The 1966 Dodge A100 Pickup will be this year's Dealer Exclusive at the 2016 Matchbox Gathering of Friends...

This is a first for the Matchbox Gathering of Friends, at least during the time I have been attending.

The first Matchbox Gathering Exclusive has been unveiled!  And yeah, it is pretty awesome.

Jim Gallegos, who runs the annual event that Mattel has adopted as their official Matchbox Convention, has asked us to unveil one of the two Matchbox exclusives that will be released.  And with a model that looks like this, I am thrilled to do it.

One of the most anticipated aspects of the Gathering, which is held every year in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July, is the unveiling of the Convention Models.  There are always two - one for attendees at the Dinner, and the other for dealers who reserve a table at the Sunday toy show.  Both models are made by Matchbox exclusively for the event, and they go all out.  Full tampo on all sides, tons of detail, and premium packaging, usually in an acrylic case.  Along with the Toy Fair model, the Gathering models are always the most detailed models Matchbox releases each year.

And this year is no exception.  The models chosen are bound to make attendees very happy, and probably persuade a few of you not attending to book a flight to next years event.

And you should.  The Gathering is the diecast event I most look forward to every year.  Small, simple, low key, and more focused on friends instead of dealmaking.  There is plenty of wheeling and dealing to be sure, but it is a lot more relaxed and fun.  It is easy to tell how pleasant the Gathering is based on how many collectors return each year.  And a lot do.

And the dealers will go home very happy with this year's exclusive in tow.  It will be the ever-popular 1966 Dodge A100 in spectraflame red.  It comes with full 4-sided tampos, a simple stock-like deco, and a very cool homage to something from Jim's past.

That something is the Hindi Sheep & Cattle Co.  Jim explains:

My grandfather Alex Hindi immigrated from Lebanon to NM, in 1908, following his brother William and with other Lebanese families such as the Maloofs, Bellamahs and Budaghers. He began ranching in Duran (Torrance County) shortly after and the ranch remains in the family today covering parts of 3 counties in south eastern New Mexico. Sheep, Cattle and Arabian horses have been the main livestock throughout most of these years.

In 1950, my grandfather returned to Lebanon. His brother, Subhi Hindi, was a breeder and trainer of Arabian horses who raced successfully at the famed Beirut track. My grandfather bought a champion stallion, Daham, and a pair of mares, Dalal and Bint Attebe, bringing them home in specially-made crates via ship to New York City, rail to Las Vegas, NM, then by truck to Duran, accompanied by Subhi all the way.

This was the inspiration for the 2016 Matchbox Gathering Dodge A100 decoration. 

Pictured is an early ad from the early 1950's picturing my uncle Brahaim with Daham who was one of the first horses brought to this country by my family.

I have always loved some the references in Matchbox and Hot Wheels decos, and this one is great, especially considering the history and Jim's connection with New Mexico.

And how cool is it that it is the A100?  It has been popular since the day it was released, and it doesn't stay on the pegs long.  I personally love when Matchbox does classic vehicles as the exclusives, and seeing this one with a vintage and very appropriate livery makes this release an instant fave.

So, how can you get one?

Dealer tables for the Sunday Toy Show are sold out, so if you don't have one, or are not attending, it will be hard.  There is always eBay of course, or friends you might be able to pry one from as well.  But my best suggestion is to plan on coming next year.  The event always happens in mid to late July, in New Mexico, so block out some time and plan on heading to the Southwest.  The exclusives will lure you in, but you will enjoy the company and event far more.

The models never disappoint, but it is the people that will keep you coming back.  It would take a lot for me to miss the Gathering...

Incidentally, the tradition is to unveil the Dinner Model at the actual dinner, and that will continue.  I will just say the Dinner model is a doozy, and Lamley will be sure to have a feature ready to post here on the blog as soon as it is unveiled that Saturday night on July 16th.  And the dinner will be streamed as well, so stick around to learn who the 10 Skyline Custom Contest winners are, as well as a preview of the 2017 lineup.  Jim will also unveil the ONE winner who guessed both exclusives right a few weeks ago.  That person will get one of these Dodges.  Pretty cool, eh?

Something tells me these two Gathering exclusives look really nice together:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Read More

The brand new Volkswagen Transporter Cab joins its cab-forward compatriot the Dodge A100 in the Matchbox lineup...

Find Matchbox 2016 Batch H at Wheel Collectors

And considering they pair so well, not a bad deal to have them released in the same batch...

Earlier this week, the Question of the Week at Japanese Nostalgic Car was "What's the most American JNC?"  I wouldn't know where to start, but I think one could argue the cab-forward Dodge A100 and Ford Econoline pickups could qualify.  While bigger than a typical Kei Truck, the silhouette is signature Japan.

