In the last month, Matchbox has released two cases, F and G. The brand new Mazda MX-5 Miata has been in both of them. The Miata is one of the more highly anticipated new models of 2016, so that is news enough.
But there is another reason to look for the Miata, a reason we have mentioned a couple of times here at Lamley. When the Miata was first unveiled by Matchbox on Instagram, it sat on trispoke wheels:
Collectors in general loved the casting, but not so much the wheels. The team took that to heart, and called for a running change:
So the wheel switch was made, and to me at least the model looks a ton better. Matchbox sent both versions to me to preview at the time, and I took these photos:
But back to that running change. A "running change" is exactly what it sounds like. The model is already being produced at the factory, so mid-run the a change is made, in this case the wheels switched. Unless there is a very specific reason Mattel or the licensor doesn't want the previous version released, it will be released.
The Miata was supposedly already in production at the time of the change, so the word was out that early cases would have the trispoke Miata. But early cases have hit, and every Miata so far is sporting the 5-spoke wheel.
So where is the trispoke? Different cases are sent to different areas of the world, so there is a good chance the trispoke will be a regional variation (think Chilean Mini). Or it could show up anywhere randomly. Maybe Walmart. Maybe Target. Maybe short cards in Europe. Maybe at three gas stations in rural Texas. No one knows.
Or it may not show up at all. There is always a chance that the change was made right at production and the run started with the 5-spoke. In that case we will never see it. Only time will tell as this batch is released over the next few months. That is the only way to know.
So keep your eyes open, and if you see it, grab it, because it will not be a common model...
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