my opinion that Walamart is one of the worst places to look for diecast cars. However, that doesn't mean I'll never check any the stores that are near me. After all, there are many different diecast releases that are only sold there, and it's not just releases from Hot Wheels, either. Like the aforementioned brand, Matchbox also has sets that are only sold at Walmart. And sometimes, there are a few releases that pique my interest. So even though I don't expect to find anything there, I will usually try to check at least one Walmart whenever I go to Target. At the end of the day, it doesn't hurt to look because there's always a chance you could find that one release, and my decision to check has once again led to me finding a few releases that I wanted. So with being said, let's go over what I found.

One of the latest Matchbox sets is called "Japan Origins," which as the name suggest, is a JDM themed set. Now, for obvious reasons, Walmart exclusive JDM releases are never added to my want list. However, this time they were because there were a few releases from the set that I wanted to have. But I knew my chances of seeing anything from the set would be low, and I was right! Most of the time Walmart got the set, folks took everything but the Mazda 3. So I was starting to consider giving up, but as usual, I chose not to. And I'm glad I didn't because '85 Toyota 4Runner was finally left behind.

There are not that many releases of this casting, and it's all thanks to them loosing the Toyota license a few years ago. And that was right around the time that I got into collecting Matchbox, too. That's why I only had two releases of this casting in my collection. So I figured I might as well try to acquire a third release of it. 

I also really wanted to have this one because it's not white. I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the first two that I had, but it truly is refreshing to have an example of the 4Runner that's finished in a different color. And I absolutely love the metallic gold they picked.

There is one thing that's bothering me about this release, though. And it has to do with the Japanese Nostalgic Car decal. Not long after I found this release, I came across a picture of it on the internet, and it showed the other side of it. Once I saw it, I immediately raised an eyebrow because the decal was not placed on the same spot. On the side you can see, it's just behind the door. But on the other side, it's actually on the door. Now, I'm sure many collectors won't mind, but in my opinion, the design choice has kind of ruined what would have been a terrific release. And it would have been my favorite one, too. I mean, I still like it, but I just can't ignore a design choice like that. So if this release was a part of a White Booth Wednesday post, I'd most likely give it a seven out of ten. Okay, let's move on to the next set.

A few months ago, the latest installment to the Jurassic Park franchise was released, and matchbox has once again decided to give collectors more diecast replicas of vehicles from the movie. Now, I usually don't pay too much attention to them because I don't feel the need to have some of the vehicles. For the most part, I am only interested in certain ones, and it's usually just the Jeeps. But this time, there were two different ones that I wanted to have, and I knew they were going to be the hardest ones to find. But as usual, after a certain amount of time, folks moved on. And that allowed me to finally find the entire assortment on the pegs. So with that being said, the first one I wanted is '86 Ford F-150 Truck.

 

To be honest, I haven't really watched any of the movies in the Jurassic Park franchise, so being a movie replica is not why I wanted this release. Basically, I was solely interested in adding another nice looking example of an older Ford pickup truck to my collection. You see, I wasn't always into collecting diecast pickup trucks, so I've missed a lot of cool releases of them. That's why I've made an effort to try and find any new pickup truck release.

Now then, there is one design choice that I really like, and it has to do with its overall appearance. The card art depicts this pickup truck with mud on it, and I suspect that some of you out there might have wanted it to look like that. However, I think most collectors prefer the clean look, and you already know that I do.

Like pickup trucks, motorcycles are also vehicles that I want to have more of. But they are usually not released as much as the other types of vehicles. So I definitely try to find them whenever they are released. And as most of you already know, this latest Jurassic World assortment has one in it.

From what I can gather, the actual motorcycle that's seen in the movie is the Montesa 4Ride. Now, for obvious reasons, Matchbox couldn't give fans of the movie the actual vehicle. However, in my eyes, this casting looks exactly like it. The only real major difference is the shape of its headlight. So I'd say this is still a fantastic movie replica. Of course, I don't really care about it being from a movie. I was just interested in having another motorcycle.

Well, those are the latest Matchbox releases that I added to my collection. I would like to be able find the other Japan Origins releases that I want, but if I can't, then that's fine. After all, they are Walmart exclusive JDM releases. So I'm satisfied with any of the ones I'm able to find. Now then, with Matchbox's Jurassic World line, I can honestly say that I'm a little more interested in it now, and it's all thanks to the two releases I got. So you might just see more of the Jurassic World releases talked about here.

So what is your favorite release from these two sets? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all I got for this edition of Today On The Boulevard. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.