And whether or not you agree with that, I think we can all agree that cab-forward pickups are super cool, and, especially these days, wonderfully unique.  I think that is one of the reasons the Matchbox Dodge A100 Pickup has been such a hit among collectors, and one of the reasons the brand new VW Transporter Crew Cab will be as well.

Of course it doesn't hurt that it is a Volkswagen, and collectors love Volkswagens.  But this is the first Matchbox VW pickup after a slew of older and newer Transporters.  And those silhouettes just rock:

Man those look cool together, and they will on the pegs as well when Batch H hits.

I could go on about the features or deco on these two.  Think Heralda 5000 Casting support on the Dodge and bike transport to one of Gerry's bike tours on the VW.  But the feature I am excited to see the most, outside of its accurate looks, is the tow hook.

Not every model need a tow hook, but the VW having one carries on the long tradition of Matchbox models being able to tow things.  And since Orange has a great trailer tool right now, why not let an equally great VW tow it around?

So you've got a great casting choice, wonderful execution, and a cool tow hook.  You also have a model that adds to the variety that is the group of 2016 licensed new models.  There are a lot of current cars in this year's batch, but the Transporter and upcoming Skyline anchor this line very well.

So yeah, I'm in on the Transporter, but that is no surprise.  I am looking forward to a large variety of looks in the future.  Just like the A100...

(Batch H will be in stores soon, or you can get what you want at Wheel Collectors...)

Read More

Licensed Police liveries are cool. VINTAGE licensed police liveries are even cooler...

It was awesome to see Matchbox tease this the other day:

#dodgemonaco comin' in hot! #mb987

A photo posted by @matchboxworld on Apr 28, 2016 at 3:18pm PDT

The Dodge Monaco is an excellent casting, that positively needs retro looking police liveries on it, whither licensed or not.  That has been the case for the most part, but there have definitely been some that look way too modern.

That is why seeing the upcoming Monaco in Illinois State Police is such a treat.  I still will say the CHP Monaco is my favorite, but this one isn't that far behind...

Read More

Two Matchbox National Parks models are coming in 2016, and one is the stellar new Dodge Ram Police...

Should I start with how much I love the Matchbox National Parks livery?

If you read regularly, you already know that.  And if you have been a Matchbox collector for the last few years, you probably agree with me.  Unlicensed but loosely based on the actual US National Parks livery, this deco has been my absolute favorite recurring Matchbox theme the last few years.

The National Parks deco is simple, and mint color constant, and the models look realistic.  The livery has had some variances throughout the years.  The logo used, for example, has come in several forms, but all the models feature the black and white checker-like stripes, as well as the same mint color.

Which means it is a good time to show the difference between the National Parks models and the Forest Service models.  Forest Service is also a fave, but I still prefer the simplicity of the National Parks.  (Don't tell my brother, who works for the Forest Service.)  While the colors are slightly different, the easiest way to tell the difference between the two themes is that Forest Service always has a little orange striping in the deco, while National Parks has the black and white checker stripes.  Here are both collections:

National Parks:

Forest Service (minus the Garbage Truck):

Back to National Parks.  Since the the Chevy Blazer first donned the deco in 2007 (I think that was the year), Matchbox has been pretty consistent in releasing at least one National Parks model each year.  Sometimes in the basic range, other times in 5-packs or 10-packs, and even once in gift packs released only in Canada.  Sometimes the casting choices haven't been stellar, just look at how out of the place the Off-Road Rider is, or but no matter what the casting, if it sports the National Parks livery, it is going in the collection.

Well Matchbox is going to make it very easy for us in 2016, giving us two National Parks models, and both castings are fantastic.  In fact, for the first ever, a new casting will debut with the livery.  And what a great casting it is.

Matchbox has granted us a preview of the upcoming Dodge Ram Police, and there is a ton to like.  The livery goes without saying, but check out how great the casting itself is.  I am prone to hyperbole occasionally, but this model is a perfect Matchbox.  To me it is far more interesting as a police model, and the Matchbox Team got it right by not exaggerating the stance or making it too off-roady.  The model is wonderfully realistic.  Sure, I don't think a Dodge Ram will get the collectors riled up like the new Miata, Skyline, or VW Transporter will, but at the end of the year I imagine collectors giving this one high ratings solely based on how well the model was executed.

Which leads to the other National Parks model being released in 2016, the Scraper.  That is another thing I have mentioned here.  There aren't a ton of unlicensed Matchbox models that I really like, but the Scraper is one that I love.  I don't know exactly why I love the Scraper, but I do, and I always add new versions to the collection.  So you can imagine how thrilled I am to see it donning my favorite livery this year.

There are quite a few models I would love to see in the NP livery, including several cars like the Monaco and Dodge Charger,   In time I am sure, as Matchbox has said they will continue producing the livery every year.  Cool.

In the meantime, all the National Parks models, from earliest to latest.  Enjoy:

Read More