Today On The Boulevard: Random 2022 Matchbox Releases At Walmart

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Today On The Boulevard. Diecast hunting can sometimes be really frustrating, and it can get to the point where you just want to quit the hobby altogether. And yes, believe it or not, there's been many times where I've thought about quitting. It might seem like I'm easily finding some of the hottest releases, but I'm not. Sometimes, I've gone through multiple tanks of gas when I wanted to find something. So it hasn't been easy at all. Anyway, right when I think about quitting, I end up finding some of the releases that piqued my interest. That's how I get pulled back into the hobby, and I was once again pulled back in when I chanced upon some of the Matchbox releases I wanted at Walmart. So with that being, let's get this post started!

Last month, Matchbox released another Moving Parts assortment, and it had some pretty nice looking releases. But there was only I wanted to have, and it was the 1975 Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste. And no, I didn't just want it because it's the assortment's classic JDM. For me, it was all about having another one of Mitsubishi's vehicles in my collection. I know there's already been a few different Mitsubishi castings from Hot Wheels and Matchbox, but they've recently acquired the ability to make more. So I'm trying to get as many examples of their vehicles as I can because you never know when they won't be able to make them anymore. Of course, that's not going to happen anytime soon, but you never know.

For the most part, we've gotten Mitsubishi's later vehicles, and it's usually the ones from the '90s and early '00s. So it's refreshing to see one of their vehicles from the '70s, and I hope we continue to get more of their classics.

So how do I feel about this casting? Well, I think it's an excellent replica, and I really like how they chose to give it an opening hood. Sure, the castings with opening doors are cool, but a diecast model's interior is usually always visible. What's not usually seen is an engine, and that's why I love castings like this one.

I'm also really happy with the design choices that were made for it's exterior. Not only did they pick a great color, they also gave it the real car's stripe too.

To be honest, this release will probably be one of the ones I pick for this month's edition of Best On The Block. It might not be as flashy as the other diecast releases I found this month, but like the Mitsubishi castings from Hot Wheels, this too is a casting I'm extremely pleased with. And I feel classics like this from Matchbox deserve to be in the spotlight too. Alright, this wasn't the only great release I found, so let's move on.

Like Hot Wheels, Matchbox also has sets that are sadly only sold at Walmart, which is still the worst place to look for diecast crs. And within the last couple of months, they released two different sets that are each going to have a total of twelve releases. One was called "Japan Origins," and I already knew it was going to be difficult to find any of the releases from it. The other one is called "Local Cruisers," and I didn't think it was going to be hard to find too, but it was. Fortunately, I was able to find all of the releases I wanted from both of the first assortments, and I'm overjoyed because one of them is a casting I didn't have.

Now then, last month I was able to find the 1985 Toyota 4Runner, which is one of the releases I wanted to have from the Japan Origins set. At the time, I was happy because I thought I would only ever continue to see pegs that were full of Mazda 3s. But there was still one more release I had to have, and it was the 2008 Honda Civic Type R. Yeah... a Civic that's only sold at Walmart is not something I look forward to, but I decided to keep an eye out for it anyway. And I'm glad I did because I spotted one that was sitting beneath the pegs.

This casting made its debut in 2008, and it was last used in 2012, which was a time where I wasn't into diecast like I am now. And even if I was, I still would have missed its releases because I wasn't into Matchbox at all back then. So this release was the one I absolutely had to have. I know I could have tried to look for it or one of its older releases on the secondary market, but I'll only consider doing that if there is no other way for me to get an older casting. And I wasn't going to since it looks like they're going to use this casting again.

Besides wanting to have at least one example of it in my collection, I also wanted to have this release because its finished in white. Usually, I would have preferred a different color, but being finished in white make it match the Type R releases we've gotten from Hot Wheels. And like many of you, I also like matching releases. 

Now, I'm not entirely sure if Honda offered white wheels for this car, but I think that would have been a great wheel color for this release. Additionally, it would have really made it match the Civic as well as the NSX from Hot Wheels. But I'm just happy to finally have one of these, so I don't really care about the color of its wheels.

It is worth mentioning that this release is the same as the one from 2009. So it is a little shocking how it was still hoarded. But I guess that's just how things are when it comes to certain castings. Okay, let's move on to the releases I got from the other set.

The Local Cruisers set seems like it's mostly going to be about American vehicles, and I couldn't be happier. Japanese and European vehicles are nice, but American vehicles are just as nice, and it's unfortunate how they are sometimes overshadowed. So this set is definitely a welcomed sight, although... like the Japan Origins set, it too has re-releases. But you know what? I actually don't mind because this first assortment has made it so I was able to get two awesome older releases. And one them is the 2011 release of the 1971 Chevelle SS Convertible.

This right here would have definitely been one of the releases I got if I was into Matchbox when it was first released. A lot of orange diecast releases look great, but none of them look as good as this one under a light. And thanks to the paint, this release is now my favorite one. I mean, the Retro Series release is still cool, and I'll probably keep its picture posted in the auto museum. But this release is a sight to behold!

Now, I have absolutely no issue with them using some of their hottest releases again, but I do think it would be nice to eventually see a new one. I mean, why not used this casting more? It's not like Hot Wheels currently makes a 1971 Chevelle. And they've stopped using their '70 Chevelle Convertible, which is sadly a casting I don't have. So I think it would be great to see new releases of this casting. Alright, let's move on to the next release.

The 1972 Ford Bronco is the second one I got, and I couldn't be happier with the release they chose to use again. In 2007, the Mathcbox team put together a pirate themed 5-pack, and the Ford Bronco would have been the only one I wanted from it. The other four releases are not nice at all, and one of the them even had a treasure map on its sides. So I definitely would not have bought that pack, and that's why I'm thrilled with their decision to re-release that pack's Ford Bronco.

Now, this might be a re-release, but it's technically not because there were a few minor changes that were made to the overall theme. Besides the color change, this release's design also features a few more numbers over its rear wheel. Additionally, its fenders now have an "X," and there's no longer a black oval behind "Pirates."

Ultimately, a pirate theme is not something that is easy to pull off. If done wrong, you will end up with a release that is not too popular. But when it's done right, you will end up with an outstanding release like this one.

Okay, those are all of the random Matchbox releases I found at Walmart. I really can't wait to see the next Japan Origins and Local Cruisers assortments. I know they'll most likely have re-releases like the first assortments, so I hope they once again pick older releases that I would have had on my want list.

So, how do you feel about the releases I talked about in this post? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Okay, that's all for this edition of Today On The Boulevard. Till next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.