Both Matchbox and Hot Wheels love to revisit certain liveries and designs. Some really stand out.
There are two in particular that have been very popular with Matchbox collectors – The Forest Service and National Parks. Both are generic liveries, but share enough similarities with the services here in the US to make it obvious what they represent.
I like both quite a bit, but of the two the National Parks theme is my favorite, and we will feature that group soon. Today we focus on the Forest Service models, of which there are seven vehicles. They have appeared in both the basic range and multipacks, all sharing some variance of the same color and design.
The latest is the Ford Pumper, which much to the chagrin of collectors, appeared in the same design, only now with flames added. Although it does not bother me as much as some, I share the feeling that the flames are not needed on this otherwise great-looking model.
Nonetheless, this theme is fun one to collect, and after about three years of 1-2 models being released, a nice set is forming.
Pictured below are the seven, with an additional shot of the LR Discovery in both the Forest Service and National Parks liveries to show the difference. They are confused all the time.
This is a fun subset. I have never seen all of them together in one place at once time. Thanks!